An astonishing provincial semi-final at Tullamore finished all-square: Kilkenny 3-22 Galway 5-16.

With 12,548 spectators looking on in disbelief, the Cats led by ten points with seven minutes left and by nine with 67 played but late, late goals from Conor Cooney (2) and Joe Canning (penalty) helped Anthony Cunningham's men to force a replay in the most dramatic, exciting denouement imaginable.

Even after Canning's 71st-minute penalty had found the net, Kilkenny seemed to have booked a date with Dublin in the final when substitute Henry Shefflin pointed from an impossible angle. But Canning did likewise within seconds, which means the teams will meet again next Saturday.

At the end of a lively and closely-contested opening period which saw the teams level on five occasions, it was 1-9 apiece with Eoin Larkin and Niall Burke bagging the goals.

Brian Cody's men started brightly and led by 0-5 to 0-2 after nine minutes, thanks to efforts from TJ Reid (2), Colin Fennelly (2) and Richie Hogan.

Niall Burke opened the scoring for the Tribesmen in the first minute before Hogan replied and Fennelly - whose brother Michael was replaced by Mark Kelly in the starting XV - landed a brace to make it 0-3 to 0-1. Conor Cooney's free was followed by a brace of Reid frees.

Burke, Joe Canning - with a brilliant long-distance effort - and Cooney replied as the westerners got back on terms at 0-5 apiece before Reid (free) and Jason Flynn traded scores. The sides had been level three times in the opening quarter.

As the temperature rose, Jackie Tyrrell and Andrew Smith both saw yellow for squaring up to one another but Portumna clubman Smith regained his cool to slot the lead point on 20 minutes.

In the 24th minute, we witnessed a crucial six-point swing: first, Cats 'keeper Eoin Murphy saved a goal attempt from Flynn; then Kilkenny won a soft free-out; Eoin Larkin's mis-hit shot then bobbled past Colm Callinan at the other end to the back of the Galway net: 1-6 to 0-7.

Moments later, players from both sides were bouncing off each other like stags again (with Power and Cathal Mannion now booked; David Burke would soon join them)…

Cooney landed a long-range free - his third point of the game - to halve the arrears on 27 minutes. Reid missed a free at the other end.

Galway pounced for a fortuitous goal in the 29th minute. Smith's attempted point dropped short and Niall Burke took advantage of a mix-up between Murphy and JJ Delaney under the dropping sliothar to somehow divert it to the empty net: 1-8 to 1-6.

By the 33rd minute, the Black & Amber were level again thanks to points from Fennelly and midfielder Padraig Walsh, who found the target from way out the field.

Conor Cooney's fourth point from a long-range free on the left wing restored Galway's lead in the 35th minute but Walsh nonchalantly replied in injury time.

The Noresiders outscored their opponents by 1-3 to 0-3 in the first 15 minutes of the second half, with Fennelly firing the goal six minutes after the restart. Substitute Jonathan Glynn and Hogan traded the first two points of the second half and Cooney's fifth converted free followed by a '65' (after Murphy had brilliantly saved from Flynn) made it 1-12 to 1-10 to the Tribe.

Fennelly's cracker restored the Cats' lead and frees from Reid and Hogan put three between them, 2-12 to 1-12.

But the sides were soon level for the seventh time: a foul on Glynn presented Canning with a chance from a penalty and the Portumna clubman's shot just about made its way to the net. After Canning pointed Galway back in front having messed up his sideline cut, the Cats roared back with three quick-fire points from Reid, Hogan and Larkin.

With 15 minutes remaining, the gap was two, 2-15 to 2-13. Substitute Tommy Walsh is as popular as ever with the Kilkenny fans judging by the reaction to his 58th-minute point; Reid followed up with a super strike from play to increase the gap to four.

On 59 minutes, substitute Aidan Fogarty nailed the Black & Amber's sixth consecutive point. Hogan was on hand to make it seven Kilkenny points in as many minutes and Reid took a pass from Tommy Walsh before drilling a daisy-cutter to the back of the Galway net in the 61st minute - 3-19 to 2-13!

Trailing by a point after 52 minutes, the national league winners led by nine after 61! Awesome.

Reid brought his individual tally to 1-7 as he dropped a free over the bar on 63 minutes and Murphy got down brilliantly to his left to prevent Canning's low drive from bulging the Kilkenny net. Cooney's '65' brought the Cats' unanswered salvo of 1-8 to an end.

Flynn and Reid (free) traded points before Cooney lashed the sliothar to the back of the Kilkenny net from close range three minutes from time. A minute later, the Galway No.12 blasted another shot past Murphy to leave just three points between the sides with 90 seconds of normal time left, 3-21 to 4-15.

Astonishingly, in the first of two added minutes, Galway were awarded a penalty when Glynn was bundled over by Cillian Buckley as he bore down on goal. Canning stepped up again and this time he struck his shot cleanly to the bottom corner of the net to level the scores - 5-15 to 3-21.

An astonishing match had a suitably incredible finish: Kilkenny had introduced Henry Shefflin and he dropped over what looked like the winning point from the left wing on 72 minutes. But there was one more play and Canning forced the replay as he hit an outrageous equalising point from the 13-metre line on the left sideline.

Replay. What a game!

Kilkenny - E Murphy; P Murphy, JJ Delaney, K Joyce; B Kennedy, J Tyrrell, C Buckley; R Hogan (0-5, 1f), P Walsh (0-2); W Walsh, M Kelly, TJ Reid (1-8, 0-7f); C Fennelly (1-3), R Power, E Larkin (1-1). Subs: T Walsh (0-1) for W Walsh, A Fogarty (0-1) for R Power, H Shefflin (0-1) for M Kelly, B Hogan for J Tyrrell.

Galway - C Callanan; F Moore, R Burke, D Collins; J Coen, Daithí Burke, I Tannion; P Brehony, A Smith (0-1); David Burke, J Canning (2-3, 2-0pen), C Cooney (2-7, 0-4f, 0-2 '65); J Flynn (0-2), N Burke (1-2), C Mannion. Subs: J Glynn (0-1) for C Mannion, K Hynes for A Smith, G McInerney for P Brehony, J Cooney for David Burke, D Hayes for N Burke.

Referee - J Ryan. Tweet

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