Video: Anthony Cunningham embracing Noel McGrath at full-time is everything that’s good in sport

The best moment in Croker.

Have we all managed to get our breath back? No, me neither! Galway will be taking on Kilkenny in the All-Ireland Hurking final after the Tribesmen overcame Tipperary by 0-26 to 3-16 in one of the most enthralling and riveting games of hurling that we’ve been treated to in a long time.

If the game was a novel then it would definitely be categorised as a thriller and for a brief moment, it seemed like the returning Noel McGrath was going to write the final fairytale chapter as he came off the bench with just 8 minutes left to put the Premier County in the lead with just a few minutes remaining.

As hurling fans know, only four months ago the Loughmore-Castleiney man was undergoing surgery for testicular cancer and the ovation that he got after running onto the turf at Croke Park was something to behold.

Despite the best efforts of Tipp, especially a sublime performance from Seamus Callanan, it wasn’t to be as Galway march on.

The full-time whistle was greeted with a swell of emotion as happiness, euphoria and joy were all seen on the faces of the Galway players but Anthony Cunningham deserves special praise here for heading directly to McGrath to offer him a few comforting words.

The wonderful GAA page Rory’s Stories captured this incredible moment of sportsmanship that shows that while winning is important, there’s so much more to GAA and life than just what happens on the field.