Tipp are All-Ireland SH champions
September 09, 2001
Tipperary 2-18Galway 2-15
Tipperary won the 2001 All-Ireland senior hurling championship when a glut of scores from Tommy Dunne (0-5), Eoin Kelly (0-7) and Mark O'Leary (2-1) broke Galway hearts.
It was a brilliant final and the Premier County showed remarkable character to record a three-point victory and take Liam McCarthy Cup home for the first time in ten years.
Even without Brian O'Meara and John Leahy, the Munster champions put the icing on a perfect season which they have finished unbeaten in all competitions.
Tipperary led from start to finish. They just about edged the first half and went in at the interval with a narrow two-point lead.
Galway enjoyed territorial superiority and also had the majority of the scoring opportunities but were guilty of nine wides (compared to Tipp's three) in this opening period.
It was an entertaining first 35 minutes, with the last 15 of those particularly memorable as the scores flew in thick and fast.
Both sides recorded an early wide as Lar Corbett and Alan Kerins missed the mark but Tipp captain Tommy Dunne showed the way when excellently opening the score from out wide on the left in the third minute.
Eoin Kelly added a point from a free as the clouds parted and September sunshine spilled across Croke Park.
Eugene Cloonan narrowly missed the target with his first attempt but his clubmate Joe Rabbitte fought off two opponents to open Galway's account in the sixth minute.
Galway were on top possession-wise in the early stages but racked up a series of poor wides. Meanwhile, at the other end, Kelly split the posts with his second free to make it 0-3 to 0-1 in favour of the Premier County.
Kelly was on song and he increased the lead with a nice effort from an acute angle to the right, from another placed ball following a transgression by David Tierney which earned the Galway midfielder a ticking off from referee Pat O'Connor.
Galway needed a score and Cloonan duly delivered with a point at the midway juncture in the first half. But the unerringly accurate Dunne proved that he's a captain who leads by example when cancelling that score out immediately with another impressive effort.
Noel Lane's charges continued to rack up the wides (six in the first 20 minutes).
Then, suddenly, the match came to life and we were treated to a clatter of scores inside four minutes:
In the 22nd minute, Mark O'Leary collected possession from the wily Declan Ryan to blast to the net . . . Cloonan followed this up with a pointed free . . . Kelly grabbed his fourth free to re-establish his side's six-point lead . . . Cloonan poached a goal for Galway after Brendan Cummins saved excellently from Alan Kerins from point-blank range . . . Dunne pointed a "65" . . . John Carroll added another Tipp point.
1-8 to 1-3 to Tipperary with 26 minutes gone.
Eoin Kelly added another free,his fifth point before Kevin Broderick registered a fine point for the Tribesmen. Fergal Healy brought the westerners back within four points with a deft flick across the bar on the half-hour and Broderick added another point two minutes later as the Galway recovery gathered momentum.
1-9 to 1-6 to Tipp with two minutes left in a first half that simply flew by so enthralling was it.
There was still enough time for Cloonan to add another point from a free to leave the half time score at:
Tipperary 1-9, Galway 1-7
Galway were within two points but, crucially, had hit nine wides during the course of a hectic 35 minutes.
The game was delicately balanced and Tipperary drew first blood in the second half when three minutes in O'Leary made a mockery of the Galway defence by dribbling the ball along the ground all the way to the back of the net for his second goal.
Cloonan pulled back a free but Dunne hit his second '65' of the afternoon and this was followed by a fine point from Declan Ryan. Tipp now led by 2-11 to 1-8.
Broderick's third point saw Galway move closer and the Tribesmen were unfortunate when Healy's attempted point rebounded off the upright.
Lar Corbett hit two points either side of a Mark Kerins minor and it was 2-13 to 1-10 in favour of Nicky English's side with 22 minutes to go.
Galway were in trouble and Kerins answered the call with his second point.
Ryan fired a great goal chance to the right of the post from close range as Tipp threatened to close out the match.
Galway 'keeper Michael Crimmins kept his team in it with an excellent fetch under pressure before the luckless Healy hit the post for the second time.
The Tipp defence was under fierce pressure and Broderick added his fourth point in the 58th minute before registering his first wide of the evening seconds later.
Tipp had been forced to replace the entire right flank of their defence and Fergal Healy took full advantage when he burst through that channel to score a brilliant goal from a seemingly impossible angle.
Kelly pointed for the sixth time at the other end and a thrilling encounter was delicately poised, 2-14 to 2-12, with eight minutes to play.
Mark O'Leary stepped up to increase Tipp's lead and substitute Paudi O'Brien added another as the Premier County moved up a gear at a vital stage.
The spirited Broderick pointed again for Galway. The Galway No.10 had the ball in the net but the referee has sounded his whistle for an off-the-ball offence and Tipp escaped with a free out.
Deadly Dunne's third "65" put four points between them with seconds of the four added minutes elapsed and Healy responded immediately for Galway.
Kelly made it 2-18 to 2-14 a minute from the long whistle and Cloonan pointed from a free deep into added time. That was the final score of the match and Tipp were well worth their 2-18 to 2-15 victory.
Cloonan, Broderick and Healy contributed enormously for Galway but it just wasn't to be their day.
Final score: Tipperary 2-18, Galway 2-15.
Teams and scorers
Tipperary: Brendan Cummins; Thomas Costelloe, Philip Maher, Paul Ormonde; Eamonn Corcoran, David Kennedy, Paul Kelly; Eddie Enright, Tommy Dunne (0-5); Mark O'Leary (2-1), John Carroll (0-1), Eoin Kelly (0-7); Eugene O'Neill, Declan Ryan (0-1), Lar Corbett (0-2). Subs: Donncha Fahey, Michael Ryan, Paudie O'Brien (0-1), Conor Gleeson.
Galway: Michael Crimmins; Greg Kennedy, Michael Healy, Ollie Canning; Derek Hardiman, Liam Hodgins, Cathal Moore; David Tierney, Richie Murray; Kevin Broderick (0-5), Mark Kerins (0-2), Joe Rabbitte (0-1); Alan Kerins, Eugene Cloonan (1-5); Fergal Healy (1-2). Subs: Brian Higgins, Ollie Fahey
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