Tipperary defeated Cork by 3-25 to 4-19 in the Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Quarter-Final on Sunday at Semple Stadium Thurles.
Source: TG4
Eamon O’Shea interview with Newstalk
Tipp shade battle as tactics thrown out window
By Diarmuid O’Flynn for the Irish Examiner newspaper
Tipperary 3-25 Cork 4-19
Tactics? Who needs ‘em! Just throw in the ball and let the players at it. That seemed to be the attitude of both management teams for yesterday’s high-scoring Allianz Hurling League quarter-final in Thurles. First it was Cork, forced to recover from conceding 2-4 without reply in the opening eight minutes, Tipp wing-forward Denis Maher with the first goal inside a minute, corner-forward Niall O’Meara with the second, doubling on a miss-hit shot by James Woodlock.
Recover Cork did, and then some, 2-3 of their own without reply in the next eight minutes, Seamus Harnedy with both goals after switching from centre-forward to full. Now it was Tipperary on the rack but they too got themselves reorganised, fought back, and a third goal before the break — this one from the outstanding John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer — saw them take charge again, 3-9 to 2-8 on 32 minutes. Cork though weren’t done and an Anthony Nash 20m free ‘special’ got them back in the game, then a further three points saw them head for the dressing-room with a most unlikely lead, 3-11 to 3-9.
So, what master-tactic had the Cork management team pulled on the sideline? Shifting Harnedy to full-forward? Pulling wing-forward and captain Pa Cronin deep to help shore up the defence? Not a bit of it, said selector Seanie McGrath: “The pressure was on but the lads settled well, didn’t panic. We didn’t do anything on the line, they did it themselves, got the scores when they needed the scores. That’s testament to their character more than anything else.”
But what about Cronin and Harnedy, astute reactions to what was going on, surely? Again, no. “Pa Cronin dropping deep was part of the plan from the start, that our half-forwards would play deeper. Tipp have so much movement in their half-forward line we had to try to counter that. But Pa takes on the mantle of responsibility himself, he was outstanding I thought, played that role brilliantly.
Seamus Harnedy going to full-forward is part of a rotation policy. We’re not as rotational as Tipp but we do give freedom to Conor (Lehane) and Patrick (Horgan) and those to move around. But Seamie at the edge of the square was a revelation, especially in the air. That was a brilliant take for his first goal, a clinical finish.”
No tactical genius on the Cork sideline then — none with Tipperary either, according to manager Eamon O’Shea. “The most pleasing thing was that the lads sorted things out themselves on the pitch, managers have little effect on the line. People like to think of managers doing this, that or the other on the line but we’re not that powerful really. The players deserve great credit for the way they sorted things out when they had to.”
It all made for a thrilling spectacle, the ball whizzing up and down the field, scores coming in a non-stop torrent. In the second-half though it was Tipperary looking the more impressive and rounded outfit, no more goals but 16 points added to their half-time account, the bulk of those coming from the sublime O’Dwyer and free-taker Seamus Callanan.
Denis Maher, Noel McGrath (brilliant second-half) and Shane Bourke (two) also chipped in up front but even defenders Conor O’Brien and centre-back Brendan Maher (another impressive outing in that problem position) and midfielder Kieran Bergin got in on the act.
There was good reason too though why Tipperary opened the shoulders yesterday, says Eamon — they’re falling back in love with the game. “The spirit is the main thing that came through with the players over the past number of weeks. A manager has to say when he comes out after his team loses that things are going well but they were going well, contrary to what it looked like on the pitch. “It was only a matter of time and when they learn to like the ball they’ll be better. They have to like it a little bit more for my liking!”
Cork did manage another goal in this half, Patrick Horgan’s opportunism after Conor Lehane’s shot was saved by Darragh Egan, and the same man denied Cork keeper Nash with a save from an angled 20m free at the death that would have taken the game to extra-time. They fell short but, says Seanie McGrath, it was still a good campaign for them. “Our target at the start of the year was win promotion, find a few new players. We’ve done that, I think we found three or four players. Even though we lost today, we got what we wanted to get from this league.”
Scorers for Tipperary: J O’Dwyer 1-7; S Callanan 0-8 (3f, 0-1 65); D Maher 1-1; N O’Meara 1-0; J Woodlock 0-2; N McGrath 0-2; S Bourke 0-2; C O’Brien, B Maher and K Bergin 0-1 each.
Scorers for Cork: P Horgan 1-8 (5f, 0-1 65); S Harnedy 2-0; A Nash 1-0 (f); J Coughlan 0-3; C Lehane 0-3; D Kearney 0-2; K Burke, W Egan and P Cronin 0-1 each.
Subs for Tipp: R Maher for O’Mahony (35), J Forde for O’Meara (52), L wMcGrath for Bourke (62), E Kelly for D Maher (66), J O’Brien for Callanan (70+1).
