Inter-county
Surprisingly Corbett never played at minor level with Tipperary. This is unusual as most players nearly always play on either one team or the other before playing on the senior team. He made his senior inter-county debut against Clare in the 2000 South East Hurling League playing at corner-forward.
In 2001 Corbett made his senior championship debut. He also enjoyed his best season with the Tipperary hurlers. The team booked their place in a third successive National League final at the start of the year. Clare were the opponents in that game, however, the great Clare team of the 1990s was now heading over-the-hill. Tipperary were the victors by 1–19 to 0–17, giving Corbett a coveted National League winners' medal. Tipperary later built on this success by qualifying for the Munster final against Limerick. In a close game Cornett's side broke back and won the game by 2–16 to 1–17. It was his first Munster winners’ medal and the premier county’s first provincial championship in eight years. Tipperary’s great run of success nearly came to an abrupt end in the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final when they were held to a draw by Wexford. Tipp easily won the replay, setting up an All-Ireland final meeting with Galway. Mark O'Leary scored two goals to give Tipperary a reasonably comfortable cushion, just enough to withstand a Galway comeback. Fergal Healy hit the post twice, however, his goal, Galway’s second, cut the deficit to one point with just nine minutes left in the game. Tipp outscored Galway during that period to secure a 2–18 to 2–15 victory. It was Corbett's first All-Ireland winners’ medal and Tipp’s first in a decade.
2002 proved to be a disappointment for Corbett after the highs of the previous year. Tipperary’s hurlers lined out against Waterford in the Munster hurling final and looked set for victory. The Decies had not won a provincial title since 1963 while Tipp were the All-Ireland champions. Things did not pan out that way as Tipp failed to score for the last twenty minutes. Waterford powered to a memorable 2–23 to 3–12 victory and a place in the history books. After overcoming Antrim the Tipp hurlers booked a place against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final. At the final whistle only four points separated the sides; however, ‘the Cats’ took the spoils and brought an end to a disappointing season for Corbett.
In 2003 Corbett played a key role in helping his team reach the final of the National League. Kilkenny were the opponents and a high-scoring game ensued. Both sides conceded five goals, however, at the full-time whistle only a point stood between Tipp and a draw. Kilkenny won the game by 5–14 to 5–13. Tipperary exited the provincial championship at an early stage, however, by maneuvering through the newly-expanded qualifiers the team reached the All-Ireland semi-final stage for a third consecutive year. Kilkenny were the opponents once again, however, Tipp were now in decline. A twelve-point 3–18 to 0–15 trouncing resulted in a victory for Kilkenny.
After an even more lackluster season in 2004, Tipperary bounced back to each the Munster final in 2005. Corbett, however, played no part in the rest of Tipp's season.
2006 saw the return of Babs Keating as Tipperary manager as Corbett lined out in the Munster final against Cork. The result was the same as the previous year as ‘the Rebels’ defeated their greatest rivals by 2–14 to 1–14. The subsequent All-Ireland quarter-final was a repeat of the provincial semi-final with Waterford providing the opposition. While Tipp won the first outing, Waterford turned the tables for the second installment with a 3–13 to 1–22 defeat of Corbett's side.
2007 was also a write-off as far as Tipperary were concerned, however, Liam Sheedy took over as manager for 2008 and things began to change for the premier county. Tipp began the year well by winning the pre-season Waterford Crystal Cup. The men from the premier county later remained undefeated in their National League campaign before meeting Galway in the final. In an exciting game Tipp emerged victorious by 3–18 to 3–16 and Corbett collected a second National League winners’ medal. He also finished the game with the man of the match award. Tipp later qualified for a Munster final showdown with Clare. The game was far from a classic, however, Tipperary still won by 2–21 to 0–19 giving Cornett only his second Munster winners’ medal. In the build-up to the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final against Waterford there was much discussion about Tipp. After an unbeaten run throughout the whole year many viewed the game as a formality as Tipp were seemingly guaranteed a place in the championship decider. Not for the first time Waterford turned the tables on Tipp in the penultimate stage as the Decies won by 1–20 to 1–18.
At the start of 2009 Tipperary were regarded as the main challengers to Kilkenny’s assault on the four-in-a-row of All-Ireland championship titles. Both sides lined out against each other in the final of the National League. Tipperary, the defending champions, stormed into a decisive lead as they took the game by the scruff of the; however, ‘the Cats’ clawed their way back into the game. At the end of normal time both sides were level. A period of extra-time followed, however, in spite of a 2–26 to 4–17 defeat, Corbett's side were widely lauded for their performance. The subsequent championship campaign saw Tipp reach the Munster final for a second consecutive year. Waterford, the team that had put Tipp to the sword in the All-Ireland semi-final the previous year provided the opposition. Tipp raced into a decisive lead at the interval, however, the Decies fought back to narrow the deficit and maybe cause an upset. In the end Tipp won the game by 4–14 to 2–16, with Corbett chipping in with 2–2 from play. It was his third Munster winners’ medal. This victory allowed Tipperary to advance to an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Limerick in Croke Park, which they won by 24 points. Corbett, in spite of remaining scoreless for fifty minutes, ended the day with a hat-trick of goals. On 6 September 2009, Tipperary and Corbett faced Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final, but were unlucky to end up losing by 2–22 to 0–23. In September 2009, Corbett was nominated for the All Stars Hurler of the Year and for the 2009 All Star Team.
In 2010 Tipperary were regarded as being the second best team in the country once again. Their first championship assignment was a clash with Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. While Tipp were the favourites going into the game Cork ambushed Corbett's side with a 3–15 to 0–14 defeat. The qualifiers beckoned and, after victories over Wexford, Offaly, Galway and Waterford, Tipperary reached a second consecutive All-Ireland final. Kilkenny, a team chasing an unprecedented fifth successive championship, provided the opposition and a great game was expected. Tipperary got off to a great start as Kilkenny's star forward Henry Shefflin had to leave the field with an injury. A hat-trick of goals by Corbett and a fourth by Noel McGrath denied Kilkenny's drive-for-five and secured a remarkable 4–17 to 1–18 victory. It was Corbett's second All-Ireland winners' medal. He also received the Sunday Game man of the match award. In October 2010, Corbett won his second All Star award and was also named as the Hurler of the Year for 2010.
In the 2011 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final on 4 September, again against Kilkenny, he failed to repeat is exploits of the previous year, when he was held completely scoreless by Kilkenny defender Jackie Tyrell. On 6 February 2012, Corbett announced his withdrawal from the Tipperary hurling panel for the 2012 season. On 13 May 2012, it was announced by Tipperary GAA that Corbett had returned to the Tipperary Senior Hurling panel. On 24 June he made his comeback for Tipperary, coming on as a substitute in the first half against Cork in the 2012 Munster Hurling Semi-Final as Tipperary won by 1–22 to 0–24. He started the next match against Waterford in the 2012 Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final as Tipperary retained their title. On 19 August in the All Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny, Corbett was assigned the role of man marking Kilkenny defender Tommy Walsh around the pitch, with Kilkenny assigning Jackie Tyrrell to mark Corbett. The marking battle between the players developed into a sideshow and nullified Corbetts own game as he remained scoreless during the game which Kilkenny won by 4-24 to 1-15. The tactic was heavily criticized by various analysts and reporters after the game.
Read more about this topic: Lar Corbett, Playing Career