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Your GAA Championship weekend review

It’s been a hell of a weekend for Clare, but there’s plenty of reason to be cheerful around Galway too.

AND THEN THERE were two.

Arguably the finest ever edition of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship has been whittled down to just Clare and Cork after the Banner ran out comfortable victors over Limerick in yesterday’s second semi-final at Croke Park .

While many predicted Clare’s flying early start, most pundits felt Limerick’s bench would help them roar back into contention in the second half. However, Davy Fitzgerald’s men ended up with a winning margin of seven over their near neighbours, Limerick shooting themselves in the foot rather than finding the space between the posts.

It doesn’t matter how they go in…

Unless you were wearing yellow and blue face paint, you’ll have found nothing aesthetically pleasing about the big game’s crucial moment.

We’ve given Clare’s 13th minute goal – which brought them out to a 1-3 to 0-1 lead – to Darach Honan. Initially the scramble that resulted from Pat Donellan’s high ball into the square looked to have resulted in an own goal. However, scan the below replay again with us to see Honan ploughing in late and stretching to get a toe on the sliotar to send it squirting under the ‘keeper.

Now, the ball does then appear to deflect off defender Tom Condon on its way into the net, but that’s not an OG in our books.

YouTube credit: Caomhán O’Bolghuídhír

Awash with colour

There was very little room for neutrals at GAA HQ today as counties divided by the Shannon were blended together in a swirl of green, blue, yellow and white.

©INPHO/James Crombie

Most high-profile spy since James Bond?

(Unsubstantiated) rumour has it that Jimmy Barry-Murphy enlisted this man as his sneaky scout to check out the opposition Cork would be facing in next month’s final.  Even with the cap and shades, one keane-eyed journalist spotted him and thrust her child his way so that her hands were free to capture the moment on camera.

Image credit: @MarieCrowe

The dead-ball woes of Declan Hannon

As Clare pulled away in the first half, some erratic free-taking by Declan Hannon made it nigh on impossible for Limerick to reel them back in.

Hannon will surely bounce back and have better days. Having taken the responsibility from the start, he fired wide from three frees and a 65 in the first half.

Shane Dowling was presented with the duty at half time, but the weight remained on Hannon’s shoulders and he was subbed on 50 minutes.

Post-match, Conor Ryan sought him out for a word in the ear.

©INPHO/James Crombie

Hawk-Eye goes Cuckoo

It wasn’t just Limerick who malfunctioned. Croke Park’s score review system Hawk-Eye was ‘stood down’ halfway through the minor curtain-raiser like some renegade cop taken off the case.

Here’s why.

YouTube credit:  Caomhán O’Bolghuídhír

That legitimate point was declared as a miss. The minors of Limerick and Galway finished the game level at 20 points apiece at full-time. We will never know for sure if that point would have given Limerick the impetus needed to win the game in regular time, but it certainly left a sour taste in Treaty mouths heading into the senior semi.

The system was not used in the senior semi and is being investigated by the GAA.


Did Davy Fitzgerald cross a line?

If you mean the sideline, he most definitely did. If you mean the parameters of gentlemanly conduct in the GAA, probably not.

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Shane Dowling’s sideline swipes sum up a disastrous day for Limerick

YouTube credit:  Caomhán O’Bolghuídhír

We all knew Clare would win…

… once we had seen this incredible picture of a dog riding a horse.

Image: Patrick Skehan

We await all of Clare’s rugby players to speak up before the final

This week, they were keeping their heads down – quietly confident probably – while Limerick men like Sean Cronin, Keith Earls and Conor Murray got behind their county.


Back to the minors for this audacious piece of skill

Take a bow, Richard Doyle. We’ve not seen anything like this since Blanco’s ‘bunny-hop’ for Mexico at France ’98.

Gif by Balls.

Not to mention a thrilling finish

We mentioned above that the minor semi-final between Galway and Limerick ended level at full time, but only after Ryan Lynch nervelessly brought Limerick level with a last-ditch free to cancel out what looked to be a winning score from Adrian Morrissey. Read the full report here.

©INPHO/Lorraine O’Sullivan

Tribal revival

The senior men may have seemed in a slump this summer, but with Galway’s minors advancing to the All Ireland final the future is bright.

And there is plenty of reason to be cheerful on the camogie front too as the women of the west produced a commanding display to knock out four-in-a-row chasing Wexford on Saturday. Niamh Kilkenny’s final tally of 1-2 helped her side to a 1-12 0-6 victory.

©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Cats scrape past Rebels

Blocking Niamh Kilkenny’s route to goal in the All-Ireland camogie final will be the county that provides her name.

The Cats were narrow victors over Cork by 2-12 to 2-11 thanks largely to Katie Power 1-6 from play including two crucial points late on.

©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Ladies SFC quarter-finals

Even more reason for Galway’s silver lining to be that bit brighter is their Ladies football side’s demolition of Tyrone by a whopping 2-20 to 1-5 in today’s quarter-final in Cavan.

Monaghan took the other semi-final spot up for grabs today, the Farney women in unforgiving form as they powered to a 2-10 to 0-1 half time lead over Laois before ending the day with a 4-21 to 0-4 win.

Safely residing in the final four, Monaghan and Galway will await next weekend’s quarter-finals where Kerry face Mayo and Cork take on Dublin in Birr.

Davy Fitzgerald’s frightening celebration of the day

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What’s next?

Hurling is about to take a breather between now and September 8. Its place on the big stage will be taken by football.

In a fortnight Dublin and Kerry will have faced off in Croke Park and we will know the four finalists in the two codes of Gaelic Games. Next Sunday, dark horses Tyrone take on Mayo and these women were so confident the Connacht champions will go all the way this year, they went all the way to the top of Machu Pichu to express their love for the team who made Donegal look like the Dog & Duck.

We can’t wait either, girls.

Image: Dearbhla Brogan

What did you make of it all?

‘Anything is possible’ proclaims thrilled Davy Fitz after Banner raise Croker roof

In Pictures: Clare looking good as they see off Limerick in All-Ireland semi

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