Waterford Crystal Cup Quarter Final – Tipperary 0-22 Limerick 1-9

Tipp shaping up nicely — but Allen bemoans wasteful Treaty

By Jackie Cahill for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Tipperary 0-22 Limerick 1-09

John Allen delivered a blunt assessment of his Limerick forwards following yesterday’s Waterford Crystal Cup quarter-final defeat to Tipperary in Nenagh. The manager was desperately unhappy with the workrate of his frontmen as Tipp cantered to a comfortable 10-point victory. On top of that his charges shot 16 wides, 11 in the first half, despite wind advantage. And Allen had this message for his attackers: “Our forwards need to work much harder – that’s something we’re very aware of for the past year and a half. Our forwards as a unit didn’t work half hard enough today. When you’re allowing backs to come out and be able to pick out players with the ball, that’s not good enough.”

The sides were level six times in that first half but Limerick fell apart after the break as Tipp cruised into a semi-final meeting with Limerick IT. Limerick failed to register a score from play in the second half as leading scorer Shane Dowling scored 1-1 from placed balls, including a penalty 20 minutes from time. The Shannonsiders managed just 0-5 from play during the entire game but Tipp, in contrast, were in decent scoring form.

Brian O’Meara, Johnny Ryan and 2010 All-Ireland winning captain Eoin Kelly scored five points each for the winners. O’Meara hit four of his points from play, Kelly landed four placed balls while midfielder Ryan was deadly accurate from long-range frees and a second half 65. Timmy Hammersley, who has enjoyed a productive January, hit three points from play and sub Shane McGrath got in on the act with a quick-fire brace after coming on. This early season setback will concern Allen as Limerick meet Tipperary again in the Munster SHC semi-final in June.

The former Cork boss said: “We created enough chances to be ahead at half-time but we didn’t take them. At this level, if you don’t finish them, you don’t win the game.” Limerick, admittedly, were short a number of key players but Allen was refusing to use that as an excuse. “I don’t think any team can afford to be short key players but the fellas on the panel were getting a chance to stake a claim. If you’re there, you must be good enough to be there.” The teams negotiated tricky underfoot conditions, with Tipp edging 0-10 to 0-8 ahead at half-time. The second half was a procession for Tipp although Dowling’s penalty did reduce the deficit to three points, 1-9 to 0-15. But that was Limerick’s final score of the game and in the remaining 20 minutes, Tipp hit seven points without reply. Tipp selector Michael Ryan played down the result: “You don’t have high expectations from what you’re going to see here — it was a late January workout.”

Scorers for Tipperary: J Ryan (4f, 1 65), E Kelly (4f) & B O’Meara (1f), 0-5 each, T Hammersley 0-3, S McGrath 0-2, J O’Dwyer and J O’Neill 0-1 each.

Scorers for Limerick: S Dowling 1-3 (1-0 pen, 0-2f), G O’Mahoney 0-2f, N Maher 0-2, J Ryan and S Hickey 0-1 each.

TIPPERARY: B Cummins; C O’Brien, P Curran, D Maher; J McLoughney, B Maher, S Hennessy; J Woodlock, J Ryan; J O’Dwyer, T Hammersley, P Maher; B O’Meara, E Kelly, J O’Neill.

Subs: S McGrath for Woodlock (52), S Bourke for O’Dwyer (54), M Heffernan for Kelly (59).

LIMERICK: N Quaid; S O’Neill, R McCarthy, T Condon; W McNamara, D O’Grady, G O’Mahoney; C King, J Ryan; N Maher, S Hickey, N Moran; M Ryan, S Dowling, S Tobin.

Subs: D Moloney for O’Mahoney (h.t.), K Downes for M Ryan (h.t.), D Reidy for Tobin (52), T Quaid for Maher (56), S Walsh for Condon (64).

