TIPPERARY are heading back to Croke Park for the first time since the 2019 All-Ireland final after a comfortable eight-point victory over Galway.
Their semi-final will be a repeat of that decider six years ago as the Premier face Kilkenny on Sunday, July 6.
With current champions Clare and history-makers Limerick out, Tipp boss Liam Cahill insisted the Championship is anything but wide-open.
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“Cork are still raging hot favourites,” he replied. “I’d say there’s only one man smiling tonight, and that’s Pat Ryan.”
The old and young guards came up trumps for Cahill’s side in front of 15,404 fans.
On the inside line, Jason Forde and John McGrath shared 10 points, led by Forde’s 0-7. That tally was matched by the roving duo of Jake Morris and Andrew Ormond, who scored 0-5 each.
Jason Forde led the scoring for the Premier county, pointing seven times against Galway. Picture by Seamus Loughran (seamus loughran)
Teenage talent Oisín O’Donoghue made sure they would avenge their 2023 quarter-final exit against the same opponents with the clinching goal.
Colm Molloy and Declan McLoughlin, in the final play, hit the net for Galway. They were overly reliant on Cathal Mannion’s 13 points.
The Tribesmen tallied 16 wides plus a handful of missed goal chances. Tipp missed the posts with 14 shots.
Cahill feels the “bigger spaces” of Croker will require his team to be better defensively.
Tipperary manager Liam Cahill is wary of the challenges that Croke Park can pose to his side, who will play at HQ for the first time since their 2019 All-Ireland final win (seamus loughran)
“It’ll be a big challenge to go to Croke Park with a group of players when a high percentage of them won’t have played there,” he said.
“That will more than likely hand us the tag of being real underdogs, and rightly so.
“There’ll be no margin for error in that place. It’s unforgiving up there. Kilkenny know that like the back of their hand, they’re playing day in, day out in it.
“We won’t use that as an excuse. Obviously, we’re not. But we have to highlight that it is a concern.”
Whereas Galway were reliant on Mannion for nine of their 11 first-half points, all six Tipp forwards were on the scoresheet within 25 minutes.
Forde tallied five points, comprising four from play and his first of two sideline cuts. McGrath tacked on three more and assisted two of Forde’s scores.
Vice-captain Morris also shone with 0-3 and was fouled for three scoreable frees.
The Premier threaded together five points on the spin between the eighth and 12th minutes. Centre-forward Ormond also had a sight of goal. Back from suspension, Darach Fahy advanced to save with his leg.
Tipp’s biggest advantage was seven, 0-15 to 0-8, on the half-hour.
Mannion finished the half as he started it, with a three-point burst. Galway could’ve had a goal in the closing stages, too. Kevin Cooney was forced to shoot early, and Rhys Shelly dived to turn the sliotar around the post.
They trailed 0-16 to 0-11 at half-time, but got their goal within five minutes of the restart.
Conor Cooney swooped onto a loose pass and fed Molloy out wide. Robert Doyle slipped and the Kilnadeema-Leitrim attacker took full advantage, racing in for a low finish to the far corner.
The gap was two, but Galway didn’t score again for the next 12 minutes. They tallied seven wides in the third quarter.
In the meantime, Tipp scrubbed the goal with six consecutive points. They almost capped it with a goal, but Fahy denied Morris and Darragh Stakelum’s rebound.
Tom Monaghan broke the spell, only for Tipp to find the net in the 59th minute.
Noel McGrath fed the sliotar to O’Donoghue, who wrong-footed the keeper for his second Championship goal.
McLoughlin had three late efforts on goal. Doyle blocked one, the next flew wide, but the final one evaded Shelly’s grasp to find the net.
Galway D Fahy; P Mannion, Daithí Burke, D Morrissey; S Linnane, G Lee, C Fahy; David Burke, R Glennon; C Whelan 0-1, C Cooney 0-1, B Concannon; C Mannion 0-13 (0-8f, 3x65s), C Molloy 1-0, K Cooney
Subs TJ Brennan for Linnane (ht); T Monaghan 0-2 for David Burke (50); D McLoughlin 1-0 for C Cooney (51); T Killeen for K Cooney (58); R Burke for Glennon (66).
Tipperary R Shelly; M Breen, R Doyle, B O’Mara; C Morgan, E Connolly, R Maher; W Connors 0-1, P McGarry; J Morris 0-5, A Ormond 0-5, S O’Farrell 0-1; D McCarthy 0-3f, J McGrath 0-3, J Forde 0-7 (0-2sl, 0-1f)
Subs D Stakelum 0-2 for McGarry (h-t); N McGrath 0-1 for J McGrath (48); O O’Donoghue 1-0 for McCarthy (52); C Stakelum for O’Farrell (59); S Kennedy for Connors (66)
Referee S Stack (Dublin)