Tailteann Cup Group 2, round two
Tipperary 0-6 Down 2-18
DOWN assistant-manager Marty Clarke dismissed rumours of unease between players and management after the Mournemen ensured their progression to the Tailteann Cup knock-out stages with a big win over Tipperary yesterday.
Second-half goals from Shealan Johnston and Odhrán Murdock were the emphatic response to a home penalty that Kevin Fahey fired high and wide in the first part of Tipperary’s Semple Stadium double-header.
Clarke was happy the players were exposed to a big crowd as the game progressed, even if the vast majority weren’t there for the football, and happy too with the mood among the panel.
“Our camp is very strong,” he said. “We have no control over what’s said outside but within our camp, we stayed down in Carlow last night, everyone to a man on our panel.
“We’d our team meeting, we ate together, we’re a very happy group. Any rumours that are there, we don’t really acknowledge them but they’re certainly false.”
Down head Meath at the top of Group 2 with two wins each ahead of their final-round encounter at a neutral venue which will decide who gets a bye to a home quarter-final.
Manager Conor Laverty made full use of his panel with nine changes from the victory over Waterford, including four announced before throw-in.
He wasn’t happy with what he saw, however, for quite a while. A double-substitution before half-time summed up his impression of the fare on show for early arrivers at Thurles.
“Andrew Gilmore went into the game with a little bit of an issue so we pulled him out,” said Clarke. “We went for a little more speed and ball players.
“Ruairí O’Hare is just onto the panel recently. He gave his all but it didn’t happen for him so we got a couple of smaller players in, Donagh McAleenan and Shealan Johnston. We felt both contributed really well.”
They weren’t their only impact players, with 1-8 off the bench from Johnston (1-2), Danny Magill (0-3), Eamon Brown (0-2 frees), and Ross Carr (0-1).
Daniel Guinness was withdrawn with a knock and Miceál Rooney with a blood injury, both as precautions, while Liam Kerr is nearing a return to action.
The half-time scoreboard read 0-9 to 0-4 for Down and the wide count was just the same, 9-4.
Tipp were slower with their restarts, preferring long kick-outs and direct ball to their full-forward line, trying to impose their physical presence.
Down tried to speed the game up and pass their way through the lines but were reliant on frees, three from Pat Havern and one from Gilmore, to take the early lead.
Down did have a goal chance when Ryan Johnston stepped inside the cover but Jimmy Feehan got back to block at the far stick.
Their first from play came in the 21st minute, a Havern missile launched over the cover, and came at the midway mark of a seven-point run as Tipp went 30 minutes without a score.
Tipp got their lifeline in the 40th minute when Seán O’Connor was hauled down for a penalty but after Fahey’s miss, Tipp’s woes were doubled.
A Mark Russell mark was overturned by referee Thomas Murphy and their protests had hardly stopped when Johnston cut inside to find the net.
That made it 1-11 to 0-5 and from there it was a matter of how big the score difference would become.
Down added five points on the trot and even when Jack Kennedy (0-4) found a reply, the Mournemen came upfield for a Murdock goal followed by Ryan Johnston palming onto the crossbar.
Tipperary: M O’Reilly; S O’Connell, J Feehan, W Eviston; K Fahey, C O’Shaughnessy, Colman Kennedy; P Feehan, Conall Kennedy; E Moloney, J Kennedy (0-4, 2 frees), L Boland; M Russell, S Quirke, S O’Connor (0-1).
Subs: T Doyle (0-1) for P Feehan (h-t), J Morris for Conall Kennedy (49), M O’Shea for Quirke (56), D Leahy for O’Shaughnessy (57), D Carew for Moloney (60).
Down: J O’Hare; F McElroy, P Laverty, A Doherty; C Francis (0-1), G Collins, P Branagan; O Murdock (1-0), P Havern (0-6, 5 frees); C Doherty, D Guinness (0-1), M Rooney; A Gilmore (0-1 free), R O’Hare, R Johnston (0-1).
Subs: S Johnston (1-2, 0-1 free) for R O’Hare (32), D McAleenan for Gilmore (32), D Magill (0-3) for Guinness (35+4 inj), R Carr (0-1) for McElroy (47), E Brown (0-2 frees) for Havern (57), C Fitzpatrick for Rooney (63-f-t, blood).
Referee: Thomas Murphy (Galway)
