Brought to you by Centra #WeAreHurling
Every score matters.
Clare and Galway learned that the hard way as score difference knocked them both out of the championship. For neutrals, the weekend just past was a feast of the very best things about hurling.
Drama, thrills, spills, swings and lots and lots of roundabouts.
Going into Saturday evening, Galway were the one team everybody figured was safe. Their seismic win over Kilkenny had the west excited again, surely they’d take care of Dublin.
But this is the beauty of sport. Kilkenny and Wexford play out an improbable and incredible draw and with Eamonn Dillon, Conal Keaney and co. sticking it to Galway, the Tribesmen were in bother. They’re gone.
All this panned out at the very same time in an evening of truly breathless sporting drama.
Davy Fitzgerald’s relieved and typically passionate post-match interview summed it all up best.
"That's hurling, with two minutes to go we were out, the thing I love about hurling is that you stay with it and you stay going"
You have to admire Davy Fitzgerald.pic.twitter.com/S7FcrjHlYX
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) June 15, 2019
And Sunday didn’t disappoint either. Clare finally kicked into gear with Tony Kelly’s smashing goal sending Cusack Park wild. Tipperary are still the slickest team in the land.
And with so many heroic performances all over, it wasn’t an easy #WeAreHurling team of the weekend to pick but here goes.
Alan Nolan couldn’t possibly miss out after his monumental and game-shifting point from play. In front of him, Paddy Smyth and Chris Crummey were inspirational while Conal Keaney and Eamonn Dillon were brilliant up front.
For Wexford, Matthew O’Hanlon did a job on no lesser than TJ Reid while Dee O’Keeffe and Lee Chin were dynamite in the middle.
Kilkenny never go down quietly though and it was the ever dependable Padraig Walsh and newcomers Huw Lawlor and Adrian Mullen who kept them alive.
Lots of players stood up for Tipperary including John and Noe McGrath, Brendan and Ronan Maher but the famous two Callanan and Paudie Maher were the leading lights.
Elsewhere, the brilliant Padraig Boyle sealed Offaly’s fate while Diarmuid Cahill was inspirational in booking Clare a place in the Munster minor final, hitting four from play.
What a win for the Dubs
Dublin 3-19 Galway 0-24
What a win for the Dubs
Kilkenny v Wexford in the Leinster final@CentraIRL #WeAreHurling
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 15, 2019
Callanan the genius
Did Seamus Callanan mean to drop the ball before he rifled it home?
That goal proving absolutely crucial #WeAreHurling@CentraIRL pic.twitter.com/8VWQwCoCXu
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) June 16, 2019
Thoughts are with Bonner Maher
The Limerick players joined in the round of applause for the stricken Maher 😔
Clare's summer ended with some pride restored 👏🏻
Seamie Callanan belted in his 31st championship goal 🔥#WeAreHurling@CentraIRL https://t.co/ZluyBLOMCf
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) June 16, 2019
