Tipperary hold their own in Semple stunner against Limerick
Aaron Gillane of Limerick tussles with Michael Breen of Tipperary. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Nickie Quaid is back. Kyle Hayes, the line-breaking half-forward version, is back. But Tipperary are not back.
The latter statement belongs not to us but to Liam Cahill. Quaid in goals and Hayes in the half-forward line were confirmed at different points during the 25 minutes before throw-in. In the 25 minutes after full-time, Tipp boss Cahill did his level best to dissuade any confirmation taken from the stalemate scoreline that his team and county are back.
“Today is a stepping stone. The one narrative we don't want coming out of today is that Tipperary are back, because that's ridiculous,” he said.
There’s a degree of truth to Cahill’s remark. Tipp have shown us they can compete. They went for 75 minutes with Limerick and were no more bruised than the other crowd at the last bell.
But Tipp have shown us previously their ability to compete on one-off championship Sundays. They equally went toe-to-toe with Limerick in the 2023 Munster stalemate. What Tipp have not shown us since the early rounds of that 2023 summer is their ability to be a consistent championship entity.
The 2025 championship class, what with its four debutants in Robert Doyle, Joe Caesar, Sam O’Farrell, and Darragh McCarthy, is a distant relation of recent summer iterations. Their credentials are still being assessed. Their credentials were underlined in their refusal to fall at the feet of those more seasoned and accomplished green boots.
McCarthy and O’Farrell played a full hour of U20 hurling last Wednesday. There’s differing views on whether that was helpful preparation five days out from their first senior championship start. McCarthy clipped their opener from play and their last from the placed-ball. The latter was drenched in pressure. He’d already missed two second-half frees. Stared at by the 32,295-strong crowd, he didn’t miss this equalising shot.
On 45 minutes, and inside his own 65, McCarthy blocked down an Adam English point attempt. The turnover was not enough to sate the teenager. He then gathered possession and won a free that ended with a Noel McGrath point. He and Tipp were tabling the aggression so gallingly absent from their League final no-show.
Tipp had started the fight. They then took the fight. Against Limerick, the former without the latter amounted to an empty threat. The fight started before Thomas Walsh fired in the sliotar. Robert Doyle and David Reidy. Michael Breen and Aaron Gillane. Eoghan Connolly and Shane O’Brien. Match-ups turned square-ups. Limerick's inside threats and Tipp’s last line of protection engaged in their own brand of meet and greet.
Walsh went down to sort out all the chest-puffing. As he did, Limerick’s half-forward line and Tipp’s half-backs began to entangle. Whatever about being beaten, the hosts were not for bullying.
Limerick, on this occasion, proved incapable of being the bully. They did not lead for the first time until the 17th minute. They trailed by three, 0-16 to 1-10, at the break. They still trailed as the clock ticked past 70 minutes. There was no running of their All-Star bench for impact. Only two subs introduced, one of those championship debutant Aidan O’Connor.
Against that, neither did they ever panic. Their muscle memory enabled them to put together 1-3 in the five minutes after half-time for a five-point swing. The goal was a Shane O’Brien strike rooted in superb William O’Donoghue fetching. Cian Lynch began to run the show around the middle. Barry Nash began leading the odd green wave out from the back.
Their muscle memory ensured a sufficient response when John McGrath goaled for the second time on 62 minutes to shove the Premier 2-22 to 2-20 in front.
Gillane swiftly replied with a free. Adam English, making his first championship start along with Barry Murphy and Colin Coughlan, then had Hawkeye rule out a point. English enjoyed so much possession, but didn’t enjoy a whole pile of accuracy. His 1-2 could have been 1-4 or 1-5. Diarmaid Byrnes brought them level 13 seconds into injury-time.
Gillane (free) nudged them towards the winners enclosure. An enclosure that went unused on this opening Munster Sunday. Not one winner across two ferocious contests, albeit the quality was nothing extraordinary in Thurles.
Of the four with a point on the board, it's easy to make the argument that Tipp are happiest. Jake Morris buzzed for four from play, Eoghan Connolly boomed with four from distance.
“Ah sure it'd have to be a good point, wouldn't it,” said Cahill. “My God, what a gutsy performance. Four young championship debutants today playing a team seasoned like Limerick.”Â
How they pitch up down by the Lee next Sunday will further interrogate the veracity of Cahill’s earlier statement. Tipp are back? Too early for such declarations. More evidence sought.
D McCarthy (0-8, 0-5 frees); J McGrath (2-1); E Connolly (0-4 frees), J Morris (0-4 each); B O’Mara, C Morgan, A Tynan, J Forde, S Kennedy, N McGrath (0-1 each).
A Gillane (0-7, 0-4 frees); S O’Brien (1-4); A English (1-2); D Byrnes (0-3, 0-2 frees); K Hayes (0-2); C Coughlan, B Nash, C Lynch, G Hegarty, T Morrissey (0-1 each).
B Hogan; E Connolly, R Doyle, M Breen; J Caesar, R Maher, B O’Mara; C Morgan, S O’Farrell; A Tynan, J Morris, D Stakelum; J McGrath, J Forde, D McCarthy.
N McGrath for Caesar (42); C Bowe for Forde (51); S Kennedy for D Stakelum (52); C Stakelum for Tynan (68); S Kenneally for J McGrath (70).
N Quaid; B Nash, M Casey, B Murphy; D Byrnes, W O'Donoghue, C Coughlan; C Lynch, A English; G Hegarty, K Hayes, T Morrissey; A Gillane, D Reidy, S O'Brien.
A O’Conor for Morrissey (50); P Casey for Hegarty (59).
T Walsh (Waterford).
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