SUNDAY’S All-Ireland Senior Hurling semi-final between winners Tipperary and Kilkenny at Croke Park wasn’t without controversy as a point was awarded on the scoreboard to the Premier County late on after a Noel McGrath shot went wide.
This left The Cats thinking they were four points behind, when really they only trailed by three.
On his impressive debut on RTÉ’s The Sunday Game, Limerick’s Tom Morrissey said: “Even their first attack after that Noel McGrath incident, Eoin Cody had definitely an easy option, just tap it over the bar, but probably felt they were four points down.”
“That kind of sets the tone for the next few minutes. They’re hunting goals instead of tapping it over there quickly, and it’s back to a two-point game with three minutes left.
“You can definitely get two points in three minutes.”
Galway great Joe Canning added: “Kilkenny thought they were four points down at that stage and psychologically, that’s huge. Because then you have to obviously get a goal and a point or whatever you need to get back.”
“And in the last couple of minutes, they were going for goals. And even at the time of the day, I was like, I think they’re two points. There was a little bit of confusion all over.
“Psychologically, when you’re on the field and you’re watching the scoreboard late on, and it’s three points, you’re thinking goals. But if that was two points, you tap one over, and then you try and win the puck out, tap another one over.
He concluded: “Definitely for Kilkenny’s players, when you’re chasing a lead down the stretch, psychologically, two points is way different than three points.”
Tipp now face Munster winners Cork in the final at GAA headquarters the weekend after next.
