The Waterford footballers suffered their third straight loss in Division 4 as Tipperary prevailed by 1-14 to 0-9 at Walsh Park this afternoon. Full forward Sean O'Connor scored 1-10 (1-6 from play) as Philly Ryan's men remain unbeaten.
James Walsh (0-3) and Alan Dunwoody (0-2) caught the eye in the opening quarter for Waterford but Paul Shankey's side only managed two second half points. Both teams finished with fourteen as Déise midfielder Joe Booth got a straight red card in injury time for a high tackle before Tipp defender Tadhg Condon was shown a black.
1-4 from O'Connor saw Tipp lead 1-5 to 0-7 at the break after playing against the breeze. Waterford dominated possession early on. James Walsh opened the scoring in the third minute and Alan Dunwoody followed that up off his right boot. Steven O'Brien worked a score for Tipp off a quick free on eight minutes. An orange flag was waved initially but referee David Hickey consulted with his linesman and the umpire changed it to a white one. Conor Fahey intercepted the Waterford kickout and found Sean O'Connor who slotted the ball into the corner of the net (1-1 to 0-2). O'Connor added a point.
The hosts got back on level terms via Walsh and Dunwoody. O'Connor regained the lead for Tipp at the end of the first quarter (1-3 to 0-5). The Premier then lost captain Steven O'Brien to injury with 18 minutes on the clock.
A Jason Curry free tied it up for the second time. The classy O'Connor swung over another off his left. The full forward was then denied a second goal by Déise number one Paudie Hunt. O'Connor brought his tally to 1-4 from play with a point off his right. Waterford captain Conor Murray hit back straight away. The half ended in confusion as David Hickey blew the whistle just as Dunwoody won an advanced mark in front of goal.
O'Connor kicked two more points early in the second period as Tipp stretched four clear. Murray replied for Waterford in the 46th minute. Turnovers high up the field and erratic shooting proved costly for the hosts. The first two pointer of the day arrived on 54 minutes via Tipp sub Cian Smith (1-10 to 0-8). Donie Fitzgerald sliced one over for Waterford before Darragh Brennan missed the target at the other end with the goal at his mercy.
With five minutes left, the home team were penalised for only having two men up front. O'Connor converted the subsequent free. The Clonmel Commercials man tagged on three more as David Hickey dismissed Booth and Condon in added time.
