IT'S A MAHER OF TIME WITH PREMIER

Brendan: Tipp back at top table thanks to belief from Treaty tie

- BY KARL O'KANE

BRENDAN MAHER reckons Tipperary's draw with Limerick in the first round of this year's Munster Championship was a big turning point for Liam Cahill's emerging side.

Bar one blip against Cork, when Darragh McCarthy was sent off at throw-in as they crashed to defeat, Tipperary have powered on, taking the scalps of Waterford, Clare, Laois and Galway.

This afternoon they face Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semifinal at Croke Park, in their first appearance at GAA HQ since 2019.

The Limerick game held all sorts of significance for Tipp, who had continually fallen away in the face of third quarter surges from John Kiely's man, but didn't on this occasion with John McGrath hitting 2-1. It also featured McCarthy slotting over a late pressure free having missed one or two before that.

Tipp clearly took a lot from it, with three-time All-Ireland winning legend Maher pointing to another factor that made the draw at Semple Stadium so important.