John McGrath on the double as Tipperary crowned All-Ireland champions with awesome comeback win over stunned Cork
Down by six at the half-time break following Shane Barrett's late goal, Liam Cahill's men blitzed the
Cork
in superb second period.
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John McGrath celebrates after scoring Tipperary's first goal against Cork
Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Five quickfire points brought the deficit back to one before John McGrath scrambled the sliotar into the net to give Tipp the unlikely lead.
The lead was extended when Eoin Downey was shown a second yellow card for pulling down McGrath for a penalty, with McCarthy stepped up to slam home.
And the win was sealed by McGrath, who flicked the ball in for a third goal in an awesome comeback for the ages.
Tipp goalkeeper Rhys Shelly produced a save from an injury time Conor Lehane penalty as Cork's wait for Liam McCarthy goes on for another year.
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The fates seemed to have aligned for Cork to win an All-Ireland title for the first time since 2005.
They had faced, and beaten, Tipperary twice already - by ten points in the National League final, and by 15 in the Munster SHC.
Darragh McCarthy had been sent off before the ball was even thrown in in the latter, while he was even shown his marching orders for a second yellow card in the semi-final against Kilkenny.
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The 20-year famine would end, and all-time Championship scorer Patrick Horgan would finally get his All-Ireland medal at 37. Cahill looked down at the Dillon Quirke Foundation logo on his chest when Cork raced six points ahead on the stroke of half-time and knew his men would fight until the end. Jason Byrne This would be Cork's day, their time was now. They said Tipp would give them a game. Instead, they gave them a walloping. Alan Connolly and Brian Hayes only got a point each as Maher shackled the latter to perfection. Shane Barrett lit up HQ with a dazzling first half that yielded 1-3, but the show was over after that as Cork self-combusted, failing to get their hitmen on the ball. Barrett's goal, right on half-time, felt like a suckerpunch for Tipp, as he lashed the ball past Rhys Shelly into the bottom corner. John McGrath had hit the net a minute earlier but it was chalked off for a square ball — and the six-point swing seemed decisive. Shelly exchanged heated words with Horgan after the goal, and at half-time there were outbreaks of handbags in the tunnel. 5 Noel McGrath of Tipperary celebrates a late point after the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship final Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile Tipp returned to the pitch to the sound of AC/DC blaring over the tannoy and were kept waiting a good three minutes by the Rebels. But Cork were about to be thunderstruck as Tipp went from six down to seven up in a flash. It was an awesome half of hurling, beyond Tipp fans' wildest dreams. They reeled off 1-5 without reply to take the lead and never looked back. John McGrath's luck changed when Patrick Collins stopped a long-range Jake Morris effort for a point and the Loughmore-Castleiney man pounced on the loose ball and calmly ushered it into the net. It seemed to take him an eternity to lift the ball as Cork's players looked on in horror but, for anyone who has seen this guy play, the outcome was never in doubt. 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To make things even worse for Cork, Shelly then saved Lehane's stoppage-time penalty after Hayes was fouled by Maher. It summed up Cork's day. Noel McGrath provided the perfect ending for Tipp, teenager McCarthy setting up his childhood hero for a classy point. Cork will be back, but losing five finals on the bounce is a pain that will be hard to heal. The 2025 showpiece joins their losing efforts in 2006, 2013, 2021 and 2024 — and the famine ticks into year 21. They spoke about Pat Ryan walking on the River Lee but Cahill is the Messiah now, and has proved them all wrong once for all. The Tipp gaffer was under enormous pressure a year ago after his beloved Premier had failed to win a single game in the Munster Championship. The locals had turned away in droves. A dark winter ensued, filled with sleepless nights, as the public questioned if he was the man to lead this team forward. The critics have been silenced, the doubts have been banished. And his players can sleep soundly, safe in the knowledge that they did their departed friend proud.
