Year: | 2018 |
Dates: | 12 May – 19 August 2018 |
Teams: | 12 |
Leinster: | Galway |
Munster: | Cork |
Matches: | 27 |
Poty: | Cian Lynch |
Team: | Limerick |
Titles: | 8th |
Captain: | Declan Hannon |
Manager: | John Kiely |
Team2: | Galway |
Captain2: | David Burke |
Manager2: | Micheál Donoghue |
Topscorer: | Peter Duggan (3-76) |
Previous: | 2017 |
Next: | 2019 |
The 2018 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 131st staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. It is the first tier of senior inter-county championship hurling.[1]
The championship began on 12 May 2018 and ended on 19 August 2018. The draw for the championship round-robin fixtures was held off camera on 19 October 2017 and announced on the championship draw broadcast on RTÉ2.[2] [3]
The Championship was won by Limerick, who were crowned champions after overcoming Galway in the final by a score line of 3–16 to 2-18.[4] Limerick's victory was their eighth All-Ireland title and first since 1973.[4] [5]
The 2018 Championship has been described by many as one of the best ever.[6] [7] [8] [9] The 2018 championship saw the biggest change in format since the introduction of the qualifiers in 2002.[10]
A new provincial hurling championship featuring five-team round-robin groups in both Leinster and Munster and the new Joe McDonagh Cup was introduced in 2018 for an initial three-year period. The proposal was carried by a narrow margin with 62% voting in favour (a majority of at least 60% was required) at the GAA's Special Congress on 30 September 2017. The top two teams in each provincial group would contest the provincial final, with the provincial winners advancing to the All-Ireland semi-finals and the losing provincial finalists advancing to the two quarter-finals.[11]
An amendment to the motion from Laois, Offaly and Meath was carried by 87%. The third-placed teams in Leinster and Munster would compete in All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals against the two Joe McDonagh Cup finalists, with the Joe McDonagh Cup teams having home advantage.
If a non-Munster team were to win the Joe McDonagh Cup, the bottom team in the Leinster championship would be relegated to the following year's Joe McDonagh Cup and would be replaced in the following year's Leinster championship by the Joe McDonagh Cup winners. If a Munster team were to win the Joe McDonagh Cup, they would play off against the team who finished bottom in the Munster championship for the right to play in the following year's Munster championship, thereby ensuring that only Munster teams compete in the Munster championship.[12]
The restructure of hurling involved the reduction of the Leinster championship from nine teams to five while the Munster championship continued with the previous five Munster teams (Kerry previously competed in the qualifier group of the Leinster championship). A six-team Joe McDonagh Cup was created, consisting of all four teams from the 2017 Leinster qualifier group plus Antrim and Carlow, the 2017 Christy Ring Cup finalists.
Participating counties (5): Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Offaly, Wexford
Group stage (10 matches): Each team plays each other once. The 1st and 2nd placed teams advance to the Leinster final and the 3rd placed team advances to the all-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals. All other teams are eliminated from the championship and the bottom placed team may face relegation to next years Joe McDonagh Cup.
Final (1 match): The top 2 teams in the group stage contest this game. The Leinster champions advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals and the Leinster runners-up advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Participating counties (5): Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford
Group stage (10 matches): Each team plays each other once. The 1st and 2nd placed teams advance to the Munster final and the 3rd placed team advances to the all-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals. All other teams are eliminated from the championship and the bottom placed team may face relegation to next years Joe McDonagh Cup.
Final (1 match): The top 2 teams in the group stage contest this game. The Munster champions advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals and the Munster runners-up advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Participating counties (6): Antrim, Carlow, Kerry, Laois, Meath, Westmeath
Group stage (15 matches): Each team plays each other once. The 1st and 2nd placed teams advance to the Joe McDonagh Cup final. All other teams are eliminated from the championship and the bottom placed team are relegated to next years Christy Ring Cup.
Final (1 match): The top 2 teams in the group stage contest this game. The Joe McDonagh Cup champions and runners-up advance to the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals.
