Munster Under 21 Hurling S-Final – Tipperary 1-16 Limerick 1-11

Maher ends Treaty defence

Tipperary 1-16 Limerick 1-11

By Diarmuid O’Flynn for the Irish Examiner newspaper

This was a tame defence of their Munster U-21 hurling title by champions Limerick at the rain-sodden Gaelic Grounds last night. It was a poor second-half display especially, in which they scored but four points in the regular 30 minutes of play despite being aided by a strong breeze. Their goal was mere consolation, a net-buster by senior star Shane Dowling in injury time when the game was already gone. But, overall, this was a poor performance and made for a disappointing game for the 5,186 who looked on.

Using the wind well, Tipperary got off to a fine start, three points to nil ahead after just five minutes, free-taker and captain John O’Dwyer with two, wing-forward Denis Maher with the third. Limerick steadied, Dowling getting them off the mark with a pointed free (he would finish with 1-8), but a well-worked goal finished by Maher (albeit facilitated by stand-off defence from Limerick) had Tipperary ahead 1-3 to 0-1 in the 10th minute, very much on top. Again Limerick steadied and again it was Dowling doing the needful from placed balls, another four, to go with a fine brace from play by another senior star, Kevin Downes, (now operating to good effect on the wing, wasted inside against that wind). Tipperary replied with three more pointed frees from the deadly O’Dwyer (he finished with nine), but their lead of just two points at the break (1-6 to 0-7) didn’t look near big enough in the conditions. Mind you, that lead would have been much greater had the Tipperary attack — Curran, Maher and O’Meara particularly — properly honed their shooting-eye, a total of 11 wides in that opening half.

Limerick began the second-half in perfect style, yet another pointed Dowling free in the opening minute bringing them within a point. That would prove as close as they would come, however. With their midfield practically non-existent (both Shane Kenny and Sean O’Brien eventually replaced), their attack at sixes and sevens — or more accurately at 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, which is where Downes seemed to have been played at some stage in a haphazard second-half, Dowling also being shifted around the place — Limerick simply lost their way.

The same could not be said of Tipperary, who very much found their mojo. O’Dwyer continued to severely punish a series of Limerick transgressions, man-of-the-match Maher added two points to his first-half 1-1, Sean Curran finally found the posts, giant full-forward Cian Hogan finally won one of the dozens of high balls pumped in his direction and pointed, dual star Liam McGrath capped a busy night with a point of his own, and Nenagh CBS Harty Cup star Jason Forde, on as a half-time substitute, marked his entrance with an assured shot and point.

All in all a disappointing evening forLimerick, though there is one consolation for senior manager John Allen — Dowling was again outstanding. For undersung Tipperary, another big scalp in this campaign, star-studded Cork already seen off. Now they await the winners of Clare/Waterford this evening, the final fixed for Wednesday, August 8, again away from home. Like the seniors on their Munster journey, the long hard road — will it end likewise?

Scorers for Tipperary: J O’Dwyer 0-9 (8f); D Maher 1-3; C Hogan, L McGrath, J Forde, S Curran, 0-1 each.

Scorers for Limerick: S Dowling 1-8 (0-6f, 0-2 65s); K Downes 0-2; N Kennedy 0-1.

TIPPERARY: P Ryan; S Maher, A Ryan, P Ryan; B Stapleton, W Ryan, J Cahill; D McCormack, N O’Meara; L McGrath, S Curran, D Maher; E Murray, C Hogan, J O’Dwyer (c).

Subs: J Forde (Murray 30); A McGrath (McCormack 58).

LIMERICK: A Murphy; A Dempsey, D Morrissey, S O’Reilly; T Ryan, D Hannon, R Egan (c); S Kenny, S O’Brien; S Dowling, N Kennedy, M Carmody; M Ryan, K Downes, W Griffin.

Subs: J Fitzgibbon (Griffin 29); R O’Donnell (O’Brien 40); M O’Connell (Kenny 47); A Breen (Carmody 55).

