February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Mike Fitzpatrick
An out-of-sorts Kilkenny team slipped up in their quest to retain the Brendan Keane Memorial trophy at Gaelic Park on Sunday. Missing several valuable players, and Luke Doyle suffering a serious-looking knee injury during the contest, did not bode well for this Cats side. Tipperary were an entirely different proposition, though, and marched on to claim the first piece of silverware of this year’s GAA season.
Storming into an 8-point half time lead, Tipp looked invincible and surely will be out to claim another trophy this season. Many of the regulars at Gaelic Park feel that they have what it takes to defeat mighty Limerick this year, and on a performance like this, it would be perhaps unwise to bet against them. Scoring 21 points in a game is no mean achievement. Add three goals to this concoction and you have the makings of a serious contender for further glory this year.
One of several battles on the pitch was that of scoring sensations Kevin Corbett of Kilkenny and Kevin Kennedy of Tipperary. Corbett had a wonderful first half, linking well as the man in the middle with his trusty partner Vinny Norton and scoring five of his side’s six first-half points. Kennedy was in the same sort of form up front for Tipp. His scoring prowess equaling Corbett’s first-half total.
The second half opened in much the same vein, with Tipp immediately going on the attack, but Kilkenny beginning to find their feet a little. Substitute Michael Collins of Kilkenny made a massive difference when he came on for the Cats, scoring a much-needed goal and bustling away up front in an attempt to thwart the defensive work of Alan Slattery in the Tipp backline. Corbett added two second-half goals to bring the tie a little closer, and along with
a number of points, he gave a fleeting impression that Kilkenny could have clawed their way back.
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Kennedy, and his Tipp cohorts Owen Cummins and Declan O’Meara had other thoughts, however. All three made significant contributions throughout, especially in the second half, when Cummins really came into his element and strode forward from midfield to hit four efforts over the bar. Veteran James Joyce in the Kilkenny goal was kept busy all the way through the game and did himself proud with a number of telling saves to prevent Paul Hogan and Kennedy from furthering their tally. More points from O’Meara,
Madden and Mike Kennedy increased Tipperary’s lead, and their 10-point winning margin was totally deserved when the whistle blew.
Kilkenny: James Joyce, Luke Doyle, Daragh Moore, Niall Kirwan, Peter Breen (0-2), David Brennan, Vinny Norton, Kevin Corbett (2-8), Tony Spillane, Don Ryan, Aidan Ryan, John Nolan, Richie Hogan. Subs: Michael Collins (1-0), Jonathan Doyle, Jim Kenny, Mark Kennedy.
Tipperary: Ian Duggan, Donal Cummins, Jim Lyons, Alan Slattery (0-1), Shane Ryan, Seamus Collison, Owen Cummins (0-4), John Madden (1-2), Mike Carroll (1-0), Mike Kennedy (0-1), Kevin Kennedy (0-9), Declan O’Meara (1-3), Paul Hogan (0-1).