Limerick 0-26; Tipperary 3-16
Unlike Ireland, Limerick know how to press opponents into submission as was evidenced by their brilliant second-half showing against a game and talented Tipperary side in Cork on Saturday night.
The victory means that John Kiely's are unbeaten and in pole position for a place in the semi-finals.
Forget the closeness of the margin on the scoreboard — that came from Jake Morris late, late strike when the game was done and dusted.
Premier Manager Liam Cahill will be pleased overall with his side’s standard of play but his big worry surrounded the injury to key player Seamus Kennedy, who sustained what looked like a severe knee injury at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Defenses were on top in the opening half and a difficult breeze at the Cork venue made scoring that much harder for both sets of forwards.
Tipp relied chiefly on both Gearóid O’Connor and Jason Forde to keep the scoreboard busy, with Forde notching no less than 1-7 by game’s end.
Scores from play were at a premium with Limerick only raising two white flags from open fare in the first half-hour through Donnacha Ó Dálaigh and Cian Lynch. Even the free takers found the conditions hard-going, especially Diarmaid Byrnes with the longer placed balls, though Aaron Gillane was more accurate with his five close-range frees.
Tipp drew the first real blood with a goal after 30 minutes when the lively O’Connor found the in-form Forde to fire past Nickie Quaid in the All Ireland champions’ goal.
Five points to the good at that stage on 1-07 to 0-05, the expected Limerick backlash came before the interval as Byrnes found his range, with Gillane weighing in with two and Gearóid Hegarty shooting a fine score from play. It left Tipp only one ahead at the interval and facing the dreaded Limerick third-quarter onslaught.
Forde and Alan Tynan slotted over Tipp points before Kennedy pulled up with his injury.
Slowly but surely Limerick cranked up the gears and with their half-backs growing in stature, they forced the blue and gold onto the backfoot as Colin Coughlan landed two monster scores.
Ó Dálaigh and Gillane were then on target, the latter with his first from play. Young Ó Dálaigh showed up well again with a beautiful point before helping Lynch slot over his second of the evening. When Mike Casey ventured upfield to land another haymaker, it looked like Tipp might be buried in a green avalanche but Cahill will be delighted at how his charges fought back as Patrick Maher worked hard to gain possession before unleashing an unstoppable drive past Quaid to level matter at 2-12 to 0-18.
You poke the bear in the eye at your peril and no sooner were Tipp thinking the unthinkable than they were hit with a blitz of points from Gillane, Byrnes, and Tom Morrissey before Graeme Mulcahy showed up well to land another before Byrnes again, Adam English, Séamus Flanagan, and Hegarty slotted over their 26 score of the hour. Tipp had that late salvo thanks to Morris but it was too little, too late.
Limerick: N Quaid; F O’Connor, D Morrissey, M Casey (0-1); D Byrnes (0-3, 0-1f), C O’Neill, C Coughlan (0-2); W O’Donoghue, B Murphy; G Hegarty (0-2), C Lynch (0-2), C Boylan (0-1); D Ó Dálaigh (0-3), A Gillane (0-8, 0-7f), P Casey Subs: T Morrissey (0-1f) for Boylan (59), G Mulcahy (0-1) for P Casey (59), S Flanagan (0-1) for Gillane (64), A English (0-1) for Murphy (70).
Tipperary: B Hogan; C Morgan (0-1), R Maher, M Breen; C Bowe, B McGrath, S Kennedy; E Connolly, P Cadell; A Tynan (0-1), C Stakelum, G O’Connor (0-3); J Forde (1-7, 0-3f), J McGrath, J Morris (1-3) Subs: D McCormack for Bowe (3-10, temporary), B O’Mara for B McGrath (h-t), P Maher for O’Connor (41-45, temporary), McCormack for Kennedy (47), S Ryan (0-01) for J McGrath (52), P Maher (1-0) for Tynan (57), C Quinn for Cadell (64).
Ref: L Gordon (Galway).
Clare 0-19; Kilkenny 0-16
Kilkenny, with the likes of TJ Reid back, were on the face of it firing from all barrels in Cusack Park on Sunday but they still played second best to unbeaten Clare, who are now almost guaranteed a semi-final berth in the league.
Always a little in arrears in the course of the game, it seemed like the Cats were about to unleash one of their famous finishes when the wrestled the game back to parity at 0-16 each with the clock heading for the red zone.
Instead it was the homesters who found the extra burst of energy as the lively Aidan McCarthy, Diarmuid Ryan and Peter Duggan hit three points within 90 seconds to stun the Leinster men who had nothing left to offer by way of scoring threat at that stage.
Yes, they tried but the Banner defense held firm against the black and amber onslaught and protected their citadel from falling to a late Kilkenny goal, something that has often been the manner of their jail escapes from defeat to victory.
Efforts by corner-back Mikey Butler and inevitably Reid were repulsed before Shane Murphy in an effort to beat the defense shot hastily but wide.
This was a typical winter game where power and pace and intensity of intention didn’t always coincide with skill and elan normally associated with both sets of forwards.
Having led for all but 10 minutes of the game, it was fair and proper that Brian Lohan’s outfit should emerged with the spoils but Kilkenny are still some way short of bringing Liam MacCarthy back to Noreside unless Derek Lyng is holding something big back to add to their high summer championship game.
Clare: E Quilligan; P Flanagan, C Cleary, A Hogan; D Ryan (0-1), J Conlon, C Leen (0-1); C Galvin, D Lohan; D Fitzgerald (0-5), D Reidy (0-1), P Duggan (0-2); K Smyth (0-2), A McCarthy (0-6f), M Rodgers (0-1f) Subs: S Morey for Leen (HT), R Hayes for Hogan (38, inj), S Rynne for Conlon (45, inj), S Meehan for Rodgers (61), R Hayes for Flanagan (69)
Kilkenny: E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; D Blanchfield (0-1), R Reid, S Murphy; D Corcoran, M Carey; Ad Mullen, TJ Reid (0-9f), P Deegan (0-2); C Kenny, E Cody (0-1), H Shine Subs: J Donnelly (0-03) for R. Reid (HT), G Dunne for Shine (45), T Clifford for Kenny (58).
Ref: J Owens (Wexford).
Hurling Results
Group 1A
Cork 5-28; Offaly 0-16
Clare 0-19; Kilkenny 0-16
Wexford -23; Waterford 1-23
Group 1B
Westmeath 2-18; Antrim 1-15
Limerick 0-26; Tipperary 3-16
Galway 1-23; Dublin 1-15
