For the second day, goals won matches. It was a great display by Tipperary after a terrible start but it was also deserved, even allowing for the scoreboard controversy that I only became aware of after the match.
All through Tipperary had a better touch than Kilkenny and their hurling was sharper, but it still looked ominous when it took 13 minutes for them to score a point after a bad start.
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John McGrath’s goal was vital to steady the ship and keep them afloat in that opening quarter of an hour. They needed all of their goals and the three in the first half gave them a half-time lead, which was a remarkable achievement after Kilkenny’s early dominance.
Despite that, I felt Kilkenny’s touch was off and they fumbled and turned over a lot of possession, including for some of the goals. Oisín O’Donoghue blocked a hand pass by Richie Reid to set up Jason Forde’s point from play.
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There were also turnovers for O’Donoghue’s goal, which was brilliantly taken. It was hard for him to get the shot away, but he did, and on a day when Tipp seemed to get the bounce of the ball, it found the corner of Eoin Murphy’s net. I think though it was a reward for their hard work and some excellent displays.
Robert Doyle blocked the John Donnelly goal chance at the end and Bryan O’Mara put in a phenomenal shift in defence. Eoghan Connolly and Conor Stakelum scored three points apiece when the pressure was on.
Andrew Ormond has had a fantastic season and really stood up at the end, winning a couple of frees which Jason Forde did very well to convert.
I had been impressed by how hard working and resilient they have been and Liam Cahill deserves great credit for patiently rebuilding the team. They are getting better as they progress.
On the debit side, Darragh McCarthy had his second high-profile red card this championship. He’s a young and talented player but he needs to adjust to senior hurling and cut out careless actions.
For Kilkenny, it was a major disappointment. They had been hoping to redeem last year’s semi-final defeat against Clare. By half-time they had conceded three goals and you knew they wouldn’t beat Tipp without scoring at least one themselves.
They really need an injection of new blood if they are to stay in contention. At the moment they have a definite ceiling and Tipperary are likely to get better.
For now, it’s a first Tipp-Cork All-Ireland. We know all our lives that it takes on a life of its own and could go either way, but Cork will be justified favourites. However, for Tipperary, it’s been a huge success to get to this point and they won’t be easily beaten.
