Tipperary goalkeeper Rhys Shelly is repaying the faith shown in him as his team head into a first All-Ireland semi-final appearance this decade, facing Kilkenny this afternoon.
Liam Cahill's residing number one has stepped up with key saves and an impressive range of puckouts after being brought into the side following the heavy defeat to Cork in round two of the Munster championship. Since then he's started in the remaining two provincial round-robin encounters, the preliminary quarter-final and All-Ireland quarter-final.
In those four games Tipperary have four wins, scoring 5-33 off Shelly's puckouts, or an average of 1-09 per match. The Moycarkey–Borris club man has lived up to his reputation for delivering accurate restarts, backing himself to pick out team-mates between the lines. His 2025 championship retention rate is up at 75% which has provided his team with a key platform en route to the semi-finals.
Of those 130 puckouts, 56% have gone long while the remaining 44% have been short or targeted a player in a Tipp jersey inside his own half. A number of the short restarts have been a one-two to set Shelly up for a longer delivery into the heart of the opposition defence, several have been uncontested short passes while others have been extremely accurate restarts to a moving target.
Across the championship wins against Clare, Waterford, Laois and Galway, all but one of those short and medium range puckout attempts were successful. The majority of his long puckouts led to a scramble for breaks with Tipp often the hungrier side albeit helped by the areas their goalkeeper was putting them in. In total, Tipperary came away with possession from just under 60% of their long restarts (59%).
Roughly 65% of Tipp's scores from restarts came via long puckouts.
The target for the vast majority of Shelly's restarts has been the Tipperary half forward line of Sam O'Farrell, Jake Morris and Andrew Ormond. In the All-Ireland series - against Laois and the most recent victory over the Tribesmen - the latter contested nine puckouts. Another player to make a significant addition since coming into the team against Clare, Ormond was targeted by Shelly more than any other player.
O'Farrell contested seven, whereas Morris who has been the leader of the Tipp attack this season was under five. Michael Breen and Eoin Connolly in the full back line were other regular receivers.
Against Clare all but four of Shelly's total restarts were retained while in Tipperary's other big win to set up today's final four clash, against Galway all but three puckouts ended up in a Tipp hand. Both a reflection of the quality of delivery, the decision-making to decide which zone or player to land the sliotar in, but also the improvements in the team's appetite to battle for possession.
All a stark contrast from the opening day draw with Limerick, which was sandwiched between a heavy league final and 15-point championship defeat against the Rebels. In all three, Tipp struggled to secure possession from their own restarts, relying heavily on turnovers around the middle to source attacks and remain competitive.
The sliotar drops between Waterford's Iarlaith Daly and Mark Fitzgerald, left, and Tipperary's Jake Morris
The most recent victory against Galway also gave Shelly an opportunity to showcase his shot stopping abilities - a big, brave unit between the posts he made four key saves in that victory. Overall this championship he has saved 10 of the 15 shots he has faced - exactly two-thirds, and an average of almost three saves per match.
Shelly has a winning touch, in his 15 appearances across league and championship since making his debut in both competitions in 2023, he is unbeaten in 13, winning 12.
After not featuring at all in last year's championship - with Barry Hogan handed the number one jersey - the two both shared responsibilities during this year's league with Hogan getting the nod for the league final and opening two rounds of championship.
Shelly however has won every Tipperary game he's been selected for in 2025.
Heading into their first game at Croke Park since they overcame Kilkenny in the 2019 All-Ireland final, Tipp will hope that streak continues.
Shelly will need to maintain his recent form if it is to be the case, continuing to prove his manager right in the process.
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