Tipperary ambush footballers
Tipperary 3-16 Cork 1-16
CORK football manager Ronan McCarthy was left to rue a failure to build more of a first-half lead as his side were overhauled in their Allianz FL Division 2 opener against Tipperary in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday evening.
The home side led by 0-9 to 0-8 at half-time and that advantage was extended further on the resumption, but two Tipp goals helped to swing the game their way, with six points separating the teams at the end.
“It is disappointing to lose the game,” McCarthy said. “At halftime, we were a point up and probably should have been further ahead. We started slowly and were 0-4 to 0-1 down. We grabbed a foothold in the game and did quite well at times. We would have felt we should have had more on the board at half-time.
“Second half, we started quite well and got a couple of points. Then they had a period where sort of took over and converted that [dominance] into scores. We got a goal back. We had a couple more chances, one which hit the post. We worked great moves in tight areas.
“There was one which Ian [Maguire] set up and it was taken off the line. On another night, we could have had more four goals. We didn’t. They took their chances.”
Tipp had a side with no league debutants, in contrast to Cork’s six, so it shouldn’t have been a huge surprise that the visitors established a 0-4 to 0-1 lead inside the opening nine minutes – a lead which could have been greater but for a good Mark White save from Josh Keane.
Cork, though, led by captain Ian Maguire, Mark Collins and Seán Powter, began to gain a foothold and they scored six consecutive points to move three in front, Collins with three while Stephen Sherlock was also on the scoresheet and Powter showed good anticipation to intercept a Tipp pass, fisting it over the crossbar.
Ruairí Deane’s point on the halfhour made it 0-9 to 0-6 for Cork, but Kennedy’s long-range free for Tipp was followed by a nice score from Liam Boland and Quinlivan MAIN MAN
Hard to argue with the 2-5 scored by Tipperary’s Liam McGrath, the first goal kick-starting their second-half takeover and the second making sure of the win.
KEY MOMENT
Michael Quinlivan’s goal for Tipp to open up a six-point lead may not have materialised as there looked to be a foul on Cork in the build-up, but the finish was top-class.
TALKING POINT
Across the last four CorkTipp games in league and championship since 2014, Tipp hold a five-point ‘aggregate’ lead on Cork. had half a sight of goal but shot high and wide.
Cork could have moved four in front when Powter was fouled by Robbie Kiely for a penalty, but Sherlock’s shot was saved by Evan Comerford. Even so, there was no great call for concern on the part of McCarthy.
“We would have felt we were going okay, but would also have felt there was more in us,” he said. “While the team were positive in the way they played, I still think there is a lot more in them. We will get it out of them as we go along.
“We should have been slightly further ahead. It changes the dynamic of the game, you have a cushion then of four or five points and fellas then feel freer to try things and so on. I can’t fault guys.
“The one thing is that if a team gets a period of dominance on for 15 minutes and you concede 2-4, you are going to be in trouble. It was a bit the same as the McGrath Cup final, Clare got on top of us and we conceded quite a bit there as well.
“It is something we have identified and will work on as we go along.”
To his credit, Sherlock did respond well to the penalty miss as he kicked two points early in the second half to leave three between the teams.
When Liam McGrath and Mark Collins exchanged points, it was 0-12 to 0-9 for Cork, but they would go 12 minutes without a score. In between, Quinlivan and Liam McGrath had Tipp goals while Conor Sweeney scored two points as they moved 2-13 to 0-12 in front.
Just when all hope looked lost for Cork, they pulled a goal back as Ruairí Deane set up sub Colm O’Neill for a palmed finish from close range. O’Neill almost did likewise for Sherlock, but his effort hit the post.
After that, Cork couldn’t come closer than within two points of Tipp and McGrath’s second goal, Tipp’s third, made the points safe for them.
TIPPERARY: Evan Comerford; Shane O’Connell, Jimmy Feehan, Emmet Moloney; Bill Maher, Alan Campbell, Robbie Kiely; Steven O’Brien 0-1, Jack Kennedy 0-3 (2f); Josh Keane, Conor Sweeney 0-3 (1f), Brian Fox 0-1; Liam Boland 0-1, Michael Quinlivan 1-2 (0-1 ‘45’), Liam McGrath 2-5 (2f). Liam Casey for Boland (half-time), John Meagher for Feehan (43), Kevin Fahey for Kiely (62), Brendan Martin for McGrath, Colm O’Shaughnessy for O’Connell, George Hannigan for O’Brien (all 70).
CORK: Mark White (Clonakilty); Sam Ryan (St Finbarr’s), Jamie O’Sullivan (Bishopstown), Micheál McSweeney (Newcestown); Kevin Flahive (Douglas), Kevin Crowley (Millstreet), Brian O’Driscoll (Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh); Ian Maguire (St Finbarr’s), Daniel O’Callaghan (Clyda Rovers); Seán White 0-2 (Clonakilty), Seán Powter 0-1 (Douglas), Ruairí Deane (Bantry Blues); John O’Rourke 0-1 (Carbery Rangers), Mark Collins 0-5 (1f) (Castlehaven), Stephen Sherlock 0-5 3f) (St Finbarr’s). Subs: Colm O’Neill 1-1 (0-1f) (Ballyclough) for Powter (47), Killian O’Hanlon (Kilshannig) for O’Callaghan (50), Michael Hurley (Castlehaven) for O’Rourke (53), Tomás Clancy (Fermoy) for O’Driscoll (58), Kevin O’Driscoll (Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh) for Seán White (65),Conor Dorman (Bishopstown) for Maguire (66, injured).
REFEREE: Pádraig O’Sullivan (Kerry)