FOR A LONG, Long time on Sunday I felt the ' old' saying that a good start is half the battle was meaningless. Tipperary were holding the pin which could burst Kilkenny's five-in-a-row bubble but the balloon kept floating away from them, and we remembered the morale-shattering late free which destroyed their hopes twelve months ago.

Even Tipp folk must have had a tinge of deja vu awaiting for the Cats usual fantastic finale; the searing heat of their finishing ferocity which has ground so many challengers into the soil.

We were awaiting a new chapter in GAA history, but Tipperary refused to stand testimony to it but rather drew on the exuberance of youth hardly exposed to such theatre and gave all a lesson to any who feel intimidated by that final hurdle and demolished the 'sure thing' opinion.

Some folk voiced sympathy at Kilkenny's failure to do the five, but surely regret can only be shared by any in the Cats panel who have not won a senior medal. The rest have enough medals between them to satisfy several counties.

I didn't believe Tipp had fully recovered from their shattered visions of immortality in ' 09 but they certainly exorcised the ghosts in splendid fashion which now might suggest that we witnessed a new dawn in the game.

Gossamer teams succumb at the first sign of real pressure but on Sunday we got a demonstration of character in the face of what all beyond the Ridings thought insurmountable; Tipperary ignited by the memory of ' 09 and an example of belief in their own considerable ability.

A pity Henry Shefflin was forced to limp from the stage, for we'll have to listen to a certain cadre who will diminish the Tipperary triumph and call into question their ability to succeed if he was involved.

Hardly the exhibition of ' 09 but a demonstration of physical and mental toughness by a team whose designs on the ultimate victory had been questioned by a litany of commentators who also doubted the ability of the younger breed to face the ultimate warriors.

I have to admit I had a sporting wishlist at the start of the year. I won't share the other with you readers but atop the menu was that Kilkenny would fall and restore some competitiveness to the championship for their reign was becoming tiresome. Monarchs don't abdicate and resist challenges to their tenure and for long spells Kilkenny looked like unwilling bridesmaids. For some a sense of sadness at imperial demise but what a shot in the arm for hurling.

Again, however there was the questionable result to a flare-up. No-one died but again, yes again, no action taken for aggressiveness, yet yellow produced for several relatively innocuous tackles, and ignoring of a very obvious foul on Corbett in the 62nd at the Kilkenny goal might just have been a very crucial decision, as Tipperary experienced last year.

It is again apparent that the rule book is of little influence and perhaps the classification of aggressive and dangerous play should be examined again and a new code issued, one which referees will not have an option but to implement for most are taking the easy interpretation.

Again of course we had to listen to the minor match as Gaeilge, but dear Lord the senior broadcast was somewhat spoiled, at least for this viewer, by the infuriatingly irritating babbling on of the commentators who still insist on informing us of what we can see. Telling us the ball was wide, that an obvious foul is a free, and announcing the score and time and both permanently on our screens. And to compound our irritation to have to listen to an 'analyst' repeating exactly what the commentator just said and what we saw, and for no other reason I can fathom but to justify his presence.

Sure, I could turn down the sound but then the atmosphere of the background noise would be lost to viewers, so what's the choice? One Carlow Gael sought his own answer; turn down the telly sound and listen to Miceal O on the radio. Please RTE, muzzle them. * Were we supposed to express surprise that the GAA has commissioned another pair of replicas for the Sam Maguire and Liam McCarthy Cups? A newspaper headline gave us to believe that it was a move shrouded in secrecy. Aren't the trophies doing the rounds of pubs and clubs, shops and whatnots not replicas anyway so why the cloak and dagger about shunting two damaged replicas to the side?

It is little wonder that the original cups has to be retired to the museum in D2 after years of dreadful abuse by many with little or no consideration for the value - fiscal and traditional - of the silver.

Touring with two new replicas will hardly cause any concern to those who use them for a variety of reasons, social and commercial, but what should be of concern to the organisation is the way trophies - most of them - are treated

There is a widespread culture of disrespect for association silver, at all levels, one national cup I remember being used as a football in a pub car park in a neighbouring county by a group unable to hold their drink or show respect for the hard-earned prize.

Reason for the replacement replicas were given because of the deteriorating condition of the first edition copies but then is that not an indictment of those who should be charged with their care?

Why trophies should be hauled beyond their resting place is beyond me, be it in a club presentation case or in the county town of the champions where they be on permanent display and not used as a prop for every bash the reason for which or the atmosphere of which hardly deserves the presence of two of the most coveted trophies in Irish sport.

Pity the originals cannot be presented in September and, like to many other sports trophies, returned to their normal perch (in this case the GAA museum) after the event, just as is, say, the Wimbledon tennis trophies which are only on temporary show for the presentation ceremony and a replica given to the champions.

What plus to have any event adorned by a replica in the fist place is beyond me - a bit like the lassie who wears copy jewellery of very expensive originals which live in a safe.

It hardly bothered Eoin Kelly that he was holding a 'fake' aloft in Croke Park on Sunday and what profit the many who crave pictures with the silver and their kiddies sitting in knowing that the real trophies are far, far away.

- Paul Donaghy