Tipperary mettle shines through to snatch victory in dramatic finaleCorbett winner seals semi-final spot against Waterford
Tipperary 3-17 Galway 3-16
If you judge a team on how it reacts in adversity then Tipperary scaled new heights on Sunday for spirit, guts and bravery.
Two points down with two minutes to go against a Galway team unrecognisable from the Leinster final debacle, Tipperary faced elimination from the championship and an end to all the great hopes generated by last year's All Ireland final appearance.
But cometh the hour cometh the men.
Instead of Tipp teams leaving Croke Park on the wrong end of a narrow margin following a pulsating encounter, this time they departed in celebration.
In three never-to-be-forgotten minutes, they saved their season and gave their fans further reason to hope.
Tied at 3-14 each after fifty seven minutes, Tipp found themselves two behind in the 61st minute following Galway scores from subs Kevin Hynes and Aongus Callanan.
That was still the margin seven minutes later as wides from Gearoid Ryan and Lar Corbett reflected the side's difficulty in clawing back the lead.
But just when it looked like all hope was lost, Tipperary doggedness won the day in glorious fashion.
Sub John O'Brien raised the first glimmer of hope in the 68th minute when he burst through the centre and tapped over. A minute later Gearoid Ryan atoned for his earlier miss with a superb point from the Hogan Stand side.
And then in the first minute of injury time another sub Pa Bourke skinned the Galway defence and when his route to goal was blocked, he got the pass away to Sarsfields clubmate Lar Corbett for the winning point.
The drama was almost too intense and it didn't ease any when Galway hit back at the other end and when Niall Healy went to ground surrounded by half the Tipp defence, the ref's decision would make or break a season.
He ruled that Healy had gone to ground too easily and instead of blowing for a free in, blow the long whistle instead.
Those final minutes had brought an end to another Tipperary epic at Croke Park - their first time back since the heartbreaking defeat to Kilkenny last September.
But this time they were hugging and embracing rather than sitting disconsolately. That role was left to a wonderful Galway side that had contributed so magnificently to a thrilling encounter.
Tipp's 'elder statesmen', Brendan Cummins and Eoin Kelly, were outstandinig at either end of the field but it was the young guns in between that are beginning to shape the team.
Paddy Stapleton, Michael Cahill, Brendan Maher, David Young, Gearoid Ryan and Patrick 'Bonner' Maher have limited experience of the big time but all were immense on Sunday.
Add in the return to form of Conor O'Mahony and Shane McGrath - the Ballinahinch player turned the tide of the game when moved back to his preferred position of midfield - and the spine of the team is re-enforced.
And with a score-taker of the calibre of Lar Corbett on the team, no cause is every lost. His first point in the second minute from under the Cusack Stand was an immense score; his last of three the vital winner.
Gearoid Ryan was named RTE man of the match and the Templederry player was superb but Corbett could have got it for the maturity of his play, Brendan Maher for his second successive stellar display in a Tipp jersey - the determination on his face when he broke up a late Galway rally with a superb catch and had his helmet ripped off in the process summed up the side’s mood on the day - Shane McGrath was a contender following his move back to midfield from the half forward line; while ‘Bonner’ Maher was the side’s dynamo, never giving up on a chase and confirming the adage that defence begins in attack with the forward denying space to the defender to get his clearance in.
Captain Eoin Kelly could have been a nominee, taking his goal with aplomb from a ‘Bonner’ Maher layoff and again unerring from placed balls.
Manager Liam Sheedy will also be delighted to have confirmation that he has now a real panel to work off and his subs are coming into the ‘impact’ category - Seamus Callanan took his goal with assurance seven minutes after his introduction; John O’Brien’s point kick-started Tipp’s late surge; Conor O’Brien had a glorious chance of a point following a super run through the centre; and Pa Bourke created the chance for Corbett’s winning score.
Keeping Joe Canning scoreless from play was another positive for the Tipp defence but less-so was the mix-up that led to Galway’s second goal, a lapse that fullback Paul Curran will want to forget with his slip and failed backpass to Cummins gifting Damien Hayes the chance.
Wingback Padraic Maher also had his problems with the flying Eanna Ryan and the Galway player’s 1-1 in the space of four minutes in the first quarter sounded alarm bells but Maher settled into the role and the only other blemish was the foul on Canning that led to the penalty award.
Manager Sheedy will have time to look at this before the showdown with Waterford on August 15 but a few negatives will not be allowed overshadow a performance that has restored faith in Tipp hurling since the Munsterchampionship defeat to Cork - a performance that more and more looks like a once-off blip that can happen to any team.
