HE HAD JUST scored seven points in a Leinster final, but when Tom Monaghan received his man-of-the-match award, he wanted to talk about more than just Galway’s provincial success.
“I’m glad to put a smile on my mother’s face after losing her sister during the week. It was an incredibly tough week for the family, so I’m just incredibly proud that I was able to put a smile on my Mum’s face.”
A poignant moment to close out his interview with RTÉ while the celebrations continued around him. It was a day to savour for Galway after losing four Leinster finals since their last triumph in 2018.
'I'm incredibly proud today I was able to put a smile on my mother's face' - Galway's man of the match Tom Monaghan reflects on his team's Leinster SHC triumph #RTEgaapic.twitter.com/z16olcM22Y
With three points in the first half and four in the second, Monaghan produced an exhibition of hurling for the Croke Park crowd. Seven points from seven shots, and one turnover make up his stats from the game. That brings his current championship tally to 1-21 from play.
Dublin struggled to live with his pace and ability to find pockets where he could pick off scores from along the sideline.
(Skip to 2.16 and 2.49 for two of Monaghan’s points)
Some of his shots were from tricky angles and big distances, but Monaghan was in imperious form throughout.
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Along with his unerring accuracy, Monaghan also provided a beautiful assist for Conor Cooney’s goal in the 66th minute. After collecting a pass from Aaron Niland, Monaghan quickly spotted Cooney who had drifted in behind Paddy Doyle on the edge of the square.
Monaghan sent in the delivery for Cooney to drive past Doyle and blast his shot off the turf and into the net for Galway’s third green flag of the day.
The Man of the Match award was a deserved recognition of Monaghan’s contribution to Galway’s 14-point victory. And while we comb through his highlights package, it’s also worth taking this time to reflect on his journey so far with the Galway hurlers.
It’s a career that includes the high of winning an All-Ireland medal in 2017, and the low of being dropped off the panel during Shane O’Neill’s time in charge.
After winning a minor All-Ireland with Galway in 2015, Monaghan was awarded his senior debut as a sub for Galway’s opening league win over Offaly in 2017. The Craughwell star was just 19 at the time, coming into the squad for Micheál Donoghue’s first season at the helm.
Division 1 glory followed with Monaghan scoring a point off the bench in the final against Tipperary. He continued to occupy that impact role in the Leinster championship, grabbing another point against Dublin in the quarter-final.
He made another one-point appearance in the final after coming on to replace Jason Flynn in the first half of a nine-point win over Wexford. Monaghan’s score helped Galway land a first provincial title since 2012.
He didn’t feature in that epic All-Ireland semi-final win over Tipperary, and was an unused sub in the final against Waterford. But Monaghan had still left his imprint on a famous season for the Tribesmen to help end a 29-year wait for Liam MacCarthy success.
Monaghan’s rise was disrupted by injury during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns and a change in management halted his progress all the more.
Micheál Donoghue stepped down after Galway’s shock exit from the 2019 championship with Shane O’Neill taking over in November of that year. And despite scoring a point off the bench in Galway’s league opener win over Westmeath in January, Monaghan was subsequently dropped off the panel.
He would have to wait until Henry Shefflin’s appointment in 2021 to be reinstated. Monaghan quickly showcased his value with three points against Offaly to launch Galway’s 2022 league run with a 4-22 to 0-17 win.
Monaghan checked out with a total of 0-10 as Galway missed out on reaching the Division 1 semi-finals.
There was more to come as Monaghan was awarded his first championship start that year against Wexford in the Leinster round-robin. He marked the occasion with 0-4 in a draw at Wexford Park, and retained his place in the starting team for the rest of the competition.
Shefflin deployed him across midfield and half-forward positions throughout the series to make the best use of his stamina, speed and hunger for scores. That approach yielded 0-14 from Monaghan as Galway reached the Leinster final where they fell short against Kilkenny.
Galway contested back-to-back All-Ireland semi-finals during Shefflin’s tenure, coming up against a Limerick team that was ascending towards a four-in-a-row. Monaghan started the 2022 duel, shooting 0-4 against a half-back line powered by Diarmaid Byrnes, Declan Hannon and Dan Morrissey.
