Elsewhere that Harty final on Saturday produced a real cracker at Nenagh. Eighty minutes of bruising brilliance failed to prise apart the lads from Thurles and Ardscoil. It's back to Nenagh for act three of the drama this Thursday when they'll play 'till dark to find a winner!

Over 20,000 came in winter sunshine to the Stadium for a re-match of Tipperary and Kilkenny in that overdue League fixture. Figures like those are rare for League games unless the circumstances are somehow special. (I recall a game with Clare about a decade ago that drew a similar crowd to Ennis at the height of that particular – and at times poisoned - rivalry). The combination, I suppose, of the free entry and the topical rivalry between the counties generated Sunday's interest.

Given the background baggage to the game it was always going to be tense and tenacious, though we hardly expected the managers to bark at each other on the margins. I wonder if that little sideline set-to will have a sequel in Croke Park. It would be a pity if it did because while the game was always edgy there was nothing ugly and it was handshakes all round at the final whistle.

For Tipperary this was an essential victory. Of course it will mean nothing if they clash later in the League Final or in the Championship but for the month of March losing to a depleted Kilkenny was not an option. For self-esteem alone we needed to put one over on The Cats and I suspect Sheedy and company were more than anything else relieved on Sunday evening.

A stonewall defence and an individual moment of brilliance from Eoin Kelly were the twin pillars on which this outcome was built. In a magnificent defence Padraic Maher was majestic at full. But he wasn't alone: there was the excellence of Brendan Maher, the typical tenacity of Curran, the fetching of Shane Maher, the general defiance of Fanning and the covering of O'Mahony. Add in the alertness of Cummins and it all added up to quite a defensive shield.

Then there was that moment from Kelly that ignited the occasion. It was seconds-out to half time when Noel McGrath tried to wriggle his way in from left of goal. There seemed to be little threat to P.J. Ryan's posts until McGrath hand passed across to Kelly, who swivelled and swung in one sweet movement to send the ball flashing to the net. It was to prove the critical score of the day.

Crucially the game's only goal gave Tipperary a foothold at the end of a half where for all our defensive defiance we had shown nothing in attack. The half forward line had been wiped out by Walsh, Tyrrell and Delaney. Inside too Kilkenny's big men were mopping up any danger, with Canice Hickey especially prominent and only Kelly posing a consistent threat against John Dalton, who was treading a fine line in the fouling stakes.