Undoubtedly the display against Galway was closer to the 'real' Tipp - the way they resonded whenever Galway reeled in their leads and the way at the end that the thought of defeat was just too much to stomach.
The first lead was a 0-4 to 0-1 advantage after nine minutes, 'Bonner' Maher scoring in the first minute, Corbett with his beauty from the touchline and Kelly with two, one a free, to a Galway response from Eanna Ryan, the result of sloppy defending.
But in a flash Ryan left the Tipp defence for dead to shoot a super goal past Cummins. A Damien Hayes point gave the Westerners the lead for the first time after 12 minutes.
Tipp's response was impressive, Noel McGrath from play and another Kelly free restoring the lead and although Canning from a 65 levelled midway through the half, Tipp went 1-6 to 1-3 ahead when 'Bonner' Maher fielded well and laid off to Eoin Kelly who gave Colm Callanan no chance.
But if Sheedy needs to look at any aspect of the Tipp performance it might be the next eleven minutes when they conceded six points to Galway without reply to go from three up to three down, 1-9 to 1-6 - Canning pointed two frees and a sideline cut with the others from Hayes, Eanna Ryan and Iarla Tannian.
But the Tipp response was impressive. Points from a Kelly free and a super score from Brendan Maher brought it down to the minimum before sub Seamus Callanan - introduced for David Young who did very little wrong but his departure allowed Shane McGrath drop back to midfield - ran on to a Noel McGrath flickdown and with a shortened hurley he found the corner of the Galway net.
It proved a psychological boost to Tipp who went in 2-8 to 1-9 ahead at the break after concedinig six on the trot to a confident looking Galway.
And the mindset was confirmed from the throw in for the second half when the brilliant Brendan Maher was fouled and Kelly pointed the free to extend the lead to three.
But it lasted less than a minute with Curran's untypical mistake allowing Hayes in for a goal to tie the scores again. And they were tied again before a Canning free edged the Connacht men one in front again, 2-11 to 2-10, after 41 minutes.
Then in a game of such fluctuating fortunes, Tipp scored their third goal. All the credit for its creation must go to Patrick 'Bonner' Maher but his intended pass for Corbett bypassed the Sarsfields man and made its way to Gearoid Ryan who burst through the cover for a great goal.
That two point lead became four by the 48th minute with Tipp points from Brendan Maher, Gearoid Ryan and Corbett to a single reply from David Burke.
But within seven minutes it had been turned into a one point deficit, Joe Canning smashing his penalty to the right of Conor O'Mahony on the goal line followed up by points from Hayes and sub Kevin Hynes.
Even though Eoin Kelly pointed a free in the 57th minute to draw level - after the Tipp forwards had brilliantly forced Ollie Canning into overcarrying while trying to clear - Galway now looked the more likely winners and points from Hynes and Callanan confirmed the belief.
But if there was a feeling of resignation among the Tipp followers in the crowd of 27,000, it didn't manifest itself among the players and no way were they again going to play the best hurling in Croke Park and come out narrow losers.
Those last three points said a huge amount about this team. A one point win sent out a much louder message than such a narrow margin would suggest.
TIPPERARY - Brendan Cummins, Paddy Stapleton, Paul Curran, Michael Cahill, Declan Fanning, Conor O'Mahony, Padaic Maher, Brendan Maher 0-2; David Young, Gearoid Ryan 1-2; Patrick Maher 0-1; Shane McGrath, Noel McGrath 0-1; Lar Corbett 0-3; Eoin Kelly 1-7, 0-6 frees. Subs - Seamus Callanan 1-0 for Young; John O'Brien 0-1 for Noel McGrath; Conor O'Brien for Fanning; Pa Bourke for Patrick Maher.
GALWAY - Colm Callanan, Damien Joyce, Shane Kavanagh, Ollie Canning, Donal Barry, Tony Og Regan, David Collins, Ger Farragher 0-1; David Burke 0-1; Eanna Ryan 1-2; Kevin Hayes, Andy Smith, Damien Hayes 1-3; Joe Canning 1-5, 1-0 penalty; 0-2 frees, 65 and sideline; Iarla Tannian 0-1. Subs - Kevin Hynes 0-2 for Kevin Hayes, Aongus Callanan 0-1 for Ryan; John Lee for Ollie Canning, Niall Healy for Smith.
Referee - J Owens (Wexford).
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