YOU GET THE sense that Paudie Maher’s thunderous shoulder on Joe Canning will go down in Croke Park legend.
Talk about laying down a marker.
The sight of two of the finest athletes in the game colliding at top speed left the stadium rocking.
On 23 minutes Maher sized up Canning, who had gathered possession and was flying down the sideline under the Hogan Stand. The Tipperary wing-back send man and ball crashing over the sideline with a bone-shaking hit timed to perfection.
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Both players left to receive medical attention but returned to the field after a few minutes. Shaken but not stirred.
“It was the spur of the moment thing but thankfully we were both okay,” Maher said afterwards.
“That’s what you get with Galway, it’s a very physical game. They got the various hits in on us as well. In fairness to Barry Kelly he let the thing go on various occasions in the first half.
“It was thoroughly enjoyable to play in and I presume it was impossible to watch as well. After what happened last year we are just delighted to get out with a win, albeit with plenty of room for improvement. We are in the final and that is the main thing.
“We have lost a few tight games and it is great to come out the right side of it.
“The championship is really after hotting up in the last two or three weeks. We are absolutely delighted to make that step to the final.”
Maher’s 70 minutes would make for quite the highlight-reel. His last-ditch hook on Conor Cooney denied the Tribe a near-certain goal near the end of the first-half.
“It was everyone working hard and covering for one another and thankfully I got back just in time. There were 32 minutes on the clock at that stage and if that had gone in it would have been a sucker punch before half time.
Former NFL wide receiver Santana Moss once stated after a college game in 2000, “Big time players make big time plays in big time games.”
Both of Maher’s interventions were huge plays that had a big significance on Tipperary’s victory.
The Premier and Kilkenny will tussle in the final for a fourth time in eight years. It’s a familiar pairing, but it will be anything but stale judging by recent September meetings. What’s Maher’s assessment of the final?
“[Kilkenny] showed a tremendous effort to get through. It goes to show that Waterford are there or thereabouts too. That’s going to bring on Kilkenny a nice bit and hopefully that will bring us on as well.
“We needed that good game as well, thankfully we got through it, a good test and please God it will stand us in good stead for the final.
“We don’t ever fear Kilkenny, we never did. We came up against them in 09, 10, 11 & 12 when they were a top class team. People have been doubting them the last few years but they just keep coming and coming.
“You saw them last night bringing in some new lads and still producing the goods.
“We have blooded young lads too and they are mad for action. That will bring them on a huge amount and please God it’ll help us for the final. We will give it a shot and if it is good enough, it is good enough.”
After that hit on Canning, Maher had a bandage wrapped around his head to protect the wound.
“The doctor said he had his work cut out to stitch it back up properly, he hadn’t a lot to work with there, it’s fine.”
It’ll take a lot more than a bang on the head to keep a big time player like Maher down.
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