Preliminary quarter-finals (2 matches): The 3rd placed teams from the Leinster and Munster championships play the Joe McDonagh Cup champions and runners-up. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals (2 matches): The winners of the preliminary quarter-finals join the Leinster and Munster runners-up to make up the quarter-final pairings. Teams who may have already met in the provincial championships are kept apart in separate quarter-finals. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals (2 matches): The winners of the quarter-finals join the Leinster and Munster champions to make up the semi-final pairings. Teams who may have already met in the provincial championships are kept apart in separate semi-finals where possible. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final.
Final (1 match): The two winners of the semi-finals contest this game.
Promoted from the Christy Ring Cup
Relegated to the Christy Ring Cup
Sixteen counties will compete in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: five teams in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, five teams in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship and six teams in the Joe McDonagh Cup.
County | Manager(s) | Captain(s) | Sponsor | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Clare | Donal Moloney Gerry O'Connor | Patrick O'Connor | Pat O'Donnell | |
Cork | John Meyler | Séamus Harnedy | Chill Insurance | |
Dublin | Pat Gilroy | Liam Rushe | AIG | |
Galway | Micheál Donoghue | David Burke | Supermac's | |
Kilkenny | Brian Cody | Cillian Buckley | Glanbia | |
Limerick | John Kiely | Declan Hannon | Sporting Limerick | |
Offaly | Kevin Martin | David King | Carroll Cuisine | |
Tipperary | Michael Ryan | Pádraic Maher | Intersport/Elverys | |
Waterford | Derek McGrath | TQS Integration | ||
Wexford | Davy Fitzgerald | Lee Chin Matthew O'Hanlon | Gain |
See main article: 2018 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship.
Team | Qualification | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Galway | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7-89 (110) | 6-62 (80) | +30 | 8 | Advance to Leinster Final | |
2 | Kilkenny | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5-76 (91) | 6-69 (87) | +4 | 6 | ||
3 | Wexford | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6-81 (99) | 5-68 (83) | +16 | 4 | Advance to All-Ireland Preliminary Quarter-Finals | |
4 | Dublin | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9-73 (100) | 1-85 (88) | +12 | 2 | ||
5 | Offaly | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5-50 (65) | 14-85 (127) | –62 | 0 | Relegated to Joe McDonagh Cup |
See main article: 2018 Munster Senior Hurling Championship.
Team | Qualification | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cork | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5-94 (109) | 4-89 (101) | +8 | 6 | Advance to Munster Final |
2 | Clare | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4-97 (109) | 5-77 (92) | +17 | 6 | |
3 | Limerick | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3-92 (101) | 4-81 (93) | +8 | 5 | Advance to All-Ireland Preliminary Quarter-Finals |
4 | Tipperary | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7-77 (98) | 5-91 (106) | –8 | 2 | |
5 | Waterford | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6-76 (94) | 7-98 (119) | –25 | 1 |
See main article: 2018 Joe McDonagh Cup.
The inaugural Joe McDonagh Cup, the second tier of senior inter-county championship hurling, was contested by Antrim, Carlow, Kerry, Laois, Meath and Westmeath. Each team played all the other teams once in a round-robin format, with the top two teams progressing to the Joe McDonagh Cup final and also advancing to the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals, where they played the teams that finished third in the Leinster and Munster championships. Westmeath confirmed their place in the Joe McDonagh Cup final on 2 June 2018 after winning their first four matches, with Carlow confirming their place on 9 June after beating Westmeath.
Team | Qualification | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Carlow | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 122 | 102 | 20 | 8 | Advance to Knockout Stage and All-Ireland Preliminary Quarter-Finals | |
2 | Westmeath | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 130 | 115 | 15 | 8 | ||
3 | Kerry | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 105 | 97 | 8 | 6 | ||
4 | Laois | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 118 | 123 | -5 | 4 | ||
5 | Antrim | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 130 | 116 | 14 | 4 | Advance to Relegation Playoff | |
6 | Meath | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 94 | 146 | -52 | 0 | Relegated to Christy Ring Cup |
Carlow were automatically promoted to the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship for 2019, replacing Offaly.