Subs for Cork: R O’Shea for Lawton (49), C McCarthy for Haughney (61), A Cadogan for Coughlan (62).
Tipperary: D Egan; P Stapleton, C O’Mahony, C O’Brien; J Barry, B Maher (c), T Stapleton; K Bergin, J Woodlock; D Maher, N McGrath, J O’Dwyer; S Bourke, S Callanan, N O’Meara.
Cork: A Nash; D Cahalane, E Keane, K Burke; L McLoughlin, C Joyce, W Egan; D Kearney, P Haughney; B Lawton, S Harnedy, P Cronin (c); P Horgan, C Lehane, J Coughlan
Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath)
Tipperary edge out Cork in Thurles thriller
ALLIANZ HURLING LEAGUE QUARTER-FINAL: TIPPERARY 3-25 CORK 4-19
Report from the GAA.ie web site
Tipperary have clinched a place in the semi-finals of the Allianz Hurling League following a thrilling three-point victory over Cork at Semple Stadium this afternoon. The ancient rivals hit 51 scores between them as John O’Dwyer collected the Man of the Match award following his 1-7 haul for Tipp. All of O’Dwyer’s tally came from play on a day when Seamus Callanan added 0-8 to take his Allianz League tally to 5-40. Patrick Horgan hit 1-8 for Cork but still ended up on the losing side in a game pockmarked by seven goals, including six in the first half.
In front of 6,615 spectators in Thurles, Tipp cruised into a 2-4 to 0-0 lead with less than eight minutes on the watch. Denis Maher scored the opening goal of the game with just 36 minutes gone before League debutant Niall O’Meara hit an opportunistic goal in the seventh minute. But Cork responded through All Star Seamus Harnedy, who netted in the 12th and 15th minutes to bring Division IB winners Cork right back into contention. O’Dwyer kicked home Tipp’s third goal of the game in the 32nd minute but there was still time for Cork goalkeeper Anthony Nash to ram home an unstoppable goal from a trademark 20m free before half-time.
At the break, Cork were 3-11 to 3-9 in front but Tipp would have the breeze at their backs in the second half. The sides were level twice before Tipp cruised into a 3-21 to 3-15 lead by the 58th minute. There was another twist in the 65th minute when Patrick Horgan took advantage of an error by home goalkeeper Darragh Egan to bag a close-range goal.
But Tipp, despite being pegged back to within a point in the final minute, held on for the win as Noel McGrath and O’Dwyer tagged on late points. Cork had the chance to salvage a draw with the final puck of the game but Nash was denied from a 20m free by a sea of Tipperary bodies protecting the Premier County goal-line. Tipp will play All-Ireland champions Clare in the semi-finals of Allianz Hurling League in three weeks time.
***
Scorers for Tipperary: J O’Dwyer 1-7, S Callanan 0-8 (3f, 1 65), D Maher 1-1, N O’Meara 1-0, J Woodlock, N McGrath & S Bourke 0-2 each, C O’Brien, B Maher & K Bergin 0-1 each.
Scorers for Cork: P Horgan 1-8 (0-5f, 0-1 65), S Harnedy 2-0, A Nash 1-0f, J Coughlan & C Lehane 0-3 each, D Kearney 0-2, K Burke, W Egan & P Cronin 0-1 each.
TIPPERARY: D Egan; P Stapleton, C O’Mahony, C O’Brien; J Barry, B Maher, T Stapleton; K Bergin, J Woodlock; D Maher, N McGrath, J O’Dwyer; S Bourke, S Callanan, N O’Meara. Subs: R Maher for O’Mahony (half-time), J Forde for O’Meara (52), L McGrath for Bourke (62), E Kelly for D Maher (66), J O’Brien for Callanan (70+1).
CORK: A Nash; C Joyce, D Cahalane, K Burke; L McLoughlin, W Egan, E Keane; D Kearney, P Haughney; B Lawton, S Harnedy, P Cronin; P Horgan, C Lehane, J Coughlan. Subs: R O’Shea for Lawton (49), C McCarthy for Haughney (61), A Cadogan for Coughlan (62).
Referee: Barry Kelly (Westmeath)
Previews: Allianz Hurling League Quarter-Finals – Tipp v Cork, Wexford v Kilkenny, Laois v Clare, Limerick v Galway: http://t.co/EP7Zgkc4wx
— The GAA (@officialgaa) March 28, 2014
Team News
AHL Division 1 Q-Final – Tipperary v Cork tomorrow at 3:45pm in Thurles – Tipp make 5 changes – http://t.co/wpUqz2Np2r
— Tipperary GAA (@TipperaryGAA) March 29, 2014
The Cork Senior Hurling team to play Tipperary: http://t.co/EZWYrdfRhk
— Cork GAA (@OfficialCorkGAA) March 27, 2014
The Tipperary Senior Hurling team to play Cork in Sunday’s Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Quarter-Final shows 5 changes from the team which defeated Dublin on Sunday last. Niall O’Meara returns from injury and will make his League debut at corner-forward while James Barry and Denis Maher will start a League game for the first time after impressive substitute appearances versus Dublin. James Woodlock returns to the team following a bout of flu which caused the Drom & Inch clubman to miss last Sunday’s game while Shane Bourke comes in at corner-forward. Michael Cahill and Patrick Maher miss out on this occasion due to injury while Paddy Murphy, Jason Forde and Cathal Barrett are the other players to make way.
