THERE WERE SOME brilliant scores to savour during the course of the 2016 All-Ireland senior hurling championship.
But the ten we’ve picked were goals and points that were of massive consequences to the scoring teams at various stages of the campaign.
From ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer to Joe Canning, have a look and see if you agree with our list…
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1. John O’Dwyer (Tipperary) v Galway
Inside the final ten minutes, Tipperary trailed by two points against Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final before O’Dwyer struck.
Two minutes later, John McGrath scored Tipp’s second goal and they held out in an enthralling finish to win by a point.
2. John O’Dwyer (Tipperary) v Kilkenny
That man ‘Bubbles’ was at it again in yesterday’s final against Kilkenny, as his 48th minute goal provided Tipp with a four-point buffer.
From there, they would not look back and just like it was in the semi-final, it was John McGrath who popped up with Tipp’s second goal of the game.
3. Conor Fogarty (Kilkenny) v Waterford
In the fourth minute of stoppage time in the drawn All-Ireland semi-final against Waterford, Kilkenny stayed calm under pressure.
Goalkeeper Eoin Murphy worked a short puck-out to Joey Holden, who popped the ball to Paul Murphy.
The corner back then picked out Conor Fogarty and the midfielder showed huge leadership to crash over the equalising score from distance (From 2:16 in the video above).
4. Walter Walsh (Kilkenny) v Waterford
From the same game, and featured from 2:03 in the highlights video, is Walter Walsh’s equalising goal.
Three points down in the 69th minute, Kilkenny did what Kilkenny do so often, engineering a crucial score to tie the game.
5. Pádraic Maher (Tipperary) v Kilkenny
As a sign of defiance, Pádraic Maher’s 51st minute point in yesterday’s All-Ireland final takes some beating.
Tipp had missed a couple of chances to score a second goal but Maher rose above Walter Walsh to collect Conor Fogarty’s clearance, and fired the ball back over the Davin End crossbar with interest.
6. Liam Óg McGovern (Wexford) v Cork
McGovern scored two late points to get Wexford over the line against Cork in a Thurles qualifier.
It was Wexford’s first senior hurling championship victory over the Rebels in 60 years and with the tie in the melting pot, McGovern came up with the big plays (from 4:45).
7. Maurice Shanahan (Waterford) v Clare
In a game that promised to be tight, Waterford found an early buffer when Maurice Shanahan netted in the Munster semi-final victory over Clare.
It was a crucial score, coming shortly after Waterford goalkeeper Stephen O’Keeffe had denied David Reidy with a brilliant diving save.
8. Seamus Callanan (Tipperary) v Limerick
Down to 14 men from the 14th minute, following John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer’s red card, Tipp saw a comfortable lead whittled down to just a point against Limerick in the Munster semi-final.
But after Michael Breen ended a 13-minute barren spell on the scoreboard for Tipp, Callanan took a pass from Noel McGrath for Tipp’s third goal, a score that seemed to suck the life from the Shannonsiders.
9. Jonjo Farrell (Kilkenny) v Galway
The goal that effectively decided the Leinster senior hurling final was scored by Jonjo Farrell.
Galway were still hanging in grimly before Conor Fogarty supplied the corner forward for an excellent finish past Colm Callanan.
10. Joe Canning (Galway) v Clare
One of the scores of the year and an effort that helped see Galway past League champions Clare in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Some fans weren’t even back in their seats when Canning struck just seconds after the throw-in, collecting David Burke’s pass before producing a clinical finish.
Do you agree with our selection? Leave your feedback in the comments section below…
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