Two red cards on Leeside as Tipperary fall to first league defeat of the year against Cork

Allianz National Hurling League - Division 1A - Round 3

Tipperary 0-22

Cork 0-29

A fiery end to the first half in SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh will be the main talking point after Cork put their best foot forward in avenging July’s 2025 All-Ireland final defeat to Tipperary, downing Liam Cahill’s team in the third round of the National Hurling League on Saturday evening.

Johnny Ryan’s 17th-minute black card penalty concession was a major contributor to Tipperary’s downfall as Cork stretched into a six-point lead that they would more or less hold for the remainder of the contest.

There was a nasty, three-minute-long melee between nearly all the players on the pitch just before half-time that took referee Liam Gordon a long time to get on top of, but it eventually ended with Jason Forde and Shane Barrett receiving straight red cards.

Tipp trailed by four points at half-time, 0-16 to 0-12 in front of the 30,910 crowd and despite the setback, Tipperary showed resilience throughout. They had earlier stayed in contention thanks to Forde’s accuracy from distance, with his long-range frees helping Tipp draw level at 0-10 midway through the first half.

However, Cork responded strongly during a spell in which Tipp were reduced to 14 men after the aforementioned Johnny Ryan black card; the Tipperary corner-back penalised for fouling Barrett for a penalty in the 18th minute after determined play by William Buckley, but Tipp goalkeeper Rhys Shelly delivered a crucial save from Declan Dalton to keep his side within touching distance.

Cork still managed to build momentum late in the half, hitting five points in succession to stretch their lead. Tipp remained competitive but entered the break four points adrift.

After the interval, Tipperary created several early chances but were unable to capitalise, allowing Cork to push their advantage out to seven points on a couple of occasions.

Tipp refused to fold and were aided by the introduction of Eoghan Connolly in defence and Darragh McCarthy, whose presence strengthened the free-taking options both short and long.

The experience of Noel McGrath also proved influential as Tipp gradually chipped away at the deficit, while Cork’s wides began to mount.

McCarthy showed composure under pressure to land three points in quick succession, cutting the margin to three points for the first time in the second half and reducing the gap to 0-24 to 0-21 by the 66th minute. Tipp continued to push for a late surge, and an Eoghan Connolly 65 in injury time offered further hope.

However, Tipp were unable to add to their tally in the closing moments as Cork finished strongly, scoring two late points through Alan Connolly along with scores from substitutes Tim O’Mahony and Diarmuid Healy to secure the win.

While the result did not go Tipperary’s way, they showed determination to battle back into contention in the second half and will take encouragement from their response despite playing much of the game under difficult circumstances.

Scorers: Tipperary: Eoghan Connolly 0-4f, Jake Morris (0-3, 0-1f), Andrew Ormond, Willie Connors 0-2 each, Jason Forde, Darragh McCarthy 0-2 each, Oisin O’Donoghue, Conor Stakelum, Seamus Kennedy, Craig Morgan, Sam O’Farrell, Noel McGrath, Cathal O’Reilly all 0-1 each.

Cork: Alan Connolly (0-8, 0-4f), Darragh Fitzgibbon (0-7, 0-1f), William Buckley, Diarmuid Healy 0-3 each, Mark Coleman, Eoin Downey, Shane Barrett all 0-2 each; Tim O’Mahony, Brian Hayes 0-1 each.

Tipperary: Rhys Shelly; Cathal O'Reilly, Bryan O'Mara, Johnny Ryan; Sam O’Farrell, Craig Morgan, Seamus Kennedy; Willie Connors, Conor Stakelum; Jake Morris, Andrew Ormond, Josh Keller; Darragh Stakelum, Oisin O’Donoghue, Jason Forde.

Subs used: John McGrath for D Stakelum (HT); Eoghan Connolly for Kennedy (45); Noel McGrath for Keller (49); Darragh McCarthy for O’Donoghue (55); Paddy McCormack for Ormond (61).

Cork: Patrick Collins; Ger Mellerick, Daire O’Leary, Sean O’Donoghue; Eoin Downey, Rob Downey, Mark Coleman; Ethan Twomey, Michéal Mullins; Darragh Fitzgibbon, Shane Barrett, Diarmuid Healy; William Buckley, Declan Dalton, Alan Connolly.

Subs used: Brian Hayes for Dalton (45); Tim O'Mahony for Mullins (45); Hugh O'Connor for Twomey (52); Robbie O'Flynn for Buckley (64).

Referee: Liam Gordon (Galway)