Miscellaneous
One hundred years, eighty-five years and twenty-three years in the making. It was the GAA weekend that saw history being made in the Football Championship and joining Will Slattery and Michael Verney to look back on it all on this week’s Throw-In podcast were Brendan Cummins and Ciarán Whelan. “We were worried about no crowds being at the grounds and they are eerie and it is different and you're saying 'ye it's not the same', but yesterday made it all worthwhile,” Whelan told the show. “Ironic that it's the same four provincial winners as a hundred years, you just couldn't write that sort of stuff so it was just an incredible day to be a GAA follower.” For Cummins who was also previously involved with the Tipp footballers, it was an amazing day for Tipperary and not one that he was surprised about when it finally came. In the rest of the football, Cavan’s win over Donegal probably raised more eyebrows when it came but it’s showing the strength of belief in the so-called smaller counties and with no backdoor anything can happen on the day. In contrast to the other provinces, the Dublin machine in Leinster keeps rolling over all opposition with the county’s tenth Leinster title in a row captured in a twenty-one point victory over a very disappointing Meath. Football may have garnered much of the headlines from the weekend, but Saturday’s hurling qualifiers were also of the highest quality with Galway ousting reigning All Ireland champions, Tipperary, and Waterford beating Clare convincingly to reach an All Ireland semi final against Kilkenny. Could Waterford be the dark horses for this year’s All Ireland where history is being made every step of the way? For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.