A championship like no other. The 2022 GAA split season, as it was.

A championship like no other. The 2022 GAA split season, as it was.

By Steven Kelly  10/08/2022

Where to begin? It is fair to say that the 2022 GAA season didn’t disappoint for players and supporters alike. Before the GAA championship got underway this year, many pundits and analysts were left confused as to the logic of splitting and condensing the season between club and county and having the traditional All -Ireland finals from September moved to July. With the drama of Dublin being relegated to Division two and Limerick being beaten in the Hurling league, before championship 2022 even got underway, it was obvious that many teams saw this season as being more open than ever before.

In Football we had the inaugural Tailteann Cup being introduced, which gave smaller counties exposure and an opportunity to get to Croke Park. Unlike the Tommy Murphy Cup competition, which had similar ideas, which Tipperary won back in 2005, teams bought into this idea of having a genuine day in the sun. Former Tyrone player Enda McGinley expressed his desire for the Tailteann Cup before play got underway. “I am just hoping that teams get the exposure for the commitment they give and in this age of podcasts and social media this gives more inter- county players a real opportunity to play before a big crowd in Croke Park.” The competition gave teams who had been beaten in the first round of the championship, another opportunity to have an extended Summer. Supporters were treated to 2 excellent Semi-Finals between Sligo and Cavan and Westmeath and Offaly, which were aired on RTE Two television. The success of this competition was heightened when many people’s fancied side Cavan, was defeated in the final by Westmeath. The significance of the competition was given its value by the fact that Micky Quinn, Ross Munnelly and Keith Beirne had played in the competition themselves and analyzed the final themselves for the Sunday Game. See highlights of the final here: https://youtu.be/GxYR0wTX7j4

The 2022 Sam Maguire brought its usual elements of thrills and spills along the way. Having come in as defending champions, Tyrone ended up going out on a whim, after an improving Derry side sent them packing in the Ulster championship and this was followed up by a comprehensive defeat by old foes Armagh, who were making waves under Kieran McGeeney, in the first round of the qualifiers. Derry was a team on the up in 2022 having won back-to-back promotions and saw off a stern challenge by Declan Bonner’s Donegal, after extra time in the Ulster Final. Their style of play was questionable at times, but few could argue that their defensive structure brought huge results along the way. 

In Leinster, having had a league campaign to forget, Dublin’s championship form was formidable as always and they breezed to yet another Leinster Championship having put Wexford, Meath and Kildare to the sword with minimum fuss. One would question how close the pack are to Dublin in Leinster, with Kildare forward Daniel Flynn admitting in an interview on Off The Ball that “ I can't see an All -Ireland being a realistic target right now, but I would like to think a Leinster title isn't a million miles away.” In Munster, Kerry got the better of Cork yet again before defeating a spirited Limerick comprehensively in the final. At this point, the usual questions such as the competitiveness of the Munster championship were brought to the table and how good this Kerry team actually were. In Connacht, Galway and Mayo renewed their rivalry once again, with Galway getting the better of their neighbours in a tense contest in Castlebar. Galway showed their credentials and avenged their Division two final defeat to Roscommon by inflicting defeat on the Rossies in the Connacht Final.

The big boys of Dublin and Kerry got over Cork and Mayo respectfully and joined surprise packages Galway and Derry in the All -Ireland Semi-Finals. The old rivals served up a thriller in front of a sell-out at headquarters, with Kenmare ace Seanie O’Shea popping over a 55-metre free to win the game for the kingdom. Meanwhile, Galway reached their 1st final for 21 years with a late win over Derry. The final between Kerry and Galway would come down to a shootout between the game’s finest in David Clifford and Shane Walsh, who gave an exhibition of point scoring from both free’s and open play. The game was decided in the final 6 minutes with Kerry showing their class and Galway running out of steam. The football championship was the most open in years and it's hard to believe it's over for the year already. 

In Hurling hopes were high. Limerick was under pressure after a mixed league campaign. The Treaty came through a frantic Munster campaign against Waterford, Cork, Tipperary and Clare before surviving a Tony Kelly-inspired Clare side after extra time, in an epic duel in the home of Hurling. Clare showed well with Brian Lohan bringing through many stars such as Rory Hayes and Ryan Taylor. After a league Title, Waterford’s campaign finished before it got going, with Cork putting pay to their aspirations. Tipperary didn't get going and finished winless in Munster. In Leinster, we had some great moments to reflect on. The win for Galway over Kilkenny at the last minute springs to mind. The sideshow between Cody and Shefflin kept us on the edge of our seats. Wexford’s win in Nowlan Park over Kilkenny and the epic draw between the Dubs and Wexford in Wexford Park. The Leinster showpiece brought Cody vs Shefflin part two, with Wexford nabbing 3rd place to stay in championship 2022. Cody would have the final say however with his side getting revenge with an eye-catching performance in the provincial decider. Before the knockout stages came about Antrim and Kerry gave us a thriller in the Joe McDonagh final, with Antrim surviving a late Kingdom onslaught. 

Clare survived a huge scare in the quarter-final against Wexford, with their endeavours against Limerick showing. Galway and Cork played out a titanic encounter, with the Tribesman sitting up a date with destiny against Limerick. The battle of withs awaited with Clare giving another flat performance in Croker and Kilkenny showing their hunger. Brian Cody’s hunger was evident by the site of Adrian Mullen and Eoin Coady hooking and blocking from the front. Limerick and Galway served up a cracker, with the endless ferocity of the men from Shannonside, ultimately telling the difference.

Kilkenny had been the side who were history makers themselves in the noughties and had a chance to stop Limerick from achieving a decorated 3 in a row. On a warm sunny July afternoon, the Temperature was boiling on and off the field with Gearoid Hegarty scoring arguable one of the best goals seen in an All-Ireland. The teams were score for score at halftime and more drama followed. It seemed Cody was up to his old tricks, with Walter Welsh being sprung from the bench. His physicality made an instant impact and this All -Ireland went down to the wire. John Kiely fell to his knees at the final whistle, with the Limerick Odessey continuing and a 3 in a row secured with 2 points to spare. With the highs of quality being shown in both Football and Hurling this year, one cannot forget about the Minor Hurling championship, which captured the hearts of the imagination of the public. From the supporters packing into O’ Moore Park for the Leinster Final between Laois and Offaly to the dramatic finale of a winning Tipperary goal in the dying seconds of the All -Ireland final, in front of 27,000 gasping supporters in Nowlan Park. 

Championship 2022 was not without its fair share of sadness. Pat Spillane finishing with the Sunday Game after over a quarter of a century on air, was a moment that needs to be remembered. Brian Cody stepping down as Kilkenny boss after 24 years in charge almost felt like an end of an era and a start of a new dawn for the GAA. How can we forget the emotion of a penalty shootout between Armagh and Galway and the fight that broke out at the end of normal time? It is fair to say that our emotions have been tested throughout the inter-county season of 2022. A final moment to be acknowledged would be the tragedy that has recently struck GAA circles. The club season had only begun when news filtered through with the untimely passing of 24-year-old Dillon Quirke of Tipperary and Clonulty- Rossmore. A young man only starting out in his professional and sporting life. A man who has put our game in perspective, but was beyond talented at playing Hurling. The GAA has more than ever shown its solidarity in times of sadness and anguish.

It is fair to say that the decision to condense our championship and allow more time for club action is yet to be proven correct, however as is always said the more things change, the more they stay the same. Championship 2022 its been interesting.