Cahill and his Crew down the Deise.
By Noel Dundon
A weekend drenched in golden sun, echoing with the hum of harvesters, steaming mugs of tea and thick-cut ham sandwiches—this was Munster senior hurling in its most glorious, old-school form, where the sun’s blaze roared in step with the feverish clash of ash.
In Thurles, Tipperary rose in defiance, stringing together a second championship win, full of gusto and grit, to claw their way out of the provincial melee. Now, with the wind at their backs and fate waiting in the wings, they just might burst into the Munster Final—provided the cards fall kindly. But whatever fate holds, Liam Cahill and his team can rest easy, for this was no handout, no wild twist of luck—just honest toil and earned triumph.
True, the first few moments were sheer chaos. A twelve-second thunderbolt of a goal from Waterford hurled a spanner into the works, an explosion on the kindling just as fans were still settling from crowd delays. But the Deise, apart from that burst, fizzled more than flared. By the 18-minute mark, Tipp had clawed their way back, with Andrew Ormond orchestrating from centre forward and Jake Morris darting like a wasp through Waterford’s lines. Poor aim plagued Waterford—they could have, maybe should have, been closer or ahead by half-time, but their radar was well off.
From there, Tipperary never truly looked in peril. Even when Waterford surged with six points unanswered midway through the second half, levelling the tie, Tipp immediately replied—Darragh McCarthy cool as you like from a free, reclaiming the lead they would not relinquish. They rattled off six more of their own before sub Oisín O’Donoghue touched leather once—to finish it with a flourish.
There was an unease in Premier hearts before throw-in—would the Clare clash weigh heavily on weary limbs? Meanwhile, Waterford came in fresh, rested, blades honed. Yet from the first whistle, Tipp were dialled in. The fatigue never came. If anything, they grew stronger as the clock ticked on, hunger in their bellies and steel in their legs, chasing and challenging until the final breath.
And once again, the bench bore fruit. Noel McGrath, Sean Kenneally and that man O’Donoghue all found the target, while Darragh Stakelum ground out hard metres after joining. Seamus Kennedy made a late cameo, but the job was done.
Last week, Tipperary’s currency was goals—four of them. This week, just the one. But the common thread? Relentless workrate, especially from Willie Connors, Conor Stakelum, Andrew Ormond, Brian O’Meara and Sam O’Farrell. At the back, Tipp were stone-faced and unyielding, carving this win from the bedrock of defence.
U20 All Ireland Final Incoming Too.
And with the U20s also standing tall, having retained their crown with a rousing win over Clare, it is twin engines now powering Tipperary forward. Next stop for the young guns: All-Ireland Final, Bank Holiday weekend, and a duel with either Kilkenny or Dublin, with maybe Portlaoise or Nowlan Park the destination. Let the march continue.
Cork losing their fizz?
The Rebels were seriously decommissioned by a rampant Limerick on home turf – it was quite the hiding and it now leaves Cork with very serious questions to be answered. Suddenly the hype seems misplaced – the fizz has evaporated. Is it all flash and no substance? Lost a big lead against Clare; beat only fourteen men from Tipp; hammered by a resurgent Limerick. Pat Ryan has a job on his hands before they entertain Waterford next.