Ding-dong.
There's tweedledum and tweedledee, there's bacon and cabbage, there's Kilkenny and Brian Cody and then, then there's the siamese twins of mid-Tipperary, Thurles Sarsfields and Loughmore-Castleiney.
It was back at the beginning of September when the Sars and the hurlers of Loughmore met for the first time this year in the mid-Tipperary hurling final. The sides couldn't be separated in the hour, 2-20 to 2-20 after 60 thrilling minutes in Templetuohy.
Extra-time couldn't do it either. 2-27 apiece was the score after 20 more minutes were played. So then, they went to extra extra-time, these measures taken so as to have the mid Tipperary hurling championship complete before the county championship got down to its business stages. Thurles Sarsfields and Loughmore-Castleiney went a point each in extra extra-time and the final scoreline read 2-28 to 2-28 after more than an hour and a half of hurling and with darkness nearly descending on them.
https://twitter.com/buff_egan/status/1038835173285142528
That game had it all, with an injured Noel McGrath manning the goals for his club for the last few minutes of the game. Plenty of water has gone under the bridge in the meantime in Tipperary.
The last few games of the Tipperary hurling championship went ahead and For a change, neither Thurles or Loughmore made it to the final.
Declan Laffan's men were beaten in the quarters by Nenagh Éire Óg - the strain of being involved in the football at the same time appearing to cost the with John McGrath only able to limp around the field the same day. Thurles went one step further but they were eventually taken out by the same opponents, the men of Nenagh at the last four stages.
Nenagh were beaten by Clonoulty-Rossmore in the final last weekend to bring the county championship to a close, which meant Thurles and Loughmore could finally sort out the mid-final this Saturday.
But it wouldn't be that simple.
4.00 in Templetuohy and the ball was thrown-in. Time for these heavyweights to slug it out again.
https://twitter.com/Loughmore_Gaa/status/1056202179042861056
5.30 in Templetuohy and they were still glued together.
No quarters given, nothing given away easy. Blow for blow again.
https://twitter.com/thurlessars/status/1056220766277193729
Extra-time, of course, required again.
And it looked like extra extra time would be called on again as extra-time started slow, started tightly.
But then, finally something gave. Loughmore-Castleiney netted a goal into extra-time and they'd go on to win by three.
https://twitter.com/Loughmore_Gaa/status/1056229721862823937
Neither sides dying, both fighting until they couldn't fight anymore.
If you're talking minutes, this mid Tipperary hurling final went on for 170 of them. If you're counting additional time, it probably hit the three hour mark.
That's courage from both teams, that's spirit from both teams, that's heart from both teams.
Loughmore-Castleiney earned that championship.
