2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The 2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 134th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament, since its establishment in 1887. The championship began on 26 June and ended on 22 August 2021.

2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
Championship details
Dates26 June — 22 August 2021
Teams11
All-Ireland champions
Winning teamLimerick (10th win)
CaptainDeclan Hannon
ManagerJohn Kiely
All-Ireland Finalists
Losing teamCork
CaptainPatrick Horgan
ManagerKieran Kingston
Provincial champions
MunsterLimerick
LeinsterKilkenny
UlsterNot Played
ConnachtNot Played
Championship statistics
No. matches played17
Goals total60 (3.52 per game)
Points total674 (39.64 per game)
Top Scorer Patrick Horgan (0-54)
All-Star TeamSee here
2020
2022

Antrim, having won the 2020 Joe McDonagh Cup, returned to the Leinster Championship for the first time since the 2015 competition.[1][2] Limerick entered the championship as the defending champions.[3]

The All-Ireland final was played on 22 August 2021 at Croke Park in Dublin, between Limerick and Cork, in what was their first ever meeting in a final. Limerick won the match with a display that is regarded by many to be one of the greatest performances by a team in an All Ireland Final. Limerick showed immense dominance in the first half opening a 13 point gap, the scores 3-18 to 1-11 at the interval. This dominance would continue in the second half in more subdued fashion but Limerick still managed to extend their lead to 16 by the final whistle, the full time score 3-32 to 1-22. This was the first time in history that Limerick claimed back to back championships, their 10th championship title overall and third title in four seasons.[4]

Cork's Patrick Horgan was the championship's top scorer with 0-54.

Limerick captain Declan Hannon also made history becoming only the second captain after the legendary Christy Ring to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup on three separate occasions.

Format change

In December 2020, a plan by the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) was approved by the GAA's management committee. The plan saw the introduction of a new format, with the championship being run on a provincial knock-out/qualifier basis, in line with the pre-2018 format, thus resulting in the provincial round robins being discarded.[5] Relegation to and promotion from the Joe McDonagh Cup was re-introduced. The two beaten Leinster quarter-final teams are due to play a preliminary qualifier round, with the losers dropping to the McDonagh Cup and winners progressing to round 1 of the qualifiers.[6]

Round 1 of the qualifiers will feature the playoff winners playing a Munster quarter-finalist or semi-finalist, and a Leinster semi-finalist playing a Munster quarter-finalist or semi-finalist.

Round 2 of the qualifiers will feature the Round 1 winners playing a Munster or Leinster semi-finalist, with the winners advancing to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.[7]

The draws for the hurling championship were delayed until 19 and 20 April 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

Qualification and progression

Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round
Preliminary Round

(2 teams)

Round 1

(4 teams)

  • Leinster Semi-Finalist
  • Munster Semi-Finalist
  • Munster Quarter-Finalist
  • Leinster runners-up
  • Munster
  • Winner from the preliminary Round
Round 2

(4 Teams)

  • Leinster Semi-Finalist
    • Munster Semi-Finalist
    • 2 Winners from Round 1
    Quarter-Finals (4 Teams)
    • Leinster Runners-Up
    • Munster Runners-Up
    • 2 Winners from Round 2
    Semi-Finals

    (4 teams)

    • 2 winners from Quarter-Finals
    Final

    (2 teams)

    • 2 winners from the Semi-Finals

    Teams

    Personnel and general information

    Team Colours Manager Captain Vice-captain(s) Most recent success
    All-Ireland Provincial League
    Antrim Darren Gleeson Conor McCann Paddy Burke 2017
    Cork Kieran Kingston Patrick Horgan 2005 2018 1998
    Clare Brian Lohan John Conlon 2013 1998 2016
    Dublin Mattie Kenny Danny Sutcliffe 1938 2013 2011
    Galway Shane O'Neill Pádraic Mannion 2017 2018 2021
    Kilkenny Brian Cody Adrian Mullen Richie Reid 2015 2020 2021
    Laois Séamus Plunkett Enda Rowland 1915 1949
    Limerick John Kiely Declan Hannon 2020 2020 2020
    Tipperary Liam Sheedy Séamus Callanan Noel McGrath 2019 2016 2008
    Waterford Liam Cahill Conor Prunty Jamie Barron
    Stephen Bennett
    1959 2010 2015
    Wexford Davy Fitzgerald Lee Chin Matthew O'Hanlon 1996 2019 1972-73

