Tipp To Join The Cats In The SHC Final

A Roundup Of The GAA Championship Action From Jackie Cahill

All-Ireland SHC Semi-Final
Tipperary 1-19 Dublin 0-18

And so it has come to pass. Tipperary will play Kilkenny in the All-Ireland SHC final at Croke Park on September 4, for the third successive year.

It's a day that should define an era. Kilkenny, four in a row champions from 2006-09, up against the current holders Tipperary, who denied the Cats an unprecedented five in a row last year.

Many Tipperary fans believe they should be going for three in a row at this point, having been denied by Kilkenny in a titanic 2009 decider which saw Tipp finish the match with 14 men.

Kilkenny will point to last year's final and reflect upon the absence of centre back Brian Hogan through injury, while Henry Shefflin's afternoon ended prematurely with the recurrence of the cruciate knee ligament injury that threatened his participation in the game.

Both teams will go into the final with question marks hanging over their heads.

Kilkenny were far from impressive in their semi-final victory over Waterford while Tipp struggled past a depleted Dublin at Croke Park last Sunday.

Dublin were without the services of Tomas Brady, Stephen Hiney and Conal Keaney with cruciate knee ligament damage while David Treacy and Oisin Gough were also ruled out.

But Dublin produced a superb display in the circumstances and Tipp, without a game in four weeks after the Munster final, had to dig deep to get over the line.

At half-time, the sides were deadlocked at 0-11 to 1-8, with Dublin recovering brilliantly from the early concession of a goal to Lar Corbett, his 26th championship strike for Tipperary.

Dublin full-back Peter Kelly, who went on to enjoy a thunderous game, made perhaps his only mistake of the entire game and Corbett pounced from close range at the Hill 16 end.

Dublin, driven forward by Kelly and magnificent centre back Joey Boland, warmed to their task and went on to outscore the champions for the remainder of the half, in front of an attendance in excess of 42,000 at GAA HQ.

After 20 minutes, Dublin led by three points, 0-9 to 1-3, but Tipp had restored parity by the half-hour mark and went in level at the break.

Dublin's tactic of dropping an extra man into defence was working a treat with Tipperary denied the space to manoeuvre in attack.

Tipp had destroyed Waterford in the Munster final by going long with direct ball but Dublin were far more aggressive aerially and around the breaking ball and dealt comfortably with the majority of what came their way from deep areas.

Two frees from Paul Ryan tied the scores again before Noel McGrath edged Tipp 1-12 to 0-14 in front with over twenty minutes remaining.

Back came Dublin with another Ryan free to level proceedings before Padraic Maher and captain Eoin Kelly sent Tipp two clear.

With ten minutes remaining, Tipp led by two before moving three clear when Kelly landed another free in the 65th minute.

Sub Shane Ryan fired over a superb score from the Cusack Stand side to bring Dublin to within two again but a superb sideline cut from McGrath and another from play scored by Padraic Maher gave Tipp a crucial four-point buffer.

Peter Kelly hit Dublin's final score in the 69th minute but sub Pa Bourke secured Tipp's safe passage to the final with a free in the closing stages.

Dublin searched frantically, and in vain, for a goal that would have dragged them back into contention but it never arrived and time ran out on the metropolitans.

There was a bright spot for Dublin earlier in the day, however, as the county's minors progressed to an All-Ireland final meeting with Galway.

Dublin ran out 6-19 to 5-13 winners against Waterford in a high-scoring semi-final, having led by 4-12 to 0-7 at half-time.