Tipperary 2-20 Limerick 2-9:Two teams at different stages of the preparation cycle provided a lopsided contest in Thurles yesterday, and Tipperary were convincing winners.
Anyone hoping to revisit the pyrotechnics of the counties' championship meetings last season would have been disappointed but Tipp supporters will be happy with another high-scoring win and their 100 per cent start to the Allianz NHL campaign.
The only genuine reminders of summer were the abundant sunshine that lit up a freezing day in Semple Stadium and the way Tipperary ran up a substantial lead. This time, however, there was to be no gravity-defying comeback from a Limerick side wracked by injury and featuring only three of the players who had started last September's All-Ireland final.
They did stage a mini-revival but this time Tipperary responded with conviction and went on to win by a margin only a point less than their biggest lead of the afternoon - 12 points with 15 minutes left.
They could have won by more but for a string of heroics from Dave Bulfin in the Limerick goal. Five times he saved red-alert goal chances - three from Lar Corbett and an early penalty and one 20-metre free from the well-primed stick of Eoin Kelly.
It was accordingly a bit mean of providence to reward this excellence by pulling a significant trick in the 27th minute. With Limerick hanging on to a three-point deficit, Corbett's shot from distance dropped down on goal and came off an upright. Disorientated, Bulfin was unable to prevent Kelly from batting the ball over the cover defence and into the net. The goal gave Tipperary a firm grip on the match, which they did not then relinquish.
Limerick were struggling from the start. Séamus Hickey picked up an injury in last week's Fitzgibbon Cup and will be out for four weeks. He was replaced by Michael Cahill.
As Richie Bennis pointed out, you need a critical mass of senior players if you're going to experiment meaningfully with newcomers. Struggling to compete all over the field, Limerick never managed to establish any periods of supremacy.
Brian Begley is a long-term injury and his absence was felt yesterday. Standing in at centre back, Paudie O'Dwyer had his hands full with Ryan O'Dwyer, whose wrecking-ball presence put Limerick under great physical pressure as he broke ball and dispossessed the defence several times.
Within minutes Tipp had a penalty when O'Dwyer was fouled but Bulfin pulled off the first of his saves, deflecting Kelly's shot over the bar.
Tipperary were sharper on the ball and Corbett's pace caused havoc but Bulfin minimised the damage.
Kelly maintained recent hot form, posting just three wides to set against 1-12, mostly from dead balls but including two delightfully snapped-up points as well as some masterful flicks and lay-offs.
In defence the winners were for the most part equally superior. Benny Dunne hurled a lot of ball but might have been more stringently punished for the room he left dual player Stephen Lavin, whose energy and mobility were undermined by some less-than-assured striking.
Conor O'Mahony complemented a commanding half at centre back with a couple of long-range frees but had to be replaced at half-time because of flu symptoms. By then Tipperary led by seven, 1-10 to 0-6, a lead they extended by five - two coming from Shane McGrath, on for the second half - before Limerick responded.
Limerick's threatened revival was built on two goals in four minutes from Andrew O'Shaughnessy, who netted a 60th-minute penalty and then struck a free gloriously from just left of the posts across the goal and into the far top corner.
That was as good as it got for Limerick, and indeed for O'Shaugnessy, who was sent off in injury-time for a second yellow card after a wild pull on James Woodlock, whose injury turned out not to be as bad as it looked.
Replacement Séamus Callinan ensured the comeback was stillborn by taking 1-1 off his first two possessions - the goal after Corbett and Kelly had opened up the Limerick defence.
"A lot of teams put emphasis on the league," said Kelly later. "Kilkenny have won both the league and the All-Ireland in recent years. The last time we had success with the All-Ireland we won the league so I suppose we're going to treat it as seriously as the championship."
The NHL now goes into a three-week break and Tipperary will resume with a trip to Galway next month.
TIPPERARY: B Cummins; E Buckley, D Fanning, C O'Brien; D Fitzgerald, C O'Mahony (0-2, frees), B Dunne; J Woodlock (0-1), S Maher; S Butler (0-1), R O'Dwyer (0-1), P Kerwick; E Kelly (1-12, points six frees, one penalty, three 65s), L Corbett, W Ryan. Subs: P Curran for O'Mahony (half-time), S McGrath (0-2) for Maher (half-time), J O'Brien for Kerwick, S Callinan (1-1) for O'Dwyer (both 61 mins), P Stapleton for Buckley (70 mins).
LIMERICK: D Bulfin; M O'Riordan, S Lucey, M Cahill; M O'Brien, P O'Dwyer (0-1, free), D Clancy; D O'Grady, W McNamara; S Lavin, H Flavin (0-1), A O'Connor (0-1); A O'Shaughnessy (2-3, goals one penalty and one free, points all frees), P Browne, P Tobin (0-3). Subs: N Moran for O'Connor (43 mins).
Referee: Diarmuid Kirwan (Cork).