    Summary

    Championships

    Level on Pyramid Competition Champions Runners-Up
    Tier 1 2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Limerick Cork
    2021 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Kilkenny Dublin
    2021 Munster Senior Hurling Championship Limerick Tipperary
    Tier 2 2021 Joe McDonagh Cup Westmeath Kerry
    Tier 3 2021 Christy Ring Cup Offaly Derry
    Tier 4 2021 Nicky Rackard Cup Mayo Tyrone
    Tier 5 2021 Lory Meagher Cup Fermanagh Cavan

    Provincial Championships

    Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

    Quarter-Finals Semi-Finals Final
    Dublin 3-31
    Antrim 0-22 Galway 1-14
    Dublin 1-18
    Dublin 0-19
    Kilkenny 1-25
    Kilkenny 2-37
    Laois 1-23 Wexford 2-29
    Wexford 5-31

    Leinster quarter-finals

    Leinster semi-finals

    Leinster final

    Munster Senior Hurling Championship

    Quarter-Finals Semi-Finals Final
    Limerick 2-22
    Cork 1-17
    Limerick 2-29
    Tipperary 3-21
    Tipperary 3-23
    Waterford 0-21 Clare 2-22
    Clare 1-22

    Munster quarter-final

    Munster semi-finals

    Munster final

    All-Ireland Qualifiers

    Bracket

    Preliminary Round Round 1 Round 2 All-Ireland Quarter-Finals
    Clare 2-25
    Wexford 2-22
    Cork 3-19
    Clare 1-23
    Cork
    Antrim 2-21 Waterford
    Laois 2-27 Laois 2-21
    Waterford 3-23
    Galway 3-20
    Waterford 1-30

    Qualifiers preliminary round

    The two teams beaten in the Leinster quarter-finals met in the preliminary round on 10 July with the winners going into the round 1 draw which was held on 12 July.[9] Antrim were relegated to the 2022 Joe McDonagh Cup as a result of losing this match.

    Qualifiers round 1

    Qualifiers round 2

    All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

    Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
    Dublin 0-24
    Cork 2-26 Kilkenny 1-32
    Cork 1-37
    Cork 1-22
    Limerick 3-32
    Limerick 1-25
    Tipperary 2-27 Waterford 0-17
    Waterford 4-28

    All-Ireland quarter-finals

    The beaten Leinster and Munster finalists play the two winners of round two of the qualifiers. The draw was made on 26 July.[10]

    All-Ireland semi-finals

    All-Ireland final

    22 August 2021
    15:30 IST (UTC+1)
    All-Ireland Final
    Limerick 3-32 (41) (25) 1-22 Cork
    (HT: 3-18 (27) - (14) 1-11)
    Gls: G Hegarty 2, A Gillane 1.
    Pts: A Gillane 6 (3f), C Lynch 6, P Casey 5, T Morrissey 3, G Hegarty 2, D Byrnes 2 (1f), D Hannon 2, B Nash 1, D O'Donovan 1, S Flanagan 1, G Mulcahy 1, D Reidy 1, P Ryan 1.
    Gls: S Kingston 1.
    Pts: P Horgan 12 (10f), S Harnedy 4, N O'Leary 1, M Coleman 1 (f), L Meade 1, J O'Connor 1, S Barrett 1, A Cadogan 1.
    Croke Park, Dublin
    Referee: Fergal Horgan (Tipperary)
    Attendance: 40,000

    Championship statistics

    Top scorers

    Top scorer overall
    Rank Player Club Tally Total Matches Average
    1 Patrick Horgan Cork 0-54 54 5 10.80
    2 Tony Kelly Clare 3-41 50 4 12.50
    3 Stephen Bennett Waterford 2-40 46 5 9.20
    4 T. J. Reid Kilkenny 1-39 42 3 14.00
    5 Donal Burke Dublin 0-40 40 4 10.00
    6 Lee Chin Wexford 2-28 34 3 11.33
    Jason Forde Tipperary 1-31 34 3 11.33
    8 Aaron Gillane Limerick 2-23 29 4 7.25
    9 P. J. Scully Laois 0-27 27 3 9.00
    10 Shane Kingston Cork 4-09 21 5 4.20
    In a single game
    Rank Player Club Tally Total Opposition
    1 T. J. Reid Kilkenny 0-16 16 Wexford
    2 Tony Kelly Clare 1-12 15 Waterford
    Lee Chin Wexford 1-12 15 Clare
    Patrick Horgan Cork 0-15 15 Kilkenny
    5 Tony Kelly Clare 1-11 14 Cork
    Lee Chin Wexford 0-14 14 Kilkenny
    7 T. J. Reid Kilkenny 1-10 13 Dublin
    T. J. Reid Kilkenny 0-13 13 Cork
    Donal Burke Dublin 0-13 13 Cork
    10 Tony Kelly Clare 1-09 12 Tipperary
    Patrick Horgan Cork 0-12 12 Limerick
    Jason Forde Tipperary 0-12 12 Waterford
    Stephen Bennett Waterford 0-12 12 Clare
    Patrick Horgan Cork 0-12 12 Dublin

