Kilkenny manager Richie Mulrooney felt that his side had come through one of their toughest games under his reign as the ‘kittens’ qualified for their second ESB All-Ireland MHC Final in succession, following this two-point win at Croke Park last Sunday.
“Goals kept them in it and they hurled particularly well for the first 15 minutes of the second half,” he said.
“I felt our guys showed true character. We have six guys who are 17 years of age on the starting 15. They had massive character to respond to Tipperary drawing level with them.
“This is Croke Park, these are young players and the crowd was coming in, in the middle of the second half, but the character that is in them is just fantastic.”
The Cats raced into a 0-07 to 0-01 lead after 10 minutes with half-forward Geoff Brennan bagging four early points.
The Premier County were outclassed for most of the opening half, with scores from Brennan, Sean Kehoe and Richie Doyle opening up a 0-10 to 0-02 lead by the 15th minute.
But Tipperary cut the gap to four points following a 19th minute David Collins goal.
However Cillian Buckley and Walter Walsh were among the scorers as Kilkenny claimed a 0-15 to 1-06 interval lead.
Tipperary ran rampant in a 10-minute spell following the interval, with free-taker John O'Dwyer and Sean Curran instrumental in orchestrating this comeback with three points each.
Kilkenny failed to give up, with a 46th minute Walter Walsh goal vital as he dispatched a powerful shot to the top right corner.
Tipperary battled hard in the closing stages, but a second point of the game from substitute Martin Gaffney provided an insurance score in the second minute of injury time.
Kilkenny: John Power; Ian Duggan, Willie Phelan, Joe Lyng; Luke Harney, Richie Doyle (0-2, 2 65 ), James Gannon; Cathal Kenny (0-1 ), Ollie Walsh (0-1 ); Geoff Brennan (0-5 ), Sean Kehoe (0-5, 4fs ), Cillian Buckley (0-1 ); Ger Aylward (0-1 ), Walter Walsh (1-2 ), Canice Maher (0-1 ). Subs: Sean Phelan for Gannon (42 mins ), Martin Gaffney (0-2, 1f ) for Aylward (44 mins ), James Cassin for Kehoe (59 mins ).
Tipperary: Dan McCormack; Stephen Maher, Liam Butler, Andrew Ryan; Denis Maher, Willie Ryan, John Meagher; Alan Hogan, Brian Stapleton (0-1 ); Sean Curran (0-3 ), Thomas Butler (0-1 ), Eanna Murray (0-2 ), David Collins (1-1 ), John O’Dwyer (1-8, 7fs ), Adrian Cleere. Subs: David Butler for Cleere (42 mins ), Padraig Heffernan for L Butler (51 mins ), Michael O’Brien for Collins (53 mins ), Jason Forde for Hogan (53 mins ).
Referee: Declan O’Driscoll (Limerick ).
