Tipperary's Séamus Kennedy signs autographs at Laois Hire O'Moore Park. Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile
All-Ireland SHC Preliminary Quarter-Final
Tipperary 3-32 Laois 0-18
By Kevin Egan at Laois Hire O’Moore Park
A fast start to each half ensured that Tipperary were never under pressure in this afternoon’s All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final, as they easily set up a clash with Galway next weekend thanks to a comprehensive win over Laois.
The home side’s confidence would have been shaken by their Joe McDonagh Cup final defeat to Kildare last weekend and Tipperary made sure that they never got a chance to gather momentum, racking up 1-5 in the first five minutes.
Willie Connors hoisted over three excellent points from midfield to take the Laois sweeper (Paddy Purcell) out of the game and when Tipp did get inside, Jason Forde whipped in a goal from a tight angle.
Purcell finally got Laois off the mark and an impressive save from Cathal Dunne to deny Darragh McCarthy was another spark that finally got Laois going, and for the remainder of the first half, the home side were much more competitive.
Close to goal, the Tipperary full-back line was imperious, but Pádraig Delaney and Donnacha Hartnett scored from distance, while Purcell was incredibly involved and he also weighed in with points that kept the gap at a single-digit margin for the remainder of the first half.
There was no ignoring Tipperary’s quality however. Across the half-forward line Alan Tynan came up with some powerful catches, Andrew Ormond’s energy and movement opened up the Laois defence and yielded scores, while John McGrath’s class on the edge of the square also shone through.
Within five minutes of the restart, Tipperary didn’t just break the ten-point barrier, they shattered it. Purcell scored off the throw in to make it 1-18 to 0-13, but by the time Laois scored again, Sam O’Farrell and Jason Forde both found the net with precise finishes.
By any measure, the last half an hour lacked spark or excitement. Laois battled manfully but both physically and mentally, they were second best to their opponents.
Liam Cahill ran his bench and three of his replacements got on the scoresheet, but there were one or two moments when overplaying the ball saw them run into trouble, while other goal chances were spurned, most notably from Joe Fogarty (wide) and McGrath (crossbar).
On another day – such as next weekend against Galway – that might be relevant. On this occasion, it was merely fodder for the statisticians. Laois’ season ended today, Tipp’s is coming to the boil nicely.
Scorers for Tipperary: Jason Forde 2-5 (2fs), Darragh McCarthy 0-9 (6fs, 1 65), Willie Connors 0-5, Sam O’Farrell 1-1, John McGrath 0-3, Andrew Ormond 0-3, Alan Tynan 0-1, Robert Doyle 0-1, Joe Caesar 0-1, Oisín O’Donoghue 0-1, Joe Fogarty 0-1, Peter McGarry 0-1.
Scorers for Laois: Tomás Keyes 0-9 (6fs), Paddy Purcell 0-4, James Keyes 0-1, Pádraig Delaney 0-1, Jordan Walshe 0-1, Donnacha Hartnett 0-1, Aaron Dunphy 0-1.
Tipperary: Rhys Shelly; Michael Breen, Bryan O’Mara, Robert Doyle; Craig Morgan, Ronan Maher, Séamus Kennedy; Willie Connors, Joe Caesar; Alan Tynan, Andrew Ormond, Sam O’Farrell; Jason Forde, John McGrath, Darragh McCarthy.
Subs: Johnny Ryan for Doyle (half-time), Oisín O’Donoghue for Ormond (47), Peter McGarry for Maher (47), Brian McGrath for Morgan (54), Joe Fogarty for McCarthy (55).
Laois: Cathal Dunne; Cody Comerford, Lee Cleere, Donnacha Hartnett; Ryan Mullaney, Pádraig Delaney, Jordan Walshe; Paddy Purcell, Aidan Corby, Mark Dowling; Tomás Keyes, Ben Conroy, James Keyes.
Subs: Tom Cuddy for Delaney (35), John Lennon for Corby (49), Aaron Dunphy for Dowling (51), Pádraic Dunne for Mullaney (56), Martin Phelan for Walshe (64).
Referee: Chris Mooney (Dublin).
