Kilkenny 1-21 Tipperary 2-24
Twenty-four years ago, on the last occasion the counties met with a new manager on both sidelines, Brian Cody’s team overcame a 10-point half-time deficit. This time around, Tipperary also burned it up in the first half but the lead was 12 and although the home team halved the deficit, they couldn’t claw it back.
UPMC Nowlan Park played host to a big crowd of over 10,000 for the first renewal of this rivalry since the departure of Cody last summer.
Early exchanges bore the hallmark of league hurling in February, scrappy, inaccurate and laborious. As the match progressed, however, Tipp found some decent moves and despite a barrage of wides, they also tuned into improved conversion rates.
Manager Liam Cahill had to cope with the loss of two players in the first quarter. Centrefielder Paddy Cadell and corner back Cathal Barrett, apparently for a head injury assessment from which he didn’t return. John Campion and Eoghan Connolly came on, in the fifth and 12th minutes.
Tipp began to creep ahead in the second quarter and two goals before half-time from Jason Forde and Jake Morris left Kilkenny with a mountain to climb.
Scoring was dominated by the free takers on either side, Forde ended up with 1-15, 1-5 from play, whereas Kilkenny’s under-20 star Billy Drennan shot 0-10, 0-2 from play. John Donnelly, listed on the bench to start, was an early replacement for Cian Kenny and scored four points after his 24th minute introduction.
Although Martin Keoghan’s goal in the 58th minute – touched on to him by Alan Murphy who got clattered in the process – had threatened the sinking feeling of all teams on the end of a Kilkenny comeback, their second-half recovery never quite got traction. The closest they came was within four, 1-19 to 2-20, and two points in a few seconds by Forde eased the margin out again.
Derek Lyng would have been pleased with the comeback, even if the poor first half had left them with too much to do.
For Cahill, his team’s ability to keep Kilkenny at arm’s length – punctuating the scores conceded by a steady drip-feed of points at the other end – was significant in delivering a first competitive win in Kilkenny since 2008.
KILKENNY: Aidan Tallis; Mikey Butler, Huw Lawlor, Conor Heary; Cillian Buckley, Pádraig Walsh (0-1), Darragh Corcoran (capt); Paddy Deegan, Killian Doyle; Billy Ryan (0-1), Cian Kenny, Walter Walsh (0-1); Billy Drennan (0-10, seven frees, one 65), Martin Keoghan (1-2), Shane Walsh (0-1).
Subs: John Donnelly (0-4) for Kenny (24 mins), David Blanchfield for Heary, Conor Fogarty (0-1) for Doyle (both h-t), Alan Murphy for Butler (40), Gearóid Dunne for Murphy (inj, 61).
TIPPERARY: Barry Hogan; Cathal Barrett, Michael Breen, Johnny Ryan; Enda Hefferna, Pauric Campion, Ronan Maher; Paddy Cadell, Dan McCormack; Alan Tynan (0-1), Noel McGrath (capt; 0-2), Jake Morris (1-2); Jason Forde (1-15, seven frees, two 65s, one line-ball), Séamus Callanan, Conor Bowe (0-2).
Subs: John Campion (0-1) for Cadell (inj, 5 mins), Mark Kehoe (0-1) for Callanan (53), Bryan O’Mara for P Campion (54), Séamus Kennedy for J Campion (61), Seán Ryan for Morris (67).
Head injury replacement: Eoghan Connolly for Barrett (12 mins) – did not return.
Referee: Patrick Murphy (Carlow).
