Tipperary 1-19 Dublin 0-18:Dublin confirmed their arrival as genuine hurling contenders with an honourable defeat to Tipperary at Croke Park in today's All-Ireland semi-final. For several minutes after Cathal McAllister had blown for half-time, Dublin manager Anthony Daly and his selectors stayed out on the field.
They seemed to be hatching the next move in what had surprisingly become a tetchy, tactical affair. It was certainly not simply a case of them showing up and taking their beating from the All-Ireland champions.
No, the national league winners refused to let Tipperary have an easy path to the September 4th showdown with Kilkenny (for those not yet captivated by the best rivalry in Irish sport, this will be part three of the saga).
Daly was fairly quiet during the pitch side conference as he took heed of Richie Stakelum’s wise counsel; the former Tipperary captain now being a valued member of the Dublin backroom.
Daly seemed in no great hurry to enter the dressing room where their charges must have been extremely satisfied to be level, 0-11 to 1-8; especially considering Lar Corbett’s cleverly poached goal early in the opening exchanges.
At that moment, it seemed like Dublin would capitulate even sooner than the nine point handicap spread indicated by the bookmakers.
But Dublin stayed with Tipperary as scores came off six different hurleys in the opening 35 minutes. Paul Ryan was responsible for 0-6 of them, five from placed balls. Corbett was level with him having gathered 1-3.
Daly did eventually speak to his players and they kept Tipperary waiting for a few minutes after the break.
Declan Ryan and the Tipp management had not been idle either, introducing the 2010 young hurler of the year Brendan Maher. With Corbett struggling to escape his shadow, Peter Kelly, to grab a second goal which would probably have broken the dam, it was left to Noel McGrath to edge Tipp clear with two points.
But still, Dublin refused to let go. Ryan seemed incapable of missing a free while Maurice O’Brien chipped in with another. Tipperary just managed to keep their noses in front thanks to a fine strike by Padraic Maher and another point by Gearoid Ryan.
Dublin needed a goal but they have been a rare commodity this season, with the Limerick outing being an exception to a rule that was back to normal yesterday.
In the end the difference was minuscule - a brilliant sideline by McGrath, Kelly’s frees and the ruthlessness of Padraic Maher when Shane Ryan failed to flip the sliotar onto his hurl at the first attempt. That point by Maher on 67 minutes made it a four point game.
Dublin were close but remain third in the queue for now anyway.