Tipp footballers continue to make history and in last Sunday’s All Ireland Football Quarter Final in Croke Park it was the turn of Galway to come face to face with the new found cutting edge of Tipperary football and were duly put to the sword in what can only be described as a near complete and clinical match winning performance much to the delight of the large number of Tipperary supporters that travelled up.
Much had been said about Galway’s proud football tradition that would safely ease them into the All Ireland Semi Finals but Tipp buried that myth with a no nonsense energy sapping seventy five minutes football which left the Connacht champions completely deflated well before the final whistle.
Having demolished Roscommon in the Connacht final replay they went into the game as firm favourites but never showed a glimpse of that form as they were completely outclassed by Tipp all over the field and indeed the nine point margin at the finish really flatters Galway such was Tipp’s overall superiority
From Evan Comerford’s razor sharp kick-outs, the finishing of Mikey Quinlivan and Conor Sweeney, the fielding of Peter Acheson and George Hannigan, the crunching hits by Brian Fox, Ciaran McDonald and Robbie Kiely, the non stop running of Josh Keane, Bill Maher, Phillip Austin, Jimmy Feehan, Colm O’Shaughnessy, Alan Campbell, Kevin O’Halloran’s free taking and all the boys that came off the bench this was history in the making and a proud day for Tipperary football.
Its only a short few months ago in Clonmel where I saw Kildare put paid to Tipp’s promotion from Division Three football and now we’re just seventy minutes away from an All-Ireland Final – unbelievable but its true and whether its Tyrone or Mayo in the All Ireland Semi Final it will be a battle royal and hopefully the Tipp supporters will travel in their thousands to Croke Park on August 21st.
Good to see Mr Football himself, Joe Hannigan out of hospital and on the team bus to Croke Park last Sunday to see Tipp weave some magic at the top table.
This weekend Friday August 5th and Saturday 6th the Annual Friends of Tipperary Football Classic goes ahead at Thurles Golf Club and again all enquiries to Martin O’Dwyer at 086 254 9154.
Tommy Fitzgerald, PRO, Tipperary Football Board
