Tipp end thirteen year wait for silverware with Munster glory

CAMOGIE: Munster Senior Championship Final

Tipperary 1-26

Clare1-9

Report: Thomas Conway at FBD Semple Stadium

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Karen Kennedy (Tipperary)

SCORERS – Tipperary: Eimear McGrath 0-6 (4 frees, 1 ‘45), Eimear Heffernan 1-3; Cáit Devane Grace O’Brien 0-4 each; Caoimhe Maher 0-3; Roisin Howard 0-2; Teresa Ryan, Karin Blair, Ereena Fryday 0-1 each.

Clare: Lorna McNamara 0-5 frees; Áine O’Loughlin 1-1; Aoife Keane, Chloe Morey Orlaith Duggan 0-1 each.

This may not be the blue riband event, this may not be Croke Park in early August, but Tipperary have been craving silverware for some time, and on Saturday they finally satisfied that desire by ending a thirteen year wait for silverware by winning the Munster Championship Final against Clare in style.

Let’s be honest, this title has been coming ever since this current crop of players first crystallised under Bill Mullaney some years ago. For the past several seasons, Tipp have been steeped in ill-luck, plagued by the misfortune of injury and absenteeism, but when they march with a full squad, a full regiment, wow can they impress.

They hit full flow within seconds of throw-in, Caoimhe Maher slipping down the wing and arrowing over from underneath the Old Stand with just eight seconds gone. From there Tipp consolidated, Teresa Ryan bullying her way through the centre and whisking over Tipp’s second, before Cáit Devane added another gem from the New Stand side.

Tipp looked irresistible in those opening minutes, throwing shapes, and landing scores, always playing on the front foot. An Eimear McGrath free from 55 metres would extend their advantage to four, before Clare finally launched themselves off the mark via their talismanic free-taker, Lorna McNamara. The wily corner-forward was typically prolific on Saturday, offering some iota of resistance to the Tipperary challenge, but in truth her efforts alone were never going to be enough.

Clare were second-best. They looked dangerous at times but threatened only sporadically. Tipp, in contrast, were a model of efficiency. By the time Devane struck her second from the wing in the thirteenth minute, the trajectory of this game had already been firmly established. Tipp were soaring. Clare had barely lifted themselves off the ground.

Karin Blair, Grace O’Brien, and Róisín Howard would all register before the interval, but the standout moment belonged to Eimear Heffernan. It was, after all, her 24th minute goal that silenced the building Clare crowd and set Tipp definitively on course for victory. The goal itself was a masterful move. Heffernan broke through the centre, exploiting the smallest pocket of space and drilling the sliotar straight past Doireann Murphy. It extended Tipp’s advantage to eight, the scoreline reading 1-9 to 0-4, the momentum firmly with the Premier, the destiny of this game already, it seemed, a fait accompli.

Tipp entered the interval 1-13 to 0-6 in front. Their forward-play had been as smooth as it was effective, full of criss-cross diagonal running and sharp off the shoulder movement.

The question was not whether Clare would mount a second-half revival, but rather what form would it take, and would it be enough to unseat Tipp from what appeared to be an unassailable winning position. It took them no longer than ninety seconds to get going, Áine O’Loughlin swinging in the air and connecting with a McNamara free, the ball ultimately ricocheting into Caoimhe Bourke’s net.

Minutes later, Aoife Keane would blaze over another from just beyond the 45 metre line. It was a statement of intent from Clare, an assurance that they were not prepared to simply fade away and die. And yet, as the half wore on, that was exactly how events transpired.

The Clare resistance was transient. Within minutes, Eimear McGrath had landed two pivotal scores, the first a free, the second from play, steadying the Tipp ship and setting the Premier back on a path to glory. From that moment on the game became somewhat disjointed - a fragmented affair punctuated by injury stoppages and breaks in play. Crucially however, Tipp kept scoring, kept the ball flowing forward. Howard rocketed through the centre and pinged over on the run; Devane hit a gem from close on 45 metres; Grace O’Brien snapped up an opportunity and struck over on the front foot.

Truth be told, it all felt like mere target practice towards the end. The Tipp forwards simply could not be contained. Clare battled hard and fought for every ball, but they were beaten by a better outfit, a more polished and refined side which has its sights on more than just provincial glory in 2023.

The sheer joyfulness of the Tipp players in the aftermath of the final whistle was telling. This group really wanted it. For years they had strived for silverware, only to fall short, often in agonising circumstances. Now, finally, they had broken the hoodoo, smashed the glass ceiling. And perhaps this is merely the start of something. There are more titles in this Tipp team, more days in the sun to relish. The future is in their hands. So too is the Munster title.

TEAMS – Tipperary: Caoimhe Bourke; Julieanne Bourke, Clodagh Quirke, Eimear Loughman; Karin Blair, Karen Kennedy, Aoife McGrath; Teresa Ryan, Casey Hennessy; Róisín Howard, Caoimhe Maher, Eimear McGrath; Grace O’Brien, Cáit Devane, Eimear Heffernan (8).

Subs: Caoimhe McCarthy for E McGrath (49); Niamh Treacy for Hennessy (51); Mairéad Eviston for Loughman (52); Mary Ryan for A McGrath (53); Ereena Fryday for O’Brien (53).

Clare: Doireann Murphy; Ciara Grogan, Susan Daly, Caoimhe Kelly; Alannah Ryan, Clare Hehir, Abby Walsh, Muireann Scanlon, Niamh O’Dea, Aoife Keane, Eimear Kelly, Áine O’Loughlin, Lorna McNamara.

Subs: Zi Yan Spillane for Ryan (HT); Chloe Morey for Scanlon (42); Ellen Casey for Grogan (45); Lynda Daly for Carmody (45); Jennifer Daly for Kelly (52).

Referee: Andy Larkin (Cork)