Referee: C Lyons (Cork)

O’Shea reign starts in clinical fashion as Tipp sweep aside wasteful Limerick

Tipperary 0-22 Limerick 1-9

By Martin Breheny for the Irish Independent newspaper

BY the time this pair clash in the Munster semi-final on June 9, this seasonal opener in Nenagh will be no more than a tiny speck in their rear-view mirrors, but, winter or summer, the basic requirements are the same. Tipperary got most of them right, including converting a high proportion of their chances into scores, whereas Limerick were dismally wasteful, striking no fewer than 16 wides, 11 in the first half while playing with a stiff, blustery wind. It left them trailing (0-10 to 0-8) at half-time and facing a very difficult second half as Tipperary’s nicely balanced outfit set about impressing new manager Eamon O’Shea and his assistants Paudie O’Neill and Michael Ryan.

Tipperary won the second half by 0-12 to 1-1, keeping Limerick scoreless from the 49th minute. A goal from a penalty and a pointed free – both by Shane Dowling – were Limerick’s only scores in a second half where Tipperary maintained a high work rate and a clear determination to rack up an impressive score. It left Limerick manager John Allen very frustrated, as it might have been an altogether different scenario if they had been more accurate in the first half. “You don’t win games when you have that many wides. Some of them were down to very poor shooting – it was easier to score than miss. As well as that, we had two clear goal chances. Tipp created one goal chance, I’d say. You just don’t win games with 16 wides, “said Allen.

Seven Tipperary men shared in the scoring, with Eoin Kelly, Johnny Ryan and Brian O’Meara each landing 0-5 while Timmy Hammersley, a pre-match replacement for Noel McGrath, returned 0-3. O’Meara was especially effective, winning lots of possession on the right side and cutting in to help himself to 0-4 from open play before closing out the scoring with a pointed free in the final minute.

The Tipperary attack did especially well against a Limerick defence which featured five of last year’s championship defenders. However, they were under intense pressure as Tipperary built up an impressive momentum further back, an issue which Allen identified as something that will have to be worked on in training. “Our backs played quite well in the circumstances. A lot of the (Tipperary) scores came from further out. Our forwards need to work much harder – that’s something we’ve been very aware of for the past year and a half. “Our forwards as a unit didn’t work half hard enough today. When you’re allowing backs to come and pick out colleagues with a pass, that’s not good enough.”

Tipperary had no such problems. The application rate was high throughout the team and with Limerick misfiring so badly in the first half, it was clear from early on that Eamon O’Shea was on his way to launching his managerial reign with a win. He opted not to talk about it afterwards, instead delegating Michael Ryan to meet the media. “It was a good workout in late January – no more or no less,” said Ryan. “You don’t have high expectations of what you’re going to see on a day like this. You’re not going to get high quality and we didn’t, but we’re very happy with where we’re at. The boys worked hard.”

Tipperary were the more industrious side from the off, but Limerick gradually played their way into the game, out-scoring their rivals by 0-7 to 0-4 between the 10th and 27th minutes. Seamus Hickey’s driving runs at the heart of the Tipperary defence should have yielded more but some promising moves broke down on the heavy surface. Tipperary finished the half as they started it, scoring three points in quick succession to lead by two at half-time. “In the period just after half-time the game probably turned,” said Allen. “We should have had a point – Seamus Hickey came through and put the ball wide. Tipp got another score before they tacked on a few points which gave them a fair advantage.”

Still, Limerick looked as if they might launch a meaningful revival when Dowling whipped a penalty to the net in the 49th minute after Seanie Tobin was fouled. It cut the deficit to three points but far from being the catalyst for a Limerick surge, that goal was their final score of the day. It meant that they failed to score from open play in the second half, which was a reflection on their inability to win enough personal battles to trouble Tipperary. So then, Tipp have negotiated a safe lift-off under new management and will be encouraged by the convincing manner of their win with a weakened hand.

