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How Tipp Beat Kilkenny In The All-Ireland Final: As It Happened (Frenetically)

How Tipp Beat Kilkenny In The All-Ireland Final: As It Happened (Frenetically)
Paul Ring
By Paul Ring
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So then, these two again. For all of the Deise potential, for all of Clare’s promise, it was Tipperary – the Ahab to Brian Cody and Kilkenny’s black and amber whale.

Tipp have rightly been seen as Kilkenny’s biggest challengers over the last decade. They have actually managed to spear the great beast once or twice and they entered this game as the slightest of favourites. How Kilkenny – chasing a three in a row and victors ten times in these teams last twelve meetings - managed to crawl on the surface of the radar in the lead up to this game is a mystery and a tribute to Cody’s relentless excellence at the expectation game.

Ronan Maher lords it

The teams were level at 6 points apiece after 15 minutes and it was Ronan Maher - in his first All Ireland final that stood out in that period - one bone shuddering hit on Liam Blanchfield the highlight:

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Callanan on fire

Tipperary seemed to be getting on the end of every broken ball, their vaunted inside forward trident had all registered scores from play by the 25th minute and Seamus Callanan was feasting on Joey Holden. One wondrous point before half time drew gasps:

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Tipp happier at the half

The teams were level on ten occasions in that first half but it was Tipperary with a two point lead and a bank of big plays that had to be happier as the half-time whistle went:

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The Crucial third quarter - the Beast awakens

Kilkenny predictably stormed out of the gates to open the half. Debutant Kevin Kelly - this year's Walter Walsh, first passed up a glorious goal opportunity before poking home to an empty net. After that stellar first half, Tipperary were two points down in the blink of an eye:

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...but Tipp's forwards charged back 

Rather than be broken by the inevitable Kilkenny fightback, Tipp stormed back into the game. It was John 'Bubbles' O'Dywer who put any notion of Tipp meekly accepting their fate to bed with a sensational goal after 47 minutes. Tipp had seen the Kilkenny second half charge and they raised it:

The Seamus Callanan Final

A breathless Michael Duignan described Callanan's performance as one of the greatest in All Ireland final history after the full forward plundered his 8th point from play in the 56th minute. Joey Holden was having every full back's nightmare as we started to wonder why Brian Cody wasn't trying to stop the deluge:

The final flicker of life: the Hogan goal keeps Kilkenny in it. Just.

After John McGrath seemed to inflict the final blow on the Champions, Richie Hogan swept in a terrific goal to keep Kilkenny breathing. All over the field though, the black and amber was being engulfed. Tipp led by seven with seven minutes left:

The game is up for the champs

In the end, it wasn't close. Kilkenny kept it relatively close on the scoreboard for so long because they have been that good. Not even Brian Cody - wizard that he is - could conjure a performance that could live with Tipperary in this form.

Tipperary can look back on an incredible year. They filleted Waterford, answered character questions against Galway and frankly blew away Kilkenny here. A new tyrant might be about to sweep across the Hurling landscape, one spearheaded by the monumental Seamus Callanan - 0-13 points in total.

 

 

 

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