Tipperary 2-32
Antrim 1-07
By Fintan O’Toole

ANY concerns Liam Sheedy held about the well-being of his young Tipperary senior stars were eased in the early exchanges of Saturday’s Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland U-21HC semi-final in Tullamore.

The tone for this game was set from the throw-in as the Munster champions dominated the tie and by the 11th minute had sailed 0-6 to 0-0 clear. At that stage it was already evident that this was going to be a carefree stroll rather than a bruising tussle for Tipperary and they would definitely be contesting the All-Ireland U-21 decider next month.

Of greater concern to Sheedy and the Tipperary hurling populace, with their Croke Park date on September 5th in mind, was that their senior contingent all avoided visits to the infirmary. Such was the tepid nature of the action here, the prospect of Noel McGrath, Michael Cahill or the Maher trio suffering injury was remote. Having a healthy dressing-room pleased U-21 boss Ken Hogan, yet crushing their opponents by 28 points left him with some concerns.

“The most important thing was that we came through unscathed. The lads have had a hectic schedule but when we’re together as a team, we want proper games. That game wasn’t competitive to give us satisfaction and that’s when bad habits can be picked up. But the most pleasing thing was the attitude of the lads. We didn’t have to get the players up for the game and all the senior players wanted to be involved. That’s a great credit to them.”

Some statistics illustrates how severely lopsided this match was. By the 20th minute Tipperary had raced 1-9 to 0-0 clear with their two midfielders and their six forwards on the scoresheet. Antrim did not register their first point until the 25th minute through Thomas McCann yet Tipp responded with seven white flags to lead 1-18 to 0-1 at the break.

By the 33rd minute they had reached the 20 point mark courtesy of John O’Dwyer and in the 56th minute the Killenaule man fired over their 30th point of the afternoon. At the finish, 13 Tipperary players had pitched in to register their staggering tally of 2-32. Noel McGrath and Patrick Maher were taken out of harm’s way at half-time, Brendan Maher was withdrawn early in the second-half, while it hardly mattered that Thurles Sarsfields defenders Pádraic Maher and Michael Cahill stayed on for the full hour, such was the dearth of work for them.

The match was a hugely chastening experience for the Antrim contingent that had travelled down from the Glens. They struggled from the start to cope with Tipperary’s physique in the tackle, their sharper stickwork and their fleet-footed forwards. The outcome raises questions over their right to participate at this level, yet it must be factored in that this Tipperary U21 side are an exceptional bunch.

The class of Noel McGrath and Brendan Maher has been well-documented, but it was the sublime play of those who operate away from the limelight that was most striking. O’Dwyer got the man-of-the-match bauble for a 2-3 haul but he was pushed hard for that award by the outstanding Michael Heffernan who shot six points.

Cormac Donnelly, Thomas McCann and Michael Armstrong kept fighting for Antrim but their manager and Tipperary native Dinny Cahill knew from the outset that this was going to be a humiliating afternoon.

“We knew before we started, we were up against one of the best teams in this competition. They’re a serious team and that’s the bottom line. We could do nothing about it from the very start. We wouldn’t have the players they have, we’d even a minor playing centre-back today. There was no contest.”

The challenge facing Tipperary in the final will be unquestionably greater. Galway’s prospects will have enhanced by the fact that their semi-final was a more serious affair and Tipperary must also focus their senior players minds for an U-21 decider just six days after they’ve featured in a senior one.

“We know we have to improve, particularly as Galway will have had a really competitive game in their semi-final”, remarked Hogan. “It’ll be a big boost to them to have won that match against Dublin. Of course it’s a concern that some players must face two All-Ireland finals in six days. But these guys are tuned in and they’ll be well prepared.”

Scorers for Tipperary: J O’Dwyer 2-3; M Heffernan, N McGrath (two ‘65, two frees) 0-6 each; S Carey 0-4; B O’Meara, K Morris (one free) 0-3 each; S Hennessy (one free), Padraic Maher, Patrick Maher, B Maher, P Murphy, J O’Neill, A Ryan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Antrim: M Armstrong 1-2; T McCann 0-2; J Campbell, C Carson, D Hamill 0-1 each.

Subs for Tipperary: A Ryan for McGrath (ht), K Morris for Patrick Maher (half-time), C Hough for B Maher (38), J O’Neill for Hennessy (41), C Coughlan for O’Gorman (48).

Subs for Antrim: M Burke for McAuley (38), C Brogan for Devlin (48), G Laverty for Rocks (48), N Cunningham for C Donnelly (50), M Lynch for O’Connell (58).

Referee: Tony Carroll (Offaly).