John "Bubbles" O'Dwyer leaping over and out-muscling Paul Murphy provided the ultimate example of how greatness can be denied.
Attack Kilkenny’s strength, break men like Murphy and you own victory.
Every Darren Gleeson puck-out in the first half landed upon the pair of them; Murphy and Kilkenny would have been delighted to hear this tactic was coming from Tipperary.
Except, believably, O’Dwyer devoured him whole. Took him for 1-2.
Threw in a 77-metre free and sideline cut for good measure. Took the best corner back in Ireland to a dark place he possibly never knew existed.
From minute one and deep into injury time, Murphy could not contain Bubbles. Could not touch the ball he normally gathers in his sleep.
There is hubris in the downfall of many champions. But what could Kilkenny manager Brian Cody really do? Not only was there the amazing sight of O'Dwyer owning Murphy on the left, we witnessed Joey Holden being opened up and dissected by Seamus Callanan while John McGrath had a grand time coursing Shane Prendergast all over the field.
The Tipperary full forwards racked up 2-21 (2-15 from play) on two current All Stars and the Kilkenny captain. Astonishing dominance.
Cody stayed with his men, maybe because he knew there was nobody on the bench equipped to handle these Tipp savages, not even Jackie Tyrrell, who misses out on a 10th All-Ireland medal without being allowed break sweat or splinter timber one last time.
“When the full forward line is on top it is not always a question about what’s happening in the fullback line,” was Cody’s response to the suggestion that the shepherd’s crook was cracked by Tyrrell’s demise and JJ Delaney’s passing.
“It’s a team game . . . our fullback line has done wonderful work for us many, many times. We win together and today we got to lose together.”
But this was not about Kilkenny, it was about Tipperary, it was about Bubbles blowing Murphy off the paddock.
One big ruse
All that impact-sub talk proved to be one big ruse. O’Dwyer had been ready for weeks, ready since he came in and goaled against Galway.
“No freebies in our training world,” said Michael Ryan of his return to the 13 jersey. “You could see out there today he was a little bit irresistible. A touch of class, the ball seemed to be sticking to him.”
Bubbles, the nickname being a clue in itself, looks out of shape beside Murphy, who is carved from granite. That changes when they start moving together.
First he clips over a sideline to keep Tipperary a point shy of Kilkenny. An ideal settler. Then Gleeson starts launching balls down the left wing. Bubbles leaps and catches before helping Noel McGrath to a point.
Bubbles, again, climbs over Murphy only to shoot wide. The pattern is clear but O'Dwyer also drifts inside and his running line off Brendan Maher proves untrackable. That levels up the game at 0-8 apiece.
From another Gleeson puck-out, Murphy and Bubbles both snatch and miss as the ball pours over the sideline. Cody boots it back onto the field.
25 minutes: Bubbles gathers, sprints, stops, starts again before taking a point from the yard of space he creates. Irresistible.
All the while Callanan is torturing Holden inside him. Murphy can help his fellow All Star as much as Holden can help his corner back.
A lovely Dan McCormack point comes off more decent fielding by O’Dwyer.
Full beast mode
Bonner Maher, in full beast mode, points just after Bubbles goes down in contact clutching his lámh. He recovers to flick an impossible shot, with back to goal out on the right edge, which fades an inch or so wide.
“On the Bubbles!” goes an elderly man up in the rafters.
“His wrists are unbelievable,” says another.
Belief is surging through Tipperary veins. Just after another Callanan point, following two magical taps off his camán, Bubbles cuts over a free from 77 metres to see Tipp lead by two at the turn.
Skip to the 49th minute: the golden seconds for a team starved of the ultimate success since 2010. The Bubbles moment. Not only is Murphy skinned, he is overpowered. The finish is marvellously extravagant as Murphy stands in O’Dwyer’s wake with a heavy head cursing his own limps.
Flummoxing
Not a moment later and Bubbles somehow tips the ball away from the end line, flummoxing Murphy again, but Eoin Murphy is equal to the shot.
On and on it goes until John McGrath’s goal puts nine between them.
Richie Hogan strikes back in a heartbeat so Bubbles delivers what feels like the killer point. Then he hits two quick wides but it is his game now so he can do what he likes.
After all that, his ecstatic war cry deserves to be the last line in this story: “Everyone doubted us at the start of the year but we proved our doubters wrong.
“We are champions of f**king Ireland!”
