Your GAA championship weekend review

Clare’s manager Davy Fitzgerald gets back onto the bus after visiting his home town of Sixmilebridge with the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie

AND… YOU CAN breathe!

That was some weekend of Gaelic games action at Croke Park.

First a novel All-Ireland hurling final under lights on a Saturday evening in which the swashbuckling young teams Cork and Clare shared a mere eight goals and 32 points.

Then on Sunday we were witness to one of the best teams we’ve ever seen on the famous Drumcondra sod, add another All-Ireland title to their vast collection; Cork’s ladies footballers edged out Monaghan to make it eight championship victories in nine years.

Talking points

Is it the end of the road for some of Cork’s defeated hurling panel? Glen Rovers clubman Steven McDonnell yesterday admitted he ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if Tom Kenny and Brian Murphy called it a day after the defeat on Saturday.
Davy Fitzgerald had plenty to say at the team hotel yesterday morning. As well as having a cut at those in the media and elsewhere who ‘didn’t trust’ his management earlier in the year, he revealed that a MiWadi-fuelled team meeting at his own home was a key turning point in the Banner’s season.
Who do you fancy for next year? The bookies have Kilkenny as 3-1 favourites with new champions Clare at 10-3. Tipp and Cork are both at 9-2. Interesting.

Hat-Trick Hero

Shane O’Donnell at the Clyde Court Hotel on Sunday morning. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Shane O’Donnell joined Lar Corbett (from 2010) as an All-Ireland senior hurling final hat-trick hero. O’Donnell is only 19-years of age and is the second player after Carlow’s Craig Doyle to bag a hat-trick in the 2013 All Ireland senior championship. O’Donnell has shown his goalscoring abilities this summer by raising green flags for Clare against Waterford, Laois and Wexford in championship.

Knowing the Cork lads

Half-naked ambition: the Clare team go tops off on Sunday evening.

Pic: Sean Curtin

O’Donnell will be a familiar face now in Cork as he is a student in UCC. The Eire Og Ennis club man is going into second year of his course and earlier this year he won an All-Ireland Freshers hurling medal with UCC. That team was managed by current Cork selector Ger Cunningham and Cork sub Rob O’Shea was one of his teammates.

Pure emotion

If Clare’s aforementioned hat-trick hero ever wonders what his All-Ireland final display means to his family, this picture sums it up. The young Éire Óg forward was a late addition to the Banner’s starting side yesterday but went on to hit three goals, earn the man-of-the-match and lead his side to a famous victory.

Thousands of miles away in Israel, his brother Oisín — who is working for an engineering firm and couldn’t make it back — was watching with visible pride.

Pic: Fergal Brennan

What timing

Someone was quick off the mark with this banner at the Ennis homecoming. It’s all about timing:

Pic: INPHO/James Crombie

Point-scoring Machine

Clare’s Conor Ryan and Colin Ryan celebrate with Marty Morrissey. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie

Clare’s Colin Ryan finished as the top scorer in this season’s championship after yesterday’s game. He struck 0-7 to bring his overall total for the campaign to 0-70. Cork’s Patrick Horgan finished in second place with a total of 1-49 after hitting 0-9 on Saturday.

Double Glory

One Davy Fitz fan in Ennis has an… interesting suggestion for his future plans. Pic: Eamon Ward

Clare became the first county since Tipperary in 2010 to win the All-Ireland senior and U21 hurling titles in the same year. There’s plenty promise for the future in players like Seadna Morey, Peter Duggan and Paul Flanagan who were all on the bench yesterday.

Sportsmanship Pic of the Day

Anthony Nash was a star for Cork at either end of the pitch all year. Away from the 21-yard line, he showed another side to being a great competitor as he congratulated John Conlon.

Pic: James Crombie

Let’s watch that rocket from Saturday one more time, shall we?

Codebreakers

We’re a long way from the ban and an Ireland in which sports people ventured little from their own sport’s orbit. At Croke Park on Saturday we had, Ireland rugby coach Les Kiss…

INPHO/James Crombie

As well as Roy Maurice Keane, who was at the drawn game too…

Pic: INPHO/James Crombie

While Munster supporters — and some confused Welsh people — watch at Mugrave Park. Rob Penney looked interested:

Pic: INPHO/Billy Stickland

Meanwhile, in Cork

We don’t know how much JBM cares about pathetic fallacy but it was a dark and rainy evening as Leeside welcomed their beaten finalists home last night. Despite the weather, the Cork hurling faithful filled the South Mall to cheer their side.

Jimmy Barry-Murphy, typically, gave a simple but inspiring speech, guaranteeing that this side will return the Liam MacCarthy cup to the Rebel County. Listen here, courtesy of RedFM:

Click here if the Soundcloud doesn’t play on your app

Ladies first

Doireann O’Sullivan of Cork celebrates with a cartwheel at the end of the game. Pic: Inpho

Cork’s incredible ladies footballers gave the county something to celebrate when they claimed a remarkable eighth All-Ireland in nine years yesterday.

The Rebelettes completed the three-in-a-row with a gripping one-point victory over Monaghan in Sunday afternoon’s decider at Croke Park. In front of 25,103 spectators, Cork ensured that it was final heartbreak for Monaghan for the third time in six seasons.

Here’s how it happened

Breffni joy

Cavan players celebrate at the final whistle. Pic: INPHO/Donall Farmer

Earlier on Sunday, Cavan sealed the intermediate title with a late Bronagh Sherdian penalty. Check out how it happened here. Offaly won the junior title on a scoreline of 2-11 to Wexford’s 0-12 meanwhile.

Innovation

In the wake of the slight controversy about referees’ timing of games after the first Cork and Clare tie, there was plenty of calls for hurling to adopt Ladies Football’s buzzer system. That’d be cool, but what about the ref cam?

What next?

Usually in this space, we tell you to circle the following Sunday afternoon in your calendar as the games came thick and fast. Not so tonight. The 2013 championships are in the books.

Clare ultimately came out on top in what was a truly memorable hurling competition; the Dubs heaped more heartbreak on Mayo’s football supporters. In camogie, Galway beat Kilkenny in the senior decider and Cork’s so-called Rebelettes added another football win to their roll of honour.

What was your highlight this summer?