Waterford and Tipperary registered Dalata Munster U20 Football Championship wins on Saturday. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Dalata Hotel Group Munster U20 Football Championship Phase One
Waterford 4-12 Clare 2-15
Tipperary 3-8 Limerick 0-6
By Stephen Barry
For the second time in five years, Waterford scored four goals to claim the scalp of Clare in the Dalata Hotel Group Munster U20 Football Championship.
An even first half saw the Déise go in 0-8 to 0-5 ahead at Doonbeg with a pair of two-point frees from Joe Brennan, who finished with 0-7.
The fireworks were reserved for the second half, though, as Clare snatched the lead with two goals in a minute. Colin Riordan palmed home an Eoin Byrne 45 and from the kick-out, the midfielders combined well before Luke Pyne laid on a pass for Darragh Killeen to finish for a 2-6 to 0-8 lead.
A Seán Fennell two-pointer moved them six clear as they looked sure to pull away with the wind.
But Waterford worked a free short for Conor Keating’s first goal to bring their challenge back to life and Keating had his second within three minutes when picked out by Ben Boland.
It was three goals in five minutes when Paddy McCarthy (1-3) gathered a dropping shot to round the keeper to move the Déise ahead by 3-9 to 2-10.
They clinched it in the 58th minute when Brennan won a kick-out and laid off for Fergal O’Brien to lob into an empty net. It finished 4-12 to 2-15 in their favour.
Over in Rathkeale, Daithí Hogan bagged 2-2 and Paddy O’Keeffe added 1-2 as Tipperary registered a 3-8 to 0-6 victory over Limerick.
The hosts set out to use the wind at their backs with Evan Curry landing the only two-pointer in the opening stages.
Playing into the conditions, Tipp still reeled off 1-4 in succession with the goal from an O’Keeffe turnover before squaring for Hogan to finish.
They led 1-5 to 0-3 at half-time, but it took until the 47th minute to make the decisive move.
Goalkeeper Robbie McGrath came forward to slip a pass to Dylan Cotter, who laid on for O’Keeffe to swerve a shot off the crossbar, down off the goalline, and back up into the roof of the net.
Hogan added a quickfire 1-1 in the closing stages with the 57th-minute goal originating from a smart Shane Ryan pass before substitute JP Mbokha Tansia’s first touch juggled the ball into Hogan’s path.
The top two teams in phase one will advance to join Cork and Kerry in the next stage.
