Tipperary hurlers face huge game against Waterford team that poses a serious threat

Goals, glorious goals! Two years ago, Tipperary landed five against Clare on the way to an opening round win at Ennis. On Saturday last they hammered home four more at Zimmer Biomet Cusack Park to set up a thrilling win that keeps championship hopes alive ahead of Waterford’s visit to the Stadium this Sunday.

The old game continues to produce hurling epics, with Munster at the heart of it all. What a spectacle! The goals underpinned Tipperary’s early dominance, the lead stretching out to a dozen. Then came the Banner roar and the inevitable fightback that had us shifting nervously in our seats.

In the end it was a rousing Tipperary encore that sealed the deal. The final flourish was heartwarming; Tipperary outstayed Clare to survive the siege of Ennis. Then the dancing began.

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We bagged four goals in the first half, but it could have been six. An injury-stricken Clare defence was being riddled on every attack. As early as the fifth minute John McGrath had his first, hammered home emphatically off a pass from Alan Tynan.
Two minutes later he should have added a second but somehow the ball flew over from close range. It’s rare for the Loughmore man to miss from there.

The onslaught continued, however. Jason Forde takes on his marker and feeds Andrew Ormond, who bounces a second one past Quilligan. Jake Morris brings a fine save from the Clare ‘keeper; the manager roars in to keep the shot low, bounce it past the goalie.

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Soon John McGrath has his second, as the defender mistimes his advance and the ball breaks behind. Then Morris brings another save from Quilligan but Ormond plants the rebound home; a deft flick by Robert Doyle had initiated the move. This was nightmare stuff for Clare.

At its height Tipperary’s lead extended to a dozen points. Nine first half wides was another part of the story. With a higher conversion rate we could easily have been out of sight by the interval.

The forwards get the credit for the goal-fest but the backs were central to the story too. There was shape and security to our formation, with Clare deliveries regularly finding Tipperary sweeping up possession. Ronan Maher was doing well on Peter Duggan, one fetch over the Clare man’s head a highlight moment. Michael Breen won his early duels with Shane Meehan and Robert Doyle was doing a capable job on Tony Kelly.

Clare were floundering but they did manage to regain some ground before the break. Mark Rodgers was flawless on the frees all day; Ryan Taylor pitched in with a few first half flags also. Then Rodgers got in for a goal minutes before the break. They pegged the interval lead back to nine points – substantial but not uncatchable.

It had been a thrilling half from Tipperary. However, wind backing was a significant factor and there was bound to be a push-back from Clare. They’d been in very similar territory against Cork and succeeded in clawing the deficit back for a very satisfying draw. Nobody was thinking this game was done at half-time; the only issue was the extent of Clare’s retaliation.

Almost immediately on resuming the deficit began to dwindle. Tipperary were quickly on the backfoot, forced into fouling, which was highly unprofitable given the impeccable free-taking of Mark Rodgers. A nine-point lead was quickly down to six before John McGrath had a steadying point for Tipperary.

We were in a major battle now, the advantage down to five points ten minutes after resuming. Then Shane O’Donnell enters to an ear-splitting roar and Tipperary’s problems just hit a new level. O’Donnell immediately fetches a high one and is fouled. Moments later another foul and Clare’s momentum is building.

Their big break came twenty minutes into the second half when Tony Kelly latched onto a break and made a beeline for goal. The defence closes in, there’s a slight pull back on the player and the referee indicates a penalty. Kelly doesn’t give Shelly a chance and the lead is back to a single point.

A huge Eoghan Connolly point from distance was a critical response to that Kelly goal. Eoghan also landed a pair of long-range frees in this half, something which has become his calling card.

Eventually another Mark Rodgers free levels matters with about eight minutes left on the clock, plus stoppage time. It’s on a knife-edge now, every tussle crucial to the eventual outcome. More than anything else it’s Tipperary’s response from here that was the most satisfying feature of all.

A key moment arrives when Mark Rodgers heads towards goal and attempts a lay-off to a colleague running off his shoulder. Jake Morris tracks back to intercept and work the ball downfield, where John McGrath does a crafty steal and wisely taps over.

Tipperary were back in the lead and there was more to follow. John McGrath wins a free; Tipp two-up. An Eoghan Connolly free makes it three-up. Ian Galvin is racing through menacingly but drops the ball; danger averted. Sean Kenneally wriggles free for a valuable point; Tipp four-up.

It was breathless stuff. A Rodgers free pares the lead back to three for a one-score game. Clare raid again for Ryan Taylor to lay-off to Peter Duggan. The pass is slightly ahead of Duggan and the Tipp defence scrambles to smother the chance. Morris drives a clearance from his own end line and the final whistle blows.

In those final flurries of activity at either end the game could have tilted either way. Crucially Tipperary held firm, nerves intact, to seal the verdict. Fortune favoured the brave so the Waterford game now assumes mammoth importance.

In our excitement at the win, it is important to mention context. Clare have been heavily hit by injuries and illness. They started with half of their All-Ireland winning defence due to the absence of Conor Cleary, John Conlon and Diarmaid Ryan. By half-time they’d lost another with the withdrawal of Conor Leen, who probably shouldn’t have started. Our goal spree is set against that backdrop.

John McGrath certainly rolled back the years with his performance; a deadly sniper near goal but, crucially, a central playmaker in the second half when the need was greatest. Andrew Ormond’s selection was a brave one and he repaid the confidence with a 2-1 input. Jason Forde hit more wides than he’d like but still had a decent contribution to the win, as did Jake Morris, whose workrate was immense.

There were plenty of credits too from numbers one to nine. Rhys Shelly justified his recall with his puckouts and one bold advance to stifle Peter Duggan. Ronan Maher’s role in limiting Duggan has been well noted. Eoghan Connolly’s second half was strong and influential and all the others pitched in with key moments of note. Alan Tynan and Craig Morgan too were central to the drama.

Overall, it was a feisty effort from Tipperary where Clare’s limitations were fully exploited. The goal blitz and the storming finish were the key components.

Now for the follow-up. Qualification for the knockouts still hangs in the balance; Waterford pose a serious threat on Sunday at the Stadium. It’s another huge game for all involved.

Our recent record against the Deise is poor, without a single win from our last four encounters. That’s a bleak run that needs halting. Last year we forced a battling draw at Walsh Park, while 2023 is still a raw memory. With everything to play for that day we flopped and, to an extent, have been seeking recovery ever since. Time to move on surely.

We’ve found Waterford to be awkward opponents, so how the team copes on Sunday will be a reflection of how we’ve progressed or otherwise. Unusually we go in as favourites; let’s justify the tag.