Borris-Ileigh defeated Kiladangan by a point at MacDonagh Park in the Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship on Sunday.
Borris-Ileigh had trailed by two points with the clock already 90 seconds into injury time when Brendan Maher score a dramatic goal to claim a 2-23 to 1-25 victory for his side.
Maher - a three-time All-Ireland winner with Tipperary who retired from the inter-county game two years ago - had just re-entered the action. With Borris-Ileigh leading by 10 points at half-time, Maher had been substituted just as the second half was about to start.
In the 62nd minute, a free from Jerry Kelly on the Borris-Ileigh half-back line found Dan McCormack in the corner. McCormack took on the Kiladangan defence and popped a handpass to Maher whose strike hit the net. The game continued for five more minutes but there were no further scores.
LAZARUS HAS AROSE ✝️@Borris_GAA 2 points down in injury time in the @TipperaryGAA Senior Hurling Championship, in need of a goal...
... up steps Brendan Maher 🐐
Watch back full game here ⤵️https://t.co/01GznL82Uu pic.twitter.com/cd48weKYSK— Clubber (@clubber) August 13, 2023
"You probably want one man taking that shot, and it is Brendan," Borris-Ileigh centre-back Jerry Kelly told Clubber TV.
"The second he got it in his hand, you'd be thinking 'Surely something is going to come from this' and it did."
Borris' Eddie Ryan added: "When he was going off, I didn't know what was going on because in the dressing room he was grand talking away. I looked down and I saw him down, and I was asking Dan what was going on. Then he went off. Thankfully, he came back on. He got the goal in the end. Happy days."
19 January 2020; Brendan Maher of Borris-Ileigh, supported by team-mates Tommy Ryan and Conor Kenny, right, in action against Adrian Mullen, left, and Michael Fennelly of Ballyhale Shamrocks during the AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Final between Ballyhale Shamrocks and Borris-Ileigh at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Borris-Ileigh manager Philip Maher explained to Tipp FM that Maher had taken a knock during the first half.
I was walking out, the players were out and we saw Brendan on the field on his knee," said Maher.
"Brendan is a big player for us, obviously. I think he took some sort of a knock in the first half and he was fine. Maybe the adrenalin kicked in during the match and when he calmed down at half-time, he just got a little dizzy.
"Our physio, Holly Dunne, tested him in the HIA and we were grand, we were able to bring him back on. We were very lucky to bring him back on because he got the goal to ultimately win the game. That's what big time players like Brendan do - they get you goals when you really want them."
Borris-Ileigh had drawn their opening game of the championship against Clonoulty/Rossmore. They face Thurles Sarsfields in their final game of Group 4 in the Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship.
Full Time in NENAGH in the @TipperaryGAA Senior Hurling Championship 🏆@Borris_GAA 2-23@KiladanganGAA 1-25
A SUPERB game of hurling!
Brendan Maher coming on as a sub and scoring the all important winning goal 🤯
You must watch this game back!👇
🔗 https://t.co/8RTIDVIpju pic.twitter.com/F5U4YRvJJc— Clubber (@clubber) August 13, 2023
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