after the all-ireland final in 2009, kilkenny had gone twenty-one championship games without a defeat and were chasing a record-breaking fifth successive all-ireland triumph. brian cody’s gamble on an injury-ravaged henry shefflin did not come off, and the kilkenny ace was forced to retire injured after just twelve minutes. this compounded an already poor start, when eoin kelly had already swept over three frees when tipp stunned "the cats" with a lar corbett goal in the tenth minute. even tipp goalkeeper brendan cummins got in on the act with a point from a massive free, but with john tennyson, j. j. delaney and michael fennelly leading by example and using their vast experience and know-how, kilkenny set about dismantling that advantage. tipperary's lar corbett went on to score two more goals, a first all-ireland hat-trick in forty years, as liam sheedy's side produced a devastating attacking display to secure a 26th all-ireland title.