Limerick show their mettle as Tipperary come up just short again

LIMERICK 2-18 TIPPERARY 2-16

Nothing daunted by last year's vintage summer, the Munster hurling championship has so far set about delivering an improved offering to the public.

Yesterday at Semple Stadium, Limerick rose from the ashes of what looked like certain defeat to overhaul favourites Tipperary and record their first championship win in Thurles since Richie Bennis's legendary '65' tipped the balance all of 41 years ago.

This time it was death by two cuts rather than one: replacement Thomas Ryan’s clinical shot from the left wing followed by an exuberant break from defence by Séamus Hickey and the ball swept unerringly over the bar. One, two in injury time and no recovering from it.

It was a thrilling match and for less than three minutes was there more than a score between the teams. Neither side could quite summon the conviction to drive home the advantage until the dying minutes when Limerick seized the day.

The decisive scores were neatly packaged in a four-minute spell either side of injury-time. It was fitting that Shane Dowling struck for the decisive score, as his 2-9 was such an outsized contribution to Limerick’s win.

Furthermore he had been harshly dealt with when after switching to full forward he was penalised for a foul on Pádraic Maher in setting up a chance which Graeme Mulcahy converted to the net. That was the 64th minute and four minutes later replacement Denis Maher pushed Tipp’s lead to three.

A minute later it was level. Kevin Downes’s scything run at the heart of the Tipp defence set up a hand pass to Dowling, who cut back across the crowded square and unleashed the shot that tied up the match at 2-16 each.

In this most traditional of sporting contests, it wasn’t surprising that the ghosts of the past appeared to play a role but not in the way that most would have expected.

Despite their chippiness at being such emphatic underdogs – 3/1 defending champions – the facts were that Limerick hadn’t had many days to write home about since winning Munster just over 11 months ago whereas Tipperary had appeared to discover momentum in the closing stages of the league and looked stronger on paper than they had a year ago when losing at the same stage in the Gaelic Grounds.

Yet in the end it was the champions and not the favourites who looked as if they believed in themselves.

Tipperary had been the more likely winners for much of the second half. At times their opponents looked as if they’d shot their bolt, struggling to pick up ball or clearing it over the sideline – all inviting Eamon O’Shea’s team onto them.

Poor wide

Given the chances to put the match away however, Tipperary stalled, haunted by all-too-familiar demons. A point in front going into the final quarter, they had a poor wide from Noel McGrath, John O’Dwyer dropped short and Patrick Maher, having surged through the middle, lost control of the sliotar and Lar Corbett couldn’t do anything when the ball broke – all in the space of a couple of minutes.

Immediately Downes countered at the other end and having ridden attempted tackles, pointed and the match was again level, 1-15 to 2-12 and although Maher – who played with vigour and urgency throughout and didn’t deserve to be on the losing side – set up a point for Séamus Callanan and O’Dwyer impressively hustled Gavin O’Mahony into coughing up a scoring chance which was duly dispatched, Tipp couldn’t kick on and put some distance between the sides on the scoreboard.

They needed more from their most conspicuous talents like Callanan, who for the most part couldn’t shake Richie McCarthy and even when his marker slipped was unable to cash in, and Noel McGrath who’ll be disappointed with his wides and shots dropped short. Neither of them will be in a hurry to revisit the video.

For Limerick the slightly realigned middle triangle of James Ryan, Paul Browne and Donal O’Grady made sure that the champions stayed in the game even when the momentum was switching to Tipperary.

O’Grady pulled two terrific points out of the hat within a minute of each other to restore Limerick’s lead after a snappily taken goal from the hard working Gearóid Ryan had given the team a glimpse of daylight at the start of the second half.

The sides were level at half-time although Limerick, who’d enjoyed the breeze, weren’t terribly happy about that. They had started better and with Dowling in the team were well-positioned to punish an at times undisciplined defensive display by Tipperary.

The cavalry

Dowling and Downes had been members of the cavalry that Limerick had used last year to tighten their grip on matches in the last half-hour. TJ Ryan’s decision to field them from the start might have denied Limerick impact off the bench but Dowling’s virtuoso dead ball striking thoroughly vindicated the decision.

Of his 2-9, all but the crucial second goal came from placed balls and he was virtually flawless from everywhere. Limerick were awarded just 12 frees throughout the match and Dowling scored from 10 of them, including a crashing 20-metre free in the 17th minute.

Once Tipperary’s defence settled however they coped well. Pádraic Maher’s intervention on Downes cut out danger just after half an hour and on either side of him Cathal Barrett and Michael Cahill were vigilant.

Limerick didn’t score for 12 minutes either side of the break and that fallow period allowed Tipperary move from four points down – 1-4 to 1-8 – to three ahead, 2-8 to 1-8.

But the story of the home team’s wastefulness in the second half eventually became the story of the match when the champions revived to dramatically reach a second successive Munster final for the first time in 18 years.

They’re back without having actually gone away.

LIMERICK: 1 N Quaid; 2 S Hickey (0-1), 3 R McCarthy, 4 T Condon; 5 P O'Brien, 6 McNamara, 7 G O'Mahony; 9 P Browne (0-1), 8 J Ryan; 10 S Dowling (2-9, goal and nine frees), 11 D O'Grady (0-2), 12 D Hannon (0-1); 13 G Mulcahy (0-1), 14 K Downes (0-2), 15 S Tobin. Subs: 22 T Ryan (0-1) for Tobin (61 mins); 25 M Ryan for Mulcahy (71 mins). Yellow cards: Condon (29 mins), Dowling (33 mins), O'Mahony (40 mins).

TIPPERARY: 1 D Gleeson; 2 C Barrett, 3 Pádraic Maher, 4 M Cahill; 5 J Barry, 6 B Maher, 7 C O'Mahony; 8 K Bergin, 20 S McGrath; 10 G Ryan (1-2), 13 N McGrath (0-1), 15 N O'Meara (0-1); 11 Patrick Maher (1-0), 14 S Callanan (0-5, three frees), 12. J O'Dwyer (0-5, one free). Subs: 23 L Corbett (0-1) for Barry (55 mins); 24 D Maher (0-1) for O'Meara (62 mins); 19 C O'Brien for Cahill (65 mins); 24 S Bourke for O'Dwyer (68 mins); 18 T Stapleton for S McGrath (71 mins). Yellow cards: Bergin (61 mins). Attendance: 24,962

Referee: Barry Kelly (Westmeath).