Every inter-county star's sporting journey begins with the club, rooted with their family, community and friends. For Tipperary's Philip Austin, Borrisokane is his place and his club is rightly proud of their county man.

Last Sunday the Tipperary hurlers qualified for the All-Ireland final by edging out Galway. Now it's over to the footballers to try and join them when they will attempt to perform another giant-killing act against Mayo.

It has already been a fairytale season for the Division 3 outfit who have overcome the loss of key players, including Colin O'Riordan (Aussie Rules) and Seamus Kennedy (hurling), to blaze a path to their first All-Ireland football semi-final since 1935. Liam Kearns' charges accounted for Waterford in their Munster SFC opener before recording a first championship victory over Cork in 72 years. They were forced to give second best to Kerry in the Munster final on a 2-10 to 3-17 scoreline, but have bounced back with superb victories over Derry and Connacht champions Galway to move within 70 minutes of the biggest day in Irish sport.

While Gaelic football has long lived in the shadow of hurling in Tipperary, a strong emphasis on underage coaching has seen it spread beyond its traditional heartland in the south of the county to other parts, including the north where neighbouring clubs Borrisokane and Shannon Rovers supply Philip Austin and George Hannigan respectively.

Indeed, the pair were flying the flag for North Tipp before there were stirrings at underage level, having both joined the senior football panel in 2006. In Philip's case, he represented Tipp in minor football in 2004 and U21 in 2006 and 2007. He also won a Munster U21 hurling medal in 2006 and played for the intermediate hurlers in 2011. The dual star has enjoyed All-Ireland Vocational Schools success with Borrisokane Community College, starred for Borrisokane in their 2010 county intermediate hurling championship triumph and won a county senior football championship medal with the North Tipp amalgamation Thomas McDonagh's in 2011.

Borrisokane captain Philip Austin accepting the JFC A trophy in 2012 ©Borrisokane

With the Tipp seniors, his only honours to date have been Allianz Football League Division 3 and Division 4 medals garnered in 2009 and 2014 respectively. The PE teacher at Killina Presentation Secondary School in Rahan, Co. Offaly also captained the county side in 2012.

"Unlike some of the younger lads on the team who have played in All-Ireland minor and U21 finals, Philip has experienced both sides of the coin. He went through six or seven years with little or no reward, so it's great to see him finally getting the recognition he deserves," Borrisokane GAA club chairman Tom Kennedy says of the 30-year-old attacker.

"Everyone in Borrisokane is eagerly looking forward to Sunday's game. The bus to Croke Park is full. We've followed Philip to Waterford, Killarney, Cavan and Croke Park this summer… all over the country really.

"It will be a proud day for the club and for the small but growing North Tipp football fraternity. Even though they're club rivals, Philip and George Hannigan are very close. They played together at secondary school level and for Thomas McDonagh's when they beat Moyle Rovers in the county football final five years ago. They're both teachers who have soldiered together with Tipp for the past decade.

"Kevin O'Halloran from Portroe has joined them on the county team in recent times to bring the North Tipp contingent to three."

The biggest name to emerge from the Borrisokane club since John 'Mackey' McKenna, who won four All-Ireland hurling medals with the all-conquering Tipp team of the 1960s, Austin was a relatively late comer to the GAA, according to Tom.

Borrisokane - North Tipperary Football Championship winners ©Borrisokane

"Athletics dominated his early sporting years," the chairman explains.

"He had success in the National Community Games finals in Mosney, being part of the Borrisokane U15 mixed replay team that took silver in 2000. He also competed in the 80 metres hurdles final that year. He didn't take up GAA until about the age of 11 or 12. My first memory of him was as an U12 soloing up along the sideline and switching the ball from one foot to the other. You could see even then he was a natural footballer, but it took coaching from the likes of Paul Dooley, Padraig Hogan and Tom Moriarty to mould him into the player he is today.

"Philip is also a very skilful hurler. Both he and his younger brother Andy are important members of our intermediate football and senior hurling teams. People still talk about the wonder goal Philip scored when we beat Gortnahoe in the 2010 county intermediate hurling championship final."

Once Tipperary's 2016 campaign is over, Austin will be back spearheading Borrisokane's challenge for intermediate football honours. They have been knocking on the door hard for the past number of years, losing the 2013 final to a Conor Sweeney-inspired Ballyporeen and semi-finals to Drom & Inch and Upperchurch-Drombane in 2014 and 2015.

"Hopefully, this will be the year when we finally make the breakthrough. Joe Hayes, the Clare goalkeeper, is our manager. The intermediate championship hasn't started yet, but when it does, Joe - who is living in Toomevara - will be doing everything he can to get us across the line. We'd love to have two teams operating at senior level."

Kennedy continues: "Philip is a very grounded fellow. Every chance he gets, he's down at the club. He's an inspiration to all the youngsters."

Borrisokane GAA club grounds ©Borrisokane

The dual club boasts top-class facilities, including two pitches (one training pitch), a 500-capacity covered stand, four dressing rooms, meeting and gymnasium rooms, an electronic scoreboard and new dugouts.

Tipperary once again find themselves in the role of underdogs against a Mayo team who are appearing in their sixth successive All-Ireland semi-final. But Tom and everyone else in the Premier County isn't without hope.

"The mood in Tipperary is one of quiet confidence. If they play as well as they did against Derry and Galway, they will have every chance. They have done fantastically well and anything from here on will be a bonus," he concludes.

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