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Hogan stars as Cats win league battle

May 04, 2009

Sunday, May 3

Richie Hogan scored 1-10 as Kilkenny collected a 14th Allianz National Hurling League title in a gripping Semple Stadium decider against Tipperary on Sunday, which they won by 2-26 to 4-17.

The Cats came from eight points down to force extra-time in Thurles and finished with a flourish to nail a first National League title since 2006 with three points to spare.

Remarkably, Hogan was scoreless in the first half in front of 17,087 spectators but the Danesfort star helped himself to 1-7 in the second half and added three points in the second period of extra-time.

Aidan Fogarty also turned in more than a useful attacking performance for the Leinster and All-Ireland champions as he chipped in with a 1-5 haul.

In a gripping decider, the best league final since the Croke Park cliff-hanger between the two sides in 2003, Séamus Callanan bagged 1-7 for Tipp and teen sensation Noel McGrath added 1-5.

Two minutes after half-time, Callanan’s goal opened up a 3-7 to 0-8 lead for Tipperary but Brian Cody’s all-conquering stars overcame some stiff obstacles to force their way back into contention.

Kilkenny suffered a severe injury blow after just 11 minutes when Brian Hogan was stretchered off and the winners also lost the services of Martin Comerford and Henry Shefflin to yellow cards.

Comerford was just a minute on the field after replacing Hogan when he was dismissed while Shefflin was ordered off seven minutes after half-time.

In addition, Tipp’s Hugh Maloney and Kilkenny pair Eddie Brennan and Tommy Walsh can also count themselves fortunate not to have been yellow-carded in the final competitive hurling fixture played under the experimental rules in operation during the league campaign.

Tipp, playing with a strong breeze, got off to the best possible start with two goals inside the first nine minutes as James Woodlock booted home from close range in the 4th minute before John O’Brien finished clinically five minutes later.

Those strikes helped Tipp to lead by 2-7 to 0-8 at half-time and they got off to the best possible start to the second half within two minutes when Callanan collected a Lar Corbett pass and drilled home a fine goal at the Killinan End.

Eight points clear, Tipp had a solid platform but just a minute later, Hogan netted with the goal allowed to stand despite home protests that the Kilkenny forward had taken too many steps.

Aidan Fogarty’s 50th-minute goal hauled Kilkenny right back into contention as the Emeralds corner forward finished clinically past Brendan Cummins and with 20 minutes remaining, the scene was set for a gripping finish.

Lesser teams have crumbled in the face of the Kilkenny juggernaut but Tipp, who lost by 17 points against the same opposition at Nowlan Park just six weeks ago, hung in grimly until the finish and had to come from behind to force extra-time.

Fogarty levelled things up with a minute remaining and when Hogan pointed a free a minute into stoppage time, Kilkenny appeared to have clinched the tie in regulation time.

But Tipperary had other ideas and after James Ryall was penalised for holding onto the sliotar on the ground, former All-Ireland minor medallist Noel McGrath stepped forward to tie the full-time scores at 3-14 to 2-17.

Tipperary: B Cummins (0-1f); P Stapleton, P Curran, C O’Brien; Pádraic Maher, D Fanning, S Maher; T Stapleton, S McGrath (0-2); L Corbett, S Callanan (1-7, 0-7f), J Woodlock (1-1); N McGrath (1-5, 1f), M Webster, J O’Brien (1-1).

Subs: B Maher for Fanning (12), H Maloney for S Maher (14), B Dunne for Maloney (58), S Hennessy for Woodlock (62), D Fitzgerald for Stapleton (70), Patrick Maher for Webster (80), E Buckley for Pádraic Maher (80).

Kilkenny: PJ Ryan; M Kavanagh, JJ Delaney, J Tyrrell; T Walsh, B Hogan, J Ryall; J Tennyson, M Rice; R Hogan (1-10, 0-7f), H Shefflin (0-4, 1f, 1 65), E Larkin (0-1); E Brennan (0-2), TJ Reid (0-4, 1 sl), A Fogarty (1-5).

Subs: M Comerford for Hogan (11), M Grace for Comerford (13), J ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick for Shefflin (42), S Cummins for Kavanagh (78). 

Referee: J Sexton (Cork).

 

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