National Hurling League/ Tipperary 3-17 Down 2-12: Three goals in extended injury-time spared Tipperary's blushes in Thurles yesterday as unfancied Down came within minutes of creating a major shock.
Promoted from Division Two last year, Down - thanks to two goals from Eoin Clarke - looked like pulling off a sensational win as they led by a point at the end of ordinary time.
However, with 14 minutes of added time due to an injury to Down's Martin Coulter at the start of the second half, Tipperary finally came good.
Loughmore-Castleiney's Evan Sweeney took a pass from fellow clubman Micheál Webster in the 40th minute to score Tipperary's first goal. Three minutes later, Webster grabbed a high delivery from Dara Egan to kick home the second, and it was rough justice for Down in the 10th minute of injury time when Dara Egan took a pass, again from Webster, to score a third Tipperary goal.
Manager Ken Hogan was happy with the points but got little joy from the performance. It was a very poor showing which, against better opposition, would have been punished severely.
Down's ambition is to survive in Division One this year. They battled very hard all the way and certainly did not deserve an eight-point defeat.
In a low-key first half, they gave as good as they received and were trailing by only one point, 0-8 to 0-7, at the break.
The sides were level (0-10 to 0-10) after 21 minutes of the second half, before Eoin Clarke pounced on a Brendan McGourty delivery to score Down's first goal. They almost had another a minute later, but Damien Young in the Tipperary goal saved smartly from Gareth Johnson.
Tipperary fought back to level by the 30th minute, but then Clarke shot his second goal for Down and the northern team were still leading three minutes into injury time.
However, Tipperary hit back with those three goals in five minutes to get their campaign off to the start everybody expected.
Tipperary played poorly, but finished well. Few reputations were enhanced, but Philip Maher, Mark O'Leary, Evan Sweeney, Tadgh Slevin, Webster and Séamus Butler did well.
Down's brave showing deserved better. Liam Clarke, Gary Savage, Gareth Johnson, Simon Wilson and Eoin Clarke were their best. Yesterday's game certainly gives them encouragement.
TIPPERARY: D Young; P Ormond, P Maher, P Curran; D Fanning, D Kennedy, E Corcoran; C Morrissey, T Slevin (0-3); D Shelly (0-1), M Webster (1-0), M O'Leary (0-2); S Butler (0-2), D Egan (1-1), E Sweeney (1-6). Subs: F Devaney (0-2) for Butler, H Moloney for Kennedy, P Kelly for Shelly.
DOWN: Graham Clarke; L Clarke, S Murray, P Hughes; Gavin Clarke (0-1), G Savage, P Monan; S Wilson (0-4), S Savage: B McGourty (0-1), G Johnson (0-1), S Clarke (0-1); J McCusker (0-1), M Coulter (0-3), E Clarke (2-0). Subs: A Bell for Coulter, P Smith for E Clarke, D Flynn for McCusker.
Referee: P Greene (Galway).
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