AFTER A WEEKEND like that, where do you even begin?
Kilkenny and Tipperary took centre stage for the All-Ireland hurling final and served up a classic. To be honest, we’re just glad that they have to do it all again in three weeks’ time.
Elsewhere there was delight for the Kittens and the Reblettes while away from the inter-county scene, there was no shortage of club action around the country.
Here’s how it all went down.
Talking points
- For a third straight year, a replay will be needed to decide the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship after Kilkenny and Tipperary played out a superb 3-22 to 1-28 draw. After 71 minutes and a massive 54 scores from 20 different scorers, the two rivals couldn’t be separated — who’s to say that a replay can split them either?
- Richie Hogan was named RTÉ/GAA Man of the Match after he finished with six points in a towering performance. He’s now the 4/5 favourite to be named Hurler of the Year. Will you be backing him?
- Will Henry Shefflin see more game time in the replay? Can Kilkenny plug the holes in their defence that Tipperary punched during the second-half today? Fintan O’Toole draws up five talking points for both Kilkenny and Tipperary to consider after today’s draw.
Game of Inches
With the penultimate puck, John “Bubbles” O’Dwyer had a 97m free and a chance to snatch All-Ireland glory for Tipperary. There must have been a few well-chewed nails before HawkEye showed that it was just millimetres wide.
Who could have predicted it?
We had to wait 53 years for a drawn hurling final between 1959 and 2012 but just like the 41A when you’re late for work on a rainy Monday, it seems that these things come in threes.
Another member of TheScore.ie team was particularly smiley after putting his Sunday lunch money on the draw at half-time:
Save the date (Pt I)
They’ll do it all again on Saturday 27 September at 5pm in Croke Park (save your ‘replay in Limerick’ jokes please, we’ve heard them).
It’s shaping up to be an absolute cracking day of sport with the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, the middle day of the Ryder Cup, and Conor McGregor’s fight at UFC 178 in Las Vegas all on the menu.
Take our advice: reserve the couch now.
Save the date (Pt II)
Not long after the final whistle, there were whispers that Eoin Larkin might be a doubt for the replay in three weeks’ time — because he’s getting married on the same day.
Not so, according to the Kilkenny County Board. How do these rumours even start?
Will these lads make it home?
Tipp fan Brian Stafford is frantically checking SkyScanners for flights home from the Great Wall of China, we presume…
At least GAAGO held up for Gary Purcell in Tanaalla, Sri Lanka.
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
Meanwhile in Ireland…
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
With Ireland’s opening Euro 2016 qualifier against Georgia kicking off at 5pm, the decision-makers out in Montrose had a toughie on their hands yesterday afternoon.
They put the soccer on RTÉ 2 and bumped the hurling over to RTÉ 1, leaving fans of the small ball disappointed at the lack of a HD option on the biggest day of the year.
Case for the Defence
Four (count ‘em!) members of the Defence Forces started yesterday’s final — Patrick Bonner Maher of Tipp lined up against Colin Fennelly, Paul Murphy and Eoin Larkin.
Penalty controversy
Referee Barry Kelly was at the heart of the drama as he awarded Tipperary a penalty in either half.
Both decisions were tight, tight calls but after consulting with his umpires on both occasions, Kelly decided that the fouls by Paul Murphy and Jackie Tyrrell respectively took place inside the square.
What do you think?
“The Nash Rule”
Of course, it must be mentioned that both of those Tipperary penalties were saved on the line. Since the introduction of the “Nash Rule”, penalties and 21-yard frees are unquestionably harder to score to the point where conceding a penalty is no longer as much of a deterrent for defenders in distress.
Last night the Sunday Game panel, which included Hurling 2020 chairman Liam Sheedy, discussed one solution: should the goalkeeper have to face the penalty alone with no additional defenders?
Overheard in Croker (Pt I)
Overheard in Croker (Pt II)
TJ’s thumper
All four goals were great in their own right but TJ Reid’s belter shows why we need speed cameras behind the goals. That’s two penalty points at a minimum.
[image alt="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2014/09/tj-reid-4.gif" src="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2014/09/tj-reid-4.gif" width="500" height="261" credit-url="" credit-source="" credit-via="" credit-via-url="" class="aligncenter" /end]
The King’s cameo
He waited and waited and waited — and eventually, Brian Cody introduced Henry Shefflin for the last four minutes.
Kilkenny led by three points at that stage and the historic 10th All-Ireland was within the King’s grasp. He’ll have to wait for another couple of weeks.
Hogan the spotlight
Richie Hogan was the odds-on favourite to be named Hurler of the Year before a ball was pucked yesterday. He cemented those claims with six points in a superb performance and was rightly named Man of the Match by the RTÉ panel on the Sunday Game last night.
As of 10.30pm last night you all agreed, with Bubbles in second spot.
Purr-fect Kittens
John Walsh scored a superb 2-5 as Kilkenny beat Limerick in the minor decider and won their first title at that grade since 2010.
Not bad for a lad who considered leaving his hurl at home yesterday morning.
The flip side
Reblettes on a roll
Armagh started strongly but it was business as usual for Cork who booked their place in a ninth All-Ireland Ladies’ Senior Football final in 10 years with a clinical 5-16 to 2-11 win in Pearse Park on Saturday.
They face Leinster champions Dublin in the Croke Park decider on 28 September — the day after the hurling replay.
In the Intermediate semi-final, sisters Caroline and Sharon Little shared 5-8 as Fermanagh beat Roscommon 7-12 to 3-12 to set up another meeting with Down.
Seventh heaven
For the first time in the competition’s 42-year history, Kilmacud Crokes won their first All-Ireland Hurling Sevens title in Dublin on Saturday.
Oisin O’Rorke hit a hat-trick and Ryan O’Dwyer added 2-2 as Crokes beat Portroe of Tipperary 6-21 to 7-5 in the decider.
County matters
The Cork senior hurling championships continued on Saturday with quarter-final wins for Sarsfields and Douglas over St Finnbar’s and Youghal respectively.
Defending Waterford hurling champions Passage were knocked out by Dungarvan on Saturday evening while De La Salle were four-point winners against Tallow.
What’s next?
The ladies take centre stage for the next week in the build-up to Sunday’s All-Ireland Camogie finals in HQ.
Down and Laois open proceedings in the Premier Junior Final (12 noon) before Kilkenny and Limerick fight it out for the Intermediate crown (2pm).
Then at 4pm, Cork and Kilkenny meet in the Senior decider for the first time since 2009.
