Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship Final – Tipperary 2-13 Dublin 1-16

Winters frees rescue minor draw for Dublin

Report from the GAA.ie web site

Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship Final: Dublin 1-16 Tipperary 2-13

Dublin and Tipperary will meet again in a replay after the All-Ireland minor hurling final finished in a draw at Croke Park on Sunday. Paul Winters hit two late frees to rescue a draw for Dublin, who had given as good as they got throughout a very enjoyable and high standard contest. An extremely competitive and lively game was very tight for the full 60 minutes, and there was never more than a few points between them at any stage.

Dublin led by three at the break, but a well-taken goal from Mark McCarthy shortly after the break put Tipperary in the lead for the first time in the game. The second half was nip and tuck thereafter, but William Maher’s young Tipp side still held a two point lead going into the last few minutes. But Winters held his nerve to fire the two late set-pieces over, and ensure the two sides would have to meet again. Dublin led 1-8 to 1-5 at the break, having provided by far the greater scoring threat in the first half.

All of Tipp’s first half scores came from placed balls from midfielder John McGrath, who finished with a remarkable tally of 1-11 overall (all from set-pieces), whereas Dublin had five different scorers in the opening period. The capital side raced into a 0-4 to 0-0 lead within a few minutes, Winters (2), Eoghan O’Connell and Conor McHugh their early scorers. Tipperary then burst into life, with McGrath firing in 1-1 in the space of two minutes. He clipped over a free, and then was on hand to bury a penalty to the net after the lively McCarthy was fouled. The sides then traded a couple of scores each, and just past the midway point in the half they were level at 1-3 to 0-6.

Then on 18 minutes, Cormac Costello delivered a stunning individual goal in Croke Park for the second Sunday in a row. Last weekend he fired in a majestic goal for the Dublin minor footballers against Kerry, and he did something similar for the hurlers against Tipperary. He raced over the 20 metre line, across the face of the goal towards the Hogan Stand side, and after carving out enough space for himself, drove a low shot back across the goal and into the bottom right hand corner of the goal.

That gave Dublin a three point lead, and that remained the advantage at the end of the first half after the sides shared two more points each. It didn’t take Tipperary long to turn things around after the restart though. McGrath powered over a 65, and then Seán Maher hit their first point from play to leave just one between them. Then, Tipperary broke through for a second goal to move into the lead for the first time in the game. McCarthy broke through the last line of the Dublin defence and raced in on goal. He kept his cool, and finished low past Cian MacGabhann.

That made it 2-7 to 1-8, but Dublin responded well and points from Cian Boland and Seán McClelland had them level after 40 minutes. The sides were still level with less than 10 minutes to go, after Dublin answered three McGrath placed balls with points from Winters (2 frees) and a fine effort from Donal Gormley from play. McGrath knocked over a couple of frees either side of a fine score from Costello, and then when Maher flashed one over, Tipp led by two with time running out. But Dublin got their chances, and took them, with Winters firing over the two crucial frees, the second of which was a very impressive effort given the testing circumstances.

Scorers for Dublin: P Winters 0-7 (6f), C Costello 1-2, C McHugh 0-2, C Boland 0-2, E O’Donnell 0-1, S McClelland 0-1, D Gormley 0-1

Scorers for Tipperary: J McGrath 1-11 (1 pen, 9f, 2 65), M McCarthy 1-0, S Maher 0-2

Dublin: C Mac Gabhann; S Barrett, C O’’Callaghan, E Lowndes; E O’’Donnell, R Murphy, S McClelland; C Costello, C Cronin; C McHugh, D Gormley, C Conway; P Winters, C Boland, O O’Rorke.

Subs: C Bennett for C Conway (51).

Tipperary: P Maher; R Maher, M Breen, J Peters; T Fox, T Hamill, B Heffernan; B Maher, J McGrath; S Maher, J Shelly, T Gallagher; S Cahill, S O’Brien, M McCarthy.

Subs: S Ryan for J Shelly (HT), K Slattery for T Gallagher (52), C Lanigan for M McCarthy (61).

Referee: Colm Lyons (Cork)

Team News

The Tipperary minor hurling team to play Dublin in the Electric Ireland All Ireland minor hurling final on Sunday next shows 1 change from the team which started against Galway in the All Ireland semi-final. Sean Maher starts instead of Kevin Slattery. The team is:

Paul Maher (Moyne Templetuohy)

Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields)

Michael Breen (Ballina)

Jack Peters (Kilruane MacDonaghs)

Tom Fox (Eire Og Annacarty Donohill)

Thomas Hamill (Killea)

Barry Heffernan (Nenagh Eire Og)

Bill Maher (Kilsheelan Kilcash) Captain

John McGrath (Loughmore Castleiney)

Sean Maher (Clonoulty Rossmore)

Jack Shelly (Mullinahone)

Tadhg Gallagher (Kildangan)

Stephen Cahill (Thurles Sarsfields)

Steven O’Brien (Ballina)

Mark McCarthy (Toomevara)

Dublin: C Mac Gabhann; S Barrett, C O’’Callaghan, E Lowndes; E O’’Donnell, R Murphy, S McClelland; C Costello, C Cronin; C McHugh, S Treacy, C Conway; O O’’Rorke, C Boland, P Winters.

Match Preview

Dublin and Tipperary meet in the minor final for the first time since 1954, when Dublin won. It will be their sixth meeting overall in finals with Dublin leading 3-2 from their previous five clashes. Both teams arrive in the final as provincial champions and with Dublin seeking their first All-Ireland title since 1965 while Tipperary last won the crown in 2007. Dublin are in the final for a second successive year, having lost to Galway last year.

Paths to the final

Dublin 4-24 Carlow 0-3 (Leinster quarter-final)

Dublin 1-12 Kilkenny 0-10 (Leinster semi-final)

Dublin 2-15 Wexford 1-14 (Leinster final)

Dublin 4-14 Clare 2-17 (All-Ireland semi-final)

Average For: 3-16; Average Against: 1-11

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Tipperary 6-21 Kerry 0-11 (Munster quarter-final)

Tipperary 2-25 Waterford 0-12 (Munster semi-final)

Tipperary 1-16 Clare 1-12 (Munster final)

Tipperary 2-16 Galway 1-14 (All-Ireland semi-final)

Average For: 3-19; Average Against 1-11

Previous Dublin –Tipperary Minor finals

1954: Dublin 2-7 Tipperary 2-3

1953: Tipperary 8-6 Dublin 3-6

1952: Tipperary 9-9 Dublin 3-2

1946: Dublin 1-6 Tipperary 0-7

1945: Dublin 3-14 Tipperary 4-6

All-Ireland Minor Hurling – Roll of Honour

20 – Kilkenny (1931-35-36-50-60-61-62-72-73-75-77-81-88-90-91-93-2002-2003-2008-2010)

18 – Cork (1928-37-38-39-41-51-64-67-69-70-71-74-78-79-85-95-98-2001)

18 – TIPPERARY (1930-32-33-34-47-49-52-53-55-56-57-59-76-80-82-96-2006-2007)

9 – Galway (1983-92-94-99-2000-2004-2005-2009-2011)

4 – DUBLIN (1945-46-54-65)

3 – Wexford (1963-66-68)

3 – Limerick (1940-58-84)

3 – Offaly (1986-87-89)

2 – Waterford (1929-48)

1 – Clare (1997)