in 2009 tipperary were charged with derailing kilkenny's bid for a record-equalling fourth successive all-ireland championship, when a first all-ireland final between the sides in eighteen years took place on 6 september. a crowd of 82,106 was treated to one of the greatest all-ireland deciders of all time. tipperary had to play almost twenty minutes with fourteen men following the dismissal of benny dunne, and their resolve was finally broken in the final stages, when late goals from henry shefflin (penalty) and substitute martin comerford finally killed off the heroic efforts of a tipp side that looked for long periods that they were going to end the reign of brian cody’s side. a 2-22 to 0-23 victory meant that "the cats" were acclaimed as one of the greatest teams of all time, if not the greatest by becoming only the second county to put four all-ireland titles back-to-back, joining the great cork team of the 1940s in an elite club.