Allianz Hurling League Division 1A – Waterford 1-14 Tipperary 0-16

Tipperary shaken as Moran caps stirring comeback

Report by Liam Kelly for the Irish Independent newspaper

WATCHING the closing stages of this keenly-fought contest at Walsh Park brought to mind an epic scene in the James Bond film ‘Goldfinger.’ Bond is strapped down on a plinth; a deadly laser beam cuts through metal en route to his nether regions. Surely there is no escape? “Do you expect me to talk?” asks Bond, a tad anxiously. “No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die,” says Goldfinger.

That was the position in which the Deise found themselves in the second half yesterday. The Tipp laser-beam was manifest in the form of score-hungry Seamus Callanan, with 10 points to his credit. Waterford were reeling after a reinvigorated Tipp set about them and built up a 0-16 to 1-10 lead with 16 minutes left for play. Surely it was time for the home side to wilt and die? But no. Doggedly defiant, Waterford found the hero within themselves to claw their way past survival level into the winner’s enclosure. And, just like a good Bond movie, they did it the hard way. Only a few minutes remained to play, with Waterford two points adrift at 1-11 to 0-16 when their second-half free-taker Pauric Mahony, hitherto excellent, missed chances from a free and a ’65’.

Agony! Then hope, with a 68th-minute score by Jamie Barron. Joy and relief followed with Jake Dillon’s equalising score at the end of normal time. Surely that would do it? But no, there was still a cameo to be played by James Bond, aka Kevin Moran, the Deise captain. Twisting and turning as he tried to evade desperate challenges by three Tipp men, Moran somehow found the angle and a bit of space to have a shot from over 40 metres out near the sideline. Wouldn’t you know, the sliotar soared high, and on target… and dropped over the bar. What a moment for the Waterford contingent.

As for Moran, he felt relief and happiness for the team. “It was a bit of a hit-and-hope shot. It was lucky enough I suppose but we’ll take it because I think in the last 15 minutes we deserved to get something out of the game,” he said. His manager Michael Ryan commented: “I’m delighted for the guys. It’s all about the players. The last five or six minutes epitomised the way this team has worked all year – the guts, the heart, the commitment, and the fight. “We spoke at half-time about a couple of things. Number one, the wind wasn’t going to win it for us, and number two, we’d have to keep plugging away,” he said.

Tipperary manager Eamon O’Shea reflected on the lost opportunity to garner vital league points in a closely contested Division 1A. “We just didn’t hold it together till the end but I thought the team really battled hard,” he said. “I’m proud of the lads for their second-half performance. Certainly we just couldn’t seem to get our hand on the ball in the last few minutes, but they (Waterford) were fully deserving of getting something out of the game.”

The big wind which favoured Tipp in the first half could have been a serious problem for Waterford but they dealt very well with the conditions. Excellently marshalled by Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh at centre-back and with skipper Moran equally impressive, the Deise men did their best to keep the passing close and tight. Callanan was clearly on form for Tipp, mixing his scores from placed-balls with nicely taken points from play over the course of the game. Lar Corbett didn’t impose himself but that’s also partly due to the Waterford defence.

Still, Tipp were motoring comfortably in a low-scoring opening quarter at 0-4 to 0-1 when they were rocked on their heels by a Waterford goal. The lively Barron, making his league debut, finished off a move involving Seamus Prendergast and Maurice Shanahan to power the sliotar to the Tipp net. A tonic for the Deise, a setback for Tipp, but the latter rallied and led by 0-9 to 1-3 with eight minutes left to play in the first half. Credit to Waterford, they gouged out three hard-earned points – one by Jake Dillon, and two from first-half free-taker Martin O’Neill, to go into the interval level at 1-6 to Tipp’s 0-9.

Tipperary’s introduction of Brendan Maher and Eoin Kelly brought a new impetus to their efforts in the second half. They upped their intensity and had a new drive about them, which Waterford took almost 20 minutes to match. But, once they got their mojo flowing, Waterford got themselves into a ‘no surrender’ mood that brought them their late reward. They can be grateful for the two free-takers, O’Neill and Mahony, who each scored four points, and for the showings of Liam Lawlor, Shane Fives, Jamie Nagle, Jake Dillon, and Barron. Tipp’s half-backs Conor O’Brien, Tom Stapleton and Padraic Maher were solid in defence and in launching attacks for most of the game, while Shane McGrath, Brian O’ Meara, Brendan Maher and Callanan performed well.

Man of the match: M Walsh (Waterford)

Scorers – Waterford: M O’Neill, P Mahony 0-4fs each; J Barron 1-1, J Dillon 0-2, B O’Halloran, M Shanahan, K Moran 0-1 each. Tipperary: S Callanan 0-10 (4fs, ’65’); B O’Meara 0-2; S Bourke, S McGrath, N McGrath, L Corbett 0-1 each

Waterford – I O’Regan 7; S Fives 7, L Lawlor 7, S Daniels 7; J Nagle 7, M Walsh 8, K Moran 7; S O’Sullivan 7, P Prendergast 7; B O’Halloran 7, S Prendergast 7, M Shanahan 7; J Dillon 7, M O’Neill 7, J Barron 7. Subs: P Mahony 7 for M O’Neill (h-t), B O’Sullivan 6 for M Shanahan (59), D Fives for B O’Halloran (65).

