by 0–16 to 0-13. For the second year in-a-row the All-Ireland final was contested by two teams from the same province as Offaly took on Kilkenny. The defeated Leinster finalists, Offaly, had certainly learned from their mistakes with Joe Errity and Brian Whelahan scoring key goals. At the full-time whistle Offaly emerged as the winners by 2–16 to 1-13. It was the first time that a defeated team had won the All-Ireland title via the "back door system". 1999 to 2006 – The old order restored The promise of the new teams of the nineties failed to materialise as the turn of the new century saw "the big three" reclaim their dominance at the top of the hurling world. The last All-Ireland final of the decade saw Cork, the Munster champions for the first time since 1992, take on Kilkenny. "The Cats" were the red-hot favourites going into the game; however, inclement conditions robbed the fans of what was expected to be a classic game of hurling. Kilkenny led by four points with fifteen minutes left; however, Cork fought back. Both sides shot seventeen wides as Cork, with an average age of twenty-two, won the game by 0–13 to 0-12. It was the first final between both these sides that failed to produce a goal. In 2000 Kilkenny qualified for a third consecutive All-Ireland final; however, the prospect of becoming the first team to lose three-in-a-row loomed large. Offaly, the team defeated by Kilkenny in the Leinster final, came through the "back door" and booked their place in the championship decider. A rout took place as the men from "the faithful county" proved no match for the scoring abilities of Henry Shefflin and D. J. Carey. The long whistle signaled a 5–15 to 1–14 victory for Kilkenny – the millennium champions. 2001 saw Tipperary, the third member of "the big three", reach the All-Ireland final for the first time in ten years. The men from "the premier county" renewed their rivalry with Galway, who qualified for the All-Ireland final after a defeat of Kilkenny in the semi-final. Mark O'Leary bagged two goals for Tipp, enough to withstand a mighty comeback by Galway. With nine minutes left Galway only trailed by a point; however, Tipp forged ahead to win by 2–18 to 2-15. It was their twenty-fifth All-Ireland title. In 2002 Kilkenny captured the National Hurling League title before later lining