“With the whole colleges thing, we were very tight with numbers. We had only five useable subs out of the whole panel,” said Ryan. As for Limerick, the things-to-do list is pretty extensive, not least shooting practice. Some of their first-half misses were all but embarrassing, leaving them seriously wounded and easy prey for a Tipperary team that was clearly intent on putting down an early season marker.

Scorers – Tipperary: E Kelly (4f), J Ryan (4f, 1 ’65’), B O’Meara (1f) 0-5 each, T Hammersley 0-3, S McGrath 0-2, J O’Dwyer, J O’Neill 0-1 each. Limerick: S Dowling 1-3 (1-0 pen, 0-2f), G O’Mahoney (2f), N Maher 0-2 each, S Hickey, J Ryan 0-1 each.

Tipperary – B Cummins; C O’Brien, P Curran, D Maher; J McLoughney, B Maher, S Hennessy; J Woodlock, J Ryan; J O’Dwyer, T Hammersley, P Maher; B O’Meara, E Kelly, J O’Neill. Subs: S McGrath for Woodlock (52), S Bourke for O’Dwyer (53), M Heffernan for Kelly (59).

Limerick – N Quaid; S O’Neill, R McCarthy, T Condon; W McNamara, D O’Grady, G O’Mahoney; C King, J Ryan; N Maher, S Hickey, N Moran; M Ryan, S Dowling, S Tobin. Subs: D Moloney for O’Mahoney, (h-t), K Downes for M Ryan (h-t), D Reidy for Tobin (52), T Quaid for Maher (55), S Walsh for Condon (64).

Ref – C Lyons (Cork)

Limerick hurlers lose to Tipperary

Report from the Limerick Leader newspaper

The Limerick hurlers fell to a disappointing 0-22 to 1-9 loss to Tipperary in the Waterford Crystal Cup quarter-final on Sunday afternoon. This was a harsh reminder of the task that awaits Limerick on June 9 in the Munster SHC when Tipperary visit the Gaelic Grounds. It is only January and only the Waterford Crystal Cup but Tipperary eased to this 10-point victory. And, The Premier County men had more newcomers than Limerick on show in the quarter-final of this early season competition.

John Allen’s Limerick had 10 first choice championship players from last season in their starting team for this trip to Nenagh and all were in their accustomed positions. And among the subs used were Kevin Downes and Stephen Walsh. Limerick had a preliminary round win over Mary Immaculate College under their belts from the previous weekend but this was the first competitive outing of 2013 for Tipperary. Under the new management of Eamonn O’Shea, it was clear that Tipperary wanted to get off to a winning start.

There wasn’t an apparent gulf in class, but at the same time Tipperary appeared to take their scores with more ease, picked the right passes, offered the correct support runs and generally hurled with more ease then Limerick. Just like the win over Mary I, Limerick again hit 16 wides. While the forwards did find the range in that outing in Kilmallock, this time Limerick managed just five points from play in the 70 minutes. Eleven of the wides came in the first half when Limerick were backed by the strong wind.

But it was Tipperary that led 0-10 to 0-8 at half time. All looked okay after 13 minutes with Limerick 0-5 to 0-3 ahead. Two of the scores came from Gavin O’Mahony long range frees, while James Ryan, Seamus Hickey and Niall Maher accounted for the others. The positioning of Hickey at centre forward was the focus of attention for many. Certainly he hurled a lot of ball. Clearly his positional sense needs work if he is to remain in the attack, but he battled hard, won some nice ball and troubled the defence with his direct runs.

After these opening scores Limerick were to hit just another 1-4 in the remaining 57 minutes. The statistics show that’s a return of just two points from play in almost an hour’s hurling. Yes the conditions were anything but favourable, but it was likewise for both and the Tipperary control appeared sharper. It was this sharpness that saw them hit a purple patch before half time to snatch the interval lead. On the change of ends, Limerick were slow to resume and four successive points inside six minutes had Tipp 0-14 to 0-8 clear.

