The scoreboard may never lie but it certainly didn't tell the full story of a gripping Munster SHC clash at the Gaelic Grounds.
Massive underdogs going into today's game, a Tipperary team missing 12 of last year's panel pushed All-Ireland champions Limerick all the way on their home patch and lost by seven points only after the concession of late goals to Conor Boylan and Aaron Gillane (2-05, 4f).
Colm Bonnar has now lost all three provincial games in his first year in charge but was left to rue what might have been following a tightly-contested game his Tipp team led for long periods.
"I don't think the scoreline reflects our effort," he told RTÉ Sport.
"I'm hugely disappointed because even with 10 minutes to go I felt we were going to win this game.
"We were three points up midway through the second half and had chances to go six or seven up but didn’t take them. But maybe that’s a young team and we have to learn to build that momentum.
"We knew we were under the cosh and had to come in with a performance. I thought we competed very well.
"But credit to Limerick, they came back and scored the goals when it mattered."
Bonnar highlighted Tipperary's failure to take their opportunities as the main reason for what will almost certainly be a failure to progress from Munster this year.
"We went in at half-time with 0-14 on the board and they scored 1-09. Michael Breen was unlucky for a goal [his shot was saved] in the first half and [we were] unlucky for a goal in the second half.
"That's been the story of our championship so far. We’ve had goal chances and haven’t taken them. Against Clare we had two goal chances in the first ten minutes. It kills our momentum.
"There were eight players who didn’t play in last year’s Munster final so that’s a huge turnover in terms of experience.
"But we have young lads that want to play and it’s days like this they’ll remember. That’s how you build your experience."
"They want to play for Tipperary and they've given us absolutely everything in training."
Limerick step it up a gear when they have to as Conor Boylan finishes to the net
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Limerick manager John Kiely admitted his team weren't at their best and hailed his substitutes, which included goalscorer Conor Boylan, for turning the tide.
"Tipperary were excellent today," he said. "They were very sharp, quick on the breaks and used the ball very well. Their tackling was very high and they put us under real pressure.
"It was only the last 15 minutes and the impact that our lads made coming off the bench that swung it in our favour.
"When we turned to the bench we were down two or three points and we finished seven up. That tells its own story.
"But all credit to my guys. They kept a cool head. They knew maybe that they weren't quite at the pitch of it today and there was a massive challenge in front of them but they kept playing and creating chances.
"When they didn’t pick them off they went back for more and eventually created enough of them."
Kiely felt a failure to get to grips with the Tipperary puckout caused them problems in the opening half.
"We struggled with their puckout big time in the opening 35 minutes. Both long and short but particularly the long ones.
"It was only in the second half when we got on top of their puckout that we got a bit of a foothold in the game and were able to create scoring chances."
Limerick are now guaranteed at least an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final and most likely a Munster final place, depending on other results.
But Kiely said there would be no going through the motions in their final game against unbeaten Clare next weekend.
"We're in a good position but there’s a long road [ahead] in this campaign," he said.
"Next week we’ll go to Ennis. We’ve had some fantastic battles with Clare over the years and no doubt next Sunday is going to produce another one.
"We have ambitions to keep that winning routine going. But there are a lot of learnings to take from today’s game."
