Sunday, 19 August 2012. Kilkenny v Tipperary in the All-Ireland semi-final. The continuation, we all thought, of the blockbuster series which had taken the game to new heights. In this encounter, however, a rather bizarre sideshow unfolded on the Croke Park turf.
Lar Corbett, hat-trick hero of 2010, had played just a game and a half since reversing his decision to retire earlier that year but memories of the 7-07 he racked up in the 2011 Championship were fresh.
It was quite the shock then when Tipp's apparent danger man spent most of the first half following half-back Tommy Walsh around Croke Park, a tactic that was then abandoned in the second half as Kilkenny cut loose for a 4-24 to 1-15 triumph.
Speaking as part of a discussion on the greatest full-backs of the All-Star era on the RTÉ GAA podcast in April, Jackie Tyrrell, corner-back for Kilkenny that day, reflected on the unorthodox move, which led to him and Tipp forward Pa Bourke making up an unruly gang of four.
"It was crazy, a forward wanting to mark a back. It was like we were on a different planet, playing a different game," Tyrrell said.
"Poor oul Pa Bourke didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to do either. The two of us were kind of looking at each other. It was very hard to concentrate. Do I look where the ball or where my man is? It was just a total meltdown and the four of us didn't know what to do.
"I couldn't believe my eyes. Here's Lar Corbett, former Hurler of the Year, he could beat us nearly on his own if he got a few balls and he’s more interested in tucking in to Tommy and distracting him.
"Pa wanted to mark me. I wanted to mark Lar. Tommy wanted to mark Pa. I still don’t know what sense it made.
"I remember at one stage, a ball was coming up our right wing, Padraic Maher had it, and Lar wasn't even looking where the ball was coming, he was looking where Tommy was."
So what was Lar's account of that day?
In his autobiography, he said only a handful of his colleagues were aware of the plan.
The plan was in response to Tyrrell keeping Corbett quiet in the 2011 final and Walsh lording it on the half-back line.
Recalling more of that August day eight years ago, Tyrell continued: "At one stage the four of us were up in the top corner where the Hill meets the Hogan and we were belting into each other. All the crowd were looking at us and the ball was down the other end of the field!
"There was a roar when Lar would hit Tommy, and a roar when Tommy would hit Pa Bourke. It was like we were in a row in a schoolyard somewhere. All we needed was the crowd around us shouting.
"It was crazy. It was only halfway through the second half it died down a bit and they started to hurl."
