Senior Hurling: Tipperary v Wexford

Tipperary 6-23 Wexford -1-4

The senior hurling championship got off to a start with a fairly one sided game between Wexford and Tipperary.  Wexford, who fielded more or less a home based team, did well to hold off Tipp in the first quarter, but a couple of Tipp goals mid-way through the opening half and the sending off of Tom Davey, led to the floodgates opening and a Tipp wave engulfing the Wexford boys.  Tipperary’s forward line looks to be a formidable force this season.  With Joe Coleman at center forward and Russell Quirke and Dean Coleman at corner forwards, Tipp looked like a well-oiled machine at times.  The St. Martin’s clubman led the forward line well.   In the middle of the field Tipp stalwart Cronan Dempsey, looks as fit as he has in recent years, and this early indication point to Tipp being there come August.

Tipperary hurlers looking strong on their first outing.

Wexford had Paddy Naughton doing well at corner forward and ticking over some early frees, while for Tipp all 5 forwards had scored in the first 15 minutes.  The aforementioned three, along with wing forwards Stephen Lambert and Jerry O’Neill, had found the mark in the early going.  Wexford back line were under a lot of pressure and worked hard, but once the goals came the ice would be broken.  A goal came from a well worked interaction between Quirke and Coleman and that was followed by an unfortunate one from a Wexford standpoint.  A high ball that looked to be harmlessly dropping on the edge of the large box was tipped into the goal by Quirke.  Wexford answered with a goal from Jon Joe O’Neill following some hard work by Paddy Naughton, but that was the highlight of the game from a Wexford perspective.  It did not help that Tom Davey got sent off following a challenge on Coleman late in the half, and now a man down the situation looked bad from a Wexford standpoint.

Wexford hurlers will be hoping for better against Galway in 2 weeks time.

The second half saw a continuation of the first.  Goals were banged in by Quirke and Coleman as the teams played out time.   A few minor scuffles broke out with yellows issues to each side.  Tipperary looking strong in the early going.

Tipp:  Evan Condon, Daragh Fanning, Sean McGarr, Paul Morris, Kieran Bennett, John Kindregan, Joe O’Connor, Cronan Dempsey, Jerry O’Neill, Joe Coleman, Stephen Lambert, Dean Coleman, Russell Quirke.

Wexford:  Eoghan Kavanagh, Tom Davey, Mark Bermingham, Liam Og Magill, Denis Breenan, Tom Maloney, JJ O’Neill, Greg Lundy, Lyndon Kiley, Jason Foley, Jamie Kehoe, Peter Codd, Paddy Naughton.

By Rory O'Donnell