Right at the very end, vindication. On hurling’s biggest day Darragh McCarthy met the moment, right on the sweet spot of his bas.
Red-carded in the opening seconds when these sides met in the Munster SHC at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in April and sent for an early shower on two yellow cards in the All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny, there was much focus on McCarthy’s temperament in advance of this final.
But on a day when so many prematch storylines got jumbled and tossed to the garbage heap of hurling history, the 19-year-old in his maiden season at this level chiselled his name in the annals, his rollercoaster summer ending on an ascent to greatness. In the future, they’ll talk about this day.
As McCarthy stood over a free close to his own 65-metre line and with just two minutes of normal time remaining, the chant started to go up around Croke Park, starting slowly and building towards a crescendo: “Tipp, Tipp, Tipp.”
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McCarthy unhurriedly went through his routine. He tossed a clump of grass to the wind to check its direction, stepped back, crouched down almost on his hunkers, moved forward again, lift, strike, point. It was his 12th of the afternoon. He would finish the game with 1-13 (1-9 from placed balls).
As he struck that free, Patrick Horgan was already sitting on the sideline, his back heavy against the advertising hoardings, his white helmet idling on the ground close by. This was supposed to be Horgan’s coronation day.
[ Tipperary player ratings: Darragh McCarthy shines on famous day at Croke ParkOpens in new window ]
Horgan has been 18 seasons down the mine now searching for an All-Ireland medal. He made his championship debut three years after McCarthy was born. At 37, it’s hard to know if the top scorer in championship history will have the appetite to continue the dig again next year.
Horgan’s story of triumphant defiance instead became McCarthy’s day of redemption. Hurling can be at once both beautiful and wicked.
“To win finals you need big moments and big players,” said Tipp defender Michael Breen. “Darragh is on the field every day for hours on frees and that’s no exaggeration.”
For all his superb shooting though, McCarthy’s willingness to empty himself for the cause epitomised Tipp’s second-half comeback. Just before the hour-mark, and with Cork sinking, McCarthy stood big and strong as Damien Cahalane stampeded out with possession.
The inevitable collision was clearly going to hurt. The Cork defender had all the momentum but McCarthy had all the daring. He planted his feet and prepared for the impact. Bang. Cahalane got blown for charging, McCarthy fired over the resulting free and Cork were no longer taking on water, their battered hull was already resting on the sea floor.
Shortly after the final whistle McCarthy was ushered over to the RTÉ cameras and asked about overcoming his two disciplinary flashpoints in this year’s championship.
“It’s all a mind game really, if you let it get to you then you are going to be curled up in a ball at home in bed,” he replied.
“I went in for a few chats with Cathal Sheridan [team psychologist] to try and sort the head out. I had to steel the mind and just forget about it.
“But even after the first sending-off against Cork, I’d say the 40 men on the panel texted me the day after. Jake [Morris] got in touch with me the following morning, ‘Do you want to meet up for a coffee?’ They are all so good.”
His wonderfully-executed penalty defied the narrative of a player operating with pressure on his shoulders. McCarthy admitted afterwards that Jason Forde had made efforts to take it but the teenager wasn’t for budging.
“Jason was going to have a go, I was like, ‘No, this one is mine, Jason’.”
For Cahill and his management team, McCarthy’s tour de force in this All-Ireland final was also vindication for their belief and faith in the young hurling prodigy.
“That’s the class of the man. We produce legendary players like Jason Forde and Eoin Kelly and Séamus Callanan and all these,” said Cahill.
“And you’d say where are you going to find the next one? And suddenly up pops McCarthy, 19 years of age – he’s now arrived on the scene.
“He’s from a serious club up there in Toomevara – them fellas up there would eat you alive. So, there was never going to be a case of Darragh’s character being questioned or he doubting himself.
“That’s the resilience he has. And he just loves his hurling. And when you love hurling like that, you get your rewards – and he got his just rewards today and I’m really happy for him.”
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One of the images of the summer was Noel McGrath rushing from the Tipp dugout to comfort McCarthy as he made his way off the pitch after his early sending off against Cork in April.
Fittingly, the last score of Sunday’s All-Ireland final was whipped over by McGrath – after taking a neat pass from McCarthy. The rising star to the established icon.
“No better man to pass to than Noel,” smiled McCarthy.
“He thanked me after but I was nearly thanking him, no need to thank me.”
Tipperary will thank them both.