Referee: M Wadding (Waterford)

Limerick U-21 hurlers relinquish title

By Jerome O’Connell for the Limerick Leader newspaper

Limerick’s reign as Munster U-21 hurling champions came to a sudden halt this Wednesday evening. The champions were defeated 1-16 to 1-11 by Tipperary in the provincial semi-final. Despite having home advantage in the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick were never serious contenders in this game and a lacklustre performance saw them trail Tipperary for most of the game. Indeed Limerick’s goal arrived in injury-time to take some of the stark look off the scoreline.

With 11 of last season’s panel on the starting team and with eight members of John Allen’s senior panel, Limerick were installed as 4/6 favourites to advance to a final against either Clare or Waterford – who play Thursday in Ennis in the other semi-final. But the presence of the eight senior players may not have helped Limerick’s cause for a combination of injuries and senior commitments meant that the panel only trained together as a full unit last Sunday. And, the performance had all the hallmarks of a side that hadn’t played a challenge game together.

The display was disjointed and lacked any of the swashbuckling intensity that saw Limerick beat Clare and Cork to win last year’s Munster title. But that Munster title was won in the third year of Leo O’Connor’s management and he had failed to win a game in the two previous years. But still the 2012 management of John Fitzgerald, Ollie Moran, Natal O’Grady and Frank Houlihan will be left scratching their heads as to what went wrong. Not for one period of the game did Limerick dominate and over the course of the hour they managed just 1-3 from play – relying heavily on the frees of Shane Dowling to stay in touch.

Tipperary played with the wind in the opening half and led 1-6 to 0-7 at half time. But their lead could have been much greater but for 11 first half wides. Limerick had just three wides in the half. Largely the opening 30-minutes was a shootout between free-takers Dowling and John O’Dwyer.

However Denis Maher proved a match changer for Tipp with a return of 1-1 in the opening minutes to give them a 1-4 to 0-4 lead after the opening quarter. Limerick were struggling to win ball in the middle third of the field and reacted by moving Mark Carmody out as a third midfielder and placing Kevin Downes at wing forward. Downes surged into the game, winning puckouts and running at the Tipp defence. He returned two points but it was the two-man full forward line that then failed to win possession.

On the change of ends, Limerick needed a good start to kick-start their efforts. But it was Tipp that raced into a 1-11 to 0-8 lead as the game entered the final quarter. A Niall Kennedy point in the 19th minute of the half was to be the only score from play for Limerick in the half, aside from the late consolation goal.

SCORERS – Limerick: Shane Dowling 1-8 (6frees, 2 ‘65), Kevin Downes 0-2, Niall Kennedy 0-1. Tipperary: John O’Dwyer 0-9 (8frees), Denis Maher 1-3, Liam McGrath, Sean Curran, Cian Hogan, Jason Forde 0-1 each.

LIMERICK – Aaron Murphy; Alan Dempsey, Dan Morrissey, Stephen O’Reilly; Robert Egan, Declan Hannon, Tom Ryan; Shane Kenny, Sean O’Brien; Shane Dowling, Niall Kennedy, Mark Carmody; Mikey Ryan, Kevin Downes, Willie Griffin. Subs: John Fitzgibbon for Griffin (28mins), Robert O’Donnell for O’Brien (40mins), Mark O’Connell for Kenny (47mins), Adrian Breen for Carmody (55mins).

TIPPERARY – Paul Ryan; Stephen Maher, Andrew Ryan, Pa Ryan; Brian Stapleton, Willie Ryan, Justin Cahill; Niall O’Meara, Dan McCormack; Liam McGrath, Sean Curran, Denis Maher; Eanna Murray, Cian Hogan, John O’Dwyer. Subs: Jason Forde for Murray (h-t), Aidan McGrath for McCormack (58mins).

REFEREE – Michael Wadding (Waterford)

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