Mission accomplished, says Sheedy
Leading by nine points with 20 minutes remaining, the champions looked home and hosed but Sheedy’s men were outscored 0-10 to 0-3 in the closing stages.
Tipp also struggled in the second half of the quarter-final win against Cork, having established a healthy platform. Sheedy acknowledged: “That’s an area we have to continue to work on. We had big leads but we struggle to put away teams. We’re building but at the same time, some of the quality of our play was top notch.
“It’s about getting the consistency into our game. We know that, the lads know that. We’ll chew it over and try to come again for a Munster final.”
Approaching half-time, Tipperary were well in control before Diarmuid McMahon’s quickfire 1-1 blast gave Clare a glimmer of hope before the break.
Sheedy nodded: “We had periods of dominance. I looked up at the scoreboard with four or five minutes to go in the first half and you see 17-7. I was watching the points scoreboard all the time. We looked to be going really well, hurling well within ourselves. Clare got 1-1 and suddenly it’s game on again, six points up at half-time.
“We sat down and talked about it in the dressing room. We knew there was more in us again. Clare got the start and they got us back to four. All of a sudden we kicked on again and took it on to nine. You think, yeah, we’re back in the zone here again but full credit to Clare. They were really on top for the last 20 minutes and nobody could have argued if the game was a draw. They hurled themselves back into the game and came absolutely roaring at us. We were hanging on at the end.”
Sheedy anticipated a huge challenge from Mike McNamara’s Clare and insisted a lot of “stupid talk” dominated the pre-match build-up.
“There were times in other years when Tipp were eight or nine points up and came away losing by a point or with a draw. We’ll continue to draw on the positives and in both instances, the tide was against us in the last five or 10 minutes, both today and against Cork. Each time, when the character of the team was questioned, they came up trumps.”
Sheedy paid tribute to another stirring performance from 18-year-old Noel McGrath. Fresh out of the minor ranks last year, McGrath has made a seamless transition to the senior grade and after sniping three points against Cork, the Loughmore-Castleiney star added seven here.
“I keep on talking about this guy. I had him when he was 16 and put him in an All-Ireland minor semi-final. We were five points down and the guy changed the game from half back. His pedigree and attitude are top class but I’d say that for all of the lads. I’m delighted to have snuck into a Munster final.”
In the GAA’s 125th year, Tipperary and Waterford will contest the provincial showpiece at Semple Stadium on July 12.
And Sheedy smiled: “It was the 100th anniversary back in 1984. That didn’t change the result with my poor oul’ brother (John) standing inside in goals! Cork rapped in a goal or two finishing up and sentiment goes out the window. It’s in Thurles, a fabulous venue, two fabulous teams and the hurling championship is still strong in Munster and continues to thrive.”
Midfielder James Woodlock said: “We had it all to lose coming in here today. We’re Munster champions, we beat them last year and we got over Cork as well. We had a game under our belts and Clare were coming in after a poor league campaign.
“They had nothing to lose and they threw everything at us. They’re fit, well schooled and able to take their scores.
“Every team has their purple patch. It was no different today. Clare got on top in the second half and we had to work and grind out the victory. Hooking and blocking — that’s what we build our game on. The glass is half full. We move on into a Munster final.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
