Hogan the hero for Tipperary with virtuoso display in home victory over Antrim in round two

Allianz National Football League - Division 4 - Round 2

Tipperary 1-13

Antrim 1-9

By Michael Dundon

Tipperary had to dig deep to secure full points against Antrim in round two of Division Four of the Allianz National Football League at Moneygall on Sunday last, the win keeping the Premier boys on track in the promotion race with some testing assignments ahead.

READ NEXT: Doughan makes the difference as Nenagh CBS claim second Harty Cup

Three points from two games is the kind of start manager Niall Fitzgerald would have wished for as he sets about developing a new Tipperary outfit, but with Carlow up next, favourites to top the division, nobody is getting carried away with overblown expectations.

Tipp have found Antrim difficult to overcome in recent years, but the balance was tipped heavily in Tipp’s favour when Antrim lost midfielder John Carron to a red card after 33 minutes, with the visitors leading 0-5 to 0-4 at the time. 

Carron was penalised for a high challenge on Tipp captain Paudie Feehan and Antrim lost another player after 70 minutes, Pat Shivers forced to march after a second yellow card, as Antrim pressed to eke out a result.

Having an extra man for the second half, when they also had the assistance of the breeze, set Tipperary up nicely for the points, but a gritty Antrim outfit never faltered and it took a hat-trick of Sean O’Connor points in the closing minutes to put the victory beyond Antrim’s reach.

Originally fixed for Semple Stadium, the game was switched to Moneygall when the Thurles venue was declared unavailable due to heavy rain in the previous days. 

Credit the Moneygall field committee for their willingness to accept the fixture, the first National Football League game at the venue. The going was testing, and having the extra man for the second half helped the home side get over the line.

The sides shared ten points, 0-5 each, at half-time after an opening period in which Tipp had much more of the play, but two two-pointers by Antrim’s Dominic McEnhill were big scores for the visitors, who had the fresh breeze behind them. Tipp had six wides in the period and hit the upright on another occasion, while Antrim registered just three scores and were twice off target, an indication of the possession enjoyed by the home side.

The loss of Carron two minutes before the break was a big blow to Antrim and put Tipp in the driving seat. Antrim had the first point of the second half, but after three minutes Daithi Hogan, set up by Sean O’Connor, netted for the Premier boys for a 1-5 to 0-6 lead, the game now theirs for the taking.

With Sean O’Connor, Daithi Hogan and Cian Smith all raising flags, Tipp went 1-9 to 0-8 clear after 52 minutes and looked set for a comfortable win, but some indecision in defence led to an Antrim goal after 55 minutes to leave them just one point adrift. Tipp responded well to the challenge. 

Paudie Feehan was denied a score by the woodwork and from the rebound Michael Freaney’s effort was taken off the line. Daithi Hogan and Pat Shivers exchanged points, but Tipp finished strongly, Sean O’Connor pointing a free before Shivers was sidelined for a second yellow card. O’Connor added two further Tipp points for a four-point winning margin.

In the process of building a team, winning games is crucial to developing confidence and so Tipp will face Carlow in good heart, and with home advantage will be hoping to build on the progress to date. Most encouraging is how newcomers like Daithi Hogan, Eoin O’Connell, Charlie King and Joe Higgins are settling in, while the experience of Paudie Feehan, Steven O’Brien and Luke Boland is a great asset to the squad. These all did well on Sunday, as did Kieran Costello, Sean O’Connor and James Morris.

Having lost both their opening games, Antrim’s prospects of promotion look bleak. They contributed well to a fine contest, and while they were chasing the game for most of the game, and well behind Tipp in terms of possession, they could make life difficult for any opposition they encounter. 

Dominic McEnhill was a big threat in possession; his ability to kick the two-pointers a big asset to Antrim. Joseph Finnegan, Paddy McAleer, Marc Jordan and Pat Shivers all put in solid performances for them.

READ NEXT: No surprises for Offaly as Tipperary pull away for comprehensive win

Tipperary: Daithi Hogan 1-3; Sean O’Connor (0-7, 0-5f); Cian Smith 0-3f.

Antrim: D McEnhill (0-5, 2x2ptr); P McAleer 1-0; P Shivers 0-2f; C Johnson, N Burns 0-1 each.

Tipperary: Shane Garland; Jack Harney, James Morris, Eoin O’Connell; Charlie King, Paudie Feehan, Luke Boland; Joe Higgins, Kieran Costello; Michael Freaney, Sean O’Connor, Mark Stokes; Cian Smith, Steven O’Brien, Daithi Hogan.

Subs used: Cathal Deeley for O’Brien (58); Mark Russell for Higgins (58); Killian Butler for King (58); Paddy O’Keeffe for Smith (63); Jack O’Neill for Stokes (68).

Antrim: John McNab; Eunan Walsh, James McAuley, Kavan Keenan; Eoghan McCabe, Joseph Finnegan, Marc Jordan; Paddy McAleer, John Carron; Ronan Quinn, Oisin Doherty, Niall Burns; Pat Shivers, Conan Johnston, Dominic McEnhill.

Subs used: Cathal Hynds for Burns (42); Patrick McBride for Quinn (50); Ryan McQuillan for O’Doherty (61); Conor Hand for Keenan (68).

Referee: Ian Monaghan (Roscommon)