See main article: All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.
The preliminary quarter-finals saw the third-placed teams from the two provincial round-robins play the two teams who competed in the Joe McDonagh Cup Final, with the two finalists having home advantage. Joe McDonagh champions Carlow faced third-placed Munster team Limerick in Dr Cullen Park, while runners-up Westmeath met Wexford, the third-place finished from Leinster, in Mullingar's Cusack Park.
The two quarter-finals saw the losing provincial finalists play the winners of the two preliminary quarter-finals. As both third-place finishers from the provincial series won in the previous round, they were kept apart from the teams they had already met in the round-robin phase to prevent a repeat fixture. Munster runners-up Clare met Wexford, with beaten Leinster finalists Kilkenny facing Limerick the following day. Both games were held at neutral venues.[13]
The semi-finals took place in Croke Park across the last weekend of July, with the Leinster (Galway) and Munster champions (Cork) playing the winners of the two quarter-finals — Clare and Limerick respectively.
See main article: 2018 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final.
Each team has a nominal home stadium for the round-robin series of the provincial championships. However, Waterford will not play their "home" games at Walsh Park, instead playing in neutral venues for these fixtures, namely Limerick's Gaelic Grounds and Semple Stadium in Thurles.
In the knockout stage, teams from the provincial round-robin series will not have home advantage, if avoidable. The only teams to play knockout games at home are the two Joe McDonagh Cup finalists, who had home advantage in the preliminary quarter-finals. The Munster final was held at a neutral venue which was decided based on the qualifying teams, while the locations of the two quarter-finals were decided based on similar considerations. The Leinster final, and the semi-finals and final of the All-Ireland series are held in the 82,300-capacity Croke Park in Dublin, headquarters of the GAA.
Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
From the Leinster Championship | ||||
Dublin | Donnycarney | Parnell Park | ||
Galway | Galway | Pearse Stadium | ||
Kilkenny | Kilkenny | Nowlan Park | ||
Offaly | Tullamore | O'Connor Park | ||
Wexford | Wexford | Wexford Park | ||
From the Munster Championship | ||||
Clare | Ennis | Cusack Park | ||
Cork | Cork | Páirc Uí Chaoimh | ||
Limerick | Limerick | Gaelic Grounds | ||
Tipperary | Thurles | Semple Stadium | ||
Waterford | N / A | |||
From the Joe McDonagh Cup | ||||
Carlow | Carlow | Dr. Cullen Park | ||
Westmeath | Mullingar | Cusack Park |
Rank | Player | Club | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Peter Duggan | Clare | 3-76 | 85 | 8 | 10.60 |
2 | Joe Canning | Galway | 2-78 | 84 | 8 | 10.50 |
3 | T. J. Reid | Kilkenny | 2-63 | 69 | 7 | 9.85 |
4 | Patrick Horgan | Cork | 2-53 | 61 | 6 | 10.17 |
5 | Jason Forde | Tipperary | 3-39 | 48 | 4 | 12.00 |
6 | Rory O'Connor | Wexford | 0-46 | 46 | 5 | 9.20 |
7 | Aaron Gillane | Limerick | 1-37 | 40 | 7 | 5.71 |
8 | Paul Ryan | Dublin | 3-21 | 30 | 4 | 7.50 |
9 | Shane Dowling | Limerick | 2-24 | 30 | 5 | 6.00 |
10 | Pauric Mahony | Waterford | 1-26 | 29 | 3 | 9.66 |
Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jason Forde | Tipperary | 1-14 | 17 | Waterford |
2 | Joe Canning | Galway | 1-12 | 15 | Kilkenny |
Peter Duggan | Clare | 0-15 | 15 | Tipperary | |
Shane Dowling | Limerick | 0-15 | 15 | Waterford | |
5 | Peter Duggan | Clare | 0-14 | 14 | Galway |
6 | Patrick Horgan | Cork | 1-11 | 14 | Limerick |
7 | Joe Canning | Galway | 1-10 | 13 | Limerick |
Peter Duggan | Clare | 1-10 | 13 | Waterford | |
Peter Duggan | Clare | 0-13 | 13 | Limerick | |
Aaron Gillane | Limerick | 0-13 | 13 | Cork | |
11 | Jason Forde | Tipperary | 1-9 | 12 | Limerick |
T. J. Reid | Kilkenny | 1-9 | 12 | Galway | |
Shane Dooley | Offaly | 1-9 | 12 | Galway | |
Rory O'Connor | Wexford | 0-12 | 12 | Dublin | |
T. J. Reid | Kilkenny | 0-12 | 12 | Dublin | |
Rory O'Connor | Wexford | 0-12 | 12 | Galway | |
Joe Canning | Galway | 0-12 | 12 | Wexford | |
Joe Canning | Galway | 0-12 | 12 | Clare |
RTÉ, the national broadcaster in Ireland, provided the majority of the live television coverage of the hurling championship in the second year of a five-year deal running from 2017 until 2021. Sky Sports also broadcast a number of matches and had exclusive rights to some games.
