Big difference between performances of Tipperary Minor and Under 20 hurlers

As the countdown to the senior championship opener ticks away in the background, the focus last week was on our underage sides. Both the Under 20s and minors delivered wins, though the contrast between the two was stark. The minors thrilled followers with a sparkling display; the Under 20s stumbled to an undeserved victory after an awful performance.

It’s best to begin then with the sparkle. After the glory of 2024, James Woodlock and his management endured frustrating days last year. A string of narrow defeats saw them draw a blank. Opening the 2026 account then on Good Friday with a stirring display against Clare at the Stadium must have been greeted with a mixture of relief and delight.

It certainly delighted the followers, not just the win but the high-scoring spectacle delivered by two exciting teams. With seven goals and 39 points being reeled off, this game buzzed throughout. Tipperary had the better of it but Clare kept them honest to the end.

The home side had the worst possible start when they conceded a penalty goal after just three minutes. Clare corner forward Max Sheehan latched onto a breaking ball and when Eoin Connolly saved his shot, play was brought back for the penalty, which Ben Talty dispatched with some venom.

Undaunted, however, the Tipp lads settled to their game and dominated the next twenty minutes or so. They rolled off a string of points from multiple sources and were unlucky with several goal chances. KJ Dunne brought a save from Conor Keogh after eight minutes; Chris Dunne had a goal cancelled for overcarrying after nine minutes; Conor Keogh then denied Conall Morrisson after 11 minutes and later in the half the Moyle Rovers lad was blown back when through on goal. The latter decision goes down as poor refereeing.

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It all represented a string of near misses by a Tipp attack that had the measure of the opposition. In the midst of it all Zach O’Keeffe got in for a goal when the Clare ‘keeper fumbled midway through the half. The Holycross man might have delivered a second later in the half but a 65 resulted.

However, it wasn’t all one-way. Clare had their standout moments too with Ben Talty a major threat in attack. Talty had his second goal after 22 minutes and the visitors finished the half strongly to go in just three adrift. It felt less than Tipperary deserved.

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The second half was the story of KJ Dunne and Tipperary goals. Son of Ken from the Toomevara dynasty, KJ was central to all three majors. With delightful feet he just danced away from defenders to set up Zach O’Keeffe for the first goal of the half; he delivered the second himself after a lightning burst through; then he supplied Chris Dunne for the third.

Yet despite those blows Clare kept retaliating. For a spell they dominated around the midfield area, where Tipperary appeared to be short of bodies on our puckout. Their midfielder, Isaac Hassett, fired over three consecutive points at that juncture.

The lead came back to a single point at one stage midway through the second period. However, Conall Morrisson and Chris Dunne kept responding with quality scores for Tipperary. These were flags that supplemented the Dunne-inspired goals.
A late Clare goal from James O’Donnell kept the game tense to the end but Tipperary were ultimately good value for the four-point verdict.

It’s only the opening salvo in a championship that will have many twists and turns along the way. Still, an opening win is always encouraging for lads of such a tender age. The top two sides in the group will contest the Munster final but four of the five teams will advance to the All-Ireland series.

Encouragingly, this side appears to have quality attackers, which is always a major asset. Conall Morrison’s 0-5 from play was huge but there were several other aces in that forward pack. Chris Dunne hit some great scores from frees and play; KJ Dunne was central to the second half especially; and Zach O’Keeffe bagged a pair of goals.

But in a team that had nine different scorers there was much to admire throughout. James Woodlock’s fingerprints seemed to be all over a side that showed both attitude and ability in abundance.

I wish the same line could be applied to the Under 20 win over Waterford midweek. Alas and alack, such is not the case. Pat Spillane used to refer to puke football back in the day; what we saw in Dungarvan was the vomiting version of hurling.

Just five points apiece were scored in the second half of a game riddled with errors, shapeless and incoherent. At times in the second period especially it looked like a parody of hurling. Tipperary played with the wind in that spell but at times had just one isolated forward in the Waterford half. Ultimately the Deise squandered the chance and let Tipperary off the hook.

I can’t recall ever hearing such dismay from so many Tipperary followers after a game their side won. Seldom has the line “winning is all that matters” sounded so superficial. Winning, of course, is important but so too is the quality of the performance and what it tells us about the team’s potential.

The first half was the best of it. Waterford had the wind and the teams went point for point. A few of the scores had a quality stamp too. Probably the best was a Stefan Tobin effort after some neat interplay. But much of the play was laboured and faulty. Our best goal chance brought a fine save by Deise goalie James Comerford, who turned away a Jamie Ormond effort. We led by one at the break and probably expected to push on with the wind at our back on the turnover.

But we didn’t. Our game deteriorated and we were struggling all over, though our salvation was the fact that Waterford were no better.

There was a crucial moment after 41 minutes when Waterford were awarded a penalty and Euan Murray was black-carded. A goal in this game would have been huge but Paddy McCormack read Davy Comerford’s intent, moved to his left and executed a crucial save.

A draw would probably have been a just ending to such a miserable second half but Mark Hartley missed a simple enough free at the end and Tipperary came away with two points that were hardly deserved.

Worryingly, it’s the second escape for the team in a week. The two wins give breathing space with the next outing at home to Clare on April 22. However, much reflection and reform is needed if this title defence is to progress.

Elsewhere, Limerick reasserted their edge over Cork with that league final win. Ultimately, it was the older warriors like Gillane and Hegarty who carried them through, with some of the younger guns finding it tough.

Still, they look to be in rude health with three weeks now to prepare for their championship opener. For Cork things are not so sure.

Otherwise, Clare are cruising along nicely as the championship approaches. They beat Dublin in the B final without Tony Kelly and David McInerney and with Shane O’Donnell and Mark Rodgers being withdrawn. With everyone on board they’ll be formidable.

That game showed that referees still can’t manage the cynical foul rule. The first half Dublin penalty award seemed unjustified and then there was no mention (that I heard) about the Clare one, which Shane O’Donnell should have been awarded when he was grounded inside the D.

Once again, the officiating of the handpass generated more comment and controversy. It’s an issue in virtually every game nowadays and will remain so until the problem is tackled.

In that regard it’s good to see Jarlath Burns setting up a hurling review committee under John Meyler. Let’s hope they tackle all issues affecting the game, unlike the HDC (Hurling Development Committee), which should now be disbanded.