Tipperary 1-24 Cork 1-21
Tipperary manager Michael Ryan believes the intensity of Division 1A can bring out the best in teams.
His men are now preparing for a league quarter-final against Dublin next weekend but Cork are now looking at a relegation playoff against Waterford.
And with a last eight place up for grabs at Semple Stadium on Sunday it was no surprise that there was an exciting finish, even if a lot of the game didn’t reach a high tempo.
“Isn’t that the beauty of Division 1A, anybody can beat anybody, it was alive until the last day for everybody. I think headquarters will be thrilled with it, yet again, we might curse it at times with the intensity of it in 1A. It’s great for us as we are standing here,” he said.
His men shot 20 wides to Cork’s six, but still did enough to fashion a deserved win in front of a crowd of 6,673.
Tipp, despite 11 wides, hit 0-15 in the opening half with the breeze and never trailed once they hit the front just before the break.
Once again Patrick Horgan was Cork's main threat and his goal from a penalty after eight minutes after Alan Cadogan was fouled, put the Rebels 1-2 to 0-3 in front.
But Jason Forde’s superb form this season was again apparent and the Silvermines clubman shot some wonderful points, both from play and frees.
Tipperary would probably have sailed home more convincingly had Anthony Nash not been in superb form between the posts for Cork.
Brian Hogan, son of former Tipperary custodian and manager Ken, made his debut for the Premier County but he could do little to stop Horgan’s penalty.
But Tipp’s response to the goal was impressive and they reeled off four points in less than three minutes with Forde scoring two and Billy McCarthy and Seán Curran also finding the target.
The sides were deadlocked five times in the opening half but Tipperary pulled away before the interval with the impressive Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher among the scorers as they went in leading by 0-15 to 1-9.
The sides kept exchanging points in the third quarter and there was still a goal between them going into the final quarter as Tipperary led by 0-20 to 1-14.
Michael Breen was denied a goal by Nash but Tipperary looked set to wrap up the win when Billy McCarthy soloed through to find the net 15 minutes from time.
But Cork hit back when Horgan and Michael Cahalane landed and with the road to goal blocked off, they picked off good points from subs Luke Meade (two) and Daniel Kearney to narrow the gap to a goal in the closing stages.
Cork threw everything they had at an equalising goal but the Tipperary defence held firm to book a quarter-final spot.
TIPPERARY: B Hogan; A Flynn (0-1), S O'Brien, D Maher; B Heffernan, Pádraic Maher, R Maher; B Maher (0-1), C Barrett (0-2); S Curran (0-2), B McCarthy (1-1), Patrick Maher (0-3); M Breen (0-2), J Forde (0-12, seven frees), J McGrath.
Subs: M Russell for McGrath (64 mins), M Cahill for D Maher, C Darcy for McCarthy (both 70).
CORK: A Nash; S O'Donoghue, E Cadogan, C Spillane; C Joyce, T O'Mahony, M Coleman; D Fitzgibbon, B Cooper; S Kingston (0-1), C Lehane (0-2), R O'Flynn; A Cadogan (0-3), M Cahalane (0-2), P Horgan (1-10, 1-0 pen, eight frees).
Subs: L Meade (0-2) for Kingston (54 mins), B Lawton for O'Flynn (59), D Kearney (0-1) for Cooper (64), J O'Connor for Fitzgibbon, L McLoughlin for O'Mahony (both 70).
Referee: Paud O'Dwyer (Carlow).
