Waterford's John Hurley surges away from Tipperary's Aldo Matassa at Semple Stadium
and a failure to translate territory and
possession into currency on the scoreboard
denied Waterford a great opportunity
to progress to a Munster Junior
semi-final in Thurles last Sunday.
While Tipperary kicked 12 of the
game’s 23 wides, Tipp goalkeeper
Gearoid Slattery’s brace of penalty
saves, denying Jason Curry and Gary
Hurney green flaggers respectively,
proved the difference between victory
and defeat at an unseasonably cold
Semple Stadium.
With the wind to their backs, Waterford
opened brightly, and led by 0-4 to
0-1 after 16 minutes thanks to points
from Jason Curry (2), Craig Guiry and
captain Gary Hurney, with Dean Lonergan’s
ninth minute free Tipp’s sole
response.
David Power saw a great goalscoring
chance zip inches wide of
Slattery’s right hand post after 17
minutes, and one suspects a six point
margin, even then, would have proven
too great a gap for the hosts to bridge.
But back came Tipperary with
points from midfielders Martin
Dunne and Aldo Matassa in the 20th
and 21st minutes, and they drew level
two minutes later thanks to a Kevin
Fox free. Moments later, Jason Curry
restored the Deise’s lead after Tipperary’s
Luke Boland was black carded
for a neck-high challenge on Gary
Hurney.
After 26 minutes, Dean McEnroe
released Tommy Sweeney, whose
point put Tipp ahead for the first time,
and that lead was doubled less than a
minute later by Martin Dunne. The
Premier gained a greater foothold a
minute from the break via the boot
of Kevin Fox, but Waterford spurned
a great chance to go in ahead at the
interval.
After Sean Fleming was upended
by Tipp corner back Ger Hally, referee
Richard Moloney justly sounded for
penalty. Alas, Jason Curry’s shot,
which lacked power, was saved by
Gearoid Slattery, meaning the hosts
went in 0-7 to 0-5 ahead at half-time.
Upon the resumption, Waterford
started brightly, with David Power
opening the scoring after 34 minutes.
Four minutes later, it could have
been even better for the Deise after
Darren Guiry was upended inside the
penalty area, leading to another spot
kick.
However, despite a change of
penalty taker in Gary Hurney, the
end product was the same, as Slattery
again blocked an effort the Ballinacourty
talisman will know he ought to
have done better with.
David Power did bring Waterford
level by the 43rd minute but Tipp
responded to telling effect firstly
through a superb Kevin Fox point
on the three quarter mark, and then
through a palmed Dean Lonergan
goal in the 46th minute. The Cahir
full-forward struck another point
in the 48th minute to send Tipp fi ve
clear. Game over? Not quite.
Kilrossanty’s David Power, who
produced a fine second half display,
and Lonergan traded points in the
49th and 53rd minutes before substitute
Dylan Guiry smartly goaled for
the Deise after Power’s fine approach
play. Waterford trailed by two, and
they still retained hope. However,
points from Dean McEnroe (a free)
and the excellent Fox sealed their
victory, with David Power’s 62nd
minute free proving the last score of
the afternoon’s opening match.
Tipperary: Gearoid Slattery; Ger
Hally, Daragh Kearney, Donal Lynch;
Tommy Sweeney, Luke Boland,
Donagh Leahy; Aldo Matassa,
Martin Dunne; Dean McEnroe,
Niall McKenna, Shane Leahy; Alan
O’Riordan, Dean Lonergan, Kevin
Fox.
SUBSTITUTES: Niall Gleeson for Luke
Boland (Black Card, 25 mins), Gerry Cronin for
Alan O’Riordan (56) and Mark Russell for Tommy
Sweeney (60).
SCORERS: Dean Lonergan (1-3; 0-1f ), Kevin
Fox (0-4; 0-1f ), Martin Dunne (0-2), Aldo
Matassa and Tommy Sweeney (0-1 each) and
Dean McEnroe (0-1f ).
WATERFORD: David Whitty; Peter Crowley,
Kieran Murphy, Mark Cummins; Conor Hennessy,
Wayne Hennessy, James McGrath; Craig Guiry,
John Hurney; Darren Guiry, Conor McGrath, David
Power; Jason Curry, Gary Hurney, Sean Fleming.
SUBSTITUTES: Dylan Guiry for Jason Curry
(36 mins), Jamie Kirwan for Conor Hennessy
(57) and Brian Carroll for Darren Guiry (58).
SCORERS: David Power (0-5; 0-3f ), Jason
Curry (0-3; 0-2f ), Dylan Guiry (1-0), Gary Hurney
(0-1f ).
REFEREE: Richard Moloney (Limerick)
