July Road: Lucky for some -13 counties have tasted All-Ireland Ladies’ football glory

The All-Ireland Ladies’ SFC final was first played in 1974 and in the interim, there have been 13 winners of the senior title – Tipperary, Kerry, Cavan, Roscommon, Offaly, Waterford, Monaghan, Mayo, Laois, Galway, Cork, Dublin and, of course, Meath.

A further four counties have been finalists – Wexford, Leitrim, Westmeath and Armagh – meaning a total of 17 counties have made the big day.

In men’s football, in the same time frame, 11 counties have got their hands on the Sam Maguire – Dublin, Kerry, Offaly, Meath, Cork, Down, Donegal, Derry, Galway, Armagh, Tyrone – while just three have reached a decider but not won it: Roscommon, Mayo and Kildare.

In hurling, there have been eight winners (Kilkenny, Cork, Galway, Offaly, Tipperary, Clare, Wexford and Limerick), with Waterford and Antrim the only two counties to make a final but not win it.

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Camogie is the least egalitarian, with just seven winners (Cork, Kilkenny, Wexford, Antrim, Dublin, Tipperary and Galway) and Limerick the only finalists whose name is not on the cup.

Meath and Kerry example gives hope to chasing pack

The standard on show on Sunday suggests the bar continues to be raised in ladies’ football but the amazing thing is that both Meath and Kerry were mired in Division Two until last year.

The pair met in the Division Two final on June 26th, 2021, with the Royals winning, overturning their earlier group stage loss to Kerry. Although it was a comprehensive victory, few outside the camp would have realistically expected Meath, who had only won the Intermediate All-Ireland the previous December, to go all the way in the championship.

In the meantime, they have beaten Tipperary, Armagh, Cork (after extra time), Dublin, Monaghan, Galway, Donegal and Kerry to claim back-to-back Brendan Martin Cups.

Kerry, meanwhile, had won just five of their 15 previous championship matches coming into this season.

Hurson’s focus on aggressive and technical fouls

“A lot of the time we’re lost in the moment and focused on a decision, we’re really not there to watch or enjoy the game,” stated the referee in the men’s All-Ireland final, Seán Hurson, in an interview with his local Ulster Herald this week.

“We’re totally focused on aggressive and technical fouls and we have to adjudicate on a second-by-second business.

“But full credit to both sets of players, they knew what way I was refereeing the game, they gave me respect and I gave them respect as well. There were minimal aggressive fouls that warranted anything more than a yellow.”

Judging by his post-match comments, Pádraic Joyce may have a differing opinion on the way the game was reffed.

Evergreen Shanahan still able to mix it

The hotly-debated split season is upon us and, already, there’s been one interesting storyline. In Waterford Dan Shanahan came on for Lismore at half-time in their clash against Roanmore.

The former Hurler of the Year (45) is now in his 30th season at adult level. He scored what journalist Tomás McCarthy described on Twitter as “an audacious overheard point” and was fouled for a penalty but it wasn’t enough to stop his side losing, 2-20 to 0-19.

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Paul Mannion about to be the best forward in Leinster and the second best forward in his club

— Tweeter Paddy Conneely’s gives his tuppence worth on Shane Walsh’s mooted move to Kilmacud Crokes in Dublin.

Number: 1964

The number Adrian Spillane had written on his arm to remember his grandfather last Sunday.