The All-Ireland final victory was the perfect crescendo to Tipperary's season. But for James Barry, the final minutes against Wexford in the semi were the crucial moments.
Tipp ran out comfortable winners against 14-man Kilkenny in Sunday's decider. But at one point against Wexford, they found themselves five points down.
Tipperary were able to claw back that deficit en route to 2019 All-Ireland glory. Speaking to our own Will O'Callaghan this morning, Barry chose to highlight that semi-final comeback.
"In a couple of months' time when we look back on the whole 2019 season, I think the last 15-20 minutes against Wexford, will be the moment we look back on that actually won this Championship," he said.
Everything Clicked
"Obviously, yesterday in the second half [vs Kilkenny], everything seemed to click for us right," he said.
"The ball fell into place for us and the last 15-20 minutes, you could enjoy the final. Because we were 10 or 11 points up in the All-Ireland final.
"So I think when we look back on all the graft that went on in January and February, it's for moments like the last 15-20 minutes against Wexford.
"Obviously, going a man down is very disappointing. So all the lads had to step up a level that we hadn't been playing at that day.
"I think that 15-20 minutes defines this 2019 season."
He also discussed the Tipp players' mindsets as they brought a huge lead over Kilkenny into the final minutes.
"As a player, you forget to look at the scoreboard. It's just the next ball," he said.
"You get used to not looking at the scoreboard because you just drive for the next ball. We could have taken the foot off the pedal yesterday and let them back into the game.
"If they had got a goal or a couple of points, [the lead] would have come back down to 4-5 points. It was important we kept eight or nine points up because you don't want to give them any sniff."
You can watch the full chat with James Barry above via the video player.
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