All-Ireland SHC final: Tipp stun Cats
September 05, 2010
Lar Corbett leaves Noel Hickey in his wake on the way to scoring the first of his three goals in the 2010 All-Ireland SHC final at Croke Park - INPHO
Lar Corbett bagged a hat-trick of goals for the new All-Ireland champions, while captain Eoin Kelly clipped over seven points from frees. The Premier County were outstanding all over the field, while the Cats failed to produce the quality we all know they're capable of.
With the wind at their backs, Tipp dominated the first half but a late unanswered burst of 1-2 from the holders left them within a point at the short whistle, 1-10 to 1-9. Richie Power got the goal on 32 minutes and the No.14 also contributed six pointed frees in the first half, with Eoin Kelly knocking over four at the other end.
Corbett brilliantly took Tipp's first-half goal on ten minutes and Liam Sheedy's charges produced some good stuff with the wind at their backs, but battling Kilkenny somehow stayed in touch despite losing Henry Shefflin to a recurrence of his knee injury after only 13 minutes.
Both sides started as selected and there was an electric atmosphere in GAA HQ prior to throw-in, as the capacity crowd prepared to witness history in the making. The setting was conversely dark and gloomy and the defending champions opted to play against the strong, swirling breeze in the first half, hurling with their backs to The Hill.
The Cats had early misses from Shefflin (free) and TJ Reid, who dropped his effort into Brendan Cummins' arms. At the other end, Kelly opened the scoring from a third-minute free. Shefflin tied the scores up on four minutes from a 45-metre free in front of the posts.
When Brendan Maher won a free off John Tennyson, Kelly thumped over another Tipp free to make it 0-2 to 0-1 in the sixth minute. We witnessed some brilliant defending from Paul Curran, John Dalton and Jackie Tyrrell before Noel McGrath dropped a weak shot into PJ Ryan's arms. Conditions were proving extremely difficult but Tyrrell was mastering even the elements as he produced some strong defending.
Kelly's tenth-minute free punished a Dalton push and the underdogs led by two, 0-3 to 0-1, with the breeze wreaking havoc. Coming up to the ten-minute mark, Corbett registered the first score from play - and what a score it was! The Tipp No.15 was in at full forward and he easily beat Noel Hickey under the dropping ball, gathering possession and drilling the sliothar to the net.
John O'Brien added a fourth Tipp point after Reid's poor effort was easily saved by Brendan Cummins and The Cats' desperate gamble on Shefflin blew up in their faces after only 13 minutes when the talismanic marksman had to leave the fray with a knee injury, replaced by Michael Rice. It had been a nightmare start for the Black & Amber and their five-in-a-row bid was in tatters inside the first quarter.
Richie Power closed the gap from a free and Aidan Fogarty added another before the impressive Brendan Maher replied for the Munster side. The first quarter ended with outstanding young midfielder Maher receiving treatment after taking a blow from Tyrrell and Tipp ahead by five points, 1-5 to 0-3.
Another Kelly point from a free stretched the Premier lead and Eddie Brennan miscued a first-time shot at goal from close range after being set up by Eoin Larkin, who might feel he should have been awarded a free. Power clipped a free between the posts at the Davin End in the 21st minute but Maher retorted with his second point within seconds.
Power's free went to the left and wide but Reid scooped over an exquisite Kilkenny point. Noel McGrath kicked Tipp's first wide, having darted at the heart of the Kilkenny defence, while Power drilled over his third point from a free in the middle of the pitch in the 26th minute. Suddenly, the scoreboard was looking more encouraging for the holders: 0-6 to 1-7.
When Power stroked over another free from a central position - the ball having been moved forward for dissent - there was just a goal between then teams, and Kilkenny should then have been awarded a free when Larkin appeared to be fouled. The decision went the other way and it proved critical as Tipp 'keeper Brendan Cummins came out to strike the sliothar from distance between the posts for his first-ever championship point.
On the stroke of the half-hour, O'Brien nonchalantly fired over a superb point from the left wing to put his side five ahead, 1-9 to 0-7. Cummins' next long-range free culminated in a deflected Gearóid Ryan shot dropping over the bar.
