All of Croke Park rose to applaud Noel McGrath when he came on to the pitch yesterday, no matter what colour jersey they were wearing. 

The Tipperary star was making his first appearance since being diagnosed with testicular cancer just a few short months ago. McGrath underwent surgery and treatment as a result, and even when he was warming up, the crowd were giving him a warm round of applause. 

When he came on, there was a deafening cheer from both sets of fans, in recognition of the fact that he had been through a lot in the past year and had still made it to the All-Ireland semi-final. 

McGrath hit a late point that could have been the winner, were it not for Shane Moloney of Galway putting the ball between the posts with seconds to go, but after the final whistle, Galway manager Anthony Cunningham sought him out to shake his hand and share a word with him.

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It was a great gesture from the manager, and one that was probably appreciated by McGrath, even in the low moments after a defeat. 

Via Rory's Stories