Darren Gleeson: His first half save from Joe Canning’s penalty lifted his side to a huge effort. 8.
Cathal Barrett: Often second to the ball, he found the speed of Cathal Mannion difficult to match. Lost sight of his opposite numbers as he roamed to pick off crucial points. 6
James Barry: Did as well as can be expected when faced by Canning, and later the speed of Jason Flynn. Stood firm in front of goal. 8
Conor O’Brien: Has had better games as he conceded far too much possession to his opposite number. 6
Ronan Maher: In only his second Championship outing he found it difficult to cope with the pace of the game. Many of the Galway scores came down the right flank. 6
Patrick Maher: Had a tremendous duel with Cyril Donnellan. Given the physical impact of Donnellan, Maher was confined to defensive duties. 6.5
Kieran Bergin: Grew into the game with some excellent clearances and runs forward. One of his side’s better players. 8.
James Woodlock: Worked hard in midfield before being replaced late on. Took a couple of huge physical hits from which he found difficult to recover. Shot a poor wide late in the game when his side needed a point. 6
Shane McGrath: Got on the ball quite a lot but was unable to influence the game in his usual manner. While he won his share of possession his distribution was inaccurate as he came under intense pressure. 6.5
Jason Forde: Never got into the game. Unable to cope with the physical presence of the oppoosing defence and never figured through the opening 35 minutes. Called ashore at the interval. 5
Brendan Maher: Tried to perform in a variety of roles but couldn’t overcome the challenge posed by Iarla Tannian. Once curtailed, a lot of direction was taken out of the Tipperary attack. 6
Patrick Maher: Had one of his quietest games of the championship. Never got going. 6.5
John O’Dwyer: Came up against the in-form Johnny Coen. Got on the ball a few times but his finishing was not on a par with previous games. The close marking of Coen kept him occupied, curtailing his shots on goal. 6.5
Seamus Callanan: He may have ended on the losing side but this was the performance of the Championship so far. Single-handedly kept Tipperary in the game right up until the final whistle as he finished with a personal tally of 3-9 – 3-4 from play. Showed he was on his game from that opening minute goal and missed little during the course of the 70 minutes. Despite his lack of support up front this was one of the finest attacking displays seen in Croke Park for many years.
Niall O’Meara: Didn’t exert any influence on the inside line of attack. While he moved speedily on to some ball down the wings, was unable to create the space to utilise this possession. Replaced in the second half. 6
Substitutes
Shane Burke: Introduced at half-time but made no impression. 5.5.
Lar Corbett: Forced a tremendous late save from Colm Callanan. 5.5.
Noel McGrath: Introduced late on for his first Championship game after illness. Not on long enough to be rated.
Conor O’Mahoney: Scored one point but not on long enough to be rated.
Michael Breen: Not on long enough to be rated.
