Allianz NHL: Fourteen man Tipp recover from poor start to down the Dubs

Tipperary 2-25

Dublin 0-20

Fourteen man Tipperary are through to the Allianz NHL semi-final having secured an impressive victory over Dublin in Croke Park this afternoon. A victory which did not seem likely after the end of the first quarter, Tipp showed their vast experience to work their way back into the game when it seemed as though Dublin could cause an upset.

This game had been deferred from last weekend thanks to the inclement weather conditions and the rescheduling of the clash for Croke Park rather than Parnell Park, certainly benefited the Premier men. Conditions were perfect for the game and it was an ideal opportunity for the Tipp players to gain vital experience of Croker ahead of the championship, with the hopes being that they will make it back to HQ come summertime.

Having trailed by 0-10 to 0-2  after 12 minutes, it didn't seem likely that Tipperary would go in with an interval advantage. Dublin started in a whirlwind and the scored flowed for them as they blitzed Tipp and gave them plenty to  think about. The defensive unit seemed to be in difficulty getting to the pace of the play and Dublin capitalised with scores coming from Danny Sutcliffe, Paul Winters, Fiontain McGibb and Donal Burke.

But, Tipp settled and when they did the scores began to flow with the result that, despite having been down by eight points, they were level by the 23rd minute -  Jason Forde, Cian Darcy, Sean Curran, John McGrath and Ronan Maher obliging.

A John McGrath goal in the 26th minute sent Tipp clear and they were to hold a 1-15 to 0-14 interval lead. However, a second yellow card for midfielder Ronan Maher right before the whistle meant that Tipp would be down to fourteen men for the remainder of the game. Maher was a huge loss and had 0-3 to his name before he was sent packing, rather harshly, it must be said.

There was much to mull over in the Tipp dressingroom at half time with the plans having to be altered to cater for the extra man Dublin would have. The Dubs were playing a very physical game, but once Tipp had steeled themselves for the onslaught, they got a grip on the game. By the half way mark, Tipp were perhaps thankful that the game was on in Croke Park, and not the tighter Parnell Park.

Tipp had extended their lead to six points within ten minutes of the restart. but the game had turned scrappy with a number of injuries interrupting the flow of play. John O'Dwyer was sent into the fray by this stag, while at the other end former Tipp player Ryan O'Dwyer was subbed by Pat Gilroy, the Dublin Manager.

A second Tipp goal from Michael Breen in the 19th minute ended the game as a contest with Dublins challenge petering out significantly in the second half.  However, the scores captured by Bubbles  were certainly welcome from a Tipp perspective as the run out allowed him to  feel his way back into the fold again after an absence.