Tipp shade battle as tactics thrown out window

Tipperary 3-25 Cork 4-19

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.