GAA Football Championship Review

A wonderful GAA All-Ireland football championship season reached a great climax on Sunday when a crowd of 82,204 saw Tyrone win the title at Croke Park.

Their four-point win over Kerry brought them their third crown in the space of six seasons, a great achievement for Mickey Harte and his squad.

Captained by Brian Dooher they won by 1-15 to 0-14 after trailing by a point at half-time. However, Tommy McGuigan’s goal just after the re-start provided Tyrone with a crucial boost.

It was the first time that two teams had reached the final via the qualifiers and they turned in a superbly contested game which remained in doubt right up to the final minute. However, Tyrone finished the stronger to run out winners and wreck Kerry’s three-in-a-row ambitions.

It brought down the curtain on a great championship season which provided

54 games since May 11 last.

The title winners were as follows:

All-Ireland winners: Tyrone

Provincial Champions

Connacht: Galway

Leinster: Dublin

Munster: Cork

Ulster: Armagh

TOP SCORERS 2008

Kildare’s John Doyle finished the season as the top championship scorer on 2-26 from five games.

He held off the challenge of Colm Cooper and Sean Cavanagh who scored 0-6 and 0-5 respectively in last Sunday’s All-Ireland final to finish on 2-25 and 2-24. The top scorers were as follows.

John Doyle (Kildare)……………..2-26 Colm Cooper (Kerry)…………….2-25 Sean Cavanagh (Tyrone)……….2-24 Ian Ryan (Limerick)……………..3-20 Matty Forde (Wexford)………..1-24 Ciaran Lyng (Wexford)………..2-21 Daniel Goulding (Cork)…………3-18 Bryan Sheehan ((Kerry)………..0-26 Aidan Carr (Down)……………….0-24 Tommy McGuigan (Tyrone)….1-21 Colm McCullagh (Tyrone)…….1-21 Steven McDonnell (Armagh)….1-20 Dessie Dolan (Westmeath)……..1-20

ALL-IRELAND ROLL OF HONOUR

Tyrone have moved up the rankings after winning their third All-Ireland title last Sunday. They join Louth, Mayo and Offaly on three titles, pulling ahead of Limerick and Roscommon who both have two titles.

35 – Kerry

(1903-04-09-13-14-24-26-29-30-31-32-37-39-40-41-46-53-55-59-62-69-70-75-78-79-80-81-84-85-86-97-2000-2004-2006-2007)

22 – Dublin

(1891-92-97-98-99-1901-02-06-07-08-21-22-23-42-58-63-74-76-77-83-95)

9 – Galway (1925-34-38-56-64-65-66-98-2001)

7 – Meath (1949-54-67-87-88-96-99)

6 – Cork (1890-1911-45-73-89-90)

5 – Down (1960-61-68-91-94)

5 – Cavan (1933-35-47-48-52)

5 – Wexford (1893-1915-16-17-18)

4 – Kildare (1905-19-27-28)

4- Tipperary (1889-95-1900-1920)

3 – Louth (1910-12-57)

3 – Mayo (1936-50-51)

3 – Offaly (1971-72-82)

3- Tyrone (2003-2005-2008)

2 – Limerick (1887-1896)

2 – Roscommon (1943-44)

1 – Armagh (2002)

1 – Derry (1993)

1 – Donegal (1992)

2008 ALL-IRELAND SFC RESULTS

CONNACHT

May 11: Quarter-final: Leitrim 0-17 New York 0-6, Gaelic Park.

May 18: Quarter-final: Galway 2-16 Roscommon 0-6, Pearse Stadium.

May 25: Quarter-final: Sligo 2-17 London 0-7, Ruislip.

June 15: Semi-final: Galway 2-14 Leitrim 1-13, Pearse Stadium.

June 22: Semi-final: Mayo 3-11 Sligo 0-7, Castlebar.

July 13: Final: Galway 2-12 Mayo 1-14, Castlebar.

LEINSTER

May 11: 1st round: Westmeath 2-10 Longford 1-10, Pearse Park.

May 18: 1st round: Wicklow 0-13 Kildare 0-9; Meath 1-25 Carlow 0-8, Croke Park.

May 31: Quarter-final: Laois 0-15 Wicklow 0-13, Dr.Cullen Park.

June 1: Quarter-final: Wexford 2-14 Meath 2-13, Dr. Cullen Park.

