Austin Gleeson steps up to seal the deal for Waterford

Tipperary 1-17 Waterford 1-18: A dagger thrust delivered too late for retaliation, Austin Gleeson’s booming injury-time free won a gripping contest in Thurles yesterday for Waterford, condemning Tipperary to a second late loss in as many games.

The home side looked to have done enough for a second NHL 1A win with a late John McGrath goal, despite misfiring for much of the second half, but Waterford dug in: they found a bridgehead at left-half-forward and bombed deliveries down there, harvesting points from Shane Bennett and Patrick Curran to keep them in touch. Gleeson’s late gaisce was no more than they deserved for keeping Tipp in their sights.

The takeaways for the home support in the 6,540 spectators were grim. Seamus Callanan was a late withdrawal with a hamstring strain, true, but Maurice Shanahan was suspended for their opponents, lending a balance to proceedings.