All too easy as Tipperary march on

The Guinness Munster hurling championship has a hallowed place in Irish sport and it is well deserved. However, Saturday night's debacle at Semple Stadium did nothing to embellish its reputation. A gap of 29 points between the sides at the end did nothing for the image of Munster hurling nor, in particular, hurling in Kerry.

Lovers of hurling are genuine in wishing for a wider spread of success. To some extent that has been achieved with resurgence some years ago when Galway won in 1980 and Offaly then emerged as a realistic force to be followed by Clare and Wexford. The ambitions of counties like Kerry are to be welcomed and nurtured. The question is: how do you go about that? Saturday evening's experience would seem to indicate that this is not the ideal way.

To Kerry's credit they stayed in the match for the first half. After going behind by 1-6 to 0-1 by the 12th minute, the respectable crowd of 6,279 were getting restless until Kerry struck back with a goal. Five minutes later Tipperary struck again for their second goal, but Kerry stayed in touch with another goal and the score of 2-12 to 2-5 at half time was far from overwhelming.

It may well be that Tipperary manager Nicky English had harsh things to say to his side at the break. Whatever happened, and allowing for the fact that the wind was now blowing in Tipperary backs, no fewer than 16 points were piled up without reply. In fact, Kerry managed only one point in the second half and that from a free by Mike Slattery.

Tipperary have learned very little from this experience and neither have Kerry. On the plus side for Tipperary is the fact that Paul Kelly scored four excellent points when he came on as a substitute for Tomas Dunne in the second half, while John Leahy seems to have recovered much of the speed and dexterity which characterised his play when he was at his peak. Once again the yellow and red card situation caused some confusion. On this occasion Kerry right corner back Tom Cronin was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 44th minute. With only eight minutes gone in the second half and Kerry trailing by 10 points (2-15 to 2-5), referee Eamon Morris might have been excused had he decided there was no longer any point in going on.

From the Kerry point of view the positive side of the equation surrounds their determined performance in the first half. Their enthusiasm was obvious from the start and might have been a little too keen early on when Willie Joe Leen was shown the yellow card as early as the second minute.

However, it was Tipperary who made all the running in spite of the excellent play of Tony Maunsell in the right corner of the Kerry attack. The Kerry defence was in disarray in the 12th minute when Brian O'Meara whipped the sliotar to Shelly, who drove it expertly past John Healy in the Kerry goal.

Many felt that Kerry would crumble after this setback, but Padraig Cromin responded with a Kerry goal four minutes later.

Tipperary struck back almost immediately with a second goal with O'Meara again placing Shelly. Kerry refused to be daunted and after the sides swapped scores, from Leahy and Maunsell, John Joe Canty knocked the sliotar back to midfielder Brendan O'Sullivan who drove it firmly home past Brendan Cummins in the Tipperary goal.

Half-time arrived with the score at 2-12 to 2-5, but not before Tipperary had seen one shot from Declan Ryan hit the post and another from O'Meara brilliantly saved by Healy.

Sadly Kerry's efforts in the second half were fruitless. Tipperary seemed to be able to score at will and 12 points were added on without reply with Shelly, Leahy, Kelly, O'Meara, Enright, Cahill and Gleeson all helping themselves to scores before Michael Slattery broke Kerry's second half duck.

Tipperary scored two more goals before the end, leaving the major question still dangling in the wind: what is this doing for the game of hurling?