UL sharpshooter O’Connor graduating into Tipp's go-to man
11 February 2024; Michael Breen of Tipperary in action against Conor Whelan of Galway during the Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Group B match between Tipperary and Galway at FBD Semple Stadum in Thurles, Tipperary. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
The life of a student seems particularly grand right now.
Seven days after Mark Rodgers’ 13 points were the cornerstone of Clare’s win over Cork, his UL college-mate Gearóid O’Connor posted 1-13 to give Tipperary a giddy-up towards a Division 1 semi-final.
Coming eight days after he scored 12 points against Dublin and four since registering six in the Fitzgibbon Cup quarter-final win over UCC, O’Connor is in a mean mood that he hopes will continue when he faces more Galway opposition in the third level semi-final on Wednesday.
For now, he can take plenty of encouragement from sealing a Tipperary victory that gives them a great opportunity to not just qualify for next year’s Division 1A but this season’s semi-finals.
In front of 5,941 in FBD Semple Stadium, he fired 1-2 in the closing five minutes. Eight points down in the 43rd minute, Galway had twice levelled in the closing eight minutes of normal time.
After Seamus Kennedy put Tipperary ahead once more, O’Connor scored from play and bisected the posts with his eighth free before he found the net with an additional time penalty after an Evan Niland free.
A point might have seemed the wisest option after Seán Linnane was black carded for upsending Conor Stakelum but Moyne-Templetuohy man O’Connor thought otherwise.
“I think he did his own thing anyway,” smiled Liam Cahill when asked if he imparted any words of advice to his player from the sideline. “It was a two-point game at that stage so the sensible thing to do was go for a point. But I think he wanted to do his own thing. He’s in a great vein of form.
“The Fitzgibbon takes a little bit of management – if you have a good rapport with the Fitzgibbon managers and make sure that your players are not overtaxed. They can enjoy their college hurling, which they want to do along with their inter-county hurling. We won’t see him again now maybe until the Fitzgibbon is over and he’s happy with that and we’re happy with that.”
The penalty goal capped a deserving win for the home side who never went behind in the game. Sure, Galway hit them for seven points without reply in the middle part of the second half and had Niland’s radar outside of placed balls been calibrated properly the result may have different.
But Tipperary could have been out of sight inside the first 10 minutes of the second half. Three points in a row from replacement Mark Kehoe followed by an O’Connor brace from play saw Tipperary shoot ahead by eight points.
Kehoe’s runs from the half-forward line were hurting Galway and only for Pádraic Mannion he might have capped Tipperary’s purple patch with a goal in the 44th minute.
Galway made a lot of the let-off. In defence, Cianan Fahy’s energy was infectious and Conor Cooney’s clever play was delivering upfront. A 17-minute break without a Tipperary score ended when converted defender Conor Bowe raised a white flag from distance.
Galway provided the next couple of points, Cooney adding his fifth and Linnane his first to level it. O’Connor and Niland exchanged frees prior to the former commanding the conclusion.
Tipperary led by six points on a couple of occasions in the first half when their half-back line were lording it. Losing Bryan O’Mara to a hamstring injury midway through the half – Jake Morris suffered the same problem and was removed – did have an impact and Galway were the stronger team in the second quarter but Tipperary were better than their half-time lead of 16 points to 13.
Conor Whelan eventually warmed himself into the game but even his presence in the Galway half-forward line didn’t have the desired effect. They were being outmuscled far too often, unusual for a Galway team, but then the starting line-up was lacking some of its usual heft.
“I think that middle zone is so important,” reviewed Henry Shefflin. “That hurt us when we were trying to make changes, overall not at the level that is required. On the positive side, six starters from the All-Ireland semi-final, so there was nine players with various different levels of inter-county experience playing, so I thought they acquitted themselves quite well.”
It wasn’t until the 21st minute that Galway earned a free, which Niland converted. He arrowed over another three coming up to the break as Galway began to win their fair share of primary ball in the middle third, the last of those points bringing the visitors to within three points by the 33rd minute.
Cooney cut the margin to two seconds later, the fourth consecutive Galway score, before Craig Morgan ended a nine-minute spell without a point for Tipperary.
Whelan angled over his second point to make it a two-point game once more but a sixth O’Connor free restored Tipperary’s goal lead on the turnaround. Towards the end of the next half, his contribution was even more telling.
G. O’Connor (1-13, 1-0 pen, 8 frees, 1 65); M. Kehoe (0-3); W. Connors, C. Bowe (0-2 each); J. McGrath, A. Tynan, J. Morris, S. Kenneally, C. Morgan, S. Kennedy (0-1 each).
E. Niland (0-10, 9 frees); C. Cooney (0-5); T. Monaghan, C. Whelan, G. Lee (0-2 each); D. O’Shea, C. Fahy, S. Linnane (0-1 each).
B. Hogan; C. Morgan, R. Byrne, R. Maher (c); B. O’Mara, M. Breen, C. Bowe; W. Connors, S. Kennedy; A. Tynan, G. O’Connor, N. McGrath; S. Ryan, J. Morris, S. Kenneally.
J. Ryan for B. O’Mara (inj 16); M. Kehoe for J. Morris (inj 21); B. Seymour for S. Ryan (53); D. Stakelum for A. Tynan (61); P. Maher for D. Stakelum (temp, 64-f-t); C. Stakelum for S. Kenneally (69).
D. Fahy; J. Grealish, P. Mannion, T.J. Brennan; R. Glennon, S. Cooney, C. Fahy; D. O’Shea, G. Lee; T. Monaghan, C. Whelan, J. Cooney; E. Niland, C. Cooney, J. Flynn.
D. Morrissey for T.J. Brennan (24); S. Linnane for R. Glennon (temp 35-h-t); D. Burke for R. Glennon (h-t); S. Linnane for S. Cooney (45); J. Ryan for J. Cooney (52).
: S. Linnane (70+3).
C. Lyons (Cork).
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