Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship quarter-final
Tipperary 3-23 Antrim 0-6

A SECOND HALF Tipperary blitz saw them power past Antrim in Saturday's All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship quarter-final at Croke Park.

Cait Devane was the star of the show for the Premier County, hitting the first of her two goals just seconds after half-time that would prove to be the game breaker as Antrim couldn't recover.

The Saffrons had been well in contention for long periods of the opening half as they kept the Munster outfit at bay, but it was a bit of a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul as that left them a little light in attack.

The defensive approach would only work for so long as Tipp went a lot more direct from the start of the second period and they were then able to open Antrim up and pile on the scores to effectively have things wrapped up in the space of 10 minutes.

"It was about containment for us," Antrim manager Elaine Dowds said of the opening half.

"We knew what we were up against and everybody expected us to get hammered, but I was more than happy with the first half.

"We had to (pull a forward back) and really had no choice as we had to be defensive, contain and hopefully that would settle us down and give a bit of belief we could contain them in the second half.

"On a day like today, you need things to go your way. You need Roisín (McCormick), Caitrín (Dobbin) and Áine (Magill) to get those lucky breaks and get the scores.

"The goal killed us as we were three points down (in the first half) and then went five (at half-time). The next thing it's eight and then ten. At ten down we were thinking should we stay defensive, but at 10 it's not working so let's just go man to man."

The initial exchanges saw both sides initiate an attack, but Tipperary were beginning to exert a little more pressure and were rewarded with the opening score in the fourth minute as Grace O'Brien found her range.

Roisín McCormick levelled from a free and then Antrim briefly took the lead as Niamh Donnelly landed a monster free from inside her own half.

Tipp were soon level as Clodagh McIntyre got onto a loose ball and split the posts from an angle on the right and then Cait Devane nudged them back in front.

Antrim were living off scraps in attack but defending stoutly with a McCormick free typing things up again, but Tipperary were starting to dominate, especially around the middle as they played some clever ball into the forwards and the scores began to flow.

Eimear McGrath nailed a free with Devane then putting Roisin Howard in a for a point before converting a free to open a three point lead.

The Premier defence was well on top with Antrim unable to get a lot going in the attack but they finally had their first score from play on 24 minutes as Donnelly linked up well with McCormick to turn and fire over.

McGrath and McCormick traded frees before Tipp enjoyed a productive run to the short whistle as Casey Hennessy galloped through for a score - her last act before being replaced - and then Devane and McGrath converted frees in stoppage time as Tipperary took a 0-10 to 0-5 lead into the half.

Tipp came out for the second half with that gap and they wasted little time in extending it as they were straight on the front foot with Caoimhe Maher hooked, but Devane was there to whip the loose ball to the net.

Niamh Donnelly looks for a pass with Eimear McGrath for company
3Gallery

Niamh Donnelly looks for a pass with Eimear McGrath for company

The scores then began to flow with Caoimhe McCarthy on target, Devane landing a beauty of a point from under the Hogan Stand, McGrath and then Caoimhe Maher to ensure all six starting forwards were on the board.

There was no let up as Antrim couldn't gain any traction in the forwards with McGrath, Devane and Roisín Howard splitting the posts to put the gap out to 13 midway through the second half and then goal number two game on 47 minutes as Eimear Heffernan finished the rebound after Caoimhe McCarthy's initial effort was saved by Caitriona Graham.

Heffernan added a point immediately after with Clodagh McIntyre hitting her second of the game with Antrim finally getting their first, and only, point of the second period as Caitrín Dobbin converted a free.

They needed much more but it wasn't forthcoming with Tipperary hitting back with their third goal that was the pick of the bunch as McCarthy burst through, popped a high pass out to Devane on the right of goal and the full-forward doubled overhead and found the far corner of the net.

This underlined Tipperary's dominance as they finished with a flurry to march into the last four.

It may not have felt like it in the immediate aftermath, but progress has been made for Antrim this year.

Two years ago they won the Intermediate Championship, competed well in the group stage last year and this time they went one further by reaching the knockout stage, so it is about now trying to close the gap on the top teams in the coming years.

Aoife McGrath gets out in front of Roisín McCormick and Siobhan McKillop
3Gallery

Aoife McGrath gets out in front of Roisín McCormick and Siobhan McKillop

"Last year we didn't get to the quarter-final, so you have to look at it that way," Dowds added.

"Last year we had Chloe Drain, Nicole O'Neill, Lucia McNaughton all year and didn't have those players all year. We lost Meabh Laverty and about half a dozen players who were senior last year.

"Everybody who came in this year stood up, so we have made progress as we brought new players in.

"You have Division 1A and 1B in the league for a reason and the 1B teams are all much of a muchness. On any given day (they can beat each) other but then you have those top five or six in front.

"This (Tipperary) is a team that's been about for a long time sop let's not take that away from them. They are experienced with very good players. You just saw today they were hungry and wanted it, had that belief that was missing from us.

"You have to look at it as a journey. You can't expect miracles in one or two years, it doesn't happen like that."

TIPPERARY: A Slattery; J Bourke, M Eviston, A Loughman; C Quirke, K Kennedy, A McGrath; T Ryan, C Hennessy (0-1); R Howard (0-2), C Maher (0-1), E McGrath (0-5, all frees); G O'Brien (0-1), C Devane (2-6, 0-3 frees), C McIntyre (0-2).
Subs: C McCarthy (0-1) for C Hennessy (28), E Heffernan (1-3) for G O'Brien (HT), M Ryan for A McGrath (40), C Maher for T Ryan (44), C Ryan (0-1) for T Ryan (50)

ANTRIM: C Graham; C Patterson, K Laverty, M Lynn; N Donnelly (0-1 free), A Boyle, L McKenna; A Connolly, L McNaughton; S McKillop, R McCormick (0-4, 3 frees), C Dobbin (0-1 free); K McKillop, M McKillen, A Magill
Subs: F Kelly for S McKillop (41), C McArthur for M McKillen (41), E McShane for K McKillop (51), M McGarry for L McKenna (51), E Kearns for C Patterson (57)

REFEREE: Andy Larkin (Cork)