Tipperary 4-20 Dublin 0-17: Tipperary demonstrated a chasm in class between the top of Division One A and the Division One B winners when annihilating Dublin in Thurles this afternoon.
Effectively the match was over within 10 minutes with Tipp leading by eight points, 2-3 to 0-1. Goals from Shane Bourke, who had an impressive outing, and a terrific dummy and diving shot by Patrick Maher put distance between the teams early on and by half-time the winners were 12 clear, 3-11 to 0-8 – Séamus Callanan converting a penalty a couple of minutes before half-time for the third goal.
All the Tipp forwards were buzzing around and causing insoluble problems for their markers.
Dublin rallied a little after the break although the match was dead by that stage and still Tipperary managed to clip points on the break as Dublin laboured away at the other end.
Danny Sutcliffe shot four points for the losers and David Treacy and David O'Callaghan got a couple each, but any hopes of even dignity on the scoreboard were denied when substitute Michael Heffernan got a fourth goal for Tipp after a mistake from the otherwise defiant Alan Nolan in the Dublin goal.
TIPPERARY: B Cummins; P Stapleton, C O'Mahony, M Cahill; D Maher, Pádraic Maher, D Maher; N McGrath (0-3), S McGrath (0-1); J Forde (0-4, one lineball), L Corbett (0-1), Patrick Maher (1-0); S Bourke (1-1), S Callanan (1-7, goal penalty and one 65, two frees), P Bourke (0-3).
Subs: C O'Brien for Cahill (51 mins), J Woodlock for McGrath (57 mins), M Heffernan (1-0) for Corbett (59 mins), T Hamill for Pádraic Maher (64 mins), T Hammersley for S Bourke (64 mins).
DUBLIN: A Nolan; P Kelly, P Schutte, R Trainor; M Carton, L Rushe, S Durkin (0-2); J Boland (0-1), S Lambert; C Keaney (0-1), J McCaffrey, D Sutcliffe (0-4); C McCormack, D O'Callaghan (0-2), D Treacy (0-3, one free).
Subs: R O'Dwyer for Lambert (21 mins), P Ryan (0-4, three frees and 65) for McCormack (24 mins), N Corcoran for Trainor (27 mins), N McMorrow for McCaffrey (53 mins), E Dillon for Treacy (62 mins).
Referee: B Gavin (Offaly).
