Tipp live up to Premier status Guinness All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final: Tipperary 2-18 Galway 2-15
By Kenny Archer PROBABLY not a perfect day for Tipperary folk of a nervous nature but definitely a perfect season for the Premier County as they finally achieved the status to merit that mantle.
Tipperary’s ten-year wait for an All-Ireland is over, adding their 25th Liam McCarthy to the National League and the Munster championship. For Galway, the 13-year torture continues. The dream double of senior triumphs in football and hurling has also died for the Tribe on a day when a brace of trophies were denied them in the caman code, their minors missing out on a title treble.
Galway do not even have the consolation of hard luck stories to recount. Tipperary were the marginally better side from the start in a wonderfully-contested match, despite flashes of Galway brilliance. Mark O’Leary’s scuffed second goal at the start of the second half counted for as much as Fergal Healy’s wonder-strike on the hour.
Tipperary manager Nicky English pointed out with pride his side’s performances throughout the season: “We’ve played 17 games this year – four challenge matches, eight in the league, five in the championship – and we didn’t lose any. Amazing. It’s a perfect season. To go through the season unbeaten is a massive testament to the character of the team.”
Galway trailed from the first score but kept coming back at Tipp, whose selector Ken Hogan felt this added to their victory, citing strength of character again:
“This was a defining day for Tipperary hurling in that we stood up and were counted. Nobody now can ever associate this team with being soft. We play hurling, and to win three titles in the one year is tremendous, a fantastic achievement.”
English felt vindicated in victory, years of hard work earning Tipp their reward: “I always said about this team it wasn’t whether they’d win an All-Ireland, but when they’d win it. You need a lot of luck and certainly this year we had it.
“In life if you keep banging your head off a stone wall, ultimately you’re gonna get a break.”
Tipp will have self-inflicted sore heads today for a different reason. Galway will simply feel sore all over, though their heads should not be down, banged though they were against the wall of the Tipp defence.
Manager Noel Lane agreed that his side had battled all the way but lost to the better team on the day: “Every ball was contested tooth and nail. Tipperary got the few breaks, they were always that bit in front of us, we found it very difficult to get back on level terms, even with our goals. If we had drawn level I thought we’d win it.
“I’m very proud of the Galway players, all we can hope is to get back in Croke Park next year and go one better.
“Tipperary on the day were probably that bit sharper and better, we have no complaints. All the lads ran themselves into the ground. I just hope they can come back and get their reward. We’ll be back,” Lane vowed.
English, Hogan, and the Tipp players all made mention of those who had missed out on playing, the controversially suspended Brian O’Meara and injured veteran Johnny Leahy.
This was only Tipp’s third senior triumph in 30 seasons so the squad knew they had to seize their opportunity, none more so than Tomas Dunne. The Tipp skipper did not downplay the significance of this victory: “It means everything. You give your life to playing hurling. The ambition for everybody is to win an All-Ireland.
“I’ve been hurling for Tipp for eight years and won nothing - a couple of National Leagues, but with respect to the National League it’s not the be-all and end-all. Winning the Munster championship and the All-Ireland makes it all worthwhile.
“We grew up coming to Croke Park to see Nicky and Foxy and the boys being successful. That generation finished and it was up to the current generation; we’d failed for years and we felt like we were letting down Tipperary supporters.” Until now.
Galway, fittingly, did not hurry away. The Tribe had nothing to be ashamed of on this showing. The devastation, though, showed painfully on the face of all in their dressing room, especially Alan Kerins, even though he can look forward to the football final against Meath.
“Sometimes you only get one chance,” he sighed. Tipp took theirs.
