The Déise were down by six points after half an hour but 1-6 without reply either side of half-time was crucial for the League champions
Waterford 2-24 Tipperary 2-20
The hosts breathed a massive sigh of relief when referee Johnny Murphy brought the curtain down on this rip-roaring Munster opener, Waterford just about surviving this thorough - and unexpected - examination of their championship credentials.
Behind by 1-12 to 0-9 on the half hour mark, an extremely slow to get going Waterford side then struck 1-6 without reply either side of half-time to go from six behind to three in front on 41 minutes.
Waterford's opening goal was a Mikey Kiely mid-air strike after being set up by the once again excellent Patrick Curran. Also on target for the Déise during this first spell of supremacy for Liam Cahill’s side were half-time subs Austin Gleeson and Jamie Barron, the necessity to spring both men during the interval highlighting the extent of Waterford’s first half trouble.
Kiely was finisher turned provider for Waterford’s second green flag on 44 minutes, Dessie Hutchinson blasting the sliotar past Brian Hogan to extend their lead to five, 2-16 to 1-14.
And when Stephen Bennett followed with his ninth free, the crowd of 10,982 expected a processional Waterford win from here.
That it didn’t materialise was equal parts Waterford wastefulness and Tipperary catching their second wind after watching their first half body of work wiped out in the space of seven second half minutes.
A Mark Kehoe goal on 58 minutes narrowed the gap to two, but crucially, Colm Bonnar’s charges were unable to get level at any point coming down the stretch.
Twice they came within the minimum of their opponents, the underdogs left to rue three successive wides by Michael Breen, Mark Kehoe, and Jake Morris when trailing by 2-20 to 2-19.
Shane McNulty, Curran, and Dessie Hutchinson all added to their individual tallies as the clock spilled into the red to make certain of the Waterford win and a most hard-earned two points.
Although Waterford enjoyed the better start and were four clear inside six minutes thanks to Patrick Curran, Jack Prendergast, and two Stephen Bennett frees, Tipperary then proceeded to introduce their own script to proceedings and outscored the hosts by 1-12 to 0-7 from there to the break.
At the root of Tipperary’s success in upsetting the form book was their disruption of Waterford's short puckouts, a microcosm of the overall stop sign they put in front of Waterford’s favoured running game.
Tipperary’s forward unit, each of whom had found the mark from open play by the 21st minute, were applying ferocious pressure on the Waterford ball-carrier, this a contributory factor in the number of mistakes made by white shirts in their own half of the field across the first half.
Case in point was the Noel McGrath white flag that meant Tipperary’s entire attacking sextet were now on the scoresheet, the score a direct result of a Tadhg de Búrca mistake.
This particular white flag was also the last in a sequence of four unanswered Tipp points that shoved the visitors 1-8 to 0-6 in front.
An earlier burst of 1-4 without reply between the seventh and 12th minute stunned both the hosts and their large home following, Mark Kehoe’s seventh minute goal - which represented their first flag of the afternoon - another first half Tipperary score to emanate from a Waterford error.
As mentioned, Waterford found themselves 1-12 to 0-9 in arrears on the half-hour mark, only three of this total not arriving via Stephen Benett’s dead-ball accuracy, but the gap was back to a manageable four at the break following late first half points from Shane McNulty and Patrick Curran.
Arguably the most crucial moment in the first half was the superb 28th minute save produced by Waterford ‘keeper Shaun O'Brien to deny Jason Forde. Had Tipperary bagged a second goal here, their lead would have swelled to eight and it is conceivable that Waterford might not have found a road back.
O’Brien kept his team in contention and they hit enough of a stride early in the second-half to stave off a Tipperary Easter Rising.
Scorers for Waterford: S Bennett (0-10, 0-10 frees); D Hutchinson (1-3); P Curran (0-4); M Kiely (1-0); A Gleeson (0-1 sideline), S McNulty (0-2 each); C Lyons, J Barron, J Prendergast (0-1 each).
Scorers for Tipperary: N McGrath (0-6, 0-2 frees); M Kehoe (2-0); J Forde (0-4, 0-4 frees); D McCormack, M Breen, J Morris (0-2 each); B Hogan (0-1 free), B Heffernan, C Bowe, C Stakelum (0-1 each)
Waterford: S O’Brien; C Gleeson, C Prunty, S McNulty; J Fagan, T de Búrca, C Lyons; C Daly, D Lyons; N Montgomery, P Curran, J Prendergast; D Hutchinson, M Kiely, S Bennett.
Subs: A Gleeson for Montgomery, J Barron for Daly (both HT); Shane Bennett for Kiely (62); I Daly for Fagan (63); P Hogan for Lyons (67).
Tipperary: B Hogan; C Morgan, J Quigley, C Barrett; D Quirke, R Maher, S Kennedy; A Flynn, B Heffernan; C Bowe, N McGrath, M Breen; J Forde, M Kehoe, J Morris.
Subs: R Byrne for Kennedy (temporary, 36-HT); P Maher for Bowe (HT); D McCormack for Flynn (45); C Stakelum for Heffernan (52); G Browne for J Forde (60); J McGrath for Breen (66).
Referee: J Murphy (Limerick).