Already the game was looking beyond Limerick. Shane Dowling re-opened the Limerick account with a free in the 8th minute of the half. Then 15 minutes in, Sean Tobin was upended and a penalty awarded. Dowling made no mistake to blast to the net. That left it 0-15 to 1-9 with 20 minutes to play. But Limerick were not to score again – meaning they went the entire second half with just two scores and none from open play. While the Limerick defence appeared to hurl well at times, the pressure was too much and Tipperary tagged on scores at will to ease into the semi-finals against Limerick IT, who include six members of the current Limerick 39-man panel in their plans.

SCORERS – Limerick: Shane Dowling 1-3 (1-0 penalty, 0-2 frees), Niall Maher, Gavin O’Mahony (both frees) 0-2 each, Seamus Hickey, James Ryan 0-1 each. Tipperary: Brian O’Meara (one free), Eoin Kelly (three frees), Johnny Ryan (four frees, one ‘65) 0-5 each, Timmy Hammersley 0-3, Shane McGrath 0-2, John O’Dwyer, John O’Neill 0-1 each.

LIMERICK – Nickie Quaid; Shane O’Neill, Richie McCarthy, Tom Condon; Wayne McNamara, Donal O’Grady, Gavin O’Mahony; James Ryan, Cathal King; Niall Maher, Seamus Hickey, Niall Moran; Mikey Ryan, Shane Dowling, Sean Tobin. Subs: Kevin Downes for Ryan (h-t), David Moloney for O’Mahony (h-t), David Reidy for Tobin (52mins), Thomas Quaid for Maher (58 mins), Stephen Walsh for Condon (64 mins).

TIPPERARY – Brendan Cummins; Conor O’Brien, Paul Curran, Donagh Maher; Joey McLoughney, Brendan Maher, Seamus Hennessy; James Woodlock, Johnny Ryan; John O’Dwyer, Timmy Hammersley, Patrick Maher; Brian O’Meara, Eoin Kelly, John O’Neill. Subs: Shane McGrath for Woodlock (52 mins), Shane Bourke for O’Dywer (54 mins), Mikey Heffernan for Kelly (59 mins).

REFEREE – Colm Lyons (Cork)

Team News

The Tipperary Senior Hurling team to play Limerick in the Waterford Crystal Cup q/f at MacDonagh Park Nenagh on Sunday next January 27th includes 2 players making their competitive debut at senior level – Joey McLoughney of Toomevara and John O’Dwyer of Killenaule. The team is:

1. Brendan Cummins (Ballybacon-Grange)

2. Conor O’Brien (Éire Óg Annacarty)

3. Paul Curran (Mullinahone)

4. Donagh Maher (Burgess)

5. Joey McLoughney (Toomevara)

6. Conor O’Mahony (Newport)

7. Seamus Hennessy (Kilruane MacDonaghs)

8. James Woodlock (Drom and Inch)

9. Johnny Ryan (Drom and Inch)

10. John O’Dwyer (Killenaule)

11. Noel McGrath (Loughmore Castleiney)

12. Patrick Maher (Lorrha & Dorrha)

13. Brian O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs)

14. Eoin Kelly (Mullinahone)

15. John O’Neill (Clonoulty Rossmore)

Limerick Senior Hurling panel for Waterford Crystal Cup v Tipperary in Nenagh on Sunday 27th January at 2pm.

