John McGrath struggled to articulate Tipperary's incredible second-half recovery against Cork that captured the All-Ireland SHC title on Sunday, but he did stress that "unity" and "belief" were cormerstones of a stunning success.
The Rebels were six points up at the break but Tipp ate them alive on the turnaround, holding them to just 0-02 while racking up 3-14 themselves.
McGrath plundered two goals (taking his championship tally to 7-16) and afterwards admitted it was difficult to comprehend what his team had just pulled off.
Last year Tipp finished bottom of the Munster SHC round-robin, losing to Cork by 4-30 to 1-21 in Thurles during that provincial campaign. They looked lost. Now, they're All-Ireland champions.
"Jesus it's hard to put it into words even now," McGrath told RTÉ Sport.
"Twelve months, it flew by, but it's a long way we've come in them 12 months.
"We were long gone this time 12 months ago - it's more like, 15 or 16 months.
"It's hard to put words or describe what exactly changed, it's not one single magic thing or anything.
"The talent and that was always there, it was just about finetuning and my God we've gone from strength to strength as the year has gone on. That second half was... oh my God."
Winter graft in the biting cold and rain has paid rich dividends. Liam Cahill has refreshed and energised his squad, getting their preparation spot to peak when it matters most.
"Even into January, February, training was so intense, just really went back to basics," McGrath said.
"(We) built a real squad unity, a real belief as the year went on. Everyone was out on their feet there at the end but lads were still throwing everything in the way just to get over the line."
On what the achievement meant to him on a personal level, McGrath was understated.
"Look it was a few years there it wasn't going for me, but you don't just throw in the towel," he added.
"I love playing this, I love being a part of this. You keep plugging away as long as you can."
Two-goal hero John McGrath was lost for words in trying to describe the level Tipperary found in the second half as they won the All-Ireland title. pic.twitter.com/AGMgX60ey7
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 20, 2025
John's older brother Noel, who came off the bench to score a point wildly celebrated by the Premier faithful, was similarly overwhelmed.
However, he did highlight a sense of calm among the group even when it seemed control of the contest was in danger of slipping out of their grasp.
"In the dressing room at half-time there was never any question as to where or what we were about and how we were going and what we were doing," he said.
"That second-half performance was unbelievable. Oh my God, what a performance. It's the makings of the last six, seven months whatever it is training, the last 15 years for a lot of players, including myself, but even for the lads when they were younger, all the worked they've done with Liam coming up. But oh my God, what a day. What a day.
"This is the greatest place in the world on a day like today. Thank God we're here to witness it to get what we got."
