An injury-time point from Eoin Kelly salvaged a draw for Tipperary in this well-contested Division 1B clash at Pearse Stadium.
Tipp started without the injured Eamonn Corcoran (thumb) and Lar Corbett (hamstring) but led 0-11 to 0-08 at half-time.
Galway threatened through Niall Healy and Kerril Wade and took a numerical advantage just before the break when Tipp wing-forward Ryan O'Dwyer collected his second yellow card.
The Tribesmen fell five points behind before Wade inspired their comeback. However, Kelly had the final say.
Tipperary centre-back Conor O'Mahony was on song during the first half as he chopped five long-range frees through the Galway posts.
In contrast, the usually reliable Ger Farragher was having an off-day from placed balls for Galway. He hit five wides during the opening 35 minutes, although good contributions from Wade and Adrian Cullinane dug him out of a hole.
A strong wind and sporadic showers meant the hurling was never going to be pretty but this was an engaging and closely-fought game right until the finish.
The home side got off to a flying start with a crisp point from David Forde inside 15 seconds, but that was a false dawn as Tipperary, good winners over Limerick last time out, took control.
They shifted into a 0-04 to 0-01 lead with a number of fine scores. Seamus Butler angled over a point from the left wing, O'Mahony stepped forward to notch his first pointed free, Eoin Kelly did likewise and then Hugh Maloney shrugged off his marker to point from play.
The visitors tagged on another point before they lost centre-forward Maloney to a shoulder injury with Pat Kerwick coming on in his place.
While O'Mahony was showing great accuracy from far out the field, Niall Healy and former Under-21 starlet Wade were beginning to cause problems for the Tipp defence.
They notched a point apiece to whittle Tipp's advantage down to 0-06 to 0-04. The Premier County rallied and shot themselves five points clear with efforts from Kerwick, Kelly and O'Mahony.
Farragher and substitute Adrian Cullinane, who replaced injured Galway captain Alan Kerins, replied before O'Dwyer got his marching orders for his second bookable offence.
That should have been the turning point and the spur for Galway to go on and win the game. An immediate free from Wade cut the gap to a goal just before the break.
Making up for their missing player, Tipp came out a renewed force on the restart with Kelly beating three players to slot over a superb point into the breeze.
Niall Healy replied before John O'Brien landed two points in a row for Tipp to edge them 0-14 to 0-09 clear.
However, O'Brien's second point in the 49th-minute was to be Tipp's final score for a long period as Galway fought their way back into contention.
Ger Loughnane's side began to dominate territorially and force errors from the Tipp defence. Farragher's bad day continued with two missed frees and his corner-forward colleague Wade was soon called upon to take over the free-taking duties.
Points from Farragher, substitute Aonghus Callanan, Kevin Hynes and Ger Mahon made it a one-point game (0-14 to 0-13) with just ten minutes remaining.
Wade, two minutes later, sent a close-range free through the uprights for the levelling point and he repeated the trick - but from 80 metres this time - to nudge Galway into the lead.
In a grandstand finish, Kelly flicked a difficult free to the left of the posts but Tipp got back on terms when Shane McGrath pointed in the final minute of normal time.
Wade thought he might have won it for his side when pointing a free from the left for 0-16 to 0-15, yet a nerveless Kelly came up with the goods as he shot over from an acute angle to draw the sides level for a final time.
GALWAY: J Skehill; C Dervan, T Regan, F Moore; S Kavanagh, J Lee, G Mahon (0-01); F Healy, K Hynes (0-01); A Kerins, D Forde (0-01), N Healy (0-02); G Farragher (0-03, 0-03f), I Tannian, K Wade (0-06, 0-04f).
Subs used: A Cullinane (0-01) for Kerins (19 mins), A Callanan (0-01) for Tannian (45).
TIPPERARY: B Cummins; E Buckley, P Curran, C O'Brien; A Byrne, C O'Mahony (0-05, 0-04f, 0-01 '65'), B Dunne; J Woodlock, S McGrath (0-02); R O'Dwyer, H Maloney (0-01), J O'Brien (0-02); E Kelly (0-04, 0-03f), S Butler (0-01), P Bourke.
Subs used: P Kerwick (0-01) for Maloney (9 mins), W Ryan for Bourke (43), D Hickey for Butler (62), T Fitzgerald for J O'Brien (66).
Referee: Eamonn Morris (Dublin)
