Round 4 Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Championship

Tipperary 0-15

Wexford 1-11

Tipperary travelled to Enniscorthy on Saturday knowing a win was needed to keep their championship ambitions alive. That plan hit an early blow when corner forward Joanne Dillion found the back of the net for the homeside after 4 minutes to give them a 1-1 to 0-1 point lead. It was 15 minutes before Wexford scored again with Tipperary firing over 4 unanswered scores thanks in main to the superb accuracy of Cait Devane from placed balls. It was a solid Tipperary team performance throughout with Clodagh Quirke settling into full back quite well while Grace O’Brien, Clodagh McIntyre and Ereena Fryday were full of running in attack. Anais Curran was accurate from placed balls for Wexford and with Sarah O’Connor and Dillon adding points, they looked like heading in at the break in front but Tipp finished strongly and it was 1-6 to 0-9 at the break.

Fryday put Tipp ahead in the second half with her second point but it was the home team that made all the early running, their star operators Dillon and Ciara O’Connor contributing along with Curran and Sarah O’Connor as they shot five points in succession. This prompted a change of tactics by Tipperary with the spare defender dropped in favour of pushing up player on player, and Devane brought out from full-forward in a bid to get her more involved. It proved a masterstroke. Tipp chipped away with five scores on the trot. O’Brien hit the first, then came a Devane trio including two from play before O’Brien bagged the dramatic winner with a lovely struck injury time point. There was relief and delight all around as Tipperary were made to dig very deep by a well drilled and exciting Wexford outfit. Dug deep they did with allinvolved showing huge determination and drive to claw back the Wexford lead and finally snatch victory at the death. It means it’s all to play for on July 2, with Tipperary travelling to Páirc Uí Rinn to take on Cork, Waterford going to Clare and Wexford playing host to Dublin. Remarkably, Waterford, Tipperary and Dublin could lose and qualify, but they could draw and not do so.

Therefore, like Wexford, who have no other option but to win, they will be playing for all the marbles. It promises to be an enthralling conclusion to a competitive Group 1.

Tipperary: Aine Slattery, Julieanne Bourke, Clodagh Quirke, Eimear Loughman, Mary Ryan, Aoife McGrath, Mairead Eviston, Ciardha Maher, Caoimhe Maher, Niamh Treacy, Grace O’Brien(0-02), Ereena Fryday(0-02), Eimear McGrath, Cait Devane(0-10, 5 play, 4 frees, 1 45m), Clodagh McIntyre(0-01). Subs: Claire Hogan for Niamh Treacy, Casey Hennessey for Mairead Eviston, Jenny Grace for Clodagh McIntyre