Sport

Kilkenny find the going tough

Division Four/ Tipperary 4-20 Kilkenny 1-5: Back in 1999 Kilkenny opted out of the National Football League because they couldn…

Mon Feb 04 2008 - 00:00

Division Four/ Tipperary 4-20 Kilkenny 1-5:Back in 1999 Kilkenny opted out of the National Football League because they couldn't cope, a fact which was highlighted by some heavy defeats.

The county found out yesterday that nothing has changed since, and they got more of the same when they returned to the league at Nowlan Park yesterday when Tipperary sauntered to a handy 22-point win.

During the early minutes Tipperary's Damien O'Brien and Eddie Brennan of Kilkenny traded points. In the fourth minutes Barry Grogan tapped over a free to regain the lead for the visitors, and they led all the way home from there.

A sixth-minute goal from Philip Austin left Kilkenny trailing by 0-1 to 1-2 and Tipperary continued to pile up the points, yet there was a measure of respectability to the score six minutes from the break.

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Then Tipperary pounced for two goals from Séamus Grogan and Eoin Kearney to give them an interval lead of 3-9 to 0-3. The winners had additional points from Barry Grogan (two), George Hannigan and Robbie Costigan within five minutes of the restart.

Kilkenny conceded a fourth goal to Barry Grogan from a penalty in the 59th minute and, while they pulled back a late goal from David Herity, there was little to lift the spirits for what looks like a tough campaign ahead.

TIPPERARY: P Fitzgerald; A Foley, N Curran, C McDonald; C Aylward, N Fitzgerald, R Costigan (0-2); E Hanrahan, G Hannigan (0-1); P Austin (1-2), C Morrissey (0-1), D O'Brien (0-1); E Kearney (1-2), S Grogan (1-0), B Grogan (1-8, 1-0 penalty, 0-5 frees). Subs: D Darcy (0-1)for Morrissey (30 mins), B Jones (0-2)for Hannigan (48 mins), L Cokeran for Costigan (48 mins, M Peters for O'Brien (58 min), M Harding for Austin (62 mins).

KILKENNY: S Murphy; A Murphy, P Mullins, P Roche; M Grace, P Donovan, H Flood; D Brennan, M Mahony; P Sheehan, S Flynn, E Brennan (0-5, four frees); A McGovern, P Maher, D Herity (1-0). Subs: JJ Brennan for Roche (37 mins), J Cahill for Brennan (38 mins), R Shore for McGovern (49 mins), J Malone for Flood (51 mins), L Brennan for Sheehan (62 mins).

Referee: E Craul(Wicklow).