a day ago
Tipperary ease past Galway to book All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Kilkenny
All-Ireland SHC quarter-final: Tipperary 1-28 Galway 2-17
A dud. Tipperary cruised to a semi-final against Kilkenny with ease in the end. A late goal made the margin less ugly for Galway but the performance was dire.
Galway's conversion rate was a paltry 45% in a tie where they only landed eight scores from play. Declan McLaughlin mustered a green flag in injury time. At that stage, the royal blue and gold were already thinking about Croke Park.
The air in the Gaelic Grounds was charged with a curious electricity. A rain shower and the heat combined to create a humid fervor. In the hour before throw-in, all over the ground fans huddled over phones to take in the seismic shock from HQ. An enormous cheer at the final whistle seemed to send a signal to both sides as they emerged for their warm-up: let's get weird.
The first half that followed fit that description. Galway hit four points from play, failed to find a final pass repeatedly and had one clear goal chance for Kevin Cooney well stopped by Rhys Shelly. For all of that, they were just five points down at the break on a 0-11 to 0-16 scoreline.
In front of a 16,404 crowd, Tipperary took some time to find their feet. A gorgeous Jason Forde sideline saw them hit the front for the first time after nine minutes and came amidst a five-point burst. Jake Morris's inclination to rotate across the forward line reaped rewards. All of their starting six had scored by the 23rd minute, with only Darragh McCarthy scoreless from play.
Outside of Darren Morrissey, Micheál Donoghue was looking at a defensive unit under pressure. Everyone else was watching a contest that needed to catch fire. There was a raft of frees and two yellow cards, for Sean Linnane and Morris. That nervous energy proved contagious. On the sideline, Donoghue and Liam Cahill had to be held apart as McCarthy lined up a free in front of them. He missed, understandably.
Colm Molloy injected a much-needed spark. Conor Cooney's ball into the corner looked harmless until Robert Doyle slipped. Suddenly, it was deadly. Like any good corner-forward, he made sure to strike low into the side netting.
Any advantage was soon eradicated as Tipperary hit six in a row. The underdog had their chances but they offered them up as well, with Morris denied a goal by a strong Darach Fahy save.
The game was done by the hour mark. Shelly started the move, Willie O'Connors took it off him, Noel McGrath had all the time in the world to pick a pass, Oisin O'Donoghue ensured the move concluded with a classy finish.
It was fitting of the contest. Tipperary's triumph was built on their ability to maximise mistakes, repeatedly punishing Galway's poor use of possession. 1-14 of their total came from turnovers.
After the final whistle, delighted fans took over the field in a pitch invasion. Not even the threat of sprinklers could wash away their swagger.
Scorers for Tipperary: J. Forde 0-7 (0-1 free, 0-2 s/line); J. Morris, A. Ormond 0-5 each; O. O'Donoghue 1-0; D. McCarthy (frees), J. McGrath 0-3 each; D. Stakelum 0-2; S. O'Farrell, W. Connors, N. McGrath 0-1 each.
Scorers for Galway: C. Mannion 0-13 (0-9 frees, 0-2 65); C. Molloy 1-0; D. McLoughlin 1-0; T. Monaghan 0-2; C. Whelan, C. Cooney 0-1 each.
TIPPERARY R. Shelly; R. Doyle, E. Connolly, M. Breen; C. Morgan, R. Maher, R. O'Mara; W. Connors, P. McGarry; J. Morris, A. Ormond, S. O'Farrell; D. McCarthy, J. McGrath, J. Forde.
Subs: D. Stakelum for McGarry (half-time); N. McGrath for McGrath (48); O. O''Donoghue for McCarthy (52); C. Stakelum for O'Farrell (60); S. Kennedy for Connors (66).
GALWAY: D. Fahy; P. Mannion, D. Burke, D. Morrissey; C. Fahy, G. Lee, S. Linnane; R. Glennon, D. Burke; C. Cooney, C, Mannion, C. Whelan; C. Molloy, B. Concannon, K. Cooney.
Subs: TJ Brennan for Linnane (half-time); T. Monaghan for Burke (50); D. McLoughlin for Cooney (52); T. Killeen for Cooney (58); R. Burke for Glennon (66).
Referee: S. Stack (Dublin).
