"It's great to be a Tipperary person these days" was the instant reaction of Tipperary manager Michael Cleary, after watching his side romp to a three-in-a-row All-Ireland senior camogie success before a crowd of 16,354 at Croke Park yesterday.
"I'm in awe of this team," said Cleary. "They seem to possess all the attributes, skills, attitude, commitment and hunger."
Playing at the heart of the Tipperary defence, Ciara Gaynor didn't think it was all that easy, saying: "Maybe on the scoreboard at the finish but I can tell you I have the bruises and cuts to show how hard it was."
The Leinster champions, when assisted by the wind, could manage only a couple of points in the third quarter before Sinead Millea scored a late consolation goal from a free near the end.
Although 11 points down at half-time, Kilkenny were expected to make inroads when wind assisted in the second period but it was Tipperary's Emer McDonnell and Claire Grogan who were the first off the mark to stretch the Munster side's lead to 13 points within a couple of minutes of the resumption.
McDonnell crashed home Tipp's third goal in the last minute of the first half. It was a beautifully contrived score with Noelle Kennedy and Deirdre Hughes prominent in the build up.
Joint Kilkenny manager Brendan Williams was not surprised by that damaging Tipperary goal that gave the winners a 3-6 to 0-4 interval lead. "For me, it was like a dam waiting to burst. We had been denied getting our best team together during the league stages and it showed here today"
Tipperary's half-back line of Sinead Nealon, Gaynor and Therese Brophy was the rock Kilkenny perished on. "It's really great to have players of the calibre of Sinead and Therese playing outside you. I would make Sinead player of the match without any hesitation," said Gaynor.
Tipperary showed from an early stage they were equally effective running at the Kilkenny defence as they were with the early ball in from midfield. They struck a golden patch, tacking on two goals and a point within as many minutes just before the end of the first quarter.
Kilkenny were visibly in disarray from this point at which stage they had only one point on the board. Kilkenny captain Mairead Costelloe reflected: "It was like an uphill battle for us after conceding those goals. We have young players in the side and for them it was really tough to go down like that in their first All-Ireland."
But it could have been even worse by half-time for Kilkenny. Noelle Kennedy and Claire Grogan, in turn, had struck posts with goals written all over their efforts. Grogan and Hughes put their names on the scores that so obviously had a morale-crushing effect on Kilkenny from the ninth to the 12th minute. Kennedy kept the scoring rate ticking over with deadly accuracy from frees.
Kilkenny's strategy to play Martina Downey as a roaming corner forward was not particularly significant, making matters easier for the winner's full-back line. And, it did not help Kilkenny's cause that Tipperary goalkeeper Jovita Delaney was meekly tested with some weak shots from way out that fell short. When Delaney's ability as a stopper was put to the test by Aoife Neary, the Cashel player proved equal to the task with a terrific save in the last quarter.
What Kilkenny really lacked was the sort of drive in attack that Tipperary raiders provided. By half-time only Sinead Millea, of their front six forwards had scored.
"Nobody can doubt us now," said Gaynor. Nobody indeed.
TIPPERARY: J Delaney; P Bulfin U O'Dwyer C Madden; S Nealon, C Gaynor, T Brophy; S Kelly, P Fogarty (0-1); E Hayden, N Kennedy (0-5 frees), J Ryan; E McDonnell (1-2), D Hughes (2-2), C Grogan (1-2). Subs: G Shanahan (0-1) for Grogan (56 mins), S Howard for Bulfin (56 mins), N Harkin for Fogarty (56 mins).
KILKENNY: C Ryan; Marie Maher, S Costelloe, M Costelloe; E Kennedy, K Long, E Maher; B Mulally (0-1), L Lyng (0-1); S Millea (1-2, goal and a point, frees), Martina Maher (0-1), I Kennedy, C Doherty, A Neary, M Downey (0-1). Subs: J Dillon for Edel Maher (25 mins).
Referee: A Derham (Dublin)
