Tipperary 0-21 Waterford 0-16
Tipperary are Munster senior hurling champions for a 41st time, having seen off the challenge of Waterford by 0-21 to 0-16 in the provincial decider at Semple Stadium.
In his third and final season in charge, Premier County manager Eamon O’Shea is celebrating his first piece of silverware at the helm, following a five-point victory played out in front of 43,084 spectators in Thurles.
Tipp are through to the All-Ireland SHC semi-finals, while gallant Waterford will regroup for a quarter-final clash with Dublin on 26 July.
This was Tipp’s first Munster SHC success since 2012, when they also saw off the Déise in the final.
In contrast to the fluent nature of their semi-final victory over Limerick when O’Shea’s men racked up 4-23, this win was more gritty in nature, chiselled out in the final quarter when the things were going against Tipperary.
Waterford didn’t help themselves by registering eight second half wides but Tipp found scores that little bit easier to come by in a tense tactical encounter.
Tipp finished strongly by scoring four of the game’s final six points, as Seamus Callanan and John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer collected 0-11 between them in ideal hurling conditions.
Waterford had an eight-point haul from Maurice Shanahan, including five from placed balls, but it wasn’t enough as they turn their attentions towards the back door.
And yet Waterford can take plenty from this tussle as they managed to limit goalscoring opportunities for a potentially lethal Tipperary attack.
Callanan didn’t score from play but O’Dwyer was superb in the second half in a roving commission around the half-forward line.
The Killenaule hitman finished with three of his five points from placed balls and young corner forward Niall O’Meara bagged three from play.
In a tense, tactical battle, Waterford had stars of their own, including corner back Shane Fives, scorer of two massive long-range points from play.
Waterford were level at 0-11 apiece early in the second half but once Tipp moved ahead through O’Meara in the 46th minute, they would not be caught.
At the end of an entertaining first half, Tipp held a slender 0-10 to 0-9 advantage, with Seamus Callanan hitting four of the Premier County’s first half points, all from placed balls.
At the other end, Waterford ace Shanahan matched that haul with four of his own but a couple of those were from play as the Lismore man picked off loose Tipp clearances before returning them with interest over the bar.
A feature of Waterford’s play was their intensity in ruck balls and the pressure applied to Tipp’s players.
This Tipp have found goals easy to come by in the Championship but were denied the kind of space afforded to them previously, and goal chances were very much at a premium.
The best opportunity of raising a green flag in the opening half came Waterford’s way in the 19th minute when Stephen Bennett’s kicked effort was kept out by Darren Gleeson.
The Tipperary goalkeeper had inadvertently presented the chance to Bennett in the first place, when the Waterford forward picked off his attempted delivery to Cathal Barrett.
Tipp tried to vary their puckout strategy in an attempt to break down the Waterford system but it rarely worked in the opening half.
There was a nice example of good interplay for Tipp’s opening score, foraged down the right touchline via Gleeson and Barrett, before Niall O’Meara fired over the first of his two first half points.
Tipp did lead by four points twice in the first half but Waterford came roaring back into contention and were level at 0-7 apiece in the 27th minute when Shanahan pointed from play.
The Déise nudged in front at 0-9 to 0-8 approaching half time but late points from full debutant Michael Breen, now operating close to the Waterford goal, and Callanan (free) had Tipp ahead at the break.
Breen made way at half-time, with 2010 Hurler of the Year Corbett introduced in an attempt to inject a scoring touch into the Tipp attack.
Corbett chipped in with an audacious second half point and another sub, Shane Bourke, completed the scoring in stoppage time.
Tipperary: D Gleeson; C Barrett, J Barry, M Breen (0-01); R Maher, Pádraic Maher, K Bergin; J Woodlock, S McGrath; J Forde (0-02), B Maher, Patrick Maher (0-02); J O’Dwyer (0-05, 2f), S Callanan (0-06, 4f, 2 65), N O’Meara (0-03).
Subs: L Corbett (0-01) for Breen (h.t.), S Bourke (0-01) for Forde (67), C O’Brien for McGrath (70).
Wateford: S O’Keeffe; S Fives (0-02), B Coughlan, N Connors; T de Búrca, A Gleeson (0-02, 1f), P Mahony; J Barron, E Barrett; J Dillon, Stephen Bennett, K Moran (0-02); M Walsh, M Shanahan (0-08, 3f, 2 65s), C Dunford (0-01).
Subs: Shane Bennett for Barrett (44), T Devine for Stephen Bennett (44), P Curran (0-01) for Dunford (62), D Fives for Dillon (67).
Referee: J Owens (Wexford)
