Not the polished theatre we might have envisaged, but a strange, compelling afternoon of sport nonetheless. Galway hurled themselves beyond the demons of recent years in this arid, uneasy Guinness All-Ireland quarter-final, stalling a Tipperary renaissance which foundered on a welter of stray shooting and some bad luck.
For all the stick-craft and speed which has underlined the blueprint of sunken Galway teams for over half a decade, this was a win begotten from that intangible which had somehow eluded the westerners in recent years. Iron graft, cussed stubbornness, brass neck, pure bottle . . .whatever you like to call it. While recent history is wracked with Galway teams who appeared afraid to win, yesterday presented a squad of Galway men who refused to contemplate defeat.
Yet they were pushed to the brink by Nicky English's Tipperary team which, while lapsing into a deep nightmare of shooting inaccuracy, displayed tremendous moral courage in dealing with the more unforeseeable dilemmas.
While the departure of the injured Eamonn Corcoran, who was hurling solidly in the face of an early Galway whirlwind, was a considerable blow after 24 minutes, the loss of Johnny Leahy five minutes into the restart was inestimable. Although slow in warming to the pattern of the game, Leahy had begun to hint that his insouciance and charisma alone might provide backbone enough for a telling Tipperary flourish. He played a crucial part in kickstarting the side after they trailed by 1-5 to 0-2 15 minutes in. Forcing himself into the game with a standard free, he took a pass from Shelley and beautifully sold the (ultimately outstanding) Cathal Moore before deftly hammering his second point. That instant of boldness set in motion Tipperary's most fluid period, with Eddie Enright, Mark O'Leary and Brian O'Meara unleashed.
That flow marked a stark reversal from the outset of the match, when Galway tore from the traps, the reinstated Eugene Cloonan affirming his unique calibre yet again with two delightful early points preceding a typically outrageous 20-metre free on goal which deceived the Tipperary defence and gave his team that 15th-minute platform. Mark Kerins also directed a wealth of ball during that early sunny patch, while Ollie Canning and Ollie Fahy buzzed dangerously.
There were scores enough in that period to make the subsequent plummeting descent into no-man's land hard to fathom. Galway's late first-half rally, through the lively Rory Gantley and Alan Kerins, restored their advantage but early in the second half, Tipp appeared to have a formidable grip on the game yet again.
Yet a Gantley free after 49 minutes levelled the game at 1-11 to 0-14 and then the game spun on a prolonged and fatalistic macabre dance. Both sides appeared suffocated by the tightness of the arena. Proven attackers on both sides found their sorcery invalid during this ragged, patternless period. Tipperary will reflect upon this scoring void with particular glumness, when marksmen like Tommy Dunne and Eugene O'Neill found their radars betraying them. Neither side scored during for 14 critical minutes in the wilderness.
Yet during that time, defenders on both sides exhibited raw and unyielding moments of grace. For the losers, John Carroll gave an unadorned and lionhearted display of defensive hurling and Donnacha Fahey, thrown in early on, also kept a puritan quarter. Paul Ormonde, after facing down an early period of sustained hellfire, cleared an amount of ball and Philip Maher finishes this season as one to watch.
At the other end, there were similar performances of deep, instinctive courage. Brian Feeney was the stonewall of a fullback line which hurled well at times, but suffered for a few critical lapses. Moore and Paul Hardiman were unfailingly resolute throughout the crowded and frenetic exchanges around the 40. Rory Gantley's thirst for duty was unquenchable.
It all hinged on which side would flinch in the midst of this dustbowl period and at times, either side might have broken away decisively. That it was Joe Rabbitte who ultimately snapped the stranglehold after 63 minutes was no great surprise. Four times the Athenry man had risen to fetch consecutive balls and while Galway failed to profit from them, the omens were there. With seven minutes remaining, he bore down on a loose ball and, instead of seeking the quick lay-off, fired on instinct. It was a crucial point, leaving the game balanced at 1-12 to 0-14.
Throughout this barren sequence, Mattie Murphy and Nicky English were scheming and changing like master chessmen and both managers wrung everything from their artilleries.
After Rabbitte's point, Galway came again and when a loose ball squirted Kevin Broderick's way, the substitute cracked it over to leave his side two up. From the restart, O'Neill squared a ball for young Eoin Kelly and with nearly his first touch, the minor star lobbed a point which left the minimum between them. Then the introduction of David Tierney opened invaluable avenues to a struggling Galway attack in the closing 10 minutes.
Yet Tipperary were keen and alive to the end. Galway goalkeeper Michael Crimmins got wood to a bolt from a crowded goalmouth after Enright sent in a venomous cross. And Liam Cahill saw a real chance drift wide. Galway watched this and dug deep, finishing the match with a crisp and devastating sweep. Feeney found Rabbitte, the captain whipped it on to Cloonan, and the marksman steadied himself before driving the closing score.
The sight of Brendan Cummins, who crucially denied Rabbitte in the first half, trundling forward for a 40-metre prayer on goal signalled the end for Tipperary. It was a tough finish to a brave season from which English can salvage much to build on.
Galway, meanwhile, rejoiced, for once feeling the bright side of the breaks.