Tipperary (SH v Cork) – Darragh Egan (Kildangan); Paddy Stapleton (Borris-Ileigh), Conor O’Mahony (Newport), Conor O’Brien (Eire Og Annacarty / Donohill); James Barry (Upperchurch-Drombane), Brendan Maher (Borris-Ileigh), Shane McGrath (Ballinahinch); Kieran Bergin (Killenaule), James Woodlock (Drom & Inch); Denis Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), Noel McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney), John O’Dwyer (Killenaule); Shane Bourke (JK Brackens), Seamus Callanan (Drom & Inch), Niall O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs)
The Cork Senior Hurling team to play Tipperary on Sunday at 3.45pm in Thurles will line out as follows:
1. Anthony Nash (Kanturk)
2. Damien Cahalane (St. Finbarr’s)
3. Eoin Keane (St. Finbarr’s)
4. Killian Burke (Midleton)
5. Lorcán Mc Loughlin (Kanturk)
6. Christopher Joyce (Na Piarsaigh)
7. William Egan (Kilbrin)
8. Daniel Kearney (Sarsfields)
9. Paul Haughney (Midleton)
10. Brian Lawton (Castlemartyr)
11. Seamus Harnedy (St. Ita’s)
12. Patrick Cronin (Bishopstown – Captain)
13. Patrick Horgan (Glen Rovers)
14. Conor Lehane (Midleton)
15. Jamie Coughlan (Newtownshandrum)
Subs
16. Darren McCarthy (Ballymartle)
17. Colm Spillane (Castlelyons)
18. Stephen White (Ballygarvan)
19. Mark Ellis (Millstreet)
20. Rob O’Shea (Carrigaline)
21. Michael O’Sullivan (Tracton)
22. Brian Hartnett (Midleton)
23. Alan Cadogan (Douglas)
24. Cian McCarthy (Sarsfields)
25. Cormac Murphy (Mallow)
There are six changes to the team for Sunday’s quarter-final. Damien Cahalane gets a first Senior Hurling start of the season at corner back, as does Midleton’s Killian Burke in the other corner, replacing the injured Kilian Murphy and Shane O’Neill. Eoin Keane comes in at full back in place of Stephen McDonnell who has work commitments abroad. William Egan returns to the side in place of Stephen White, while Paul Haughney starts at mid-field with Pa Cronin moving to wing forward. With Stephen Moylan out injured, Jamie Coughlan comes in at corner forward, and Brian Hartnett is on the bench.
We spoke to @TipperaryGAA captain Brendan Maher ahead of the Allianz League quarter-final against @OfficialCorkGAA: http://t.co/iaJaX2i6qk
— The GAA (@officialgaa) March 27, 2014
Lorcan McLoughlin, @OfficialCorkGAA midfielder, is ready for a step up in class when his side meet Tipp on Sunday: http://t.co/JZJEkUPNoR
— The GAA (@officialgaa) March 28, 2014
Fixture Details
30/03/2014
Allianz Hurling League Roinn 1 Quarter Final
Tipperary v Cork
Semple Stadium Thurles @ 15:45
Referee – Barry Kelly (An Iarmhí)
Standby Referee – James McGrath (An Iarmhí)
Linesman – John Keane (Gaillimh)
Sideline Official – Barry Redmond (Loch Garman)
Admission Prices
Both stands in Semple Stadium will be open on Sunday.
Adult Pre-purchase: €15
Adult Match Day: €20
Student / Senior: €15
Under 16s are free
Tickets can be purchased in advance of the game from Centra & Supervalu outlets in Tipperary as follows –
Centra Templemore
Centra Nenagh
Centra Thurles
Centra Dundrum
Centra Clonmel
Centra Newport
Centra Borrisoleigh
Centra Bansha
SuperValu Roscrea
SuperValu Carrick on Suir
SuperValu Cahir
SuperValu Cashel
SuperValu Tipperary
SuperValu Tipperary Co-op
SuperValu Clonmel
If you are living outside of Tipperary, click here for a list of outlets to avail of the pre-purchase discounts for Sunday’s game.
Better view?? Tipp host Cork in Thurles on Sunday and we're with Lorcan McLoughlin and Brendan Maher in Cahir Castle. pic.twitter.com/IoFhNTnj7m
— The GAA (@officialgaa) March 27, 2014
By Jonathan Cullen
Sat 29th Mar
