Glory, glory Tipperary as minor hurlers restore heart to Premier hurling with extra time win

Electric Ireland Minor All-Ireland Hurling Final

Tipperary 2-17

Kilkenny 3-12

After Extra Time

It has to be said – and this is no exaggeration – that this win is right up there with any of the great Tipperary performances of modern times as the Tipperary minor hurlers produced an incredible against-the-odds display to claim victory in Saturday’s All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship Final over Kilkenny.

Reduced the thirteen players in the first half, it looked like Tipperary weren’t going to get a fair crack at winning a second title in three years at this grade, with the dismissals coming in the 6th and 26th minutes respectively.

However, what followed will go down in Tipperary GAA folklore as this group of young men produced one of the greatest performances in the illustrious history of GAA in the county – let alone in an All-Ireland Final – playing three-quarters of the game with two players down. 

The key moment came in the second half of extra time when the irrepressible and relentless Billy O’Brien ran in on goal and after cannoning a similar effort off the post in the first period of extra time, he displayed incredible fortitude to bury his effort to the net with just two minutes to go, as Tipp held out to claim a simply unbelievable victory.

The heart and determination shown by James Woodlock’s team in the face of adversity would gladden the heart of even the most downbeat of supporters and given what has happened in terms of results at senior level this year, you couldn’t have written or set up a bigger pick-me-up for the county with character and ambition to match in abundance on the field in Kilkenny on Saturday.

A close run first half was slow to get going with the two red cards the major talking points, where Kilkenny will rue the way they finished the half as they held a three-point advantage going into the final minutes, largely thanks to Bill McDermott who had bagged 1-2 in that time; Eoghan Doughan’s mishit free dropping into the net on the stroke of 30 minutes to give life to Tipperary.

In fairness though, nobody could have predicted what would follow in what turned out to be the next 50 minutes of hurling, a period where Tipperary would play with thirteen players and it shows the maturity that has been instilled and earned in the youngsters in blue and gold that they never dropped their heads and left it all after them on the pitch.

This is where the coaching came to the fore for Tipperary with the use of the ball becoming apparent during the second half as Kilkenny deployed two sweepers for most of the rest of the game, and Tipp just ran themselves into the ground rather than launch the high ball to be gobbled up.

Indeed, Tipp had hit the front midway through the second half with Euan Murray leading from the front with Jake Donnellan Houlihan and Eoghan Doughan pointing for a two-point lead, but a sucker-punch goal by Robbie Doherty would have dispelled the belief of a lot of teams but it seemed to further steel the Tipperary players.

They went blow-for-blow with Kilkenny with the clock ticking down with some of the blocks and hooking and especially, the one-on-one defending from the Tipperary defenders led by the incredible Cathal O’Reilly they found a way to take it to extra time with Jake Donnellan Houlihan putting over a savagely impressive point in the 55th minute and if anything, Tipp should have won it in normal time as both Austin Duff and Billy O’Brien had the chances but just floated their efforts wide of the post.

Tipperary were the better team but the consensus would surely have been that Tipperary couldn’t keep up this level of effort surely?

But they did, and even with Kilkenny flying out of the traps with the opening score of the extra time fare through Patrick Lacey, Tipp hit the next few scores to take the lead after Nenagh Éire Óg duo Jake Donnellan Houlihan (free) and Billy O’Brien found the target. Kilkenny of course finding space still but the crucial thing from a Tipp perspective was that every shot was being taken under pressure and even with Kilkenny equalising before the end of the first period through Conor Holohan, Tipp continued to be the more dangerous somehow!

The contribution of the bench was vital to come the end of the game and it told at the start of the final period as Killian Cantwell pointed to restore Tipp’s lead and that set in motion a flurry of scores which would put Tipp 1-17 to 2-11 to the good after just two minutes, Austin Duff with his first in that flurry along with the score of the game from Euan Murray, and the most unlikely of wins now seemed a real possibility.

As if they hadn’t responded to enough setbacks, the Tipp players had to do so one final time when Kilkenny pointed and shortly after, scored a leading goal from Anthony Clifford after a long ball broke the way of the Kilkenny sub in behind to finish. But that goal was a short-lived sucker punch and at the third time of asking in extra time after going close to raising green flags, Austin Duff made his impact felt once more, feeding Billy O’Brien on an overlap which gave the boundless Nenagh man a chance to run right at goal and with options either side of him, he backed himself from 20 metres to score a priceless goal.

That goal turned out to be the final effort of the game as Tipperary repelled late incursions from Kilkenny in search of an equaliser as Dublin referee Gleeson sounded the final whistle which signaled one of the sweetest and most unlikely final wins in recent memory.

What a way to win a final it was. In most matches, you can pick out players who didn’t reach their potential or give their all – particularly when faced with adversity – but every Tipperary player on the field at full-time gave their heart and soul to win the game, and despite the unbelievable setup they have surrounding them through James Woodlock et al, you can’t coach that kind of heart and determination and as a county, we are lucky to have players of this ilk coming through the ranks.

Scorers: Tipperary: Eoghan Doughan (1-3, 1-1f); Euan Murray 0-4, Jake Donnellan Houlihan (0-4, 0-3f); Billy O’Brien 1-1, Cillian Minogue, Adam Ryan, Stefan Tobin, Killian Cantwell, Austin Duff all 0-1.

Kilkenny: Bill McDermott 1-2; Conor Holohan 0-3; Robbie Doherty, Anthony Clifford 1-0 each; Jake Mullen (0-3, 0-2f); Kevin Buggy, Eoin Brennan, Patrick Lacey, Cian Byrne all 0-1.

Tipperary: Daire English (Fr. Sheehys); Shane Ryan (Killenaule), Cathal O’Reilly (Holycross Ballycahill), Patrick Ryan (Borris-Ileigh); Jake Donnellan Houlihan (Nenagh Éire Óg), Owen O’Dwyer (Killenaule), David Ryan (Arravale Rovers); Darragh O’Hora (Solohead), Tiernan Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill); Eoghan Doughan (Moneygall), Adam Ryan (Arravale Rovers), Billy O’Brien (Nenagh Éire Óg); Stefan Tobin (Carrick Swans), Euan Murray (Durlas Óg), Cillian Minogue (Durlas Óg).

Subs used: Austin Duff (Toomevara) for Doughan (47); Aaron Cagney (St. Marys) for Tobin (58); Killian Cantwell (Moycarkey Borris) for Cagney (6, ET); Stefan Tobin for Murray (18, ET).

Kilkenny: Jake O’Doherty (Mooncoin); Oisin Henderson (Dicksboro), Larry Phelan (James Stephens), Bobby Brennan (Erins Own); David Barcoe (Clara), Jack Dollard (Glenmore), Mikey Rohan (Carrickshock); Robbie Doherty (Mooncoin), Kevin Buggy (Erins Own); Jake Mullen (Ballyhale Shamrocks), Bill McDermott (James Stephens), Jason Cody (Glenmore); Ollie O’Donovan (John Lockes), Conor Holohan (O’Loughlin Gaels), Eoin Brennan (Erins Own).

Subs used: Cian Byrne (O’Louglin Gaels) for Cody (43); Louis Raggett (Dicksboro) for B Brennan (49); Patrick Lacey (Dicksboro) for O’Donovan (57); Anthony Clifford (Dicksboro) for E Brennan (9, ET); Eoghan Cahill (Graigue Ballycallan) for Rohan (15, ET); Ollie O’Donovan for Holohan (18, ET).

Referee: Thomas Gleeson (Dublin)