All-Ireland champions Tipperary signalled their intentions for repeating the dose with an emphatic 3-21 to 0-12 victory over Limerick in the ESB Munster MHC semi-final at the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday. Tipperary 3-21 Limerick 0-12 Fielding a half dozen of the side that claimed All-Ireland honours during the previous campaign, Tipperary delivered an impressive performance from start to finish to oust a Limerick side, who failed to land a telling blow. Most of the damage was done by the Premier County in the opening period as they raced into a 2-11 to 0-6 interval advantage. An early Patrick Maher goal sent Tipperary on their way and when Michael Heffernan found the net in the closing stages of the half, the writing was firmly on the wall for Limerick. Noel McGrath, one of the six survivors from last years panel, dominated the midfield battlezone and John O'Neill and Maher thrived on a plentiful supply of ball. As the third quarter drew to a close, Tipperary had extended their advantage to 2-16 to 0-9 and Maher added a sheen of gloss to the scoreline by netting for a second time when he gathered in a long puck forward by Noel McGrath before firing home. Niall Maher was the only Limerick player to make any noteworthy contribution as he accumulated a personal tally of seven points but his side were outclassed by a Tipperary side that look capable of mounting a serious challenge for back-to-back All-Irelands. Tipperary - J Logue, K O'Gorman, P Maher, S O'Brien, D O'Connor, J Coughlan, M Cahill, N McGrath 0-2, J Gallagher, S Hennessy 0-4, S Carey 1-0, B Maher, M Heffernan 0-3, B Maher 0-7, J O'Neill 0-4. Subs - J Barry 0-1 for McGrath, P Acheson for P Maher 2-0, D O'Brien for O'Neill, P O'Brien for Cahill Limerick - B Hennessy, B O'Connor, J O'Riordan, P Browne, E Gleeson, N Quaid, M Deegan, B O'Brien 0-1, G Mulcahy 0-2, P O'Brien, N Maher 0-5, S Madden, S Tobin, G Barron, T O'Brien 0-4. Subs - D Lynch for O'Connor, T O'Brien for B O'Brien, E Fitzgibbon for Gleeson, D Quaid for Madden Referee - C Lyons (Cork) Tweet

Most Read Stories