Kerry beat a decent Tipperary side by 0-16 to 0-10 at sunny Semple Stadium.

While the Kingdom were never at their best, the Premier County to their credit offered stern resistance and could have been even closer at the final whistle but for some wayward shooting and a couple of Brendan Kealy saves.

As it is, the reigning provincial champions are through to face arch rivals Cork at the semi-final stage in a fortnight's time.

Kerry led by 0-9 to 0-6 at the end of an interesting - if far from compelling - first half, Colm Cooper (3) and Bryan Sheehan (2) accounting for most of their scores. Late overs from debutant Michael Quinivan and Alan Maloney kept Peter Creedon's charges in touch at the interval.

Tipp received a blow during the first half when they lost inspirational centre back Robbie Costigan to injury.

On a glorious sunny days in Thurles, with temperatures soaring into the mid-20s, both sides started as selected and conditions were pretty much perfect for a fine day of championship fare. For the first leg of the double header at Semple Stadium, both sides started as selected earlier in the week.

Paddy Codd's foul on Declan O'Sullivan presented Bryan Sheehan with the opening point from a free inside the first minute and Clonmel Commercials teenager Michael Quinlivan stroked over the equaliser with a lovely third-minute free from the pristine deck.

Rockwell Rovers' Alan Maloney floated over a sixth-minute free off the ground with his left boot to put the underdogs in front and Peter Acheson slotted over a third Premier County point - the match's first score from open play arriving in the seventh minute: 0-3 to 0-1 to Tipp.

Colm Cooper's first shot at the target drifted wide. The hosts had started well and their hunger was underlined by three excellent blocks inside a minute in their full-back line. Eoin Brosnan showed his quality with a spectacular piece of fielding but the Kingdom were unable to make possession count.

Their touch was very suspect in the early exchanges, with Paul Galvin looking particularly rusty.

Sheehan sent a free wide from the 45-metre line but in the 13th minute 2004 Footballer of the Year Tomas O Se sliced over a sublime Kerry point off the outside of his right foot. Kerry's next attack came to nothing when Patrick Curtin was penalised for two hops but Cooper was on hand to bang over the leveller on 15 minutes.

Maloney and and Kieran O'Leary exchanged wides at either end and Sheehan had the favourites in front again with a facile finish from open play. Philip Austin provided the equaliser but Darran O'Sullivan, O'Leary and midfielder Anthony Maher all fired over Kerry points to make it 0-7 to 0-4 after 26 minutes. O'Sullivan and O'Leary both had goal chances but opted to take their points.

'Gooch' dummied his man to fire over an eighth Kingdom point - their seventh from play - and Cooper tapped over a free following a foul on Darran O'Sullivan. But Tipp never rolled over and they finished the half strongly with points from Quinlivan and Maloney, who drilled over a fantastic free from the ground with the last kick before the short whistle.

Maloney opened the second half scoring with a sublime point from play over his shoulder but Kerry replied via a Sheehan free, with Tipp full back Codd seeing yellow for his troubles. The Killenaul man would now be walking on egg shells for the remaining 33 minutes or so…

Peter Crowley's foul on Acheson presented Maloney with another opportunity to shine and the No.13 made no mistake with another radar-like finish off that trusty left foot. He was now the game's leading marksman on 0-4 - and Tipp were within striking distance at 0-10 to 0-8.

Kerry's defence was all at sea as Hugh Coughlan stormed through from midfield and drilled a powerful shot goalwards, only to be denied by Brendan Kealy, who diverted the ball over the bar with a full-stretch save directly above his head. Either side of the goalkeeper and the ball would have hit the roof of the net. Still, the margin was now down to a single point.

Jack O'Connor reacted by introducing Chelsea fan Kieran Donaghy in place of the ineffective Galvin after Sheehan had knocked over a simple free from in front of the posts. At the other end, Quinlivan hit the post with an equally-easy free that he should have converted.

Donaghy won a free with great perseverance - almost losing his jersey - and Sheehan again hit the target to make it a three-point game after 50 minutes. And Cooper thumped over another free 60 seconds later to make it 0-13 to 0-9.

There were just four between the teams at the three-quarters stage but all the momentum was with Kerry and a rash of substitutions had injected new life into them, with Brian Maguire, Barry John Keane and James O'Donoghue all entering the action.

Declan O'Sullivan stretched Kerry's lead but Acheson replied with an excellent Tipp score on 57 minutes - 0-14 to 0-10. Ciaran McDonald and Donaghy picked up a yellow card each for wrestling off the ball.

Quinlivan blazed a goal effort high and wide before O'Donoghue restored Kerry's five-point cushion and the introduction of Aidan O'Mahony meant Kerry had emptied their bench with about nine minutes to go.

Both sides were off target again as the match petered out and Sheehan stroked over an injury-time free for the winners. Kealy made a late save from Austin to keep the winning margin at six.

Kerry: Brendan Kealy; Shane Enright, Daniel Bohan, Killian Young; Tomas O Se (0-1), Eoin Brosnan, Peter Crowley; Anthony Maher (0-1), Bryan Sheehan (0-6); Paul Galvin, Darran O'Sullivan (0-1), Kieran O'Leary (0-1); Colm Cooper (0-4), Declan O'Sullivan (0-1), Patrick Curtin. Subs: Kieran Donaghy, Brian Maguire, Barry John Keane, James O'Donoghue (0-1), Aidan O'Mahony.

Tipperary: Paul Fitzgerald; Andrew Morrissey, Paddy Codd , Ciaran McDonald; Brian Fox, Robbie Costigan, Alan Campbell ; George Hannigan, Hugh Coghlan (0-1); Lorcan Egan, Peter Acheson (0-2), Shane Scully; Alan Maloney (0-4), Michael Quinlivan (0-2), Philip Austin (0-1). Subs: Donagh Leahy, Richie Ryan, Bernard O'Brien, Aldo Matasa. Tweet

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