Average age of Tipp players
The average age of the Tipperary panel is 24 years and nine months.
The average age of the last year’s panel was 25 years and 8 months. Brendan Cummins is the oldest player on the Tipperary panel, aged 36 years and 4 months. Noel McGrath is the youngest, at 20 years and 9 months.
Same finalists three-in-a-row
It is the first time since 1903 that the same opponents will meet for the third year in a row in the All-Ireland final.
Cork and London met in 1901, 1902 and 1903, with London winning in 1901 and Cork in the latter two. One important distinction is that London automatically qualified for the final in those days.
First and last
When Kilkenny beat Tipperary in the 1922 Final, played on September 9, 1923, it was the last occasion that the counties played without numbers on their jerseys.
If identification wasn’t hard enough, many of the players wore caps, as it was the fashion of the time.
Kilkenny’s two late goals by Paddy O’ Donoghue and Dick Tobin won the day, after the teams had been level at half time. Team captain Wattie Dunphy became the first Kilkenny man to receive the Liam MacCarthy cup.
Only once
Tipperary have won 26 All-Ireland titles and lost ten finals.
Despite several close games, the Premier County has only once featured in a drawn final – in 1908 against Dublin. There has never been a drawn championship game between Tipperary and Kilkenny.
Half-full
Tipperary v Kilkenny finals are generally hard-won, but a good first half sets the tone.
In the 15 Finals between the counties (excluding the substitute contest in 1911, when Limerick withdrew ) Tipperary won ten and Kilkenny five. Only twice in those finals did the team that led at half time lose the match.
Tipperary won eight finals having led at half time, one after being level at the break and one despite Kilkenny leading at half way.
Kilkenny won three (1909, 1913, 2009 ) after going in ahead at half time, one (1967 ) after trailing and one (1922 ) from a half time position of equality.
Easy in Munster but not outside
On 17 occasions between 1960 and 2010, a county won the Munster Final, by eight points or more, but failed to add the All Ireland title.
On eight occasions, the winner fell at the semi-final stage and on nine occasions the Munster Champions lost in the All Ireland Final.
Winning the Toss
Tipp have won three of their last five All-Ireland titles playing into Hill 16 in second half.
Kilkenny have won four of their last five titles doing likewise. Five of the last eight championship meetings between the counties have been won playing Hill 16 in second half.
De-throning the champions
Tipperary’s win last year was their third time to de-throne Kilkenny.
Kilkenny have de-throned Tipperary on two occasions, the 1909 Final and the 2002 All-Ireland semi final.
Middle man
The appointment of Offaly’s Brian Gavin to referee the All-Ireland final had been anticipated since early season.
Several impressive performances in the championship, including Tipperary’s games against Cork and Waterford, made his selection easier.
Brian’s pathway to the big day has touched all of the milestones, with All-Ireland Final appointments at minor level, u-21, Munster senior finals, All-Ireland quarter-finals, semi-finals and last year he was standby referee/linesman for the Final.
Hurling Hotbed
During his time as a student at St Kieran’s College, Kilkenny, Eoin Kelly played in two college All-Ireland Finals.
Despite scoring 1-7 in the 1999 final at Croke Park, he lost to a St Flannan’s College team, captained by Ballinahinch’s Dermot Gleeson and powered by Toomevara’s Benny Dunne, who scored 0-3.
There was a happy ending to the 2000 Final at Nenagh, when Eoin, who lined out at centre forward and scored 0-7, avenged the previous year’s defeat.
His colleagues on that winning team included current Kilkenny senior hurlers Tommy Walsh, Brian Hogan, Jackie Tyrrell and Michael Rice, who is now a teacher in the college.
