John McGrath has all day long.
A masterclass from the McGrath brothers inspired Tipperary past a tepid Clare challenge in Cusack Park with the Premier County now looking towards a Munster final, while the Banner must ready themselves for a dogfight.
There’s magic in those Loughmore-Castleiney wrists.
With the gale behind them, Liam Sheedy’s men started well. Seamie Callanan scored a couple of hard earned points but Clare were in this game too.
Diarmuid Ryan and Podge Collins scored a pair of rakers while Peter Duggan began to throw his weight around. Patrick O’Connor and David McInerney were faring well considering their opposition but up front the home side just weren’t moving like usual.
Tony Kelly was more withdrawn than he should have been while John Conlon was rusty and Shane O’Donnell didn’t really get a chance.
Tipperary kept on chipping away. Ronan Maher was solid as a rock and John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer looked sharp.
Then there’s the McGrath brothers. Noel McGrath turned in one of the most impressive exhibitions of hurling in the first 35 minutes in Ennis as you’ll see in a long time.
BACK OF THE NET by Tipperary's Noel McGrath! pic.twitter.com/5aTHJ14qVT
— The GAA (@officialgaa) June 2, 2019
The elder of the mid-Tipperary siblings hit a beautiful long range point but his goal was even better. Willing, dogged, not taking no for an answer.
It wasn’t just about the scores though. His all-round dictation of this game was seriously impressive and that’s what brought Tipperary to the break leading by six.
The word was that the game was on a knife edge going into the second, not a chance of it.
Tipperary took off while Clare folded. Seamie Callanan drew first blood, the Drom and Inch man breaking Lar Corbett’s record with his 30th championship goal for the county.
There was more to come from them and less from the home side. Bonner Maher’s third goal showed off the sharpness and pace of this forward line but the score of the day was notched by the eventual man-of-the-match, scorer of 0-6, the genius that is John McGrath.
With Colm Galvin and David Fitzgerald lining him up, McGrath thought his way out of a sticky situation. He flicked it down the line before allowing the ball stop dead while Fitzgerald committed himself.
Then like topping an egg he picks it up before ghosting in behind and sticking a point. ‘The Silent Assassin’ was what Jackie Tyrrell called him. He’s some operator.
John McGrath is on a different planet.
Two men come to flatten him, he doesn't mind.
Thinks his way around the two of them with a flick before letting the ball stop dead 👌
Straight over the bar 👏https://t.co/YklWYMpnli
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) June 2, 2019
Watch it from 1.32 here.
Check out the full-time highlights from Clare v Tipperary here! pic.twitter.com/GZROCKYPs8
— The GAA (@officialgaa) June 2, 2019
Tipperary will be hard beaten.
