2001 success kept the flame burning

KILLINAN END

“It is 13 years since the counties met in an All-Ireland Final. Today will be lucky 13 for either Tipperary or Galway. Will it be Noel Lane who halts the Premier County yet again... or will we have the final chapter in the golden boy’s career, a chapter where English returns with Liam?” The questions were posed by former Galway hurler Peter Finnerty on the morning of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final 25 years ago.

Tipperary were outsiders. One preview predicted a Galway victory to usher in a period of domination for the Corribsiders. After all, the county had won four Minor and two Under-21 All-Irelands in the previous decade. Expectation went into overdrive after Galway’s surprise semi-final victory over All-Ireland champions Kilkenny. It was a mirage.

If Galway had reached the final in sudden, explosive fashion, Tipp had ground out the hard yards. A dour, intense battle with Clare in early June was routine by that stage. Tipp edged it by 15 points to 14. During the national anthem, Declan Ryan held a reassuring arm around young corner-forwards Eoin Kelly and Lar Corbett.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh virtually shook when substitute John Leahy emerged on the sideline. His arrival unleashed mayhem - throaty eruptions from Ballina to Ballyporeen, while Clare’s players bucked like young calves on their first day at grass. It was volcanic - but fleeting - as we were witnessing the final chapter of the Mullinahone maestro’s career in the sacred jersey. The dreaded cruciate ended his championship within minutes.

Tipp returned on a sweltering July day to face Limerick in the Munster Final. The Shannonsiders had already beaten Waterford and Cork on Leeside. On the latter occasion Diarmuid O’Sullivan bulldozed Jack Foley before scoring a point from an unlikely distance - unlikely, at least, back in 2001.

Tipp’s Munster Final started perfectly, with six points from five different forwards inside ten minutes. It ended with hearts in mouths and just a two-point margin. Would Tipp meet the neighbours again under the new system? Certainly, few anticipated Wexford’s ambush of Limerick in the quarter-final, inspired by two penalty goals from goalkeeper Damian Fitzhenry.

Tipp had reason for confidence heading into the semi-final against Wexford. The Munster champions enjoyed an eight-point lead early in the second half, and supporters’ thoughts drifted towards September. But by the time the ball was pucked out after Wexford’s third goal - two of them scored by wing-back Larry O’Gorman - we were simply happy to hear the whistle.

On the following Saturday, in the rain, a big win came courtesy of two goals from Eugene O’Neill and another from John Carroll, now enjoying a new lease of life in the forwards. Victory was marred by the sending-off of Brian O’Meara, whose athleticism added an important extra dimension to Tipp’s forwards. He got sucked into a digging match with Liam Dunne, who thrived on such confrontation. The straight red card carried dire consequences with an All-Ireland final looming. The headlines, however, were quickly consumed by Galway’s extraordinary victory over Kilkenny the following day. Galway played with fourteen men for over forty minutes, Eugene Cloonan scored 2-9, while a distinguished Noreside full-forward line of Carter-Carey-Shefflin managed just a single point from play.

Maroon and white stock soared. Mike McNamara, an architect of Clare’s revival during the 1990s, was now Galway’s trainer. Fire and brimstone were entry-level requirements. The Scariff man often spoke about the need for “men” to win an All-Ireland - a subject on which, after helping to end Clare’s 81-year wait, he now spoke with authority. Taking down Kilkenny only added to the myth.

Did Tipp have men? Did they what? Tipp reserved perhaps their most complete display for Galway. Philip Maher, a colossus at full-back, personified traditional Tipperary defiance, while Brendan Cummins made several vital interventions in goal. On a day he emulated Matt Hassett in bringing Liam MacCarthy to the home of the famed Greyhounds, Tommy Dunne floated above the action, hurley like a wand, bending proceedings to his will. All-Ireland winning captain, Man of the Match, Hurler of the Year – he’d probably have won the Grand National too. Declan Ryan, no longer fleet of foot, but still powerful and devilishly clever, created one of Mark O’Leary’s goals, while pure Kilruane doggedness earned the other.

Tipp were never led in what surely remains one of our sweetest All-Irelands. We have had better teams but we have rarely had a more important one. They had character and courage, and Roscrea’s great Kieran Carey marvelled after the Wexford replay at the skill and style of this team of seven All-Stars. Their title had a broader importance. It would have been a long, stony road from 1991 to 2010 without this victory. We had won just one Under-21 title (1995) in twelve years and one Minor title (1996) in nineteen. This group kept the flame alive and will be remembered fondly in the homes of Tipperary. Oh, and they were invincible too: National League and All-Ireland champions, unbeaten in thirteen games. That’ll do. And, of course, the golden boy delivered. Never in doubt.