1, Nicky Quaid (Effin)

2, Shane O Neill (South Liberties)

3, Richie McCarthy (Blackrock)

4, Tom Condon (Knockaderry)

5, Wayne McNamara (Adare)

6, Donal O Grady (Granagh/Ballingarry)

7, Gavin O Mahony (Kilmallock)

8, Cathal King (Na Piarsaigh)

9, James Ryan (Garryspillane)

10, Conor Allis (Croom)

11, Seamus Hickey (Murroe/Boher)

12, Niall Moran (Ahane)

13, Mikey Ryan (Murroe/Boher)

14, Shane Dowling (Na Piarsaigh)

15, Seanie Tobin (Murroe/Boher)

16, Aaron Murphy (Hospital/Herbertstown)

17, David Moloney (Blackrock)

18, Barry O Connell (Kildimo/Pallaskenry)

19, Tommy Quaid (Effin)

20, Robbie Egan (Kilmallock)

21, Thomas O Brien (Patrickswell)

22, Stephen Walsh (Glenroe)

23, Jack Ahern (Killeedy)

24, Niall Maher (Doon)

25, Kevin Downes (Na Piarsaigh)

26, David Reidy (Dromin/Athlacca)

For the Record

Waterford Crystal Cup Senior Hurling 2013

Preliminary Round

Saturday January 19th

@ Kilmallock                               Limerick 3-15 Mary Immaculate College 0-13

@ The Mardyke                          Cork 3-20 UCC 1-16

Sunday January 20^th

@ Abbeydorney                          Kerry 6-17 IT Tralee 0-12

@ WIT GAA Grounds                  University of Limerick 1-20 Waterford 0-18

Quarter-Finals (Extra Time)

Thursday January 24^th

@ Abbeydorney                          Kerry v Limerick Institute of Technology            @ 7:00pm

Saturday January 26^th

@ Pairc Ui Rinn                           Cork v Waterford Institute of Technology           @ 2:00pm

Sunday January 27^th

@ Sixmilebridge                          Clare v University of Limerick                            @ 2:00pm

@ MacDonagh Park Nenagh        Tipperary v Limerick                                        @ 2:00pm

Semi-Finals (Extra Time)

Sunday February 3rd

Clare or UL v Cork or WIT

Venue Permutations

@ TBC                                       Clare v Cork
@ Clare venue                            Clare v WIT
@ Cork venue                             UL v Cork
@ TBC                                       UL v WIT

Tipperary or Limerick v Kerry or LIT

Venue Permutations

@ TBC                                       Tipperary v Kerry

@ Tipperary venue                      Tipperary v LIT
@ TBC         `                             Limerick v Kerry
@ Limerick venue                        Limerick v LIT

Final (Extra Time)

Sunday February 10^th

Waterford Crystal Cup Senior Hurling – Odds and Ends

35 goals were scored in the 2012 Waterford Crystal Cup competition over 11 matches (an average of 3.2 goals per match). This contrasts with 23 goals in the 2011 competition over 10 matches (an average of 2.3 goals per match). In the first four matches in last week’s preliminary round of the 2013 competition, there were 14 goals scored (an average of 3.5 goals per match)

Since the Waterford Crystal Cup began in 2006, Clare (15 wins), Tipperary (13 wins) and Waterford (13 wins) have accounted for 41 of the 75 victories in the competition (55%).

Tipperary hold the record for the longest winning streak in the Waterford Crystal Cup since the competition began under that guise in 2006 when they won 10 consecutive matches between 2007 and 2009.

None of the five teams who take part in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship have a losing record in the Waterford Crystal Cup since 2006.

Since the Waterford Crystal Cup began in 2006, 70 games have been played with just 1 draw – the 2012 Limerick v Clare Quarter-Final after two periods of extra time.

The record of the Third Level Colleges in the Waterford Crystal Cup since 2006 is Won 20, Lost 42, a 32% success rate.

Waterford have won 8 of the last 10 matches in the Waterford Crystal Cup.

Clare are the only team who have won at least one game each year since the Waterford Crystal Cup competition began in 2006.

IT Tralee is the only team not to win a game in the Waterford Crystal Cup since 2006, losing their first match in the last 6 seasons.

Waterford Crystal Cup Senior Hurling Roll Of Honour

Tipperary (3) – 2007, 2008, 2012

Waterford (2) – 2010, 2011

Clare (1) – 2009

Limerick (1) – 2006

Waterford Crystal Cup – 2013 Scorers