Tom Monaghan during the 2023 Leinster hurling final. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Just three points separated the sides that day, although the margin swelled to nine when they met again 12 months later. Monaghan didn’t start that game but came on for Ronan Glennon after 50 minutes and clipped over a point.
Brian Hanley was the Craughwell manager during the time when Monaghan was exiled from the county squad. Speaking to the Irish Examiner in 2022, he said that Monaghan’s performances in helping Craughwell reach the 2021 Galway senior semi-finals were a major factor in securing that recall.
“The drive and desire in Tom was unbelievable. When I started to dig deeper into it, I heard of the strength and speed work he had done by himself for the previous six months when he wasn’t on the county panel.
“He wouldn’t have got back in but for his performances with Craughwell, and he’s taken his chance with both hands.”
Micheál Donoghue has continued to put his faith in Monaghan since returning to the Galway throne. And that loyalty has survived the major overhaul in personnel.
Of the team who started last year’s 3-22 to 1-20 defeat to Kilkenny in the Leinster final, just five started again last Saturday including Monaghan. Gavin Lee, John Fleming and Fintan Burke all featured off the bench to help wipe out Dublin.
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Monaghan during the Leinster final last Saturday. Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
“He’s really come into some form now,” Monaghan’s former Galway teammate Joe Canning said during RTÉ’s post-match coverage of the game.
“He always finds himself in space, always finds himself in that pocket making the runs off the shoulder. He’s deadly accurate and always has been. That work-rate in other years is probably why he hasn’t started games, but now you can’t drop him because his form is so good.”
While accepting his man-of-the-match, Monaghan spoke about Galway’s yearning for a complete performance after shipping some criticism for “playing in dribs and drabs.” He touched on the team’s reaction to Conor Whelan’s black card and how they reminded each other to “stick to what we’re doing” during his 10-minute absence.
Monaghan also shared his vision for how the game should be played. “Hurling is a game of instinct,” he said. “It’s not for robots. It’s about expressing yourself.”
Galway’s ghosts of Leinster finals past also got a mention from the MVP, but once he had covered those points, he signed off with something. His tribute to his aunt was a touching moment that goes far beyond hurling.
He wanted to put a smile on his mother’s face, and he did just that with style and grace.
And now for a lengthy break before Monaghan’s engine starts up again for the All-Ireland semi-final.
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From being dropped off the Galway panel to rocking Croke Park on Leinster final day
HE HAD JUST scored seven points in a Leinster final, but when Tom Monaghan received his man-of-the-match award, he wanted to talk about more than just Galway’s provincial success.
“I’m glad to put a smile on my mother’s face after losing her sister during the week. It was an incredibly tough week for the family, so I’m just incredibly proud that I was able to put a smile on my Mum’s face.”
A poignant moment to close out his interview with RTÉ while the celebrations continued around him. It was a day to savour for Galway after losing four Leinster finals since their last triumph in 2018.
With three points in the first half and four in the second, Monaghan produced an exhibition of hurling for the Croke Park crowd. Seven points from seven shots, and one turnover make up his stats from the game. That brings his current championship tally to 1-21 from play.
Dublin struggled to live with his pace and ability to find pockets where he could pick off scores from along the sideline.
(Skip to 2.16 and 2.49 for two of Monaghan’s points)
Some of his shots were from tricky angles and big distances, but Monaghan was in imperious form throughout.
Along with his unerring accuracy, Monaghan also provided a beautiful assist for Conor Cooney’s goal in the 66th minute. After collecting a pass from Aaron Niland, Monaghan quickly spotted Cooney who had drifted in behind Paddy Doyle on the edge of the square.
Monaghan sent in the delivery for Cooney to drive past Doyle and blast his shot off the turf and into the net for Galway’s third green flag of the day.
The Man of the Match award was a deserved recognition of Monaghan’s contribution to Galway’s 14-point victory. And while we comb through his highlights package, it’s also worth taking this time to reflect on his journey so far with the Galway hurlers.
It’s a career that includes the high of winning an All-Ireland medal in 2017, and the low of being dropped off the panel during Shane O’Neill’s time in charge.
After winning a minor All-Ireland with Galway in 2015, Monaghan was awarded his senior debut as a sub for Galway’s opening league win over Offaly in 2017. The Craughwell star was just 19 at the time, coming into the squad for Micheál Donoghue’s first season at the helm.