Live Hurling On TV Schedule | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Fixture &<br />Match Details | RTÉ Sky Sports | ||
Provincial Championships | ||||
align=center | 13 May | Dublin v Kilkenny Leinster Round 1 | align=center | RTÉ |
align=center | 20 May | Limerick v Tipperary Munster Round 1 | align=center | RTÉ |
align=center | 20 May | Cork v Clare Munster Round 1 | align=center | RTÉ |
align=center | 27 May | Tipperary v Cork Munster Round 2 | align=center | RTÉ |
align=center | 27 May | Galway v Kilkenny Leinster Round 3 | align=center | RTÉ |
align=center | 2 June | Wexford v Galway Leinster Round 4 | align=center | Sky Sports |
align=center | 2 June | Cork v Limerick Munster Round 3 | align=center | Sky Sports |
align=center | 3 June | Waterford v Tipperary Munster Round 3 | align=center | RTÉ |
align=center | 9 June | Kilkenny v Wexford Leinster Round 5 | align=center | Sky Sports |
align=center | 10 June | Tipperary v Clare Munster Round 4 | align=center | RTÉ |
align=center | 17 June | Clare v Limerick Munster Round 5 | align=center | RTÉ |
align=center | 1 July | Cork v Clare Munster Final | align=center | RTÉ |
align=center | 1 July | Galway v Kilkenny Leinster Final | align=center | RTÉ |
All-Ireland Hurling Championship | ||||
align=center | 14 July | Clare v Wexford All-Ireland Quarter-Final | align=center | RTÉ |
align=center | 15 July | Kilkenny v Limerick All-Ireland Quarter-Final | align=center | RTÉ |
align=center | 28 July | Galway v Clare All-Ireland Semi-Final | align=center | RTÉ Sky Sports |
align=center | 29 July | Cork v Limerick All-Ireland Semi-Final | align=center | RTÉ Sky Sports |
align=center | 19 August | Galway v Limerick All-Ireland Final | align=center | RTÉ Sky Sports |
Pos. | Player | Team | Appearances | |
---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Eoin Murphy | Kilkenny | 2 | |
RCB | Seán Finn | Limerick | 1 | |
FB | Daithí Burke | Galway | 4 | |
LCB | Richie English | Limerick | 1 | |
RWB | Pádraic Mannion | Galway | 2 | |
CB | Declan Hannon | Limerick | 1 | |
LWB | Dan Morrissey | Limerick | 1 | |
MD | Cian LynchHOTY | Limerick | 1 | |
MD | Darragh Fitzgibbon | Cork | 1 | |
RWF | Peter Duggan | Clare | 1 | |
CF | Joe Canning | Galway | 5 | |
LWF | Séamus Harnedy | Cork | 2 | |
RCF | Patrick Horgan | Cork | 3 | |
FF | John Conlon | Clare | 1 | |
LCF | Graeme Mulcahy | Limerick | 1 |