Tipperary 2-16 Clare 3-21: Banner make dream start to Munster Championship with Thurles victory over the Premier County
Returning duo Peter Duggan and Shane O'Donnell inspire Clare to a hugely impressive 3-21 to 2-16 victory over Tipperary in Semple Stadium, Thurles; first-half goals from Ian Galvin, Duggan and Tony Kelly help the Banner over the line
Sunday 24 April 2022 16:05, UK
Clare are up and running in the Hurling Championship with an impressive 3-21 to 2-16 away victory over Tipperary.
In what was widely deemed as a must-win tie for both teams, it was the Banner who delivered in style.
And defeat leaves Tipperary with a mountain to climb if they hope to progress from the Munster Championship, after successive defeats in their opening two games.
Clare welcomed Peter Duggan and Shane O'Donnell back for their first championship appearances since 2019 and 2020 respectively, and the returning duo helped the Banner to a dream first-half.
Tipp were second-best all over the field, and they were noticeably off the pace.
In the eighth minute, a beautiful Clare team move left Duggan in on goal. Although Brian Hogan was equal to the 2018 All-Star's initial shot, Ian Galvin was on-hand to follow up and finishing the rebound.
The second green flag came 13 minutes later. Hogan once again pulled off a save, this time denying John Conlon, but Duggan was quickest to the break and batted it into the net.
Tipp were still licking their wounds when Clare found their third major. Brian McGrath, seconds after his introduction, was penalised by James Owens for holding Duggan underneath a high ball. Tony Kelly buried the ensuing penalty.
The half-time whistle was a welcome respite for Colm Bonnar, with Clare leading 3-11 to 0-7.
Tipp knew they needed a fast start, and that's exactly what transpired. Just over a minute after the restart, Ger Browne was allowed to run over 40 yards before blasting the sliotar into the Clare net.
It could have been even better for Tipp, but Mark Kehoe squandered a golden opportunity moments later.
Clare kept them at bay, and looked to have regained control before Tipp were given another lift in the 49th minute. Barry Heffernan attempted to send over a point from long-range, but it dropped short. However, Eibhear Quilligan misjudged the ball, and it fell into the net, reducing the gap to nine.
However, from there the home side could not significantly eat into the deficit. Mark Kehoe spurned a goal chance, but Clare had the class to see out the result.
The nine-point away win leaves the Banner in good stead, knowing they have home games against Limerick and Waterford, as well as a Semple Stadium date with Cork left in their Munster campaign.
Tipperary: Brian Hogan; Cathal Barrett (0-1), James Quigley, Craig Morgan; Dillon Quirke, Ronan Maher (0-2, 0-1f), Seamus Kennedy; Dan McCormack, Barry Heffernan; Jason Forde (0-6, 0-3f, 0-2 '65, 0-1sl), Noel McGrath (0-1), Michael Breen (0-1); Jake Morris, Mark Kehoe (0-1), John McGrath.
Subs: Ger Browne (1-3) for John McGrath (23), Brian McGrath for James Quigley (27), Conor Stakelum for Dan McCormack (ht), Gearoid O'Connor for Jake Morris (50), Alan Flynn for Barry Heffernan (65).
Clare: Eibhear Quilligan; Rory Hayes (0-1), Conor Cleary, Paul Flanagan; Diarmuid Ryan (0-1), John Conlon, David McInerney (0-1); Cathal Malone, Ryan Taylor (0-2); Peter Duggan (1-2), Tony Kelly (1-7, 0-5f, 1-0p), David Fitzgerald (0-1); Shane O'Donnell (0-1), Robyn Mounsey (0-2), Ian Galvin (1-2).
Subs: Patrick Crotty for Ian Galvin (50), Domhnall McMahon for David Fitzgerald (62), Shane Golden for Robyn Mounsey (70), Jason McCarthy for Shane O'Donnell (71), Jack Browne for Ryan Taylor (75).
