When referee Chris Mooney blew the long whistle at the end, the Waterford players beat their hurleys off the ground and threw each other dirty looks for not finding one last chance to grab the victory. This from a side that was 11 points down at half-time and looking like they\u2019d been fed through a mincer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t make sense of it,\u201d said Waterford manager Peter Queally afterwards. \u201cI said to someone earlier I\u2019d love to be involved in a very boring game that we win by two or three points but that\u2019s the Munster championship for you. The supporters are put through the wringer there as well as us. We\u2019re just delighted that we got something out of the game. It would have been heartbreaking to come away with no points.\u201d<\/p>\n
The numbers from the game are dizzying. Between them, the two teams mustered up 58 scores from 90 shots (or, at least, 90 that a frazzled reporter was able to keep track of). There was also a penalty saved by Billy Nolan from Darragh McCarthy, as well as a yellow card given to Queally for complaining to the referee, resulting in a tricky free being moved in front of the posts, crucial in such a close game. Waterford dropped eight balls short of the goals and pucked 18 wides.<\/p>\n
For Tipp, this has to be worrying. The way Liam Cahill\u2019s side effectively zoned out once Waterford ratcheted up the intensity in the second half was a mirror of how they faded from view after the break against Cork last weekend. After putting up 1-18 in a scintillating first-half display, they only scored five points in the first 25 minutes of the second period. They can\u2019t have many lives left.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll get around that in the dressingroom,\u201d Cahill said afterwards. \u201cThere\u2019s huge ownership in the dressingroom \u2013 they\u2019re really a great bunch of lads to take ownership of performances like that.<\/p>\n
![\"Waterford's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/OST6RIDIKS2DEL7U6HHS2FUG3E.jpg\")
Waterford’s Billy Nolan saves a penalty from Tipperary’s Darragh McCarthy. Photograph: Inpho <\/p>\n
\u201cI suppose in any team, in any grade you play, you can get away with one or two players struggling at a particular time. But when you have seven or eight struggling at the one time, it\u2019s really difficult in that kind of environment, with such a pace in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIntercounty hurling is unforgiving. That\u2019s just something we need to work on \u2013 seven or eight players can\u2019t really struggle at the one time. If we can get our heads around that, I think we\u2019ll be really, really competitive and work through that period after half-time that has hurt us again this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though it turned out to be another humdinger of a game, nobody was predicting that at half-time. Waterford were a mile off the pace \u2013 fumbling their passes, standing off the Tipp players, pucking a world of wides. Tipp were like bold boys who were on their best behaviour after the Cork defeat \u2013 every pass was to hand and every strike had purpose and meaning.<\/p>\n
![\"Waterford's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IUH3UFCBLVIGWWEKTK4ACAM3RU.jpg\")
Waterford’s Calum Lyons and Tipperary’s S\u00e9amus Kennedy at Walsh Park on Sunday. Photograph: Inpho <\/p>\n