Tipperary in last chance saloon after suffering defeat to Tyrone

TG4 All Ireland Senior Championship Relegation Semi-Final

Tyrone 0-16

Tipperary 1-9

Tipperary ladies footballers have one more chance to retain their senior status when they meet Waterford in the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship Relegation Final this weekend.

Defeat to Tyrone at St Loman’s GAA, Mullingar on Saturday means the all-Munster derby will be a winner-takes-all clash to determine who stays senior and who drops to intermediate.

A performance full of passion, pace and pride in the jersey came up just short for Tipperary in their semi-final defeat to Tyrone.

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The only area where they failed to match the Ulster side was in converting chances, with Tipp lacking the scoring threat carried by Tyrone’s Chloe McCaffrey, Slaine McCarroll and Niamh O’Neill, who scored 0-8 from play between them.

Cara McNamee and Sorcha Gormley also chipped in with 0-1 apiece, ensuring that five of the Red Hand’s starting six forwards got on the scoresheet.

Tipperary’s return of 1-4 from play could not match that, but the bare statistics should not disguise a brave and battling display as the players gave every ounce of energy and endeavour in their bid to retain senior status. The disappointment etched on their faces at the final whistle reflected their mood.

The hope is that the feelings they took away from Mullingar will inspire a performance against the Déise that will avoid the drop to intermediate.

Turnovers that have blighted many of their games this season were largely absent against Tyrone. There were some misplaced passes and poor decisions, but Tipp’s play was crisp and pacey, avoiding unnecessary contact and causing plenty of problems for a highly rated Tyrone side.

When two Emma Morrissey frees in the space of five minutes reduced the deficit to a single point, 0-13 to 1-9, with six minutes remaining, the game was still there to be won.

However, Tyrone again showed the clinical finishing that had characterised their display, hitting the final three points through a Chloe McCaffrey free, Slaine McCarroll and Sorcha Gormley to secure what was a somewhat flattering four-point winning margin.

Gormley, who had been player of the match in the league meeting between the sides, again displayed all her pace and skill with a series of jinking runs, but the goal she craved never arrived thanks to the brilliance of Tipperary goalkeeper Lauren Fitzpatrick.

A superb double save midway through the first half highlighted the Ballymacarbry player’s shot-stopping ability. She dived full length to her left to parry away a Gormley effort before springing to her feet to block a second goal-bound shot at the opposite post.

Earlier she had been involved in one of Tipperary’s best scores, carrying the ball almost to halfway before Sarah English finished off the move with an excellent point.

The sides had been level three times during an evenly contested opening quarter. Tyrone captain Aoibhinn McHugh set up Niamh O’Neill for the opening score in the third minute, but Tipp responded immediately when lively corner-back Tara Hoare broke from her marking duties on Sorcha Gormley to finish a flowing move, with Anna Carey heavily involved, with a point.

McCarroll restored Tyrone’s lead, but Carey was central again as Tipp levelled once more after she was fouled, allowing Kirsty Crotty Ryan to convert the resulting free. Back came the Ulster side through another McCarroll point, only for Emma Morrissey to burst through the centre and split the posts with a fine equaliser.

Two unanswered points from Méabh Mallon and Niamh O’Neill gave Tyrone daylight for the first time, although not before an excellent interception from Tipp centre-back Maria Curley prevented another score.

Tipperary needed a response before the game drifted away from them and they produced it in style with a superb goal. Sarah English floated a brilliant delivery into the Tyrone square where captain Anna-Rose Kennedy drifted in behind the cover to palm the ball to the net.

The goal briefly gave Tipp the lead, but Tyrone responded immediately through McCaffrey. Gormley then cut through the defence and fired narrowly wide while playing under advantage, before O’Neill converted the resulting free.

Crotty Ryan levelled from another free, but Tyrone finished the half strongly, outscoring Tipp by three points to one to take a 0-10 to 1-5 lead into the interval. Their scores came from McCaffrey, an O’Neill free and McNamee, while Tipp’s response was an excellent team score involving Ava Ryan and Lauren Cunningham before Anna Carey finished.

With a slight crossfield breeze at their backs in the second half, Tipp hoped to build momentum. Instead, Tyrone started the stronger, with O’Neill from a free and McCaffrey from play extending the lead to four points within three minutes.

Sarah English opened Tipp’s second-half account seven minutes after the restart following another excellent run from goalkeeper Lauren Fitzpatrick. After Fitzpatrick’s outstanding goalkeeping heroics, McCaffrey restored Tyrone’s four-point cushion from a free.

Three Emma Morrissey frees then ensured a grandstand finish. Those scores came following excellent attacking play from Angela McGuigan, Sarah English, Anna Carey, Lauren Cunningham and Morrissey, who repeatedly drove at the heart of the Tyrone defence.

However, Tyrone managed to halt Tipp’s momentum by turning defence into attack, and three unanswered points secured their senior status while consigning Tipperary to one final opportunity to preserve theirs.

Scorers: Tipperary: Emma Morrissey (0-4, 0-3f), Anna Rose Kennedy 1-0, Kirsty Crotty Ryan 0-2f, Tara Hoare, Sarah English, Anna Carey 0-1 each.

Tyrone: Chloe McCaffrey (0-5, 0-2f), Niamh O’Neill (0-5, 0-3f), Elaine McCarroll 0-3, Méabh Mallon, Cara McNamee, Sorcha Gormley 0-1 each.

Tipperary: Lauren Fitzpatrick; Tara Hoare, Ellen Moore, Emma Cronin; Angela McGuiglan, Maria Curley, Sarah English; Laura Morrissey, Anna Rose Kennedy; Ava Ryan, Lauren Cunningham, Heather Spillane; Anna Carey, Emma Morrissey; Kirsty Crotty Ryan.

Subs used: Clara English for Crotty Ryan (HT); Kate Cashman for Moore (HT); Aoibhe O’Shea for Laura Morrissey (48); Lily Maher for Spillane (50).

Tyrone: Laura Kane; Eimear Quinn, Grainne McKenna, Jayne Hearty; Claire Canavan, Méabh Corrigan, Caitlin Campbell; Méabh Mallon, Aoibhinn McHugh; Emer McCanny, Chloe McCaffrey, Slaine McCarroll; Niamh O’Neill, Cara McNamee, Sorcha Gormley. Subs: Maeve Maxwell for McNamee (46), Áine Straine for McCanny (52), Katie Rose Muldoon for Canavan (60).

Referee: Angela Gallagher (Meath)

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