. . . but on the basis of this match Kilkenny remain a cut above the chasing pack

THE IMPORTANT thing for Tipperary and Galway going into this match was to get through to the semi-final with the possibility of improving their form on the way.

In that respect Tipperary will be delighted with the victory over a dogged Galway side.

Tipperary showed considerable spirit to turn a deficit into a victory with only minutes remaining. The manner in which the game ended made it the most exciting few minutes of hurling in the championship this year.

The game ebbed and flowed with both Galway and Tipperary assuming dominance for periods of five or 10 minutes before the other side invariably wrestled the initiative back.

The game was always threatening to come alive at any given moment but was punctuated with mistakes throughout.

Galway will rue missed opportunities, particularly when they were guilty of over elaborating in front of Hill 16. Had they gone three points in front with only a couple of minutes to play Tipperary may not have been able to resurrect the game in the manner that they did.

Brendan Maher rose to prominence when it mattered. He was instrumental in shaping Tipperary’s victory. He was the outstanding player on the pitch and his resolve was indicative of a side who were determined not to be beaten. Gearoid Ryan also exerted considerable influence, scoring at important times and consistently helping to direct Tipperary attacks. Lar Corbett, while still not at his best, showed tremendous poise, experience and agility to hit such a difficult winning point under extreme pressure. Having come through such an epic battle Tipperary will have to now learn from it. There were too many basic mistakes. They will have to be eradicated before they take on Waterford.

They gifted Galway goals and ultimately came close to putting themselves out of the championship. However, that spirit and hurling ability that eventually saw them through will now stand to them and they will be a very dangerous prospect for Waterford.

They will certainly have an extra pep in their step in training over the next few weeks with such a morale-boosting victory.

Between now and the semi-final Tipperary will ponder on possible changes they may wish to make. There were certainly a lot of changes made throughout the game.

Pa Burke and John OBrien both performed well when called upon.

Tipperary’s biggest problem in the first half was in midfield. Playing David Young in the midfield area is somewhat unfair given that he is most comfortable and most effective in the half-back line.

When Tipp made the change and moved Shane McGrath into the middle they began to win more ball around the middle of the park. It was then that they hit their purple patch in the first half and getting the goal on the stroke of half-time gave them a huge psychological boost. He continued to influence play around the middle of the park throughout the second half. It was a hard game to call before the throw-in and even at the midway point it was still impossible to know who would prevail.

Despite defeat Galway can take a huge amount away from the game. Shane Kavanagh and Tony Óg Regan were magnificent throughout. Ollie Canning was the outstanding Galway player and it was a pity that both he and Eanna Ryan were lost to injury. It was telling that Tipperary’s winning score came in the area of the field that Ollie Canning had policed so efficiently prior to his withdrawal.

Galway always looked threatening and created chances, albeit aided by Tipperary errors. So much was expected of Joe Canning in the build-up and Tipperary and Paul Curran will be very happy with how he was marshalled was on the day. His talent is such that he will invariably carry a threat. Aside from his blunder in presenting Galway a goal Curran will be very satisfied with his performance.

Eanna Ryan’s goal was the only one of six scored that came as a result of a promising build-up. The rest were more opportunistic in nature with players pouncing on mistakes or a fortunate spin of the ball. While they can take heart from their performance it will feel like a long journey home for Galway after such an agonising defeat. After the promise that the National League victory delivered they have ultimately bowed out at the quarter-final stage of the championship.

On the basis of the matches over the last two weekends Kilkenny remain a cut above the chasing pack. The three remaining teams that have ambitions of challenging their dominance will need to improve. Cork face an uphill battle in the semi-final having beaten Antrim at their leisure. The victory will not have helped their preparations for Kilkenny. Any team that has ambitions of challenging their dominance will need to improve.

One positive to take from the game is that Denis Walsh will now know that Páidí O’Sullivan must be a certain starter. The problems nevertheless remain for Cork. Their forward line lacks potency and they seldom threaten goals with Aisake Ó hAilpín having to be substituted today. If they are to stand any chance of overcoming Kilkenny that must change. Niall McCarthy once again proved to be Cork’s best forward but more of his team-mates will have to raise their game in August to give them any hope of making an All-Ireland final.

Antrim actually had arguably more goal chances with two missed opportunities but aside from Neil McManus and Liam Watson they carried little scoring threat. Antrim have a decent spine to their team but the gulf in class between Division One and Two sides remains very prominent.

Indeed, Anthony Daly will have found it hard to watch the game, knowing that his Dublin side could have presented Cork with more problems than Antrim were able to muster. As it is, Cork and Tipperary progress. Tipperary will know that they got out of jail but this victory may be the turning point of their season.