The main talking points as Tipp bring Kilkenny's hurling season to an end

Main Man

Jason Forde (Tipperary)

The Tipperary goal threat had Kilkenny in huge bother at the back with John McGrath, Jake Morris and Darragh McCarthy all providing a huge anchor to the Premier County but it was the influende of Jason Forde that caused most bother as he finished with 1-4 including an expertly taken goal and a wonder point near the sideline. On the Kilkenny side, there were big displays from TJ Reid, Mossy Keoghan and Jordan Molloy but ultimately the Cats came up just short in the end.

Highlight

Kilkenny raced out of the blocks as they took advantage of their Croke Park knowhow to go five points clear and they looked very assured in their play until Tipp’s goals gave them a route back into the contest.

Lowlight

Along with all the controversy, it was the lack of a Kilkenny goal that came back to bite Derek Lyng’s side as their tally of 30 points would be enough to wn mosts games and apart from John Donnelly’s late effort, they didn’t threaten the goal enough which was in direct contrast to their opponents who looked goal hungry every time they went forward.

Talking Point

There is still only one incident on everyone’s mind with the scoreboard malfunction carrying plenty of discussion and column inches in the aftermath of Sunday’s semi-final in Croke Park. The mess up by the GAA will likely have major implications down the line and there is no doubt it had a major impact on how the final few minutes of the game played out.

Turning Point

Darragh McCarthy’s red card with just over ten minutes remaining looked like it would tip the balance in Kilkenny’s favour but not for the first time, the side with 14 battled back to win with Oisin O’Donoghue’s goal gifting the victory to Tipperary as the Cats lost control of the contest.

What’s Next

Kilkenny’s season is now at an end while Tipperary advance to an All-Ireland Final meeting with Cork on Sunday week.

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