The Dunnes hit form again for Tipperary minor hurlers in the round two defeat of Cork in Thurles

Electric Ireland Munster Minor Hurling Championship - Round 3

Tipperary 2-17

Cork 0-16

Tipperary found the extra gears in FBD Semple Stadium on Friday evening to clinch their second victory of this year’s Electric Ireland Munster Minor Hurling Championship, defeating Cork in what Premier supporters will hope is a sign to come over the weekend.

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A far cry from the high-scoring, entertaining fare in the round one victory over Clare in round one, this game was a slog at times with both teams looking to protect their defences and turning the game into a stodgy, middle third battle.

But in the end, the forward quality that James Woodlock has at his disposal made the ultimate difference, with goals from Chris and KJ Dunne in either half proving to be the critical scores, while young Moyle Rovers man Conall Morrison added four more points from play to the five he scored against Clare in a brilliant individual performance.

This one definitely didn’t get the pulses racing like the Clare contest in Thurles two weeks ago, with stop-start hurling for the 30 minutes as Tipperary took the pragmatic approach in the first half against the now obligatory breeze.

Cork started the brighter with their wing forwards, Tadhg McCarthy and Liam O’Regan picking off points that were carbon copies in nature, coming from the left-hand side at an acute angle to give the Rebels an early advantage.

By the seventh minute, Tipp had responded first through Shane Ryan, who galloped down the centre of the defence before slotting over on the run, and that was quickly followed by KJ Dunne’s flick over from close range thanks to Chris Dunne’s set up.

Once again, the inside danger of the two Dunnes and Zach O’Keeffe was apparent. In  the third minute, linking up between them would yield goal chances, with KJ Dunne’s strong run leading to Chris Dunne shooting from close range - deflected by the Cork goalie - with Zach O’Keeffe denied on the line reaching for the rebound.

Those heartstopping moments were few and far between though, but after Cork took a 0-4 to 0-2 lead through a pair of Sam Ring frees, Tipp would hit the back of the net when Zach O’Keeffe’s cut in run from the left-hand side led to him getting in on goal and with the goal at his mercy, a Cork hurley struck his helmet that saw the referee award a penalty.

Up stepped Chris Dunne, who pumped the ball home past the rooted Marley Walsh in the Cork goal. Soon after, Conall Morrison picked off his first of the day in style after taking on his man, and with that, the home side led 1-3 to 0-4 after 16 minutes.

Errors were huge in this half, with the wind and low-setting sun causing mayhem, and when Tadhg Murphy and Zach O’Keeffe collided at speed, leading to a stoppage; O’Keeffe failing to emerge thereafter.

With the wind, Cork were having more joy with the shooting stakes and hit three in a row through the prolific pairing of Tadhg McCarthy and Liam O’Regan, which put the sides level at 1-4 to 0-7 after 26 minutes.

However, it was Tipp who took a slender lead at half-time with two Chris Dunne frees, and a booming effort from James Finn after a clever short puckout put James Woodlock’s charges ahead by the minimum, 1-6 to 0-8.

The wind advantage would have provided more cause for a more attacking approach from Tipperary in the second half, and while they had early joy in the form of a sublime sideline cut from Shane Ryan and a well-finished Chris Dunne point after an Eanna Tucker pick out, the defence shape stayed the same.

It invited Cork forward if anything, and from the 35th to the 38th minute, they hit four points in a row with match referee twice penalising Tipperary players for steps for Sam Ring to convert frees, while the Cork bench made an impact through a brace of classy scores from Ryan Cagney as the young Rebels led 0-14 to 1-9 by the 40th minute.

However, the screw slowly turned in the Tipperary hands in the final 20 minutes with a release seemingly applied up front. After Conall Morrison had hit his second point of the game, the Moyle Rovers player produced an unselfish moment to get in on goal and offload to KJ Dunne who slotted home a goal from close range.

That turned the game in Tipp’s favour with quick scores following from Chris Dunne (free) and a brilliant run and finish from the newly introduced substitute Rian McGrath to flip the script and give the Premier a 2-11 to 0-14 lead with the final quarter to come.

And that quarter was all Tipperary - aided by some poor Cork shooting - six of the final seven points coming from the boys in blue and gold as Chris Dunne, Conal Morrison and a pair of savage points from substitute Ciaran Gantley put the game beyond Cork, giving James Woodlock’s side a second successive win in this year’s championship.

There were eye-catching performances across the pitch again from Tipperary, with James Finn leading from the centre of the defence all game, while Conall Morrison, Chris Dunne, and KJ Dunne are proving to be a devastating trio thus far and will be exciting to watch as the year wears on.

Tipperary will next face Limerick away on Thursday, April 30, in TUS Gaelic Grounds.

Scorers: Tipperary: Chris Dunne (1-6, 1-0 pen, 0-3f), KJ Dunne 1-1, Conall Morrison 0-4, Ciaran Gantley 0-2, Shane Ryan (0-2, 0-1 sl-cut), Rian McGrath, James Finn 0-1 each.

Cork: Sam Ring 0-7f, Liam O’Regan 0-3, Tadhg McCarthy, Ryan Cagney 0-2 each, Tadhg Murphy, Cathal Barry 0-1 each.

Tipperary: Eoin Connolly (Carrick Swans); Colm Ryan (Newport), Daniel Groom (Borris-Ileigh), Conor Collins (Galtee Rovers); Travis McLoughlin (Cahir), James Finn (Golden Kilfeacle), Oisin Kennedy (Newport); Shane Ryan (Borris-Ileigh), Hugo Healy (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Conor Kennedy (Clonoulty Rossmore), Conall Morrison (Moyle Rovers), Eanna Tucker (Nenagh Éire Óg); KJ Dunne (Toomevara), Chris Dunne (Gortnahoe Glengoole), Zach O’Keeffe (Holycross Ballycahill).

Subs used: Josh Moroney (Ballina) for O’Keeffe (21, inj); Ciaran Gantley (Cappawhite) for Healy (40); Rian McGrath (Kiladangan) for Tucker (40); Sean Burke (JK Brackens) for C Kennedy (58); Ollie Roche (Newport) for Moroney (63).

Cork: Marley Walsh (Youghal); Jack Batterberry (Castletownroche), Howard O’Donovan (Kilmeen Kilbree), Nathan Coffey (Na Piarsaigh); Finn Cahill (Midleton), Sean Riordan (Kilworth), Dave Nolan (Erin’s Own); Tadhg Murphy (Cloughduv), Cathal Barry (Bride Rovers); Tadhg McCarthy (Watergrasshill), Stephen McHugh (Newtownshandrum), Liam O’Regan (St Finbarr’s); Cormac Murphy (Ballinora), Tom Huggins (Sarsfields), Sam Ring (Carrigtwohill).

Subs used: Ger Kingston (Mallow) for T Murphy (21, temp sub - reversed 24); Ryan Cagney (Mallow) for C Murphy (HT); Bobby Power (Ballincollig) for Huggins (45); Conor Stack (Blackrock) for Barry (49); Ger Kingston (Mallow) for T Murphy (60).

Referee: Eoghan O Laoire (Clare)

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