Tipperary remained on course for back-to-back All-Ireland MHC titles by outlasting Kilkenny in a high-quality semi-final at Croke Park today.
Watch brief highlights here (island of Ireland only).
Having gone 2-11 to 1-11 behind, Declan Ryan’s Tipp side took control in the latter stages of the second half to book a 2 September final clash with Cork.
Tipp’s Michael Heffernan (1-03) and Adrian Stapleton of Kilkenny swapped goals as the Cats took a 1-07 to 1-06 half-time lead.
A Shane Brennan goal helped the underdogs go three points clear on the 41-minute mark, but Tipp, with excellent free-taker Seamus Hennessy notching 0-07, dominated thereafter.
The Munster champions grabbed eight of the game's final nine points to put Kilkenny to the sword and set up a rematch of the Munster final, which Tipp won by beating Cork 0-18 to 1-11 in Thurles last month.
Kilkenny had much to prove after their Leinster final defeat to Dublin but it was Tipp who got off to a flying start, moving 1-04 to 0-01 ahead inside the first quarter-hour.
A fifth minute free from Brennan was Kilkenny's only score until Joe Brennan doubled his side's tally in the 16th minute. Hennessy got the ball rolling for Tipp in the second minute with a peach of a free from the left sideline.
Good foraging from Michael Heffernan led to a second Tipp point and then came the Premier County's only goal. John O'Neill did the spade work and lifted over a well-placed ball to the left of the square where Heffernan was lurking and the Nenagh clubman smashed home to the net.
O'Neill and Heffernan tagged on points before Joe Brennan replied and a brace of frees from Brennan kept the Leinster finalists in touch at 1-05 to 0-04 down.
But John McCormack's charges found a way back into the tie when Stapleton tapped home overhead to the Tipp net after a slick ball in from Brennan.
A Hennessy free reopened Tipp's lead to two points but Kilkenny scored the final three points of the half through Michael Moloney, John Fitzpatrick, who angled over a stunning sideline cut from the right flank, and Brennan, who was notching his fourth point, to go in front for the very first time.
On the resumption, Stapleton immediately added to Kilkenny's 1-07 to 1-06 interval advantage. Tipp dug their heels in and succeeded in levelling the tie three times before they edged 1-11 to 1-10 ahead on 40 minutes.
Heffernan, Hennessy and substitute Sean Carey came up with some crucial scores, yet all that good work was erased when Kilkenny swept home their second goal, just moments later, at the Hill 16 end.
A stinging shot from Coilin Fennelly forced Tipp goalkeeper James Logue into a superb save, but Shane Brennan was on hand at the edge of the square to fire a ground shot to the back of the net.
Stapleton made the scoreline look even more favourable for Kilkenny at 2-11 to 1-11 but a series of substitutions helped Tipp gain a stranglehold on proceedings.
Paddy Murphy came on to go full-forward and provide Tipp with an ideal target man, with corner-forward O'Neill from the Clonoulty-Rossmore club also beginning to impress.
Scores from O'Neill, Carey and Murphy levelled the sides with ten minutes remaining and Tipp's strength in depth was key as they rattled off further points through O'Neill (0-02), Hennessy and two clinching scores from Brendan Maher.
Kilkenny's only reply was a Brennan point in injury-time, which could easily have sneaked its way under the crossbar. Tipp goalkeeper Logue did well to flick the effort over the bar and allow Tipp move to an all-Munster decider next month.