Division 1 glory followed with Monaghan scoring a point off the bench in the final against Tipperary. He continued to occupy that impact role in the Leinster championship, grabbing another point against Dublin in the quarter-final.
He made another one-point appearance in the final after coming on to replace Jason Flynn in the first half of a nine-point win over Wexford. Monaghan’s score helped Galway land a first provincial title since 2012.
He didn’t feature in that epic All-Ireland semi-final win over Tipperary, and was an unused sub in the final against Waterford. But Monaghan had still left his imprint on a famous season for the Tribesmen to help end a 29-year wait for Liam MacCarthy success.
Monaghan’s rise was disrupted by injury during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns and a change in management halted his progress all the more.
Micheál Donoghue stepped down after Galway’s shock exit from the 2019 championship with Shane O’Neill taking over in November of that year. And despite scoring a point off the bench in Galway’s league opener win over Westmeath in January, Monaghan was subsequently dropped off the panel.
He would have to wait until Henry Shefflin’s appointment in 2021 to be reinstated. Monaghan quickly showcased his value with three points against Offaly to launch Galway’s 2022 league run with a 4-22 to 0-17 win.
Monaghan checked out with a total of 0-10 as Galway missed out on reaching the Division 1 semi-finals.
There was more to come as Monaghan was awarded his first championship start that year against Wexford in the Leinster round-robin. He marked the occasion with 0-4 in a draw at Wexford Park, and retained his place in the starting team for the rest of the competition.
Shefflin deployed him across midfield and half-forward positions throughout the series to make the best use of his stamina, speed and hunger for scores. That approach yielded 0-14 from Monaghan as Galway reached the Leinster final where they fell short against Kilkenny.
Galway contested back-to-back All-Ireland semi-finals during Shefflin’s tenure, coming up against a Limerick team that was ascending towards a four-in-a-row. Monaghan started the 2022 duel, shooting 0-4 against a half-back line powered by Diarmaid Byrnes, Declan Hannon and Dan Morrissey.
Just three points separated the sides that day, although the margin swelled to nine when they met again 12 months later. Monaghan didn’t start that game but came on for Ronan Glennon after 50 minutes and clipped over a point.
Brian Hanley was the Craughwell manager during the time when Monaghan was exiled from the county squad. Speaking to the Irish Examiner in 2022, he said that Monaghan’s performances in helping Craughwell reach the 2021 Galway senior semi-finals were a major factor in securing that recall.
“The drive and desire in Tom was unbelievable. When I started to dig deeper into it, I heard of the strength and speed work he had done by himself for the previous six months when he wasn’t on the county panel.
“He wouldn’t have got back in but for his performances with Craughwell, and he’s taken his chance with both hands.”
Micheál Donoghue has continued to put his faith in Monaghan since returning to the Galway throne. And that loyalty has survived the major overhaul in personnel.
Of the team who started last year’s 3-22 to 1-20 defeat to Kilkenny in the Leinster final, just five started again last Saturday including Monaghan. Gavin Lee, John Fleming and Fintan Burke all featured off the bench to help wipe out Dublin.
“He’s really come into some form now,” Monaghan’s former Galway teammate Joe Canning said during RTÉ’s post-match coverage of the game.
“He always finds himself in space, always finds himself in that pocket making the runs off the shoulder. He’s deadly accurate and always has been. That work-rate in other years is probably why he hasn’t started games, but now you can’t drop him because his form is so good.”
While accepting his man-of-the-match, Monaghan spoke about Galway’s yearning for a complete performance after shipping some criticism for “playing in dribs and drabs.” He touched on the team’s reaction to Conor Whelan’s black card and how they reminded each other to “stick to what we’re doing” during his 10-minute absence.
Monaghan also shared his vision for how the game should be played. “Hurling is a game of instinct,” he said. “It’s not for robots. It’s about expressing yourself.”
Galway’s ghosts of Leinster finals past also got a mention from the MVP, but once he had covered those points, he signed off with something. His tribute to his aunt was a touching moment that goes far beyond hurling.
He wanted to put a smile on his mother’s face, and he did just that with style and grace.
And now for a lengthy break before Monaghan’s engine starts up again for the All-Ireland semi-final.
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All-Ireland Hurling Championship Galway GAA Hurling Leinster hurling final Tom Monaghan Tribesmen