ON THE LAST day of July, Tipperary made their final roll of the dice in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

As they hunted down Waterford, with an All-Ireland semi-final spot on the line, John McGrath came on as Tipperary’s fifth and last sub of the afternoon.

He popped over 0-2 during his cameo to prove his scoring worth and came close to increasing that total.

As the game moved into injury-time, Noel McGrath tossed a handpass towards his younger brother, who shaped to shoot off his left, stepped inside and cracked a right-handed shot in under pressure.

Shaun O’Brien in the Waterford goal made a superb intervention to tip over the bar and limit the damage to a point. Then from the next passage of play, Waterford went downfield and Neil Montgomery smashed in the goal that killed off the game.

Tipperary had reached the end of the championship road and the sense of finality was reinforced by the subsequent departure of Liam Sheedy as manager.

McGrath had endured an indifferent season in county colours.

He started against Clare in the Munster semi-final but was taken off at half-time and didn’t feature in the provincial final against Limerick.

Last year McGrath only scored in one of his three championship appearances, netting in their defeat to Limerick in a rain storm.

It’s been a change in fortunes for a player who by the age of 25 was a two-time All-Ireland senior winner, a key performer in both final triumphs, an All-Star in 2016 and the scorer of 16 goals across league and championship in 2016 and 2017.

But if there has been any concerns about McGrath slipping in the pecking order, there been a telling response in recent weeks and months.

Back at the coalface of the game, he has lit up the club championship this autumn and winter for Loughmore-Castleiney.

Right now, he is arguably the most in-form forward in the country, given his level of sustained excellence in both codes.

Three months ago, on Friday 27 August, Loughmore-Castleiney’s club senior campaign commenced. They lost that hurling group opener to Kiladangan, pipped by a point in a high-scoring tie.

McGrath chipped in with 0-10 in that game and it was a sign of what was to come. That was the first of 13 senior championship ties, spanning both codes, that Loughmore-Castleiney have featured in since. It’s the only one they have lost, claiming five wins and a draw in hurling, and a similar chain of results in football, since then.

Silverware was delivered in football last Sunday, the chance to complete the double arises in tomorrow’s hurling replay.

Throughout this odyssey that has fired games their way, McGrath’s scoring sprees have been instrumental in their progress.

He had his moments in the respective group stages, 1-9 against Moycarkey-Borris and 0-10 against JK Brackens for the hurlers. Then there was a key goal created for team-mate Cian Hennessy in a football victory over Killenaule and a goal bagged himself against Rockwell Rovers.

Once the knockout stages arrived and the stakes were raised, McGrath has exploded into life.

John McGrath scoring stats

October

• Hurling – Friday 8th – 1-6 (0-4f) v Killenaule – preliminary quarter-final

• Hurling – Saturday 16th – 4-6 (2-0 pen, 0-3f) v Kilruane MacDonaghs – quarter-final

• Football – Saturday 23rd – 0-1 (free) v Kilsheelan-Kilcash – quarter-final

• Hurling – Sunday 31st – 1-12 (0-9f, 1-0 pen, 0-1 ‘65) v Borris-Ileigh – semi-final

November

• Football – Saturday 6th – 1-1 v Moyle Rovers – semi-final

• Hurling – Sunday 14th – 0-12 (0-8f) v Thurles Sarsfields – final

• Football – Sunday 21st – 1-2 v Clonmel Commercials – final

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McGrath’s performances have been recognised with man-of-the-match awards in the last four hurling ties, along with the football semi-final and final. 

There was live television coverage when he wreaked havoc in hurling against Kilruane MacDonaghs, a first-half blitz of four goals, and against Thurles Sarsfields, as he reeled 0ff 0-12 to ignite a comeback.

In the football encounters he produced the crucial interventions with late goals to secure the semi-final and final wins. For all his inter-county hurling recognition, his football prowess isn’t exactly a bolt from the blue given his All-Ireland final experience at minor in 2011 and U21 in 2015.

McGrath isn’t a stranger to Tipperary county senior final day. He has packed in nine appearances so far and earned five medals for his efforts.

Tomorrow represents a milestone with his 10th such outing and a chance to cap off a brilliant local season. He has been in prolific form with a blend of free-taking accuracy and leadership in supplying scores from play.

For the watching Colm Bonnar, freshly-installed as Tipperary manager and observing the club game as a county shop window, McGrath has provided food for thought as the 2022 plans are shaped.

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