the great kilkenny team of the first decade of the 20th century went into decline after their 1913 championship triumph, however, they had won last kick in 1916. tipperary once again provided the opposition on 21 january 1917, as kilkenny aimed to secure a fourth successive championship defeat of their near neighbours. tipperary were five points down, however, they came bouncing back for a famous victory. hugh shelly scored a hat-trick for tipperary, however, the game was not without incident as tipperary's tommy shanahan and kilkenny's dick grace were sent off. a 5-4 to 3-2 victory gave tipperary a first defeat of kilkenny since the 1900 all-ireland semi-final.