Munster Senior Football Championship Semi-Final

Tipperary 3-15  Cork 2-16

**By Jackie Cahill at Semple Stadium, Thurles **

Tipperary pulled off a sensational victory over Cork in this afternoon’s Munster SFC semi-final – as two injury-time points from Kevin O’Halloran saw the Premier County past the Rebels.

This was Tipp’s first senior football championship victory over Cork since 1944.

Cork came from nine points down to draw level through captain Paul Kerrigan in the final minute of normal time, but O’Halloran nailed a brilliant ’45 before converting a close-range free.

Tipp’s remarkable win sends them through to a Munster final clash with Kerry on July 3 – with Cork sent to the qualifiers.

Kearns was in charge of Limerick when they stunned Cork by 10 points in 2003, but this is an even more impressive result.

Tipp saw a nine-point lead whittled away as Cork drew level in the final minute through Paul Kerrigan.

At half-time, Tipperary led by seven points, 2-7 to 0-6, and a shock was very much on the cards.

The sides were level three times in the opening 10 minutes and Tipp also missed an eighth-minute penalty, when captain Peter Acheson saw his effort well-saved by Cork goalkeeper Ryan Price.

Crucially, Kevin O’Halloran kicked the resultant ’45 and Acheson was able to put that miss behind him with a classy point from play later in the half.

Tipp’s opening goal arrived in the 14th minute, buried by Conor Sweeney after the hosts capitalised on a loose kick-out.

George Hannigan won possession and fed Brian Fox, before Sweeney profited from a perfectly-timed off-load to net at the Killinan End.

Cork, who registered nine first half wides, were rattled but Conor Dorman, one of their better players in the first half, scored his second point from play to leave four points between them, Tipp ahead by 1-5 to 0-4.

John O’Rourke and Mark Collins scored points to bring Cork back to within two as Tipp endured a 14-minute barren period on the scoreboard.

But Tipp, playing against the breeze, finished the half with 1-2, and the goal was an avoidable concession from a Cork viewpoint.

Referee John Neilan played a good advantage as Brian Fox was fouled on his way through and when the ball squirted loose, Michael Quinlivan was on hand to boot an effort beneath the body of Ryan Price.

Tipp then suffered a blow when Josh Keane was black-carded, but the Premier County shrugged off that blow to claim the final point of the half, Quinlivan shooting his second from play in stoppage time.

The second half was an absolute rollercoaster in front of 2,724 spectators as Tipp surged into nine-point leads twice before Cork, with Mark Collins scoring the first of his two goals, narrowing the gap back to four, 1-10 to 2-11.

Tipp, with Brian Fox scoring a quick-fire 1-1, were nine points clear again, 3-13 to 1-10, with eight minutes remaining.

But Cork bagged a second goal through Collins in the 66th minute and remarkably, were level through Kerrigan before O’Halloran’s late brace sent Tipp into dreamland.  

Tipp finished with 14 players Billy Hewitt was black-carded in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but the clock ran out on Cork.

**Scorers for Tipperary: **M Quinlivan 1-3 (1f), K O’Halloran 0-7 (3fs, 2 45s), B Fox 1-1, C Sweeney 1-0, P Acheson 0-2, C McDonald 0-1, B Maher 0-1.

Scorers for Cork: M Collins 2-1, P Kerrigan 0-3 (1f), D O’Connor 0-3 (3fs), C Dorman 0-2, D Goulding 0-2 (1f), C O’Neill 0-2 (2fs), B Hurley 0-1, J O’Rourke 0-1, P Kelleher 0-1.

Tipperary: E Comerford; C McDonald, C O’Shaughnessy, A Campbell; B Maher, R Kiely, J Feehan; P Acheson, G Hannigan; P Austin, K O’Halloran, B Fox; J Keane, M Quinlivan, C Sweeney.

Subs: S Leahy for Keane (b/c 35), M Dunne for Kiely (55), I Fahey for Austin (60), A Moloney for Sweeney (68), S O’Connell for Maher (70), B Hewitt for Fahey (b/c 70+3).

Cork: R Price; J Loughrey, E Cadogan, C O’Driscoll; K O’Driscoll, B O’Driscoll, T Clancy; S Kiely, I Maguire; J O’Rourke, C Dorman, M Collins; C O’Neill, B Hurley, P Kerrigan.

Subs: P Kelleher for Hurley (h.t.), R Deane for Kiely (h.t.), S White for Deane (b/c 43), S Powter for Dorman (48), D O’Connor for O’Neill (54), D Goulding for O’Rourke (62).

Referee: P Neilan (Roscommon).