Relentless Watergrasshill surge past Wolfe Tones and into Munster final 

The Cork champions were merited winners as they maintained a relentless performance level despite the six-day turnaround in a game that wasn’t without controversy.

The Clare double winners had a penalty overturned entering the final quarter which, if converted, would’ve narrowed the gap to one.

Aaron Cunningham was clattered to the ground from behind by Dylan Roche’s sliding tackle. Referee Alan Tierney signalled for the penalty but after lengthy consultation with linesman Johnny Murphy, that call was reversed due to Cunningham’s reaction after the foul. Tierney, then, brandished straight red cards to Roche and Cunningham.

The Hill’s superiority was such that they could afford 11 first-half wides to Wolfe Tones’ one, while conceding a goal after 10 seconds, and still led by five by the break.

Adam Murphy finished with 0-12 (9 frees), while Brendan Lehane and Seán Desmond bagged the goals.

Tones drew first blood when captain John Guilfoyle scooped the throw-in and fed Cunningham. The 2013 All-Ireland winner sped around his marker and lashed a low finish to the net.

Watergrasshill’s response was slowed by a series of wides, including a Pádraig O’Leary flick at goal that evaded the far post. Tones punished two of those misses with Evan O’Gorman and Cian O’Rourke points.

They led by four but the Hill were only getting going. 

Anchored by Dáire O’Leary, they choked out the supply to Cunningham and Aron Shanagher, dominated the breaking balls, and created such a volume of chances, it didn’t seem to matter that half of them were missing the target amid a wickedly swirling wind.

Murphy’s free-taking kept them ticking over until Shane O’Regan opened their account from play. That sparked a 1-4 streak which flipped a three-point deficit into a 1-7 to 1-3 lead.

The goal came when Lehane swooped onto a breaking ball and rushed in to billow the net. Murphy slotted two frees, albeit missing two more in between, and Desmond raised another white flag.

Guilfoyle, having moved into the inside line, and Shanagher, after a trademark high catch, steadied Tones with a brace but the Hill strung together the next four with frees from Murphy (2), keeper Aiden Foley, and Liam Foley from play.

An O’Rourke free after a high hit on Shanagher narrowed the gap to five, 1-11 to 1-6, at half-time.

Wolfe Tones left the Hill waiting on the field as they regrouped in the changing room. They re-emerged with two substitutions and the first three points of the new half via O’Rourke, again straight from the throw-in, Shanagher, and an O’Rourke free.

Murphy interrupted their momentum with a superb brace but Tones kept coming with points from the more involved Shanagher and Dean Devanney.

Lehane had a chance to double his goal tally foiled by an Oisín O’Rourke save but blood-sub Ian O’Callaghan compensated with a point for 1-15 to 1-11.

Then came the crucial moments. First, Cunningham nipped in ahead of the keeper to roll a shot along the goalline but it never crossed.

Next, Cunningham claimed a high catch and won a penalty but his reaction saw it overturned. Both sides were reduced to 14 men for the final 14 minutes, while the Hill’s lead remained at four.

After a Shanagher free, the Cork champions nabbed the next 1-2 to make the game safe.

O’Regan and Lehane fired points before the 54th-minute clincher. Desmond latched onto a long ball and though his initial batted effort was saved by Oisín O’Rourke, he poked the sliotar over the line. At 2-17 to 1-12, it was all but over.

Darragh Lohan’s close-range free was saved on the line by the excellent Dáire O’Leary before the centre-back charged out to block down Gavin Carrig’s follow-up point attempt. Desmond sprinted down the sideline to top off a fantastic counter-attack point.

A Murphy monster score pushed the lead out to double figures before a consolation goal on the hour for Devanney from a Carrig pass.

Scorers for Watergrasshill: A Murphy (0-12, 9 frees); S Desmond (1-2); B Lehane (1-1); S O’Regan (0-2); A Foley (free), L Foley, I O’Callaghan (0-1 each).

Scorers for Wolfe Tones na Sionna: C O’Rourke (3 frees), A Shanagher (1 free) (0-5 each); D Devanney (1-1); A Cunningham (1-0); J Guilfoyle, E O’Gorman (0-1 each).

WATERGRASSHILL: A Foley; S Field, D McCarthy, D Roche; M O’Driscoll, D O’Leary, K O’Neill; S O’Regan, A Spriggs; C O’Leary, A Murphy, L Foley; B Lehane, S Desmond (capt), P O’Leary.

Subs: I O’Callaghan for Desmong (39-41, blood), O’Callaghan for Field (44), A Cronin for Spriggs (44), P Cronin for L Foley (51), C Healy for P O’Leary (51).

WOLFE TONES NA SIONNA: O O’Rourke; Daithí Lohan, R Hayes, L Murphy; D Frawley, Darragh Lohan, S Meaney; J Guilfoyle (capt), D Devanney; S Donnellan, E O’Gorman, C Riordan; C O’Rourke, A Cunningham, A Shanagher.

Subs: G Carrig for Guilfoyle (h-t), D O’Connell for Frawley (h-t), M Hayes for C O’Rourke (52), S Costelloe for O’Gorman (57), C Carrig for Meaney (60).

Referee: A Tierney (Tipperary).