After a dogged, dust-swept day at Croke Park it was Galway who willed a path towards more promising times. Hunger and naked will bleached yesterday's quarterfinal showpiece of much colour and flair, but at the end both Tipperary and Galway found themselves living out an edgy thriller. It could have gone either way.
On other days, this match might have been a lush and flowing classic but perhaps the stakes involved stifled that possibility. While Tipperary were busy feeling their way back in the championship, Galway were trying to hurl themselves out of six summers of bad dreams. Old fashioned grit saw them through in the end on a scoreline of 1-14 to 0-15.
"Maybe we got a break today, we haven't had one in a long time," considered Galway manager Mattie Murphy afterwards. "When you stay there long enough, the wheel comes around to you."
And it did, however hesitantly. Bleak fortune withered Tipperary yesterday. Johnny Leahy, beginning to pulse in that hypnotic way of his, was forced to follow Eamonn Corcoran to the bench with an injury early in the second half. Tommy Dunne, pistol-cracking and lethal all year, came to the city with nothing but blanks. At times, that malaise was general throughout the forward lines.
"It was always very close. I don't know how many wides we had, we missed a lot of chances and so did they. There was a lot of tension and it was a really hard fought game. We didn't come out the right end of it. I don't go in for the business of making excuses really. We did our best and it wasn't good enough," shrugged Tipperary manager Nicky English afterwards.
And it was a match characterised by a strange second half vacuum when it appeared as if both sides lost the hunger towards goal. That Galway failed to score for close to 14 minutes is put to Mattie Murphy for dissection. "So did Tipp," he responds with a flicker of a smile.
Fragments of attacking brilliance shone through a match characterised by defensive bravehearts on both sides. Early impetuosity from Eugene Cloonan, a sweet Leahy strike and a late point from Joe Rabbitte which pushed Galway towards a new horizon.
The closing act saw Tipperary goalkeeper Brendan Cummins placing faith in the gods with a gambling 40-metre strike on goal.
"I just thought oh no, he's going to score a goal and we'll be beaten by a point," laughed Galway full-back Brian Feeney afterwards.
"It's hard to keep such thoughts out of your mind but I saw (Paul) Hardiman there and lads that were making great blocks all day. Someone threw a body in front of it and it just was our day." So, in an afternoon, all the pent-up gloom was dispelled. So Galway advance to face the waiting Leinster champions from Kilkenny while Cork again match up with the great championship survivors Offaly.
But for a while in yesterday's first quarter-final, it looked as if the midlanders were about to be scorched by a sensational turn by Derry. Novices at late July hurling, the Ulster champions - representing the province for the first time since 1908 - took to the occasion with a spirit which won a lot of hearts.
During a sustained second-half revival orchestrated by two Geoffrey McGonigle goals, they pushed struggling Offaly all the way. Johnny Dooley was again the main inspiration for the midlanders, plundering 0-12 while Brendan Murphy's two goals settled them during the crucial minutes. Offaly eventually stole through, 2-23 to 2-16.
"That was a hell of a performance," declared Derry captain Oliver Collins afterwards. "And remember, this is our first year down here - I'm certain we'll be back down and go one better." Change already sweeping through this new hurling century.
