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2023 Electric Ireland Munster GAA Minor Football Championship – Tipperary 0-12 Clare 0-8
Tipperary defeated Clare by 0-12 to 0-8 in Phase 1, Round 3 of the Electric Ireland Munster GAA Minor Football Championship April 27th at FBD Semple Stadium Thurles.
Third win in a row for Tipperary as they defeat Clare
Munster Minor Football Championship phase 1 round 3
Tipperary 0-12 Clare 0-8
Report by Stephen Barry for the Irish Examiner newspaper
A third consecutive win stamped Tipperary’s ticket to the Munster MFC knockout stage, kicking three late points to eliminate Clare from the competition.
As it transpired, a win would have seen the visitors join Tipp in the ‘phase 1 final’ but their comeback ran out of steam before they were rocked by those knockout blows from Mark Neville, Louis Coughlan, and Liam Freaney.
Tipperary will now face Limerick in a fortnight’s time, with that game determining which team is to meet Cork or Kerry in either semi-final.
Scoring difference was always likely to insulate the Premier against any shock and their defence was at its mean best from the off.
Having conceded just 0-7 to Limerick and 1-3 to Waterford, they had a firm grip on Clare in the first half. They allowed just three points, led by the ball-regaining abilities of Cillian Ryan and Billy Tierney.
Tipp were punishing just enough of those turnovers to keep them motoring, with their midfield pair orchestrating their moves into attack. Michael O’Reilly assisted three points and contributed heavily to another, while Seán Lewis set up two more.
They made the early running, with Freaney nailing frees either side of a Ronan O’Brien point.
Daire Culligan was key to the Clare effort, his backheel keeping play alive for Evan Cahill’s opening point.
In the 16th minute, Tipp produced the most incisive play yet. Freaney and O’Reilly carved up the Clare defence with reverse handpasses to play in Jamie O’Keeffe. With players breathing down his neck, the wing-back couldn’t keep his shot down and had to settle for a point.
In the battle of the captains, Culligan was able to shake some change from Tierney, winning and converting two frees either side of a Shane Ryan point at the other end.
It said much about the Tipp defensive effort that Clare’s third point came from only their fourth shot in 24 minutes, with the odd one out blocked.
There wasn’t a wide at either end until that same minute but as Clare’s patience wore thin, they sprayed some increasingly ambitious efforts either side of the posts.
Joey Quinn and a Tierney free doubled the gap to four at half-time, 0-7 to 0-3.
Dermot Coughlan used the break to switch Diarmuid McMahon out to the 40 and move Culligan inside. It began to pay dividends as Clare pressed the Tipp kick-out and upped the tempo of their attacks.
Ben Skerritt, Kevin Marrinan, Gearóid Barry, and Culligan reeled off points, with Louis Coughlan providing the only reply.
An equaliser looked inevitable, sooner or later, as Lewis was sin-binned for a trip on Cahill but Eoin Byrne’s tricky free to level clipped the post.
The Banner’s accuracy was beginning to desert them and it was Tipp who would scrape through the black-card period with their lead extended. They almost had a goal too, Byrne saving from Michael Connellan before Quinn tapped over the rebound.
Culligan had what transpired to be Clare’s final point in the 53rd minute before Neville’s monster score made it 0-10 to 0-8 as Lewis returned.
O’Brien was also black-carded in stoppage time but by then, Tipp had weathered the storm.
Scorers for Tipperary: L Freaney (0-3 frees); L Coughlan, J Quinn (0-2 each); B Tierney (free), J O’Keeffe, S Ryan, R O’Brien, M Neville (0-1 each).
Scorers for Clare: D Culligan (0-4, 2 frees); E Cahill, B Skerritt, G Barry, K Marrinan (0-1 each).
TIPPERARY: P Boland (Moyle Rovers); R Myles (Ardfinnan), C Ryan (Ballina), S Flanagan (Newport); M Connellan (Clonmel Commercials), B Tierney (Clonmel Commercials, capt), J O’Keeffe (Clonmel Commercials); M O’Reilly (Moyle Rovers), S Lewis (Arravale Rovers); S Ryan (Ardfinnan), L Freaney (Kilsheelan-Kilcash), L Coughlan (Moycarkey-Borris); J Quinn (Loughmore-Castleiney), R O’Brien (Dúrlas Óg), E Bonner (Galtee Rovers).
Subs: C Grace (Ballina) for S Ryan (42), M Neville (Fethard) for Bonner (52), C O’Gorman (Moyle Rovers) for O’Keeffe (58), T Whyte (Moneygall) for Quinn (60+3).
Black cards: S Lewis (47-58), R O’Brien (60+1).
CLARE: E Byrne (St Breckan’s); A Killeen (Lissycasey), C Hill (Lissycasey), R Fitzpatrick (St Breckan’s); A Weaver (Lissycasey), M Kelly (Lissycasey), D Boyle (St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield); E Cahill (Kilmurry-Ibrickane); D Townsend (Cooraclare), D Culligan (Lissycasey, capt), K Deegan Herlihy (The Banner); G Barry (Inagh-Kilnamona), D McMahon (Lissycasey), S O’Connell (Cooraclare).
Subs: K Marrinan (Cooraclare) for Skerritt (39), K O’Donoghue (Cratloe) for O’Connell (40), D Brody (Ennistymon) for Barry (59).
Referee: D O’Callaghan (Limerick).
Ticket Information
Adults – €10
Students / OAPs – €5
Under 16s – Free
Alternatively, purchase tickets from participating Centra and Supervalu outlets
Live Streaming
This game will be live streamed by Munster GAA TV.
Click here to purchase the Live Streaming of Tipperary v Clare MFC for 10 euro
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Team News
— Tipperary GAA (@TipperaryGAA) April 26, 2023
