When Tipperary and Mayo were pulled first in the qualifier draw my instinctive reaction was that Tipp were still paying a heavy price for taking an eye off the ball against Cork in the Munster semi-final, writes Declan Browne.

It’s almost scary to think how far Tipperary football has come in 10 years. But yesterday’s win over Louth showed there’s been decent progress in 12 months too.

The evenings are that bit brighter, all the hurt and disappointment of last year is long forgotten, hope is back in the hearts of supporters in every corner of the country. There is a road to some kind of glory for everyone. This could be the year.

Have no doubt, this was a huge win for Kieran McGeeney and his troops, writes Declan Browne.

What a difference a year makes; from the historic jubilant scenes after beating Cork in Semple Stadium last year to the sheer devastation of Saturday night’s narrow loss.

Even with a sweeper protecting their defence, Louth just could not cope with the quality of Michael Quinlivan and Conor Sweeney, writes Declan Browne.

In what was an inconsistent and patchy league campaign, to be heading to Croke Park this evening is a real bonus for Tipperary, writes Declan Browne.

The journey is over for now, but if Liam Kearns and his men were told at the start of this difficult year that they would play in front of almost 54,000 people in Croke Park on All-Ireland semi-final day, they would have accepted that scenario with open arms.