Tipperary fans in blue and gold heaven after crushing Cork in thrilling final
It was the triumph of hope over expectations as the underdogs came from behind to prove the bookies got it wrong to bring the Liam McCarthy trophy back to the county where the GAA began. Despite being massively outnumbered by Cork supporters it was Tipperary fans who were singing as the strains of "Slievenamon" blared out over the PA system as the match ended.
The bookies had tipped Cork as firm favourites and reckoned that the Rebels were about to fulfil their destiny after coming so close but losing out by an extra time final point to Clare last year. But in one of the greatest second half performances ever seen in an All-Ireland hurling final Tipperary blew away the Rebels whose cause looked increasingly lost as the minutes ticked away.
There were emotional scenes as Tipperary captain Ronan Maher paid tribute to the former player Dillon Quirke. After paying tribute to his teammates, Cork and the staff at Croke Park, Maher took a moment to remember his teammate who passed away three years ago at the age of 24 during a club match due to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.
"To one player who is no longer with us but is so much a part of what we are, Dillon Quirke..." said Maher before a huge round of applause rang out around Croke Park. He added: 'We carried your spirit with us every step of the way. You were in the dressing room, you were on the field of play, you were in our hearts.
'And we hope we did you and your family proud today.' Tipperary manager Liam Cahill became visibly upset, as his captain paid tribute to the late hurler. Tipperary captain Ronan Maher lifts the Liam MacCarthy Cup
A foundation in Dillon Quirke's name was set up after the young man's death in 2022. By the end of 2024, the foundation had helped more than 10,000 people get heart scans. While there were many complaints about a scarcity of tickets in the run up to the match it would appear that Cork fans didn't have many problems acquiring them.
Entire tracts of the stands at Croker were a wall of red while there were just smatterings of blue and gold around the famous arena. However, as the second half progressed and Tipp racked up the scores it was those clad in blue and gold who were making all the noise.
On the face of it all the evidence pointed to Cork ending their All-Ireland famine after two decades in the wilderness but Tipp's second half ambush put paid to that. Praising the honesty of his players, Tipp manager Cahill said that he never doubted they would make a comeback in the second half. Tom Grennan, Rachael Blackmore and Paul Mescal (Image: BBC)
He said: "The honesty of that group of players, I never doubted them. I know we're all a little sensitive after what happened last year and some of the criticism was probably deserved.
"But I knew the quality of these men, got in among them and started supporting them better and got them believing again. I knew we'd have a great opportunity to lift the spirits of the Tipperary people again.'
It was also an emotional day for young Tipperary hero Darragh McCarthy who put his red carding in the semi-final behind him to put in one of the greatest sharpshooting performances witnessed at Croker in recent years. With a tally of 1-13 he has been hailed by fans as one of the inspirations behind the comeback to beat all comebacks. Cork's Robert Downey dejected after the game
Showing a coolness well beyond his 19 years he revealed that going in six points down at half time was no big deal. He said: 'The conversation was all positive. We planned for that. We had said during the week that listen if we're five or six down at half time, we're not going to panic here.
"We know what we're capable of. We've came from worse margins before.' He was spot on as Tipp put Cork to the sword in a pulsating second half that saw the Premier County live up to its name.
It looked to be all Cork in the first half as it seemed the Rebels' experience would win out as Tipp began to make unforced errors and missed several good chances. The sides were three times level in the first half and then that golden goal by Shane Barrett on the stroke of the halftime whistle looked as if it and the six point margin it created would be too much for Tipp. Tipperary's Craig Morgan, Jake Morris and Darragh McCarthy celebrate after the game
But the second half was the stuff of GAA history when the underdogs came from behind to crush Cork's resistance and leave them yearning for another year to take the McCarthy Cup back to the banks of the Lee. Tipp manager Cahill illustrated that the comeback was so shocking by saying: "My mother has probably swallowed her rosary beads and my father has probably the cows milked three times with nervousness. I'm so thrilled for everybody.
"So thrilled for supporters, the whole shebang." Blue and gold fans went wild when the final whistle was blown as well-known faces such as Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal, English singer Paul Mescal and jockey Rachael Blackmore were all in attendance.
Olympian sprinter Sharlene Mawsley was also spotted cheering for her Tipp boyfriend Michael Breen. The loved-up couple posed for photos with the Liam MacCarthy cup, as Sharlene kissed her All-Ireland winning boo.
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