Three minutes from the break, Power threw the Noresiders a lifeline when dispatching clinically to the back of the net after a great run and set-up from Larkin. That three-pointer halved the six-point deficit to three and Power popped over his fifth point from a free to make it a two-point game approaching the break.
Power won and converted a free in first-half injury time to leave the minimum between them at the turnaround.
The breeze dropped slightly before the start of the second half and Cummins had to be alert to deal with a low Power shot in the first minute. Power's next effort came back off an upright and Eddie Brennan wasn't sharp enough under the rebound. Gearóid Ryan hit a Tipp wide before Reid levelled the sides in the 39th minute with a beautifully-struck sideline cut.
When Patrick Maher was fouled, Kelly tapped a 21-metre free over the bar to restore the Premier County lead - a lead they would never relinsuish. In the 42nd minute, Corbett got his second goal - a brilliant finish but great credit must also go to Noel McGrath for the skill and vision he demonstrated in sending his team-mate through on goal. Wonderful link-up play by the Tipp corner men.
Unbelievably, two minutes later, Noel McGrath was on hand to register Tipp's third goal when the Kilkenny defence failed to deal with Cummins' high delivery. The ball broke loose and McGrath reacted quickest to slam it to the empty net from close range.
It was a seven-point game ten minutes into the second half: 3-11 to 1-10.
Power knocked over a free and Noel McGrath sent one wide at the other end after a great fetch by Corbett. Michael Rice was the next Cat to be fouled by the Tipp defence and again it was Power who popped the free over.
Quite incredibly, Kilkenny had scored only three times from play inside the first 51 minutes and the concern was all too evident on Brian Cody's face as he made a double substitution, bringing in Derek Lyng and Martin Comerford in place of James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick and Brennan.
A Cummins error gifted Reid his third point and the Black & Amber were unlucky when Tommy Walsh' high delivery somehow went straight through to the Tipp custodian. Lyng brought the holders back within a goal when he slotted over a timely point and it was 3-11 to 1-14 with 15 minutes remaining.
Kelly banged over a super long-range free into the wind - his sixth - after Stapleton was felled by Tyrrell. Reid pointed for the Noresiders and Tipp sub Seamus Callanan was on target within seconds of entering the fray to make it a four-point match with eleven minutes to go.
Another long Kilkenny delivery went through to Cummins and Michael Cahill produced some heroic defending before Callanan brilliantly popped over his second point. When Power sent a free wide and then JJ Delaney was punished for a throw-ball, it looked like it was going to be Tipp's day. Kelly converted the free like a stake through Kilkenny hearts and the challengers had a healthy six-point advantage with only five minutes left.
Tennyson sent another free wide and Power drilled a point over the bar when he probably should have gone for goal. His side still trailed by five with less than four minutes left. Substitute John Mulhall closed the gap to four and Michael Fennelly added to the growing Kilkenny wides tally.
As the match went into three minutes of injury time, Tipp still led by four, and it was a six-point game when subs Benny Dunne and Seamus Hennessy dinked over two stunning points in the space of ten seconds.
In the last minute of injury time, Corbett completed his hat-trick of goals to put the tin hat on an extraordinary day out in the capital for the Premier County. Rice bagged a consolation point for Brian Cody's men but the spoils deservedly went to Tipperary today. Worthy champions.
Tipperary: Brendan Cummins (0-1); Paddy Stapleton, Paul Curran, Michael Cahill; Declan Fanning, Conor O'Mahony, Padraic Maher; Brendan Maher (0-2), Shane McGrath; Gearóid Ryan (0-1), Patrick Maher, John O'Brien (0-2); Noel McGrath (1-0), Eoin Kelly (0-7), Lar Corbett (3-0). Subs: Conor O'Brien, Seamus Callanan (0-2), Benny Dunne (0-1), David Young, Seamus Hennessy (0-1).
Kilkenny: PJ Ryan; John Dalton, Noel Hickey, Jackie Tyrrell; Tommy Walsh, John Tennyson, JJ Delaney; James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick, Michael Fennelly; TJ Reid (0-4), Henry Shefflin (0-1), Eoin Larkin; Eddie Brennan, Richie Power (1-9), Aidan Fogarty (0-1). Subs: Michael Rice (0-1), Derek Lyng (0-1), Martin Comerford, Richie Hogan, John Mulhall (0-1). Tweet
