Leinster Under 21 Football League (Peter McNulty Shield) Final
Saturday January 30th
At Round Towers Club Kildare
Final Score – Down 0-18 Tipperary 1-14 AET
On Saturday last Tipperary’s Under 21 Footballers travelled up to the Round Towers Club in Kildare for the Shield Final of the Peter McNulty Cup but had to come away empty handed as Down turned the tables on Tipperary to emerge winners by the minimum margin after extra time on a score line of 0-18 to 1-14.
In a game that had a lot of similarities to when both sides clashed earlier in the first round, Tipperary again had plenty opportunities throughout to put the game to bed but a combination of lapses in concentration, indifferent shooting, poor handling, decision making and the concession of too many convertible frees, all combined to allow Down remain in the game throughout.
However any chance Tipperary had of getting anything out of the game more or less disappeared with four minutes remaining in the second period of extra time when having cut the deficit to a single point both Stephen Quirke and Liam Casey saw red proving an uphill task for Tipperary for the remainder of the game.
With the Tipperary squad greatly reduced because of the National League first round against Limerick and other club commitments, Tipperary still set the tone from the start and despite the opening three attacks of the game into the Down defence all yielded nothing, Stephen Quirke with two points and one by Michael Meagher finally sent Tipperary on their way.
Having got some momentum going Down hit back with four points including two frees before Liam Casey with a long range point, a cracking passing movement being finished to the net by Paul Shanahan and a Michael Meagher pointed free left Tipperary with a well deserved three point advantage on twenty four minutes. Two further Down points and a Jerry Cronin pointed 45 brought the first half to a close with Tipperary ahead, 1-06 to 0-7.
The second half saw both sides exchange scores for next twenty six minutes with Tipperary maintaining their two point lead at 1-11 to 0-12 following three pointed frees by Michael Meagher and two Brendan Martin points accounting for all of the Tipperary scores.
However Down weren’t finished and with the end line in sight they got within striking distance inside the Tipperary defence landing two points to send the game into extra time which they took full advantage of reeling off four pointed frees in the first period before Brendan Martin cut the gap to three with a point leaving Tipperary trailing, 1-12 to 0-18 at the break.
Tipperary fired everything at Down in the second period and with four minutes remaining the gap was narrowed to a single point with two further pointed frees by Brendan Martin but with everything to play for and despite being awarded a fifty metre free in, all momentum was lost as a free for all in around the Down goalmouth saw Tipperary being reduced to thirteen players and any chance of victory being greatly diminished leaving Down holding out to take the Peter McNulty Shield
With plenty positives to be taken from the game all attention now focuses on Wednesday, March 9th in Tralee where Tipperary will go head to head with Kerry in the first round of the Munster championship.
Tipperary: Charlie Manton, Ross Mulcahy, Morgan Irwin, Tadgh Fitzgerald, Emmett Moloney, Liam Fahey, Shane O’Connell, Jerry Cronin 0-1, Luke Boland, Paul Shanahan 1-0, Paul Maher, Liam Casey 0-1, Brendan Martin 0-5 (0-3 frees), Stephen Quirke 0-2, Michael Meagher 0-5 (0-4 frees).
Subs. Aidan Buckley for Jerry Cronin, Joe Ryan for Michael Meagher, Rian O’Callaghan for Shane O’Connell, Ciaran Lowry for Ross Mulcahy
Report by Tommy Fitzgerald on behalf of Tipperary U21 Football
