The Premier hit their peak on the biggest day

All-Ireland Hurling Final:From start to finish, Tipperary were magnificent and their defence set the platform for a fully deserved victory

TALK ABOUT perfect timing from Tipperary. If there’s one day you want to get everything right – and the few breaks that any team needs – then it is on the first Sunday in September, and Tipperary were quite magnificent in the intensity and skill they brought to Croke Park yesterday to finally prove that Kilkenny, a great team, weren’t invincible.

I felt the gap had closed between Tipperary and Kilkenny ahead of the final, but I don’t think anybody – except those inside the Tipperary dressingroom – truly believed the time had arrived for the dethroning in such emphatic fashion of Brian Cody’s side.

From start to finish, however, Tipperary had the upper hand and from the word go were completely dominant in all areas of the field, but particularly in defence where the tone was set.

We’d heard all the talk in the run-up to the game of the intensity that the Kilkenny team had brought to the training ground on that famous Wednesday night but, if the truth be known, Tipperary – a hungry team full of desire – obviously had trained with just as much intensity, a little bit more under the radar and they brought it to the final.

And once the Tipperary players stepped across that white line on to the pitch, they didn’t care for reputations and weren’t concerned if any of the Kilkenny players were carrying injuries or not into the game.

The loss of Henry Shefflin so early was obviously a blow to Kilkenny – just one of a number of things that didn’t go their way here. Some of their players were pulled up for illegal hand passes and also overcarrying on occasions which probably showed the level of pressure they were under in going for the five-in-a-row. But I thought there was a big question over whether Shefflin should have played.

They were taking a big chance on him after such a serious knee injury. It was a huge gamble and, where it worked in the case of John Tennyson, it didn’t in Henry’s case.

But I was also surprised Tennyson did as well as he did, given the injury he had come back from. Tennyson, JJ Delaney, Jackie Tyrrell, Michael Fennelly and Richie Power were probably the best of the Kilkenny team but, really, man for man, they were hanging on for much of a game they seemed to have lost three or four times before the nail was put into the coffin with Tipperary’s fine finish.

I don’t think any other team could have lived with Tipperary on their performance, and Kilkenny did manfully to actually stay in touch for as long as they did.

This was very much Tipperary’s day and Liam Sheedy has done a great job in three years – two Munsters and now the All-Ireland – and the way he emptied his bench and the impact that subs like Séamus Callanan, Séamus Hennessy and Benny Dunne made showed the depth in the panel.

From the start, Tipperary showed they were up for it. It says a lot for the team to come back from last year’s disappointment and, then, to have improved with each and every game after losing out to Cork in Munster.

In hindsight, that defeat to Cork was probably the best thing that could have happened them because that loss grounded them and season’s seminal point came with the win over Galway. They improved all the time right up to yesterday’s final where they kept the very best performance until last.

Pádraic Maher had an immense game – both at wing-back and then when he moved to centre-back for the injured Conor O’Mahony – at times walking out through Kilkenny challenges and Paul Curran was also outstanding, as were all the defence. Brendan Maher and Shane McGrath were magnificent in midfield as the tone was set early on for the intense nature of the game.

Kilkenny didn’t get into their usual rhythm and this was down to the way Tipperary hunted in packs and closed down any Kilkenny player in possession. The whole team was focused on the job at hand and Tipperary brought energy, power and strength from the throw-in at the start and kept it going right the way through.

I felt Kilkenny were living on scraps in the first half with Eoin Larkin, Richie Power – despite missing a couple of difficult frees – and Michael Rice doing the most to keep them in it.

The big surprise was that, given their dominance, Tipperary were only one point up at half-time. That was a poor return for the amount of hurling they’d played. But throughout that first half Tipperary had looked far more dangerous up front and things were going their way, as shown with Brendan Cummins scoring that long-range pointed free.

Tipperary stuck rigidly to their guns and were the hungrier side.

A lot of the team has come up through the minors with a winning pedigree and an expectation to be able to step onto the big stage but the mix of younger players with experienced players worked wonderfully well and Lar Corbett’s contribution of three goals in an All-Ireland was a tremendous achievement.

In Tipperary, we always felt Corbett would be the player to impact at this level and his second goal followed so quickly by Noel McGrath’s really left no way back for Kilkenny even though they kept plugging away.

Corbett had a brilliant match and it was also terrific for a player of Eoin Kelly’s stature – one of the finest ever players to play for Tipperary – to walk up the steps of the Hogan Stand to accept the trophy.

It’s hard for me to comment on the fact that Kilkenny came up short in their quest for a historic five-in-a-row. I’m compromised as a Tipperary man. But I do think it is good for hurling and better for the game that the All-Ireland title goes around.

Who knows what the future holds for Kilkenny but they have a strong panel and an excellent management – but this was a long wait, nine years, for Tipperary to get their hands on the MacCarthy Cup again and, on this performance, the better team won.

Tipperary were quite magnificent and are worthy champions.