Webster drives Tipp forward

Munster SHC semi-final/ Tipperary 2-14 Clare 0-14: The sounds of thunder that used to define summer Sunday afternoons when these counties hurled against one another are in retreat and it may be some time before we cower under the full force of such acoustics again.

Although Clare were far from beaten off the field as happened a year ago against Waterford, it was the slow-burning inevitability of their Munster championship exit that left the strongest impression on a dismal, misty day in Limerick.

Afterwards, the glint had even left Anthony Daly's eyes as he stood downcast in a steamy, ruined dressingroom and sombrely pondered the what-might-have-been.

But Clare, a team that have thrived on defiance and hopeless situations, were confronted with perhaps the most starkly illuminating lesson that the great names that still backbone this team cannot hurl on forever.

Tipperary were full value for this win and their strange, brave and wholeheartedly damp journey through Munster continues. They now meet Cork in the Munster final down by the Lee, where, they say, the sun always shines.

Although Tipp folk converged on the Gaelic Grounds still gloomy about the absence of full back Philip Maher, their fears never materialised. Clare tried isolating replacement John Devane early on, but he had a relatively comfortable afternoon. It was at the other end that havoc was wreaked, all in the 11th minute.

There had been signs when the teams met in the league that big Micheál Webster, the former county football man, had the physique to bother Brian Lohan and Tipperary were keen to try him out again here yesterday.

The tactic worked spectacularly, with Webster cantering towards Benny Dunne's high ball and breaking it for Eoin Kelly. Lar Corbett took possession and danced through for the first goal.

From the restart, Colin Morrissey aimed long again and Corbett made a clean catch and distributed to Webster, who calmly beat Fitzgerald. It marked the beginning of a long afternoon for the great Lohan, who could not prevent the tall novice from getting first out to balls and imposing himself physically around the edge of the square.

Clare had problems throughout the lines, however, with Colin Lynch never really featuring and Niall Gilligan largely kept under control. Despite introducing his reserves, Daly could not inspire any sort of significant revival.

Playing with calm resolution, Tipp worked steadily and relied on the occasional illumination of class from Eoin Kelly or Tommy Dunne to keep them comfortably ahead.

Brendan Cummins's goal was troubled only once in the second half, when Gilligan drove a 20-metre free low.

The shot was mishit, but Cummins made a double save before Devane drove clear and almost nine minutes passed before the next score and it was Tipperary who worked it, Kelly and Webster playing the excellent substitute Evan Sweeney. That made it 2-13 to 0-12 with 10 minutes remaining, with Clare looking dejected and out of ideas.

For a brief period in the first half, they had had their way with Tipperary, Tony Griffin, Brian O'Connell and Carmody causing problems, but though they owned the possession, they committed a series of shocking wides.

Lynch misfired on a simple chance on 22 minutes. Barry Nugent snapped a great goal chance wide and then rapped a one-on-one situation against Cummins too high, the point a poor consolation for a sparkling goal chance.

Late on, with Clare bereft and the margin still two goals, it was hard not to remember those early opportunities as Daithí O'Connell flashed a long free from Frank Lohan across the face of the Tipperary goal.

His effort deserved a score and Clare conceivably could have been just a goal down at the closing of normal time, despite having looked down and out for the previous 20 minutes. But even had that shot trickled in, one wonders if Clare would have managed to summon the energy for a grand finale.

The Tipperary followers in the small gathering of 23,537 found the voice to start chanting, emboldened by a beautiful snapped point from Kelly when he raced on to a disastrous hand-pass from Gerry Quinn.

That score came when there were just four points between the sides and it was unfortunate that Quinn was the culprit; he had been perhaps Clare's most thorough performer all afternoon.

But Kelly's finish was a joy and it unleashed a little of the old confidence in Tipp as Devanney cut loose for another stylish point and, even with 15 minutes left, the writing was on the wall for Clare.

It was a desperate disappointment for Clare and illuminated the fact that some day soon they are going to have a lot of jerseys to fill.

Tipperary face a grave elevation in terms of the speed and touch they will face against Cork, but they have the honest, eager feel of a team that can and will improve with each outing.

With a talented line breaker in John Carroll still in the wings, with Tommy Dunne beginning to flicker again and with the half-forward line slowly starting to assert itself, it all looks a lot more promising for Tipp.

Pride alone will preserve the competitive instincts of Anthony Daly's bunch, but they are in a lonely place this week and finding a way out of it won't be easy.

TIPPERARY: B Cummins; E Corcoran, J Devane, P Curran; D Fanning, D Kennedy, D Fitzgerald; B Dunne (0-1), P Kelly (0-1); C Morrissey, F Devanney (0-2), T Dunne (0-1); E Kelly (0-7, 4 frees), M Webster (1-0), L Corbett (1-0). Subs: E Sweeney (0-2) for L Corbett (15 mins inj), H Maloney for D Kennedy (43 mins), C O'Mahoney for E Sweeney (68 mins), P O'Brien for T Dunne (71 mins). Booked: E Kelly.

CLARE: D Fitzgerald; F Lohan, B Lohan, G O'Grady; A Markham, S McMahon (0-2, frees), G Quinn; B O'Connell, C Lynch; D McMahon (0-2), T Griffin (0-2), B Nugent (0-2); T Carmody (0-1), N Gilligan (0-5, 3 frees), A Quinn. Subs: D Forde for B Nugent (46 mins), D O'Connell for A Quinn (48 mins), C Plunkett for D McMahon (55 mins), C Forde for A Markham (60 mins). Booked: B Lohan, B O'Connell, T Griffin, D Fitzgerald.

Referee: P O'Connor (Limerick).