All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final

[corner back]

PJ Ryan got man of match.

Cracking game. KK got a fairly dubious penalty alright but if the roles were reversed and Tipp scored a goal to go ahead with 7-8 minutes left it would be hard to imagine Kilkenny conceding a second goal so quickly. Unlike Tipp they were clinical when their chance came despite struggling badly for most of the second half.
Fanning and the two Mahers were superb In the Tipp defence. Woodlock hit a lot of ball and all the Tipp forwards were good (I reckon people are a bit harsh on Kerwick for his wides, he won some amount of ball yesterday).
For Kilkenny Ryan, Walsh and JJ were again great. In the end quality of their subs made the difference.
Benny Dunne is getting a lot of sympathy since the match but it should be said that he deserves 3-6 months for an awful stroke that ultimately may have cost his team a great victory. Respect to Tommy Walsh for getting up straight away after taking that belt. Some hard man for a small man. Getting up like that probably will copperfasten his player of the year title.

[Bord na Mona man]

Hurling is more than a 15 man game now. Subs are vital.
All of Kilkenny's 3 subs came on and scored which boosted their tally by 1-2.
None of Tipp's 3 subs scored and one of them got Tipp reduced to 14 men.

Richie Power's run and penalty winning reminded of another Power (John) doing the same against Offaly in 1993.
Hurling needed a final like yesterday. At current rates, Tipp and Kilkenny's graphs will cross soon enough.

[Plain of the Herbs]

I though the words ‘great’ and ‘All-Ireland’ in the one sentence were only used to describe finals of yesteryear, but yesterday’s final was a classic from first minute to last. I thought the two sides brought hurling to a new level with such brilliant hurling being played under the most fiercest of physical pressure.

We will look back at the re-run on V over the Christmas and wonder how did Tipperary lose that match. I’d say they won a few admirers yesterday with their display too. Their half back line in particular was tremendous throughout. It will take them a long time to get over that defeat, probably 364 days to be precise, but they will be all the better for it and at this point in time I can’t see them NOT winning it next year.

Kilkenny left off Martin Comerford (who has served him so well) and replaced him with a totally different player in Richie Hogan. I’d say that was in a bid to freshen up the side. Kilkenny’s better hurlers (in attack anyway) were the younger fellas like Rice, Power, (2nd half), Fennelly (when he came on) while the long time campaigners like Shefflin, Lyng, Fogarty were out of it for long stages.

I don’t generally like man-of-the-match awards, but PJ Ryan deserved his award. T’was his 3 saves which kept them in it when they were making no headway in the forwards.

The team has been pretty much unchanged for the last 4 years (as has the panel) and will need some serious freshening up if they are to make it 5-in-a-row next year. There were shades of 2003 about this, the time a young Cork team should have won but didn’t, but went on to win the next two.

Kirwan made some baffling decisions yesterday. How Callanan didn’t get a free for that full-frontal challenge I’ll never know. Munster hurling, I suppose. The penalty really should have been an ordinary 20m free, but Shefflin may well have buried that anyway, as he drove it into the smallest available gap between the 2 on the line.

But what a game!

[Treasurer]

Looks like we've another five in a row to stop

[athlumneyboy]

Had a great seat at the match thanks to Bank of Ireland. Was the best All Ireland final i was at not involving Offaly. as the previous posters said i think Tipp left it behind them. I Thought Kirwan was very poor yesterday Tipp should have a least 3 more scorable frees in first half but he played on, Also it was never a penalty a 21 metre free at alright which is harder score.

It was great to see Eoin Kelly and Lar Corbett in full flow and Tommy Walsh what a player and true sports man to pop up of the ground straight after the belt. Feel sorry for Benny Dunne but it was a bad blow.

[GOOFY]

Lads does no one wonder why Dunne did what he did - its not an excuse but Walsh wasnt innocent.

[TheManFromFerbane]

Lads does no one wonder why Dunne did what he did - its not an excuse but Walsh wasn’t innocent.

Of course he wasn't but unless he shot his mother there was no excuse for it! That was an outrageous pull!! Only for he was wearing the face-mask he would have had a broken nose, cheekbone and jaw!

Apparently Dunne has a reputation as a bit of a hard man. Walsh was lording everything that came near him so I can imagine what happened was Dunne was told to go on and rough Walsh up a bit and try and knock him off his game.

The two of them got into a slogging match and unfortunately with the blood pumping Dunne went too far. I feel sorry for him and no-one will feel as bad as he does this morning but nothing Walsh did on the field of play would deserve a stroke like that. Dangerous, dangerous stuff.

[Kevin]

Looks like we've another five in a row to stop

As big a task as it may seem - I REALLY like your thinking!

[Extra time]

i dont agree with people that say kk are past there best!how many minor and u21 all irelands have they featured in and won over the last 5 years?i expect them 2 be on top for at least another 3 to 4 years!pity cause it takes away from the championship when 1 team keeps wining all the time.

[bracknaghboy]

Walsh was been a thug for the past 5 years......slapping arms elbows and wrists in an attempt to injure opponents. He was hit on the mask yesturday so I dont see why everybody thinks hes great for getting up.....why wouldn't he when he himself hadn't been hit. He is a fine hurler without a doubt.......but his conduct means I have no respect for him. Someone will upend him one day for real and I hope I'm there to see it

[tippcat]

why dont u put on a helmet bracknaghboy and let someone pull across you full bore,see if it hurts.tommy walsh is a savage hurler,he plays on the edge but thats why kilkenny are winning because they play like men

[bracknaghboy]

why dont u put on a helmet bracknaghboy and let someone pull across you full bore,see if it hurts.tommy walsh is a savage hurler,he plays on the edge but thats why kilkenny are winning because they play like men

I'd rather it than having my exposed wrists/elbows and forearms slapped.

[bula bula]

Walsh was been a thug for the past 5 years......slapping arms elbows and wrists in an attempt to injure opponents. Someone will upend him one day for real and I hope I'm there to see it

I am not his biggest fan but I doubt very much that Tommy goes out attempting to injure opponents. He has gotten a bad reputation of late and its not fully deserved IMO. He is no angel but I would not call him a thug either. I would also not wish for him to be injured no matter what he did. Thats just poor form.

[Bord na Mona man]

I'd say Benny Dunne was told by his manager to get stuck in and curb Walsh's influence when he was sent on.
Walsh had cleaned out John O'Brien already.
Dunne, like a lot of Toomevara players would have a tendency towards letting fly with timber, so it turned out to a be volatile cocktail.

Getting hit on the helmet is painful. It isn't enjoyable having some team-mate playfully batting you over the head thinking you won't feel a thing because you are wearing a helmet!

[Georgio1]

Tommy Walsh plays to the limit. Nearest we have is Derek Molloy, only Molloy spends too much time on the wrong side of the limit. When Oakley took that shot against Wexford we had noone to make their mark. Training in Kilkenny is so competitive and leads to an aggression that most referees feel free to let go.