Tipp Minor Footballers turn the tide on Waterford

Normal service was resumed at Lemybrien on Tuesday evening as Tipperary secured progression to the Munster Minor football semi-finals with a pride-restoring eight-point victory over Waterford.

GAA: Electric Ireland Munster Minor Football Championship Phase 1 Round 2

Waterford 0-9

Tipperary 1-14

Report: Stephen Barry in Lemybrien

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Jack Garrett (Tipperary)

SCORERS – Waterford: Paddy McCarthy (2 frees, 1 45), Joe Brennan (3 frees) 0-3 each; Luke Hennessy 0-2; Paddy Spellman 0-1.

Tipperary: Jack Garrett 0-5 (2 frees); Alex Coppinger 1-0; Dylan Cotter, Ciarán Kelly, Charlie Walsh (1 free) 0-2 each; Jamal Yousif, Seán Griffin, Cian Collins 0-1 each.

Two days after the seniors suffered their defeat ten minutes down the N25 in Dungarvan, their minor counterparts fended off a brief home revival with a 1-6 scoring spurt.

Wing-back Jack Garrett ended with an eye-catching five-point haul, while substitute Alex Coppinger finished the 51st-minute goal to continue a winning streak at this grade dating back to 2001.

Tipp advance alongside Clare with a game to spare and they will now encounter the Banner boys twice this month. They face off in the final group game at Quilty next Tuesday before meeting again in the phase 1 final for the Darrel Darcy Cup on April 30th. Both will then progress to semi-finals against Cork or Kerry.

No doubt the senior reversal was referenced in the pre-match chat, although this Waterford minor crop had earned respect in their own right after suffering a heartbreaking defeat to a last-gasp Clare goal.

On a calm, clear evening, Tipp dominated the first half shot count, but Waterford had the major sight of goal, Mark Conroy saved with an outstretched leg after a quick-passing move located Paddy McCarthy. He slotted the 45 to open the scoring but that would be their only lead.

Ciarán Kelly fed his Arravale Rovers clubmate Garrett to launch a composed left-footed point – an action that would become most familiar to the crowd across the hour. Centre-forward Jamal Yousif then earned a turnover free for Charlie Walsh to kick Tipp ahead.

Paddy Spellman produced a wonderful outside-of-the-boot point to level, but the momentum swung against the hosts when joint-captain Liam Kavanagh was sin-binned for a trip on Oran Gahan in the 13th minute.

Waterford were well warned to avoid the midfield axis of Gahan and Dylan Cotter from kick-outs but their short restarts to the wings were fodder for Tipp’s aggressive press. The Premier took them for three points in the next three minutes, with two originating from Gahan interceptions. For the first, Jack McGonigle picked out Seán Griffin to execute a smart spin move, nudging Tipp back ahead. Garrett added a free before Gahan’s second turnover ended with Cotter absorbing a hit while clipping a lovely point.

It almost got better when Walsh hauled in an attacking mark from Cotter’s stylish kick pass. His shot dropped short, but Cian Collins couldn’t quite push it goalward up against two Waterford defenders.

Restored to fifteen players, the Déise pulled one back through a McCarthy free but Tipp ramped up the pressure for another three in a row before the break. Griffin found Garrett’s brilliant run into space, and he shimmied away to score. Harry Tobin Ryan won an opposition kick-out and supplied Collins to thread over a precise point from an acute angle. Then Yousif did it all himself after pinching another restart to make it 0-8 to 0-3 at midway.

The gap could’ve been greater but for seven wides (Waterford didn’t kick any until the 49th minute). Like the seniors, they restricted Waterford to five shots in the first half. The difference was they found a response when the hosts came charging back at them on the resumption.

McCarthy and Joe Brennan picked off a couple of handy frees before midfielder Luke Hennessy surged forward to add a pair from play. The advantage was cut to the minimum.

Tipp settled in double-quick time. Conroy launched a missile from the kick-out, Gahan grabbed it on the move and released Kelly towards the goal. He chose to chip it over the bar. Griffin was a magnet for turnovers, and he initiated the next attack. Garrett was sent clear and chose to chip over. When he added a free, daylight separated the sides again; 0-11 to 0-7.

From another Griffin interception, they almost had a goal, but Conor Drohan produced a double save from Walsh and the Upperchurch/Drombane youngster. Cotter tidied up to point before Tom Corcoran’s superb turnover led Tipp up field for Walsh’s second of the day.

It was game over in the 51st minute. Walsh saw his free bounce back off the upright and Coppinger was the embodiment of anticipation and cool finishing to raise the green flag.

A trademark dummy from Kelly led to his second point before Waterford ended their 22-minute scoreless spell with a pair of Brennan frees in stoppage time.

TEAMS – Waterford: Conor Drohan; Seán Roche, Danny O’Callaghan, Andrew Ryan; Dylan Broxson, Jack Power, Paddy Spellman; Ciarán Cotter, Luke Hennessy; Ciarán Power, Liam Kavanagh, Billy Drohan; David Nyhan, Paddy McCarthy, Joe Brennan.

Subs: Tom Lynch for Kavanagh (38); Josh Jacob for C Power (49); Alex Gillane for Broxson (49); Dylan Farrell for Hennessy (57); Charlie Feeney for B Drohan (57).

Tipperary: Mark Conroy (Drom & Inch); Jack McGonigle (Rockwell Rovers), Ronan Myles (Ardfinnan), Gavin Neville (Fethard); Danny Morris (Clonmel Commercials), Tom Corcoran (JK Brackens), Jack Garrett (Arravale Rovers); Dylan Cotter (Thurles Gaels), Oran Gahan (St Patrick’s); Harry Tobin Ryan (Clonmel Commercials), Jamal Yousif (Clonmel Óg), Seán Griffin (Upperchurch/Drombane); Ciarán Kelly (Arravale Rovers), Charlie Walsh (Fethard), Cian Collins (Galtee Rovers).

Subs: Cillian Healy (Kilruane MacDonaghs) for Tobin Ryan (39); Alex Coppinger (Dúrlas Óg) for Collins (44); Noah O’Flynn (Fethard) for Morris (44); Ryan O’Sullivan (Clerihan) for Gahan (52); Darragh Pollard (Ballingarry) for Garrett (57).

Referee: Donnacha O’Callaghan (Limerick).