Tipperary weather Waterford storm and seal progress with emphatic win

Tipperary have sealed a top three place in the Munster SHC and progress to the All-Ireland series.

BACKING IT UP: Tipperary have won their first back-to-back championship games in six years. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile

Munster SHC: Tipperary 1-30 Waterford 1-21

Tipperary go through. Tipp go through and a whole set of ugly stats are levelled to the ground in the process.

A first championship win over Waterford since May of 2019. A first championship win at home since June of 2019. A first set of back-to-back championship wins since later that same 2019 summer. A seven-game winless run at home in the championship knocked on its head.

But most importantly, and superseding all of the above, is that Tipperary are through to the All-Ireland series. Tipp cannot be dislodged from the top three in Munster during a final round which they will watch with the feet up and a smile from ear to ear. It’s a while since they’ve had such cause to smile. Who knows, they could even end up in the provincial decider.

There was no leap from Liam Cahill at the final whistle. There was instead an intense embrace with Mikey Bevans. They suffered many a chastening Munster championship Sunday. Those dark and difficult days are now firmly in the rearview mirror.

The second half took three large swings. The first was to Waterford. Six unanswered points to the visitors between the 46th and 51st minute. Paddy Leavey, Stephen Bennett (three frees and one from play), and Jamie Barron hauled Peter Queally’s side level at 0-20 to 1-17.

A swing back to Tipp. A Tipp six-in-a-row. Four Darragh McCarthy frees, Jason Forde’s first from play, and instant impact off the bench from Noel McGrath. 0-26 to 1-17.

Waterford sought to launch a second comeback effort. Darragh Lyons (sideline), Jamie Barron, and Seán Walsh sliced the deficit in half. Barron was wide in the subsequent action. Of the nine minutes remaining, the men in white managed only one further white flag.

Tipp, the same as in Ennis, found fresh heights at the game’s end. The third and final swing to them. Oisín O’Donoghue, the 1-3 hero of Wednesday’s Munster U20 final win, added fresh polish to his burgeoning status with a goal from his first touch on 68 minutes. It was part of a finish where they outgunned the neighbours 1-4 to 0-1.

After the 10-minute delay came flowing freneticism. Throw-in was pushed back from 2pm to 2.10pm. The crowds were still pouring in. Once seated, the scores poured in. The opening three scores arrived inside 70 seconds.

Eleven seconds is all it took Stephen Bennett to surpass Paul Flynn as Waterford’s all-time leading championship scorer. Bennett came into the game two points behind Flynn. 24-181 in 46 games for Flynn, 11-218 across 43 games for Bennett.

Eleven seconds in and there was a change at the top of the scoring chart. Jamie Barron with the delivery, Bennett with catch and history-making green flag finish. A Mikey Kiely point on 39 seconds had the visitors four ahead.

Jake Morris clipped his first of four opening half points on 69 seconds. It was the sole interruption to Waterford’s perfect and pressing start. Barron and Kevin Mahony pushed the Déise 1-3 to 0-1 ahead inside three and a half minutes.

Barron was fouled on five minutes. Bennett should have sent Waterford six clear. Instead the free dropped short. It was the opening piece of Waterford wastefulness. Their ferocious start would give way to a misfiring opening half. Nine wides in 24 minutes. Two more dropped short. Bennett didn’t convert his first free until the 28th minute - at the fourth attempt.

Waterford’s wides were self-inflicted, their turnover count less so. Tipp applied relentless pressure. Late in the half and on the Ryan Stand side, Willie Connors twice stood up Tadhg de Búrca. Seán Stack deemed Connors’ tackling illegal. The crowd did not. They chanted ‘Tipp, Tipp, Tipp’.

The hosts had cancelled Waterford’s electric start and achieved stalemate by the 17th minute. The levelling score was a Waterford restart fetched by Ronan Maher, who was following Kiely wherever he roamed, and offloaded to Andrew Ormond. Ormond was then fouled for Tipp’s next score, converted by Darragh McCarthy. Ormond then assisted Jake Morris’ lead point on 21 minutes. 0-10 to 1-6.

Morris then assisted Ormond for what should have been a Tipp penalty around the half-hour. Stack, though, incorrectly deemed the foul to have taken place outside the large parallelogram. John McGrath’s batted point after the foul had been committed was counted and Tipp’s swing was now eight points strong. 0-14 to 1-8.

Jason Forde’s second sideline cut thereafter stretched the gap to four. Bennett reduced the margin to three and that was the difference at the break.

Ormond’s influence grew further inches upon the restart. He won three frees, two of which were converted. He added a point from play. A six-point lead established. A six-point lead successfully challenged. But the Premier again pulled through. They go through.

Waterford are on the road to Páirc Uí Chaoimh next Sunday. Nothing but a win will sustain their summer.

Scorers for Tipperary: D McCarthy (0-11, 0-11 frees); J Morris (0-4); J Forde (0-2 sc), E Connolly (0-2 frees), A Ormond (0-3 each); O O’Donoghue (1-1); J McGrath (0-2); S O’Farrell, N McGrath, S Kenneally (0-1 each).

Scorers for Waterford: Stephen Bennett (1-9, 0-7 frees); J Barron (0-4); M Kiely (0-2); P Leavey, D Lyons (0-1 sc); K Mahony, D Hutchinson, P Fitzgerald, S Walsh (0-1).

TIPPERARY: R Shelly; M Breen, E Connolly, R Doyle; C Morgan, R Maher, B O’Mara; W Connors, S O’Farrell; C Stakelum, A Ormond, J Morris; J McGrath, D McCarthy, J Forde.

SUBS: D Stakelum for Connors (temporary, 47-51); N McGrath for C Stakelum (51); D Stakelum for O’Farrell (52); S Kenneally for J McGrath (56); O O’Donoghue for Forde (68); S Kennedy for Morgan (70) 

WATERFORD: B Nolan; I Daly, I Kenny, C Prunty; P Leavey, T de Búrca, M Fitzgerald; G Fives, D Lyons; J Prendergast, M Kiely, K Mahony; D Hutchinson, J Barron, S Bennett.

SUBS: Patrick Fitzgerald for Mahony (46); Shane Bennett for Fives (55); P Curran for Kiely (60); S Walsh for Hutchinson (65); T Barron for Daly (72).

Referee: S Stack (Dublin).