With Conor Hogan
Wrap up: No team in either hurling or football has managed five-in-a-row. The last team in hurling to win four-in-a-row were Cork between 1941 and 1944. In football, it was Kerry between 1978 and 1981, and they were ultimately defeated by Offaly in ’82, 1-15 to 0-17 points. Like the ’82 final, Kilkenny were today defeated by the team they had beaten the previous year.
Tipperary were magnificent today from start to finish and absolutely deserved their victory. At half time, Tipp were unfortunate to be only a point ahead. In the second half they pulled ahead with two great goals, only for Kilkenny to continue to reign their lead in. In the end, however, Tipp showed terrific strength of character, and never left Kilkenny’s fight-back rattle them. The difference between this year and last was that Tipp managed to put the goals away. Five under 21s were in Tipperary’s team today, so they will undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.
Thanks very much for joining us today.
Join us again for the football final on 19 September.
“He came in when the ship was sinking. But boy is it sailing today. All the way from Portroe, our messiah, our leader, Liam Sheedy,” says Eoin Kelly.
Eoin Kelly becomes the first man from the South Division of Tipperary to pick up the trophy as captain. “2009 is dead and buried, 2010 is truly alive,” he says.
“I’m just so proud of this bunch. We we’re gutted last year, but we said we’d be back,” says Liam Sheedy.
1705:
It’s all over. After a magnificent performance, Tipperary have won the All-Ireland title.
Full time
Who could’ve imagined it could end up this comfortable. A ball is played into Lar Corbett who beats PJ Ryan for his hat-trick. Michael Rice hits a consolation point for Kilkenny.
Goal Tipperary
Benny Dunne scores a magnificent point. Talk about redemption. Seamus Hennessey scores a point as well. Tipp are definitely going to win this now.
David Young comes on and almost gets sent off straight away with a rash tackle. Michael Fennelly hits a shot wide from a distance.
Richie Power has a chance for a goal, but takes the safe option and puts the ball over the bar. That’s 1-9 for the Carrickshock man now.
John Tennyson hits a free right and wide. It’s all going wrong for the Cats today.
J.J. Delaney is penalised for a throw. From the resulting free, Eoin Kelly taps the ball over the bar. Six points is the lead now.
Benny Dunne comes on for Shane McGrath. Let’s hope he doesn’t get sent off this year.
What a substitution Seamus Callinan has been. Patrick Maher plays him in and he scores another great point. Tipp have to be favourites now.
Eoin Kelly scores a terrific free from 60 yards to increase the gap to four points. TJ Reid reduces it to a goal again. Two subs for Tipp. Conor O’Brien and Seamus Callinan come on. Callinan makes an impact straight away with a point.
Tipp haven’t scored now for over ten minutes. Derek Lyng scores a point to reduce the gap to a mere goal. It’s looking ominous.
Brendan Cummins’ stray handpass goes to TJ Reid, who puts the sliotar over the bar. A rush of blood to the head of the Tipp goalie there.
Richie Power scores his eight free of the game to reduce the gap to five. Cha Fitzpatrick and Eddie Brennan are replaced by Derek Lyng and Martin Comerford.
Noel McGrath takes a free from the 65 goes wide. The wind caught him out a little there.
A long range free by Brendan Cummins from inside his own 65 is batted down, and gathered by Noel McGrath. The Loughmore-Castleiney man bundles the ball into the net. Tipp in a magnificent position now.
Goal Tipperary
Noel McGrath plays Lar Corbett in brilliantly, and the Thurles Sarsfields man blasts the ball into the back of the net. John Tennyson threw a hurley at him as he was hitting it and rightfully earns a yellow card.
Goal Tipperary
Eoin Kelly taps an easy free from straight in front of the posts over the bar. His fifth of the day, all from frees.
Brendan Cummins plays a long ball in from a free, Gearoid Ryan gathers it and has a shot for a point. It goes wide, only Tipperary’s second wide of the day. At the other end, TJ Reid hits a terrific sideline ball over the bar to level things up.
Richie Power has a chance for a point to level up the game but his effort hits the post.
36′
The ball is thrown in for the second half. The rain is absolutely torrential. It’s even affecting RTE as there are drops of water on the tv camera lenses. No changes at half time.
Half time
Richie Power adds his sixth point to go with his goal and suddenly Kilkenny are only a point behind Tipperary. How well does a team have to play to pull away from the Cats?
Larkin makes a brilliant run, before passing it into Richie Power who smashes it into the net. Power then scores a free to narrow the gap to two. The Cats don’t really deserve to be this close.
Goal Kilkenny
Brendan Cummins has an attempt from even longer than his first one, it drops short and Gearoid Ryan gathers and puts it over for Tipp.
Tipp goalkeeper Brendan Cummins scores an incredible point from inside his own 45 yard line. His first ever point in the championship. The three time Poc Fada champion was aided by the wind. John O’Brien then scores a point to make it a little more comfortable for the Premier County.
