Vincent Hogan: Kelly's magic moment sees off Cats
Tipperary 1-14
Kilkenny 0-13
Richie Hogan finds it tough going against Paul Curran in Thurles. RAY MCMANUS / SPORTSFILE
Monday March 08 2010
They swung the doors of Semple Stadium open under a flamed-up sky yesterday and the low-watt glow of early season gave way to blinding light.
Maybe the best free show that sport has ever summoned saw Tipperary edging a game of authentic heat that sent the 20,254 attendance home, hungrily recycling the detail. It was, as Brian Cody later averred, "Championship-like stuff" that even drew the opposing managers into a sideline quarrel.
With the game slipping into injury-time, some Tipp players reacted angrily to what looked a late pull by JJ Delaney on prostrate substitute Jody Brennan. In the tussle that followed, Liam Sheedy exchanged angry words with Cody before appearing to push the Kilkenny manager in the chest.
To be fair to Sheedy, he immediately sought Cody out at the final whistle and they seemed to have a conciliatory exchange. And neither manager, predictably, was much interested in exploring the incident thereafter.
"Look, when the match is close like that, it's high-tempo stuff," said Sheedy, wariness travelling across his eyes.
Cody adopted the same, impassive tone, declaring simply: "No, no, there was no battle on the sideline. Look, for anyone out there at all, it's a battle.
"T'was a flat-out game, huge commitment from both teams. You know in early March? T'was decent stuff."
It was too, the game essentially decided by a moment of utter brilliance from Tipp wizard Eoin Kelly on the stroke of half-time. Noel McGrath's meandering left-wing run carried little obvious threat, until he hand-passed inside to the Mullinahone man.
You had to suspect not a single mind in the stadium was tuned to his wavelength as Kelly swivelled and struck the most breathtaking 20-metre finish. Certainly not PJ Ryan's. The goalkeeper, who almost single-handedly kept Tipperary at bay in last year's All-Ireland final, might as well have been trying to stop a sniper's bullet.
Kelly's goal separated the teams at half-time, marginally flattering a Tipp team that had failed to get any discernible input from its half-forwards. This is an old ailment in the team that, at times yesterday, drew deep groans from their supporters.
Tommy Walsh, Jackie Tyrrell and JJ Delaney were imperious all day under high deliveries and maybe too many Tipp clearances lacked a message. But the sight of Kilkenny backs soaring for uncontested balls will require some explaining from the Tipp half-forwards.
In their primary role of defence, the Tipp backs didn't concede an inch, Paudie Maher maybe the pick of them in a full-back display that was a virtual nirvana of power and concentration.
Kilkenny rarely threatened a goal, though Aidan Fogarty should probably have done better in the 31st minute, slipping in a back door to go one-on-one with Brendan Cummins only for the Tipp goalkeeper to make a miraculous save, the sliotar spooning up into the grateful hands of Paul Curran.
By then, Tipp should have had a goal too, Lar Corbett's extraordinary pace catapulting him clear towards an unguarded Kilkenny 'square' only for his finish to skim Ryan's crossbar.
If Tipp weren't exactly as fluid as a river in their hurling, there was no mistaking their hunger.
As Sheedy surmised later: "It wasn't a classic, but it was important for us (to win) after losing to Dublin. We were all severely disappointed after that game. These lads have set themselves high standards over the last two years in fairness to them, but they never really found their level at all that day.
"So we're just delighted to be able to come back out today and try to rectify a few things. I think you saw that the lads really were hurting. I think some of that hurt might have come out in the jersey today."
Sheedy was, of course, ever mindful of the Kilkenny faces missing yesterday. The Ballyhale contingent would undoubtedly have stiffened their resolve and the loss of Michael Rice with a hamstring pull just 10 minutes after the resumption was a palpable blow.
By then the game had settled into a tit-for-tat scoring pattern, both defences essentially bossing their opponents. Yet, Shane McGrath began to grow in prominence at midfield and the move of Micheal Webster to the '40' had opened a few doors.
With three minutes of normal time remaining, an exquisite Corbett point from under the old stand restored Tipp's three-point lead. It sparked Kilkenny into one last furious assault on the Killinan-end goal.
Conor O'Mahony deflected a Michael Grace shot out for a '65' and, as PJ Delaney's delivery dipped towards his goal, Cummins fielded brilliantly from just under the crossbar. Soon after, JJ's intemperate pull sparked that late flurry of indignation that so animated the two managers.
When peace resumed, PJ Delaney lobbed for Kilkenny from play, but Tipp's dander was clearly up now. They got the last two scores, the first from Brennan, the second a sublime Noel McGrath effort from under the old stand. Barry Kelly's whistle drew a volume of whooping from the locals that said everything about the texture of the win.
"I wouldn't be getting carried away," counseled Sheedy. "We probably needed it that bit more than they did. But it's only the beginning of March. Look, any team is going to have a job going through this league undefeated."
Tipp's next opponents, Galway, are the only ones now left without a blemish on their spring arithmetic.
Kilkenny travel to Cork and Cody is sanguine about the welcome imminent. "I thought this was a great old battle," he smiled enigmatically. "The intent on both side obviously was serious. T'was a real battle.
"It's a great league, it's so tight, only the top two teams going through. We're down two points now and we obviously can't afford to drop any more. Every game is serious. And next Sunday in Cork will probably be something similar to today."
Hardly a sin to hope.
SCORERS -- Tipperary: E Kelly 1-7 (0-6f), S McGrath, L Corbett 0-2 each, J O'Brien, N McGrath, J Brennan 0-1 each.
Kilkenny: J Mulhall , R Hogan (0-3f) 0-3 each, J Tennyson 0-2, T Walsh, J Tyrrell, PJ Delaney, M Rice, E Larkin 0-1 each.
TIPPERARY -- B Cummins; B Maher, P Maher, P Curran; D Fanning, C O'Mahony, S Maher; T Stapleton, S McGrath; N McGrath, B Dunne, J O'Brien; E Kelly, M Webster, L Corbett. Subs: H Maloney for Dunne (43), J Brennan for Stapleton (52), S Callanan for O'Brien (60), P Kelly for Webster (66).
KILKENNY -- PJ Ryan; C Hickey, B Hogan, J Dalton; T Walsh, J Tyrrell, JJ Delaney; J Tennyson, PJ Delaney; J Mulhall, M Rice, W O'Dwyer; R Hogan, E Larkin, A Fogarty. Subs: M Grace for Rice (46), P Hogan for R Hogan (61).
REF -- B Kelly (Westmeath).
- Vincent Hogan
Irish Independent
