Tipp made to suffer by rejuvenated Dublin
Dublin 1-21 tipperary 1-12
Hurling returned to its natural habitat – a bright if chilly Sunday afternoon, instead of midweek under lights – as Tipperary's hurlers at last got their National League campaign underway at Parnell Park last weekend, after two false starts the previous week. However, apart from the day and throw-in time, normality went out the window as Dublin recorded an eyebrow-raising but well deserved win over last year's beaten All-Ireland and League finalists.
Manager Liam Sheedy pointed, with justification, to the fact that his side was rusty compared to a Dublin team that had played Waterford in the League the previous week, as well as enjoying a few outings in the Walsh Cup. Whatever about rustiness, a relatively strong and experienced lineout was ill-equipped to deal with a team that produced a tremendous response to its 13-points defeat by Waterford seven days previously. The Tipp heads just didn't seem right, or properly tuned in, for the challenge posed by a Dublin team that was much faster in deed and thought, as they beat Tipp for the first time in a competitive match since a 1-10 to 1-9 League win at Croke Park in October 1989.
Behind at the interval by 1-12 to 1-7, Tipp turned around with the slight wind in their favour but the expected surge never materialised. It may be early in the year but their return of a paltry 5 points (and 8 wides) in that second 35-minute period is worrying. The overall performance will need to be in much better shape for this Sunday's crunch clash against Kilkenny if they aren't to be left in the competition's starting blocks.
Tipp got off to the best possible start. Only 54 seconds had elapsed when Eoin Kelly buried a penalty after Lar Corbett was hauled back on a promising run towards goal. That goal, we presumed, would set the tone for what was to follow, as Tipp appeared to be chomping at the bit to get their season motoring after the double postponement against Kilkenny.
But a Dublin side that was reportedly at the receiving end of a severe tongue-lashing from manager Anthony Daly after that hammering by Waterford hadn't read the script. They quickly recovered to draw level by the 6th minute and took the lead through Alan McCrabbe's free two minutes later. They extended their advantage with a mighty point from Maurice O'Brien and built on it with a further score from Simon Lambert, a response that delighted an animated Daly.
Following their defeat in Walsh Park the Dublin boss claimed his team had been "blown out of it by fellas that wanted the ball more". This time the shoe was on the other foot and that comment could have been made by Liam Sheedy whose team, following the post-match warm-down, didn't emerge from their dressing-room for the best part of an hour.
After their first-minute goal Tipp went a quarter of an hour without another score, until Lar Corbett laid on a point for Seamus Callanan. Yet there didn't appear to be too much to be overly concerned about at that stage. Seamus Hennessy was foraging well in a forward line that Eoin Kelly was leading impressively in his debut match as captain, while Lar Corbett was always a threat. In defence Padraic Maher, who started on the wing before switching to full back, collected and cleared an amount of ball, while Brendan Maher also coped well with Dublin's early raids.
Points flowed from Eoin Kelly's free, Benny Dunne (when he was set up by Eoin Kelly), and Kelly again, this time from play, before Seamus Hennessy equalised with a fine effort in the 24th minute after the two Conors, O'Brien and O'Mahony, had started the move.
Tipp regained the lead in the 27th minute through Noel McGrath,who was the final link in a chain of passes (1-6 to 0-8). However the lead lasted mere seconds. From Gary Maguire's puckout David O'Callaghan had the ball in the net from John McCaffrey's delivery and it was game on again. Boosted by the goal the Dubs quickly added points through Alan McCrabbe's free and Shane Durkin, and the Tipp goal led a charmed life when Peter Kelly struck the post with a low effort.
Tipp responded with Seamus Callanan's point but Dublin finished the half with a flourish with further scores from Shane Durkin and Alan McCrabbe's free to give them that healthy 5-points lead at the break.
Dublin started the second half as they finished the first with a great catch and point by David Treacy. Tipp replied with a converted Eoin Kelly free but the build-up to that score was indicative of the trend of the game, with Benny Dunne tripped when he was chased by no fewer than five Dublin players.
Declan Fanning was introduced in place of Gearoid Ryan and the visitors seemed poised to make a game of it when Eoin Kelly landed a monster point from a free in his own half to cut the deficit to 4 points 6 minutes into the second half. Yet Dublin were undeterred, striking back with a pair of scores from Alan McCrabbe. The All-Star was initially thought to have broken his leg in an incident in the Waterford game the previous week, but fortunately for his team he escaped with nothing more than bruising to his knee and returned to play a starring role in this victory.
Lar Corbett struck a point from distance in the 45th minute but Dublin's better work ethic brought its rewards in the shape of scores from John McCaffrey and Peter Kelly. Tipp goalie Darren Gleeson denied David Treacy a goal but it only delayed the inevitable, and with more than a quarter of an hour remaining they were staring down the barrel of a shock defeat.
Alan McCrabbe knew that his team wouldn't be stopped when he raised his arm in triumph towards the sideline after
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Weather for Clonmel
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Heavy rain
Temperature: 2 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 6 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