Only a goal between the teams now. Richie Power with another free.
Noel McGrath misses a great chance to get at least a point, when he chooses to attempt to kick the ball over. It is Tipp’s first wide. Richie Power scores a free at the other end.
Considering the wind, Tipp will probably need a big lead by half time. TJ Reid scores his first point to reduce the gap.
Richie Power reduces the gap to five, with his second pointed free of the day. At the other end, Brendan Maher scores a great point from a tricky angle for his second of the day.
Eoin Kelly taps over his third free the day to increase the gap to six. At the other end, Eddie Brennan mis-hits a shot at goal and it goes wide.
Richie Power taps over Kilkenny’s second point from a free. Aidan Fogarthy then scores another Kilkenny. “Do JOE.ie’s colours give away the county allegiance of the website,” asks Ryan from Kildare. Brendan Maher scores for Tipp. Up Tipp.
Brian Cody’s risk hasn’t paid off, as Henry Shefflin has to be replaced with his cruciate injury. Michael Rice replaces him.
Brendan made a good save from Eddie Brennan. At the other end, Eoin Kelly has a shot blocked, before John O’Brien taps the ball over the bar from the rebound
A long ball is played into Lar Corbett, who beats Hickey, beats Tyrell and blasts it into the net. Great start by Tipp.
Goal Tipp
John Dalton commits a foul, and Eoin Kelly taps over his and Tipp’s third point of the game.
A little stop start so far. There’s another free for Kilkenny, which Shefflin drops very short from 65 yards. Noel McGrath then has a pop at a point for Tipp, but it drops into the hands of last year’s man of the match PJ Ryan.
Henry Shefflin makes up for his earlier miss, and levels the scores with a free. Eoin Kelly puts Tipp ahead again from another free.
Eoin Kelly opens the scoring for Tipp, when he taps over a free. The Tipp fans are much louder than the Kilkenny ones so far.
Henry Shefflin hits a free a mile wide from 50 yards. TJ Reid then trys to score a point from the corner, but it floats into Brendan Cummins’ hands.
The ball is thrown in, and Kilkenny win a free straight away after a wild swing by Noel McGrath.
Tomas Mulcahy predicts Kilkenny as does Cyril Farrell. Ger Loughnane is a bit more optimistic for Tipperary.
President Mary McAleese walks onto the pitch, as TJ Reid and Eoin Kelly introduce all the players to her. As Ger Canning points out, Eoin Kelly will be the first hurler from South Tipperary to captain Tipp to All-Ireland success if they win today. Less than five minutes to go now.
To find out what we at JOE reckon will be the three make-or-break battles in today’s match click here.
The odds are interesting. Kilkenny 2/5, Tipperary 9/4, Draw 12/1. Incredible price for Tipperary really. It’s a reflection of how dominant Kilkenny have been in the last decade.
“Tipp will run them close, but Kilkenny look somewhat unstoppable and look set to fulfil their destiny on Sunday,” writes JOE’s Conor Heneghan in his preview of the All-Ireland final. Click here to read it. Personally, I think Tipperary will win. We don’t know how fit Henry Shefflin and John Tennyson will be, and five-in-a-row is a massive weight for the team to have on their shoulders. Tipperary have improved with every match they’ve played.
“All the big guns – Eoin Kelly, Lar Corbett, Noel McGrath – have to have big games for Tipp. They had big games against Kilkenny last year, and that was one of the main reasons why they were in with a chance of winning the game. That has to happen again,” reckons JOE columnist Sean Og O hAilipin. To read his column ‘Five tips for Tipp to stop five-in-a-row’ click here.
Tipperary, meanwhile, name an unchanged side from the one that defeated Waterford in the semi-final.
1450:
John Tennyson and Henry Shefflin both start despite suffering cruciate injuries. Brian Hogan is ruled out with a broken finger and Tennyson will take his place at centre-half back. Hogan has been named as a substitute and will take his place on a formidable looking bench which will also include Michael Kavanagh, Derek Lyng and Martin Comerford.
1442:
Is it an omen? Kilkenny minors have defeated Clare 2-10 to 0-14 thanks to a terrific second half performance. They were four points down at half time.
1435:
Kilkenny: PJ Ryan, John Dalton, Noel Hickey, Jackie Tyrrell, Tommy Walsh, John Tennyson, J.J. Delaney, James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick, Michael Fennelly, TJ Reid (captain), Henry Shefflin, Eoin Larkin, Eddie Brennan, Richard Power, Aidan Fogarty.
Tipperary: B Cummins; P Stapleton, P Curran, M Cahill; D Fanning, C O’Mahony, Pádraic Maher; B Maher, S McGrath; G Ryan, Patrick Maher, J O’Brien; N McGrath, E Kelly (captain), L Corbett.
