Deja vu as Limerick fight back to draw

SNAP. With uncanny accuracy, Limerick and Tipperary re enacted their drawn Munster final meeting of last July. The only significant difference was one of tone.

Yesterday's Church and General National Hurling League match was more heated than a championship encounter and although a gripping match before another good crowd, 17,240, it was pockmarked with the occasional ill tempered incident.

Referee Ger Harrington of Cork might have curbed the excesses had he acted more firmly in the seventh minute.

An exchange between Mike Houlihan and Declan Ryan had triggered a general outbreak of pushing and shoving which was fizzling out until Tipperary wing back Liam Sheedy came charging in and sent Houlihan sprawling. All three escaped with a booking - and set a trend for the rest of the game.

None of the subsequent flare ups amounted to anything significant, but they were within an ace of doing so and it was a pity, because the hurling could, once more this League, be said to have been of near championship intensity.

Tipperary looked far more skilful in the early stages of the match and their first half dominance was a real reminder of last year's Munster final during which they lost a 10 point half time lead and went down in the replay.

Again like last summer, Tipperary rallied in the second half but in the end, the draw was a fair reflection of the match's ebb and flow.

Before the throw in, Tipperary brought Brendan Carroll into midfield for the indisposed Liam McGrath and moved Declan Ryan from full forward to the 40 in a switch with Brian O'Meara.

This proved one of the most profound influences on the first half hour. Carroll kept Houlihan quiet, Ryan made a powerful start on Ciaran Carey and all the Tipperary forwards responded with a succession of well taken points.

The sequence was interrupted in the fourth minute when, trailing 0-2 to nil, Limerick struck for goal. Gary Kirby, who was to have a subdued afternoon, dropped in a shot that looked like heading for a point but dipped into the square where Shane O'Neill rose to flick to the net.

Raymie Ryan, Liam Cahill and O'Meara replied with a string of aesthetically pleasing points. Leading 0-9 to 1-2 in the last minute of the half, Tipperary contrived a splendid goal when Aidan Flanagan sold a dummy to Stephen McDonagh with such panache that the Limerick corner back almost looked pleased with his purchase.

Instead of taking the point on offer, Flanagan drew the cover and slipped the ball in to Liam Cahill. The young Ballingarry man took his goal with the same elan as he had in the Munster final nine months ago.

For the second half, Limerick, trailing 1-9 to 1-2, made their staple switch. Carey and Houlihan swapped places and yet again the result was so revivifying that you wondered why they always wait until they're in trouble to make it.

Although Carey was obviously happier freed from Declan Ryan's attentions, it was Houlihan's performance at centre back that defined the second half improvement. He used his size to great effect and the middle of Limerick's defence became a terrain where opposing forwards had to tread carefully.

Four points - including an inspirational 70 metre strike by Mark Foley - in the first six minutes confirmed that Limerick would indeed contest the deficit. With nothing going through to their forwards, Tipperary were becalmed.

Although they stretched the lead back to five points by the 41st minute, Tipperary were overrun by a series of fine points - including two long range frees from Houlihan and most notably the two stroke point started by Dave Clarke's clearance and finished by Brian Tobin's unerring shot.

Flanagan was fouled and scored the free for the equaliser in the 60th minute. Kirby still had the chance to steal the verdict for Limerick in the final moments but was blocked en route to goal by Brian Horgan.

It was another bristling display by Limerick. The only blight on the afternoon was the continuing uncertainty clouding the potential forwards. Shane O'Neill failed to build on his early goal and was moved to the corner to make way for the return of a comparatively streamlined Pat Heffernan.

Both corner forwards, Brian Tobin and Dave Hennessy, were substituted and of the newcomers, only Ollie Moran was an unqualified success.

Len Gaynor will have been pleased with some of Tipperary's forward play, but can only be concerned at the continuing brittleness.