Tipperary – B Cummins 7; D Maher 7, P Curran 7, M Cahill 7; C O’Brien 7, T Stapleton 7, P Maher 7; J Woodlock 7, S McGrath 7; B O’Meara 7, N McGrath 6, A Ryan 6; S Bourke 7, S Callanan 8, L Corbett 6. Subs: B Maher 7 for N McGrath (h-t); E Kelly for A Ryan 6 (h-t); J O’Dwyer 6 for S Bourke (49); P Bourke 6 for J Woodlock (61); J Forde for B O’Meara (67).

Ref – C McAllister (Cork)

Waterford 1-14 Tipperary 0-16

Report from the RTE.ie web site

Kevin Moran’s injury-time point gave Waterford a dramatic 1-14 to 0-16 win over Tipperary at Walsh Park in the Allianz Hurling League Division 1A. Tipp’s Seamus Callanan, who scored 0-10, started sharply yet Jamie Barron’s 18th-minute goal kept the hosts in the hunt and it was 1-06 to 0-09 at half-time. Callanan helped Tipp, who benefited from a strong bench, lead by five points with 12 minutes remaining. But Pauric Mahony’s free-taking reduced the arrears and points from Barron and Jake Dillon set up an exciting finish.

Wind-assisted Tipperary started brightly and led by 0-04 to 0-01 after 15 minutes. Michael Walsh was holding firm at centre-back and he dragged the home side back into the contest. On 18 minutes, Maurice Shanahan set up Jamie Barron who drove a low shot across Brendan Cummins and into the corner of the net for the game’s only goal. Martin O’Neill followed that up with a free to put Waterford ahead. With Callanan looking threatening, Tipp regained control and opened up a three-point gap. Waterford finished the half strongly, however, and a Jake Dillon point from play along with a pair of Martin O’Neill frees left the sides level at the interval.

Tipp manager Eamonn O’Shea made a double switch at the break and the Premier County came out with intent. Three Callanan frees gave them a healthy advantage at an early stage of the half and they pressed home their superiority. Lar Corbett and Brian O’Meara added points before Callanan struck over his tenth of the afternoon to put Tipp 0-16 to 1-08 ahead in sight of the hour mark. Waterford dug in however and Michael Walsh led a strong defensive effort in the closing stages to shut down that lively Tipp attack.

Their pace at the other end drew a succession of frees and substitute Pauric Mahony converted three in-a-row to give them hope. In the final minute of normal time, Barron scored from an acute and Dillon tagged on another to set up that pulsating finale. A Corbett effort fell short before Waterford launched one last attack. Urged on by a vocal home support, they laid siege to Cummins goal. In the first minute of injury-time, Moran seized possession 65 metres out and from the stand sideline, he split the posts to decide the game and send the Déise followers away in upbeat mood.

WATERFORD: I O’Regan; S Fives, L Lawlor, S Daniels; J Nagle, M Walsh, K Moran (0-01); S O’Sullivan, P Prendergast; B O’Halloran (0-01), S Prendergast, M Shanahan (0-01); J Dillon (0-02), M O’Neill (0-04, 0-04f), J Barron (1-01).

Subs used: P Mahony (0-04, 0-04f) for O’Neill (55 mins), B O’Sullivan for Shanahan (59), D Fives for O’Halloran (65).

TIPPERARY: B Cummins; D Maher, P Curran, M Cahill; C O’Brien, T Stapleton, P Maher; J Woodlock, S McGrath (0-01); B O’Meara (0-02), N McGrath (0-01), A Ryan; S Bourke (0-01), S Callanan (0-10, 0-04f, 0-01 ’65’), L Corbett (0-01).

Subs used: E Kelly for Ryan, B Maher for N McGrath (both half-time), J O’Dwyer for S Bourke (49 mins), P Bourke for Woodlock (62), J Forde for O’Meara (67).

Referee: Cathal McAllister (Cork)

Team News

The Tipperary SH team to play Waterford in the Allianz Hurling League on Sunday shows 6 changes from the team which started in last Sunday’s game against Galway. Brendan Cummins, Donagh Maher, Thomas Stapleton, Brian O’Meara, Noel McGrath and Adrian Ryan start in place of Darren Gleeson, Paddy Stapleton, Conor O’Mahony, Brendan Maher, John O’Brien and John O’Dwyer.

1. Brendan Cummins (Ballybacon-Grange)

2. Donagh Maher (Burgess)

3. Paul Curran (Mullinahone)

4. Michael Cahill (Thurles Sarsfields)

5. Conor O’Brien (Éire Óg Annacarty)

6. Thomas Stapleton (Templederry Kenyons)

7. Padraic Maher (Thurles Sarsfields)

8. James Woodlock (Drom and Inch)

9. Shane McGrath (Ballinahinch) CAPTAIN

10. Brian O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs)

11. Noel McGrath (Loughmore Castleiney)

12. Adrian Ryan (Templederry Kenyons)

13. Shane Bourke (JK Brackens)

14. Seamus Callanan (Drom & Inch)

15. Lar Corbett (Thurles Sarsfields)

The Waterford Senior Hurling team to play Tipperary is as follows –

1. Ian O’Regan MountSion

2. Shane Fives Carrigtwohill

3. Liam Lawlor Fourmilewater

4. Stephen Daniels De La Salle

5. Jamie Nagle Dungarvan

6. Michael Walsh Stradbally

7. Kevin Moran (CAPT.) De La Salle

8. Shane O’Sullivan Ballygunner

9. Paudie Prendergast Lismore

10. Brian O’Halloran Clashmore/Kinsalebeg

11. Seamus Prendergast Ardmore

12. Maurice Shanahan Lismore

13 Jake Dillon De La Salle

14. Shane Walsh Fourmilewater

15. Jamie Barron Fourmilewater