Midfielder Jack Kennedy inspired Tipperary to a sensational 0-11 to 0-9 victory over Kildare at Croke Park this afternoon.

The result means that the Premier County - who will contest both the minor football and hurling deciders this year (and have eight men involved in both squads!) - progress to face Kerry in an all-Munster big-ball final in three weeks' time.

The winners had to play the last 16 minutes with 14 men after wing back Emmett Moloney picked up a second yellow card, but they held on brilliantly and advanced despite passing up on a handful of goal-scoring chances.

Despite scoring only once from play during the opening half hour, the Leinster champions retired level at the end of a free-strewn opening period, 0-6 each.

Alan Tynan (free) and Conor Hartley swapped points inside the first two minutes before Kennedy (free) and Brendan Martin propelled the beaten Munster finalists into a two-point lead with five minutes elapsed.

After eight minutes without a score at either end, Ciaran Kelly curled over a simple Kildare free, but Tynan responded in kind almost instantly at the Hill 16 end - 0-4 to 0-2 at the midway stage in the first half.

Kelly dinked over a free from beneath the crossbar before Tipp full forward Brian McGrath thumped over a stunning point from midfield. After Aidan Buckley had missed a glorious goal chance for Tipp on 20 minutes, Kildare moved ahead by the 28th minute with pointed frees from Kelly (2) and Jimmy Hyland.

Tynan slotted a lovely leveller from the left wing and the short whistle sounded with the sides sharing twelve points, but Tipp had missed two goal chances in the first half…

Man of the Match Kennedy restored Tipperary's advantage in the fourth minute of the second half and added converted '45' and a sweet strike from play to make it 0-9 to 0-6 after 43 minutes. In between, two more Tipp goal chances went a-begging, with Quirke fisting one effort lucklessly onto the crossbar.

Tipp had wing back Emmett Moloney dismissed with a second yellow card 14 minutes after the restart and Hyland made it a two-point match from the resultant free. Full forward Matthew Kelly's astonishing point in 48 minutes halved the deficit but Buckley replied for the 14 men ten minutes from time - 0-10 to 0-8.

Kildare's extra man Shea Ryan screwed a goal effort wide of the Hill 16 goal and goalkeeper Charlie Manton saved a Ciaran Kelly shot before Hartley made it a one-point game with seven minutes left. But substitute Stephen Quirke steadied Tipp with an inspirational long-range strike in the 58th-minute and that was the last point of the game as Charlie McGeever's charges deservedly set up a repeat of the Munster final on September 20th.

The losers' day finished on a real sour note when one of their substitutes punched Tipp match-winner Kennedy in the face after the final whistle sounded.

Tipperary - C Manton; T Fitzgerald, J Skehan, T Lowry; D Owens, L Fahy, E Moloney; J Kennedy (0-4, 1f, 1'45), T Nolan; A Buckley (0-1), A Tynan (0-3, 2f), C English; R Peters, B McGrath (0-1), B Martin (0-1). Subs: S Quirke (0-1) for R Peters, J Bergin for C English, M Irwin for B Martin, M Kehoe for A Buckley, G Whelan for L Fahy (BC).

Kildare - D Campbell; R Slattery, M Joyce, D Lawlor; S Healy, S Ryan, G Burke; D Courtney, R Feely; C Hartley (0-2), E O'Donoghue, B McLoughlin; C Kelly (0-4f), M Kelly (0-1), J Hyland (0-2f). Subs: S Lawler for S Healy, E O'Neill for B McLoughlin, R Bannon for R Slattery, K O'Callaghan for E O'Donoghue, A Murphy for C Kelly.

Referee - N Mooney.

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