Wexford 1-28; Galway 0-23
Hurling folk leaving Wexford Park on Saturday evening could well have been forgiven for asking – “Will the real Wexford and the real Galway please stand up before another season’s championship comes and goes?”
The Wexford of the previous week against Antrim were banished in this game and instead we got one fighting for the cause from the first moment to the final whistle.
The Galway team which fought back heroically to draw with Kilkenny in Pearse Stadium last weekend was strangely absent down in the Southeast as, much to their manager Henry Shefflin’s disgust, they allowed themselves to be cast in the role of second fiddlers with Wexford calling the tune on the day.
The Model men knew their stock was low with their fans as they hit the pitch - but they put the debt right by the end by giving it 100 percent before running out deserving eight-point winners to a standing ovation.
Keith Rossiter's men can now look their fellow Wexford folk in the eye and be forgiven for the Antrim debacle.
Galway will have no such place of retreat as they become the specialist in delivering a lot less than they promise season after season.
Three principals stood up for the winners: Liam Ryan’s presence in defense was a huge lift, while Rory O’Connor showed his form of old with 1-6 to back the imperious Lee Chin to ensure the homesters had sufficient scores to win for the first time against the Tribesmen in the Leinster championship.
Saturday’s outcome sees both sides with more work to do as Wexford face neighbors Carlow and Wicklow in their coming games while Galway can get back into the final if they beat Antrim away and Dublin at home in the upcoming two games.
Both sides had tentative approaches in the first half after which the visitors established a two-point lead. However, Wexford struck for the only goal of the game through O’Connor to put the purple and gold four to the good.
Missed chances could have undermined their ability to drive on but then they hit a rich vein of point scoring to lead by 1-20 to 0-16 with 20 minutes left thanks to successful efforts from ‘keeper Mark Fanning (free) as well as other white flags from Liam Óg McGovern, Cian Byrne, Chin from a placed ball and the irrepressible O’Connor.
Even a straight red card issued to Cian Byrne for a high tackle on Galway sub Donal O’Shea failed to curb Wexford’s enthusiasm as they closed out an impressive win.
Wexford: M Fanning (0-2f); M O’Hanlon, L Ryan, S Reck; C Foley (0-1), D Reck (0-1), E Ryan; C Hearne (0-1), R Lawlor; J O’Connor, R O’Connor (1-6), C Byrne (0-2); L Óg McGovern (0-1), L Chin (0-11, 0-7f, 0-1 ‘65), C McDonald (0-2) Subs: M Dwyer for Chin (temp. 13-16), C Dunbar (0-1) for J. O’Connor (38), M Dwyer for McDonald (69).
Galway: D Fahy; P Mannion (0-1), F Burke, J Grealish; G McInerney, C Fahy (0-1), D Burke; T Monaghan (0-2), R Glennon (0-1); G Lee (0-2), E Niland (0-11, 0-10f), J Cooney; C Whelan (0-1), C Cooney (0-2, 0-1f), B Concannon (0-1) Subs: D O’Shea for Glennon (48), A Tuohey for Grealish (48), J Glynn for O’Shea, inj. (51), J Flynn for McInerney (65), D McLoughlin (0-1) for Concannon (69).
Ref: S Stack (Dublin).
Waterford's Dessie Hutchinson is challenged by Cathal Barrett of Tipperary. Inpho/Ken Sutton
Waterford 3-21; Tipperary 1-27
Tipp came back from the dead when losing by four points to snatch a point from the pocket of Waterford who felt sure they would be leaving Walsh Park with a brace before the dramatic end on Saturday evening.
A goal from sub Sean Kenneally and a pointed free from Gearóid O'Connor with the last puck of the game saw Liam Cahill’s charges breathe new life into their hopes for the rest of the Munster series while Davy Fitzgerald’s squad will hope that with three points after two games, they can gain whatever it takes to get to a Munster final in their upcoming encounters against Clare and Limerick.
Waterford were the better side in the first half but some uncharacteristic wides plus two late-on Jason Forde frees for Tipp saw them turn over just two points to the good - 2-8 to 0-12, the home goals coming from a Stephen Bennett penalty and from midfielder Jack Prendergast.
Tipp came out the sharper and three quick points had them ahead. Waterford needed a goal at this stage to restore their scoring supremacy and their confidence - and it was Bennett who again proved the provider.
The Ballysaggart man tookadvantage of a quick Hutchinson free to rifle home a stunning shot.
Jake Morris restored Tipperary’s advantage before Tadhg De Búrca’s precise pass allowed Hutchinson in for another point. Dessie then added a free before Alan Tynan responded. Both sides traded scores until Waterford hit a quick purple patch to notch three in a row as Tipp fought valiantly to stay in the game.
Four points down at 70 minutes, few would have put a cent of Tipp rising from the dead but they did and that will give Cahill and his backroom team something to cling onto, even if his side only has a solitary point to show from their first two games.
Afterwards the Premier boss said: “Absolutely thrilled but disappointed we didn't get the full two points. But I celebrated after like it was a win. Because really what I was celebrating was the fight in my players. It's been a tough six days - it felt like six weeks - since the Limerick game. We really had a real hard look at ourselves on Monday night.
“Both management and players, we all assessed what needed to happen today to bring a performance. The travelling Tipperary supporters, we know they'll back us any day of the week once we bring a performance. That's what we got out there today, we never gave up and chased it right down to the death. Thankfully, we're still alive in this championship.
“We must remember in Tipperary that we have a lot of younger players coming through and an older cohort in their twilight years. That's my job. That was the brief I was given when I took on Tipperary hurling.
"Nothing hurts us more than when we don't perform, both as management and players. I'm not saying we're going to have success at the end of the year. I don't know that. But one thing I do know is that every day we do go out, we'll try our best. Our training has been ultra-competitive. I've said that and I know the public might feel it's just lip service. It's not. Usually when you train well, it comes onto the matchday field.
"Today, it came out. And hoping now it'll stay coming consistently for the rest of the championship," he stressed.
Waterford manager Davy Fitzgerald, who clashed with his counterpart during the game, regretted losing out on both points considering where his team were with time up. “I knew when they got the goal, they were definitely getting a free to draw it. No matter what happened. Once he threw himself down, they were getting a free. But fair play to them. They fought hard, Tipperary did, and they kept in there.
"It was a game where I felt we were slightly the better team. But that's the way it goes,” he added.
Waterford: S O’Brien; K Bennett (0-1), C Prunty, I Daly; M Fitzgerald, T de Búrca, C Lyons (0-3); J Barron, D Lyons (0-1); N Montgomery (0-1) S Bennett (2-3, 1-0 pen), J Prendergast (1-1), D Hutchinson (0-6, 0-3f), M Kiely (0-1), K Mahony Subs: J Fagan (0-1) for Prunty (6), S Bennett (0-1) for K Mahony (50), P Hogan for Montgomery (57), P Curran (0-2) for Bennett (63).
Tipperary: B Hogan; C Barrett, R Maher (0-2, 0-1f), C Morgan; C Bowe, B O'Mara, M Breen (0-1); N McGrath (0-2), E Connolly (0-2); A Tynan (0-2), G O’Connor (0-4, 0-3f) J Forde (0-3, 0-2f), J Morris (0-3), M Kehoe (0-4), D Stakelumn (0-1) Subs: P Maher (0-1) for Forde (50), W Connors for Connolly (53), J McGrath (0-1) for N McGrath (55), S Kenneally (1-1) for Stakelum (63), D McCormack for O’Mara (67).
Ref: J Owens (Wexford).
