Tipp too strong for Waterford

WATERFORD 1-12 TIPPERARY 2-13

Defending champions Tipperary proved too strong for their Munster rivals Waterford in this Allianz NHL Division 1 opener at Walsh Park.

Tipp followed up on their win over the same opposition in the Waterford Crystal Cup last month, opening up a six-point lead at half-time.

In heavy underfoot conditions, this game took a while to come to the boil and this was in some part due to an early injury to Shane Walsh, who was replaced by Shane Casey.

Waterford took the lead through Seamus Prendergast but efforts from James Woodlock, Willie Ryan, Tipp's new captain and Pat Kerwick saw the Premier county move 0-03 to 0-01 ahead.

With ten minutes left in a stop-start half, Tipp were 0-04 to 0-02 to the good with Paul Kelly and Prendergast swapping points.

Waterford leaked two more points and they had to be rescued on three occasions by their razor-sharp goalkeeper Clinton Hennessy, who prevented a series of certain goals.

However, Hennessy could do little when Kerwick pounced, just before the break, to hammer home Tipp's first goal from close range.

The Deise responded in injury-time when Dan Shanahan split the posts, leaving it 1-06 to 0-03 at half-time.

It was an even start to the second half with the sides going point for point, but Waterford noticeably improved as the game wore on.

Michael 'Brick' Walsh and Eoin Murphy rose to the standards that Hennessy set in the opening half, while Declan Fanning and Benny Dunne continued to dominate in the Tipperary defence.

Dunne, playing at right half-back, was arguably the best player on show and he hurled a huge amount of ball in trying conditions.

A point from Paul Kelly nudged Tipp into a 1-11 to 0-07 lead, yet the Deise made the visitors sweat when Hennessy raced forward to thunder a close range free past Brendan Cummins and into the net.

But barely a minute, Tipp were toasting their second goal when Kelly swooped on a ball in from the right and sent a crisp, low shot beyond Hennessy's reach.

With Woodlock and substitute John Devane maintaining Tipp's high standards, Sheedy's men closed out the game without too much trouble - although Jack Kennedy and Maurice Shanahan did claim some impressive late points for the home side.