Tipperary 2-13 Westmeath 1-10:MAN-OF-THE-match Barry Grogan scored 1-7 for Tipperary (1-4 from play) as the Premier County boys marked their relegation to Division Three with a clear-cut win over their fellow relegation victims at Semple Stadium yesterday.
A sixth-minute goal by late replacement, Philip Gilsenan, gave Westmeath an early edge. However, Tipperary soon asserted themselves and George Hannigan’s 28th-minute goal set them up for a 1-6 to 1-4 lead at the interval.
Grogan’s goal five minutes after resuming looked to have sealed Tipperary’s win but Westmeath stormed back with five unanswered points to cut the lead to 1-9 to 2-7 with 19 minutes to play.
Tipperary looked in trouble but recovered with three points in four minutes from Philip Austin, Eoin Kearney and Brian Fox, and then coasted to the finish.
Grogan’s quality finishing was crucial to the Tipperary win but Brian Fox, George Hannigan, Christopher Aylward, Philip Austin and Kevin Mulryan were other key figures.
TIPPERARY: P Fitzgerald; A Morrissey, P Codd, N Curran; E Kearney (0-1), R Costigan, C Aylward; G Hannigan (1-0), L O’Gorman; B Fox (0-2), R O’Dwyer, B Mulvihill; P Austin (0-3), K Mulryan, B Grogan (1-7). Subs: J Cagney for Mulvihill; B Jones for Morrissey; B Coen for O’Dwyer; H Coghlan for O Gorman; C Morrissey for Aylward.
WESTMEATH: S Gallagher; C Jordan, D O’Donoghue, J Gaffey; D McDermott (0-1), S O’Donoghue (0-1), M Ennis; D Duffy (0-1), G Flanagan (0-2); J Smyth, P Greville (0-2), A Fennell; P Gilsenan (1-1), M Flanagan, A Finnan. Subs: G Glennon for Duffy; F Wilson (0-2) for Finnan; G Hoey for Fennell; D Healy for Hoey.
Referee: S Doyle (Wexford).
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