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6. Brian McGrath Rating: 6/10 Also returning to the fold, Brian McGrath had a decent game for the most part at centre-back and hit a beauty of a point early in the first half. He was deployed to full back late on to try and deal with the Niall Mitchell threat but, like Heffernan, he couldn’t deal with the strength of the Westmeath target man. McGrath looks fit and hungry for action and he will be hoping for another few appearances to stake his claim before the championship.
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7. Seamus Kennedy Rating: 7/10 A huge day for the Clonmel man who captained Tipperary for the very first time in what was surely a piece of history for the town of Clonmel and his club St. Mary’s. He honoured the occasion with another good performance and did the needful throughout in his usual casual style. A much deserved honour for Kennedy who has been a brilliant servant to Tipperary over the year.
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8. Noel McGrath Rating: 7/10 Like McCormack, the elder McGrath looks to be in top shape and the fact that he got through the full match was encouraging given his lack of game time so far. As usual, he hit some lovely scores but his vision to deliver the ball into the inside forwards was a joy to behold and he will need to be in top form for Tipperary for this year’s championship.
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9. Cathal Quinn Rating: 7/10 Probably the most assured performer in the group of players who were looking to secure their place on the panel for the remainder of the year. He put himself about really well in the middle of the pitch and was involved in a lot of play with varied outcomes, but he had a key involvement in Mark Kehoe’s second goal which was the culmination of a lovely team move. The Cashel King Cormacs man looks to have a lot of potential.