For a recent generation of Kilkenny-Tipperary players, it is almost inconceivable that the latest chapter in the storied rivalry is the All-Ireland hurling semi-final that is playing second fiddle in public consciousness.
A swashbuckling year for the Rebels – league and Munster silverware and favourites to end a 20-year Liam MacCarthy famine – coupled with Dublin's shock victory over Limerick means much of the limelight was hogged by last night's sold-out Saturday evening fixture.
It’s a sharp turnaround from a decade-long intensity that began in 2009 and saw the sides contest six All-Ireland finals – including a replay – a semi-final, and arguably the most enthralling qualifier since the backdoor was introduced more than 20 years ago.
Now, the landscape is considerably different. It’s six years since they last met in championship.
.@MartyMofficial was in Callan, County Kilkenny near the Tipperary border to hear from Willie Maher and Aidan Fogarty ahead of the neighbours' All-Ireland SHC semi-final clash on Sunday #GAA pic.twitter.com/47J0R4GNRV
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) July 4, 2025
For Brendan Maher, whose Premier career spanned the course of those gladiatorial battles, his first six years on the Tipp team saw each and every campaign conclude with a tussle with the Black and Amber, coming out the right side on just one occasion but playing a considerable part in one of the most intense rivalries the game has seen.
"They were great times," the Borris-Ileigh man tells RTÉ Sport. "It was a really healthy rivalry. It was less tactical, more about individual battles."
Speaking on this week's RTÉ GAA podcast, Jackie Tyrrell outlined the importance of the fixture in both camps.
"Hurling, it's not life or death, but for this week, for Kilkenny and Tipperary, it is life or death," he said. "Particularly up along the border, places like Urlingford, Ballingarry, Mullinahone.
"It’s a huge, huge rivalry. It’s a beautiful rivalry."
Maher’s career may have been defined by clashes with Kilkenny, but growing up, it was more stories passed down than experience as a supporter.
By 1971, the sides had met in three All-Ireland deciders to lay down strong roots in the rivalry, yet it would be another 20 years before they met again, Michael Cleary’s mis-hit free proving decisive as Tipp claimed bragging rights. Another 11 years would pass again before they duked it out in Croke Park.
Maher’s first year at senior ranks in 2009 marked the start of the memorable clashes, Tipp upsetting their neighbours in a classic league final before the Cats put them back in their place in that year’s All-Ireland decider.
The Borris-Ileigh man earned his crust that day, picking up Eddie Brennan in the opening 35 minutes before moving on to Henry Shefflin after the break.
A year later saw Tipp deny Kilkenny the five-in-a-row, a particularly sweet afternoon for Maher as he enjoyed one of his finest days in a Tipp jersey.
"It was one of those games where you just felt completely free, one of those rare days."
The intensity of the clashes had the country enthralled, yet Maher, who retired in 2021 after 13 years’ service, can see three distinct eras within that time frame.
From '09 to 2014, it was rather straight-forward; you were only concerned with taking on your direct opponent and letting the ball in long for a team-mate to win primary possession.
The middle period – the 2014 (including replay) and 2016 (when Maher was the winning captain) finals saw more refinement. Even Brian Cody, 10 years after stating "I always say I don’t get hung up on tactics, and I don’t" seemed to be onboard with the changing game.
By time Maher played in his last All-Ireland final, the storming 2019 victory over the Stripey men with the pendulum firmly back in Tipp's favour, it was almost unrecognisable from his first a decade previous.
That season saw him detail opposition dangermen around the middle third – Aaron Gillane, Tony Kelly, Rory O’Connor and Lee Chin in the semi-final – and the final was no different. Liam Sheedy’s instructions were to follow TJ Reid, yet there was a fluidity now not seen in previous years.
Reid was the primary concern, but when Richie Hogan drifted, there was a swapping of responsibilities with centre-back Ronan Maher.
Reid being held to a point from play was a contributing factor to Tipp’s powerful second-half display, and Maher had no issue with his specific role. A year on from a cruciate injury, he had his third Celtic Cross medal.
"You sacrifice your own time on the ball for the betterment of the team," he says. "It’s rare you see a midfielder or half-forward being man-marked now. That space now is a numbers game, the densely populated area not requiring specific man-markers to the same degree."
Much has changed in six years. Huw Lawlor has gone from his rookie year shadowing Tipp goal king Seamus Callanan – the Premier captain was scoreless in the opening half but the early green flag in the second half paved the way for Tipp success – to becoming the standout full-back of his generation.
For the opposition, Mikey Breen has moved from the middle third of the pitch to the full-back line.
Of the 30 starters from that outing, a third began their teams' most recent outings, with half a dozen of those Kilkenny men (Eoin Murphy, Huw Lawlor, Paddy Deegan, John Donnelly, TJ Reid and Adrian Mullen).
The biggest change in the intervening years is that Tipp haven’t been back to Croke Park.
Kilkenny’s provincial dominance means the semi-final path is a well-worn one for Derek Lyng’s side, but while Maher acknowledges that that it is an advantage for Kilkenny, who are further down the road as a team, he has faith in the young talent within Tipperary such as Darragh McCarthy, Andrew Ormond, Oisín O’Donoghue, Eoghan Connolly, Peter McGarry and Robert Doyle.
"There is uncertainty around Tipperary as it is new territory for a lot of players, a first game in Croke Park for some," he says, "but Kilkenny really haven’t been challenged this year, the second half against Dublin aside.
"Kilkenny reach this stage every year and perform, even in defeat to Clare last year. Kilkenny will bring that to the table. From a Tipp perspective, you’d just hope we can match that."
Watch Kilkenny v Tipperary on Sunday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game at 10.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
