Tipperary are the new All-Ireland Senior Hurling champions after beating Kilkenny to end the five-in-a-row dream at Croke Park on Sunday.
Liam Sheedy’s men went one step further than last year as Lar Corbett scored a hat-trick of goals in a magnificent 4-17 to 1-18 win.
Noel McGrath also found the net as the Cats - deprived early on of Henry Shefflin who was forced off injured - failed to emulate their minor side, who had earlier beaten Clare to All-Ireland glory, Brian Cody's brilliant panel falling at the last in their previously irresistible 'drive for five'.
Shefflin started the game after all the worry over the knee injury he sustained in the semi-final win over Cork, but shot badly wide from a free in the first minute and – after scoring his side’s first point from a free – his day would get no better.
That score cancelled out Eoin Kelly’s long-range opener, but the Tipp talisman added a further two placed balls to that free and his side then found the back of PJ Ryan’s net in the tenth minute. It came as Corbett won the battle for a huge ball forward and powered past Noel Hickey before beating Ryan with his 17th Championship goal.
Shefflin then set TJ Reid up with a goal chance on the left but Brendan Cummins saved and a huge groan droned out of the supporters in black and amber as Shefflin was then forced off, the King’s knee not holding strong as he pulled up. Michael Rice replaced him on the field, with Richie Power taking up free-taking duties and immediately getting Kilkenny’s second point.
Tipp’s John O’Brien and Brendan Maher and the Cats’ Aidan Fogarty all got lovely scores from play before Kelly’s fourth score saw Tipp go six clear, a gap maintained after another Power free and a second point from the heavily-involved Tipp midfielder Maher.
Eddie Brennan sent a goal chance wide after good attacking play from Eoin Larkin and Power also missed a couple of frees from distance, but – as Noel McGrath kicked a shot well wide for Tipp – Kilkenny started to show their famed prowess, with Reid opening his account for the day and two more Power frees bringing the gap down to three.
Sheedy’s men lifted it after being awarded a free even though it looked like Larkin was the man fouled inside the Tipp 45-metre line. Cummins surprisingly took it and a characteristic long puck accounted for his first ever Championship point, one added to by well-taken efforts from O’Brien and Gearoid Ryan as Tipp made the gap six again.
It was a lead they deserved and yet it was halved within a minute of Ryan’s score, Larkin again bombing down the Tipp centre and laying the sliotar off to Power, who had ran across to the left. He then turned and fired brilliantly past Cummins before adding two more frees as a late first half surge saw his side just one behind at the break, Tipp leading 1-10 to 1-9.
The second period began with Power hitting the post for the Cats and Ryan striking wide for Tipp, but soon the contest became electric again, Reid sending over a sideline cut to level the game and Kelly’s fifth free of the day edging Tipp ahead again.
They then suddenly tore into a lead of seven, starting with Corbett raising the green flag for the second time. Noel McGrath collected the ball in the centre and drew a couple of Kilkenny defenders to him before superbly releasing right to the Thurles Sarsfields man, who bounded into the danger zone and fired past Ryan for the second time. Cats defender John Tennyson tried to stop Corbett by firing his hurl at him, but all he got for that was a yellow card.
That was then followed by a third Tipp goal, Cummins the architect as he fired another ferocious long puck forward and, after a scrap for the sliotar, McGrath managed to hit it home at the second attempt.
You might have thought that would have handed the initiative back to the Premier County, but it was Kilkenny - watched on by Shefflin who was on crutches now - who had the better of the next quarter of an hour. Tipp lost their heads a little andgifted Power two soft frees before a careless short ball from Cummins led to Reid swiping over his third of the day.
Martin Comerford, Derek Lyng and Richie Hogan were all thrown on as Cody looked to capitalise on his side’s momentum, Lyng scoring their fourth point without reply before Kelly got Tipp back on the board.
Reid scored a great one for the Cats but Sheedy then began to empty his bench to great effect, Seamus Callanan’s first touch one of two majestic points in quick succession from the player before a wide from Power at one end was punished by Kelly at the other.
Cody’s courageous charges needed a goal now if the drive for five was to stay alive, but Power shot over when there was a free man and John Mulhall’s first Championship point came too late.
Benny Dunne – sent off in last year’s final – and Seamus Hennessy came on to finish off Tipp’s point-scoring and Corbett then completed his amazing treble, shooting viciously to Ryan's net from close-range on the right to end any doubt of where Liam McCarthy was heading.
The Tipp fans were singing and dancing joyously in spite of Michael Rice scoring the last of the match for Kilkenny, the full-time whistle sounding immediately after to signal that Sheedy’s men had dethroned the previously untouchable.
Twelve months on from Croke Park heartache and three from a morale-testing ten-point defeat to Cork in the Munster championship, Sheedy’s mixture of experience and youth emerged as the more awesome force on the day, and Kilkenny are no longer up there on their own.
You would expect them to be back, but for 2010 at least it is Tipp-top!