Brendan’s brilliance in goal is old news

NOBODY should have been surprised by the brilliance of Brendan Cummins for Tipperary in the second half of the Guinness All-Ireland semi-finals.

It wasn't as if he had suddenly been confirmed as one of the outstanding hurling goalkeepers of modern times.

He earned that reputation very soon after taking over from Ken Hogan, another with an impressive record. However, the actual number of saves he made in the second half and specifically the agility and artistry he demonstrated in the sequence leading up to the scoring of Kilkenny's second goal by Tommy Walsh made his performance especially memorable.