Tipperary vs Kilkenny: Ranking the best 10 clashes between the sides

Ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland final between Tipperary and Kilkenny, we look at the greatest clashes between the two counties in modern times.

10. Kilkenny 4-24 Tipperary 1-15 (2012 All-Ireland semi-final)

A game remembered for all the wrong reasons from a Tipperary perspective. The tactic of Lar Corbett man-marking Tommy Walsh backfired spectacularly, as Kilkenny steamrolled their way to an 18-point victory.

However, it’s perhaps forgotten the Premier took the fight to the Cats in the early stages, and were in fact ahead at half-time, leading 1-10 to 1-9 ahead. From there, that great Kilkenny team delivered one of their finest displays at Croke Park to seal an emphatic victory.

9. Kilkenny 2-17 Tipperary 2-14 (2014 All-Ireland final replay)

The 2014 replay was played on different terms to the drawn game. Brian Cody set up his side more defensively, with Kieran Joyce winning man of the match after an effective display as a sweeper.

A number of power plays steered Kilkenny home, namely a goal apiece from Carrickshock brothers Richie and John Power. Meanwhile, a JJ Delaney hook on Seamus Callanan saved the Cats, as Cody’s side held out for another final triumph.

8. Kilkenny 2-26 Tipperary 4-17 (2009 National League final)

After a revival in 2008, Tipp did not quite manage to get their hands on the Cats as they fell to Waterford in the All-Ireland semi-final.

By the time 2009 had come around, the Premier County felt they were ready to match the seemingly imperious Cats.

Tipp led for much of the game, but were unable to land a knockout blow as Richie Hogan inspired Brian Cody’s side to an extra-time victory.

7. Tipperary 2-29 Kilkenny 2-20 (2016 All-Ireland final)

After so much frustration built up against the Cats in recent years, Tipperary channelled it in just the right way and hit the men in black and amber with a perfect storm.

The starting full-forward line ran amok, scoring 2-21 (2-15 from play) between them, as Seamus Callanan delivered one of the greatest individual performances ever seen in a final.

Everything clicked for Michael Ryan’s side on a famous day for Tipperary hurling.

6. Kilkenny 2-17 Tipperary 1-16 (2011 All-Ireland final)

Revenge was the order of the day for Kilkenny after the 2010 decider, and that’s exactly what they achieved.

The Munster champions were the form team in the country, after putting seven goals past Waterford in the provincial final. Lar Corbett had bagged four of those, and also found the net in the All-Ireland semi-final win over Dublin.

But Jackie Tyrrell was given a job to marshal the reigning Hurler of the Year, and did just that.

Kilkenny burst out of the blocks, racing into a five-point lead which laid the foundations for a four-point victory.

5. Tipperary 4-17 Kilkenny 1-18 (2010 All-Ireland final)

One of the most famous days in the history of the GAA, as Kilkenny became the fifth team to attempt a five-in-a-row across hurling and football. A Lar Corbett hat-trick ensured the Cats’ bid would go the same way as the previous four.

Liam Sheedy’s team, hurting from their final loss 12 months previously, tore into the Cats right from the off. Injury to Henry Shefflin significantly dented Kilkenny’s hopes, as Tipp secured a historic victory.

4. Kilkenny 5-14 Tipperary 5-13 (2003 National League final)

Not many attending Croke Park on the May bank holiday weekend expected such fireworks, but a game of championship intensity broke out on Jones’ Road.

A goal-fest ensued, as braces from Lar Corbett and John Carroll along with 1-7 from Eoin Kelly kept the Premier in the hunt. But Kilkenny ultimately took the spoils, as goals from Henry Shefflin, Charlie Carter, Martin Comerford, Eddie Brennan and DJ Carey saw the Cats take the victory.

3. Kilkenny 1-20 Tipperary 1-16 (2002 All-Ireland semi-final)

A match defined by the genius of DJ Carey.

After recovering from a long injury layoff, the Young Irelands star was sprung from the bench and put in a game-changing performance to steer the Cats over the line in a classic, downing reigning champions Tipperary at Croke Park.

It was a game of inches, but it took the special talent of DJ to tip the balance.

2. Kilkenny 2-22 Tipperary 0-23 (2009 All-Ireland final)

Of the trilogy of finals in 2009, 2010 and 2011 between the sides, this was perhaps the pick of the bunch. Competing in their first decider in eight years, Tipperary hit a four-in-a-row chasing Kilkenny side with a tour de force. Lar Corbett and Eoin Kelly gave an exhibition in point-taking, but crucially the Premier could not find the net, as PJ Ryan pulled off a string of impressive saves.

Like the champions that they were, the Cats hung right in there, and pounced when given their opportunity. Benny Dunne was shown a straight red card, and minutes later Diarmuid Kirwan awarded the Noresiders a dubious penalty. Henry Shefflin did not look a gift horse in the mouth, and buried it. Minutes later, Martin Comerford stuck the sliotar in the net once again, and the game was over as a contest.

1. Kilkenny 3-22 Tipperary 1-28 (2014 All-Ireland final)

It was a match that had everything. High-scoring, eye-catching shooting, and bucket-loads of drama from start to finish.

The game ebbed and flowed for over 70 enthralling minutes in Croke Park, and nobody was leaving early.

Ultimately, Tipperary had a late, late opportunity to seal the victory, and it seemed like they had done just that, but hawkeye dictated John O’Dwyer’s free had just gone wide meaning it was headed for a replay.

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