Kerry make life hard for Tipp in Munster SHL clash

Tipperary captain Jake Morris and Kerry captain James O'Connor pictured with referee Niall Malone before today's Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League fixture.
Co-Op Superstores Munster Senior Hurling League

TIPPERARY 1-16 KERRY 1-7

All-Ireland champions Tipperary eventually got the job done but they had to work hard for this Co-Op Superstores Munster Senior League win by a dogged Kerry.

The Premier County needed to win by 38-points to qualify for the final and that never looked like a possibility even though they fielded a very strong starting XV that included eight players who featured in the All-Ireland Final with another three coming off the bench.

Tipp moved into a 0-5 to 0-1 lead after six minutes with Jake Morris in particular looking sharp, but Kerry stuck to their task and by the 20th minute had reduced the deficit to the minimum.

Then they sensationally took the lead when Michael Slattery fired a rasper to the Tipp net past Rhys Shelly.

Kerry’s goalkeeper, Conor Bohane, then brilliantly saved a Darragh McCarthy penalty, and at half-time the Kingdom led by 1-4 to 0-6.

The tide turned five minutes into the second-half when Oisín Ó’Donoghue goaled for Tipperary, and thereafter their attack finally clicked into gear as points flowed from O’Donoghue, Andrew Ormond, and Paddy McCormack.

Credit to Kerry though, they kept battling to the finish, and the match never became the sort of one-sided affair that had been commonly predicted.

Scorers for T*ipperary*: Oisin O’Donoghue 1-1, Darragh McCarthy 0-4 (4f), Jack Leamy 0-3 (2f), Jake Morris, Andrew Ormond 0-2 each, Sam O’Farrell, Josh Keller, Conor Stakelum, Robert Doyle all 0-1 each.

Scorers for Kerry: Michael Slattery 1-1, Ronan Walsh 0-4 (4f), Jordan Conway, Luke Rochford 0-1 each.

Tipperary: Rhys Shelly; Conor Martin, Bryan O'Mara, Johnny Ryan; Joe Caesar, Brian McGrath, Eoghan Connolly; Willie Connors, Josh Keller; Jake Morris, Andrew Ormond, Sam O'Farrell; Darragh McCarthy, Oisin O'Donoghue, Paddy McCormack. Subs: Seamus Kennedy for Brian McGrath (12); Conor Stakelum for Willie Connors (HT); Darragh Stakelum for Sam O’Farrell (HT); Jack Leamy for Darragh McCarthy (45); Robert Doyle for Andrew Ormond (60).

Kerry: Conor Bohane; Eric Leen, Seán McGrath, Kyle O'Connor; James O'Connor, Jason Diggins, Michael Leane; Adam Segal, Kevin Goulding; Tom Doyle, Colin Walsh, Ronan Walsh; Michael Slattery, Liam Óg O'Connor, Jordan Conway. Subs: Ivan Conway for O’Connor (HT); Dara Kearney for Leen (HT); Daniel Casey for J Conway (45); Cillian Litchfield for R Walsh (50); Luke Rochford for M Slattery (55); Hugh Lenihan for Segal (58); Jack Sheehan for C Walsh (59).

Referee: Niall Malone (Clare)