June 7: Quarter-final: Westmeath 2-11 Offaly 1-8, Tullamore.

June 8: Quarter-final: Dublin 1-22 Louth 0-12, Croke Park.

June 22: Semi-final: Wexford 0-18 Laois 0-12, Croke Park.

June 29: Semi-final: Dublin 0-13 Westmeath 1-8, Croke Park.

July 20: Final: Dublin 3-23 Wexford 0-9, Croke Park.

MUNSTER

May 25: Quarter-finals: Clare 0-9 Waterford 0-7, Ennis; Limerick 1-8 Tipperary 1-5, Fermoy.

June 8: Semi-finals: Kerry 1-14 Clare 0-5, Killarney; Cork 2-9 Limerick 0-12, Gaelic Grounds.

July 6: Final: Cork 1-16 Kerry 1-11, Pairc Ui Chaoimh

ULSTER

May 18: 1st round: Cavan 1-19 Antrim 1-14 Casement Park.

May 25: Quarter-final: Fermanagh 2-8 Monaghan 0-10, Enniskillen.

June 1: Quarter-final: Derry 1-14 Donegal 1-12, Ballybofey.

June 8: Quarter-final: Tyrone 2-8, Down 2-8, Omagh.

June 14: Quarter-final replay: Down 1-19 Tyrone 0-21, Newry (After extra-time).

June 15: Quarter-final: Armagh 0-17 Cavan 0-13, Kingspan Breffni Park.

June 21: Semi-final: Fermanagh 1-11 Derry 1-9, Omagh.

June 29: Semi-final: Armagh 1-12 Down 0-11, Clones.

July 20: Final: Armagh 2-8 Fermanagh 1-11, Clones.

July 27: Final (replay): Armagh 1-11 Fermanagh 0-8, Clones.

ALL-IRELAND QUALIFIERS

July 19: Round 1: Limerick 4-12 Meath 4-3, Gaelic Grounds; Laois 1-10 Longford 0-11, Pearse Park; Kildare 1-16 Cavan 1-15, Newbridge; Down 5-19 Offaly 2-10, Tullamore; Tyrone 1-18 Louth 1-10, Drogheda; Westmeath 0-15 Tipperary 0-6, Ardfinnan; Donegal 3-11 Roscommon 1-9, Ballybofey; Monaghan

1-13 Derry 1-12, Clones.

July 27: Round 2: Monaghan 0-16 Donegal 0-15, Ballybofey; Tyrone 0-14 Westmeath 1-7, Omagh; Kildare 1-11 Limerick 0-11, Gaelic Grounds; Down 2-14 Laois 1-15, Portlaoise.

Aug 2: Round 3: Wexford 2-13 Down 0-12; Tyrone 0-13 Mayo 1-9, Croke Park.

Aug 3: Round 3: Kildare 0-11 Fermanagh 0-5; Kerry 1-13 Monaghan 0-13, Croke Park.

ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

Aug 9: Quarter-finals: Wexford 1-14 Armagh 0-12, Croke Park; Kerry 1-21 Galway 1-16, Croke Park.

Aug 10: Quarter-final: Cork 2-11 Kildare 1-11, Croke Park.

Aug 16: Quarter-final: Tyrone 3-14 Dublin 1-8, Croke Park.

Aug 24: Semi-final: Cork 3-7 Kerry 1-13, Croke Park.

Aug 31 Semi-finals: Kerry 3-14 Cork 2-13 (replay); Tyrone 0-23 Wexford 1-14, Croke Park.

Sept 21: Final: Tyrone 1-15 Kerry 0-14, Croke Park.

TOMMY MURPHY CUP

July 12:  Preliminary Round: London 4-13 Kilkenny 0-8, Freshford.

July 19: Quarter-finals

London 3-14 Sligo 2-12, Ruislip (After extra-time); Antrim 1-10 Carlow 0-11, Casement Park; Leitrim 1-12 Clare 1-8, Ennis; Wicklow 0-18 Waterford 0-12, Aughrim.

July 27: Semi-finals

Antrim 1-19 London 0-13, Casement Park.

Wicklow 0-15 Leitrim 0-12, Aughrim.

Aug 2: Final:

Antrim 3-12 Wicklow 1-15, Croke Park.