So ‘Liam’ and ‘Sam’ are back in Kilkenny and Kerry for the winter period and it’s got us thinking about some of the big moments from the Championship of 2014
We’ve been so kind as to have a look back at what we think were some of the standout points,goals and incidents from the year gone by in the race for September glory.
2014 Football Championship
Shane Walsh classy flick and point against Tipperary
Why catch an O’Neill’s when you can just cushion it with the inside of your foot and then swivel to kick over a delicious point.
Shane Walsh is one of the rising stars of Galway football and this classy effort from their qualifier clash with Tipperary was one of the best scores not only of 2014 but probably of the last decade.
He kills a ball better than Dmitar Berbatov:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X7UmlXNJIw
All of Donegal’s goals against Dublin in the All-Ireland semi final
Jim McGuinness’ side may have come up short in the end in their bid for Sam Maguire, but their three goals against Dublin were seismic scores in the story of the 2014 championship.
All three highlight something different and unique about the team that Jim built; whether its from their ability to work high or low in getting scores; knifing their way through a defense in a devastating counter-attack or the coolness shown by Colm McFadden to put the nail in the Dubs coffin.
Super scores and what a way to beat the champions. Fans will feel that they may have peaked too early as Kerry ‘out-Donegaled’ Donegal in the final:
James O’Donoghue goal v Mayo in Croke Park
The footballer of the year has to make it on the list but to be honest this score is all about Kieran Donaghy and the big man’s end of season revival. Washed up and seemingly on the way out, the Austin Stacks man soared to give the kiss of life to Kerry’s season against Mayo in Croke Park.
O’Donoghue scored a belter against Galway in the q-final but this goal was of more importance and the little gap he found to squeeze it into the net gets the nod ahead of that strike.
O Donoghue gets the goal but this was all about brilliant link up play between an old warrior and the new kid-on-the block:
Kieran Donaghy V Joe Brolly
Kieran Donaghy should just copyright and patent this infamous interview as its become an internet sensation and has pretty much entered daily usage at this stage.
Minutes after helping the Kingdom to their 37th All-Ireland title Donaghy,clearly pumped up on adrenalin,decided to call out Joe Brolly for an article he had written a few months previously that said Kerry were finished as a team and the conveyor belt had stopped.
Them Kingdom boys don’t forget:
Marty Morrissey does the ice bucket challenge
The ice-bucket challenge was one of the biggest social media fads of 2014 and raised loads of great money for MND.
We could have done a piece about the best GAA players getting dunked with ice cold water but decided to go for the king of GAA in Ireland and all round nice guy Marty Morrissey.
His little ice-cold dance after is hilarious:
2014 Hurling championship
JJ Delaney’s hook on Seamus Callinan in All-Ireland final replay
Kilkenny’s Michael Fenelly described this as one of the greatest things ever to happen in Croke park and he’s not wrong you know.
Seamus Callinan was bearing down on goal in the All-Ireland replay when the now retired JJ Delaney got the slightest of hooks to deny him what surely would have been a goal.
When Delaney’s name is mentioned in future it’s this hook that people will remember.
Incredible stuff and the moment that swung the All-Ireland in the Cat’s favour:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1AehhXA6Uc&feature=youtu.be
Hawkeye says no
54 scores but it’s the one that didn’t go over the bar that will be remembered for ever.
John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer lined up a free 80 meters out from the Kilkenny goal after a dubious free against Brian Hogan on day one of the All-Ireland Final
The teams are level and the time is up so a point will beat Kilkenny in what’s already being described a classic.
He struck it well,so well in fact that it was decided that new computer technology would decide if we were to have another day out of the Premier would reign.
Hawkeye paid back all of the GAA investment in one decision as the show was judged to be slightly wide
Drama like it will never been seen again in an All-Ireland final:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYxH2RgOT9s
Anthony Nash penalty V Waterford
He hit shots so hard that they even named a GAA rule after him.
The Cork goalkeeper lit up the 2013 championship with his goal-scoring,especially in the finals against Clare .
However, the GAA had to act in the interest of safety after Waterford’s Stephen O’Keefe decided the best way to stop a sliothar going very very fast and into the net was to put your body in front of it in the Munster championship opener in June.
The GAA then totally fudged the issue by making it almost impossible to score a penalty as now penalty’s have to be struck from the 21m line. It also meant that teams now feel free to foul in the square knowing any possible penalty has a greater chance of being saved.
It all started in Semple Stadium on June 9th
Podge Collins red card V Wexford
Davy Fitzgerald is probably still muttering to himself somewhere in deepest Clare about this decision to send off Podge Collins for a helmet infringement against Wexford in their qualifier in Ennis.
It was the day that the wheels began to come off Clare’s defence of Liam McCarthy with the replay in Wexford Park proving a bridge too far for the Banner men.
Collins then became a cause célébre for the anti dual-player brigade who blamed his love of football as reason for his poor hurling form.
Clare’s loss opened the door for Wexford to restore pride as well as a sense of optimism to the championship and also saw one of the sides that Kilkenny feared most knocked out of the race for September
The King V the Prince
We’ll argue that the final two scores in the replay between Kilkenny and Galway in the Leinster championship were two of the best of the year.
Moments after Joe Canning’s penalty spun into the back of the Kilkenny net to level things up in injury time ,in what was a crazy final five minutes, there was still time for some more drama.
King Henry thought he had won it for the Cats with a magnificent effort off his left just moments after coming on but as we all know ‘there’s no show like a Joe show’ as the Portumna ace won the subsequent puckout and from an impossible angle arrowed over a superb score to level the game once again.
Pressure,composure and skill all combined to a magnificent finish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6UrAyMp2_U
