TIPPERARY’S BRENDAN MAHER became the first man since Brian Cody to captain his county to both All-Ireland senior and minor success.
The 27-year-old played a starring role at midfield as Tipperary stunned Kilkenny with a devastating second-half display. The Premier County secured their 27th title on the back of an impressive 2-29 to 2-20 victory.
And Maher, who climbed the fabled steps of the Hogan Stand to lift the Liam MacCarthy, revealed he forgot to thank manager Michael Ryan before he accepted the trophy, despite having his speech prepared.
The Borris-Ileigh man wrote his speech three weeks ago and a friend handed it over as he made his way to the stand.
“It’s unbelievable, the stuff you dream of,” Maher told RTE Sport.
“In the moment you don’t know what to think, you’re a bit all over the place, and I forgot to mention Mick Ryan and the management in the speech and I had him first on the list.
“I saw the names and said I’d come back to it, but I just forgot. You don’t know what you’re at! I’ve been getting a bit of stick off the lads since.
“I scribbled a few notes out the day after the Galway game. Got it out of the head.
“I was sitting down in my home house, doing a bit of work, and it came into my head. I saw there was a copy and a biro on the table so I just said, ‘right, I’ll jot down a few thank yous’ and it was out of my head then.
“I probably learned that from the last time in 2014 and I had spoken to Eoin (Kelly) about it as well and he said he didn’t do it in 2011 and it corrupted his thoughts in the lead-up to it.
“That’s natural no matter how focused you are coming in to it, that’s still going to come into your head. I didn’t have to think about it because I had it written down, but I’d be like that – I like to write things down.
“It was handed to me by someone at the final whistle, I won’t tell you who, and it was nice for me to have that piece of mind that I wouldn’t have to think about what I was going to say. Even though I still forgot!”
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