    Miscellaneous

    • Limerick won a Munster Senior Hurling Championship three-in-a-row for the first time since 193419351936.[11]
    • Kilkenny's sixth year in a row without an All-Ireland senior title, equalling their title drought of 1994–1999.[12]
    • Cork's sixteenth year in a row without an All-Ireland senior title, surpassing their title drought of 1904–1918.
    • Limerick scored 3-32 (41 points) in the All-Ireland final, the highest ever score in a final.
    • It is the first time since Kilkenny in 2014-2015 that a county team won back-to-back All Ireland Hurling Championship titles.
    • Limerick retained the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship for the first time in their history. This was their tenth title, making them the first county outside the Big Three to reach double figures.
    • Limerick became the 6th county in history to win back-to-back All-Ireland hurling titles after Kilkenny, Cork, Tipperary, Galway and Wexford.
    • Cork reached the final for the first time since 2013.
    • Two new scoring feats were achieved on 24 July. Joe Canning surpassed Henry Shefflin's record haul to become the all-time top championship scorer.[13] Patrick Horgan became the third player, after Canning and Shefflin, to have broken the 500-point barrier.
    • Limerick played against Tipperary, Waterford and Cork twice (Munster Semi-final and All-Ireland Final) to retain the Liam MacCarthy cup, a first time that any county won a complete championship facing only one set of teams from a single province, in this case all Munster opposition.
    • Limerick had eleven players represented on The Sunday Game team of the year, a first for any male intercounty team in both Hurling and Gaelic Football, beating the previous record of nine representatives held by both Limerick in 2020 and Kilkenny in 2008.

    Awards

    Sunday Game Team of the Year

    The Sunday Game team of the year was picked 22 August on the night of the final. The panel consisting of Jackie Tyrrell, Brendan Cummins, Shane Dowling and Ursula Jacob chose Cian Lynch as the Sunday game player of the year.[14][15][16]

    • 1. Eoin Murphy (Kilkenny)
    • 2. Sean Finn (Limerick)
    • 3. Conor Prunty (Waterford)
    • 4. Barry Nash (Limerick)
    • 5. Diarmuid Byrnes (Limerick)
    • 6. Declan Hannon (Limerick)
    • 7. Kyle Hayes (Limerick)
    • 8. William O’Donoghue (Limerick)
    • 9. Tony Kelly (Clare)
    • 10. Jack O’Connor (Cork)
    • 11. Cian Lynch (Limerick)
    • 12. Tom Morrissey (Limerick)
    • 13. Aaron Gillane (Limerick)
    • 14. Seamus Flanagan (Limerick)
    • 15. Peter Casey (Limerick)
    All Star Team of the Year

    On 9 December, the All-Stars winners were announced with Limerick having a record twelve players named on the team.[17] Its the first time that a county has reached double figures in the final 15.[18] On 10 December during a televised special on RTE, Cian Lynch was named as the All Stars Hurler of the Year with Eoin Cody named the All Stars Young Hurler of the Year.[19][20]

    Pos.PlayerTeamAppearances
    GK Eoin MurphyKilkenny3
    RCB Seán FinnLimerick4
    FB Conor PruntyWaterford1
    LCB Barry NashLimerick1
    RWB Diarmaid ByrnesLimerick2
    CB Declan HannonLimerick2
    LWB Kyle HayesLimerick2
    MD William O'DonoghueLimerick1
    MD Darragh O'DonovanLimerick1
    RWF Gearóid HegartyLimerick2
    CF Cian LynchHOTYLimerick3
    LWF Tom MorrisseyLimerick2
    RCF Tony KellyClare3
    FF Séamus FlanaganLimerick1
    LCF Peter CaseyLimerick1

    References

    1. Cormican, Eoghan (13 December 2020). "Antrim see off Kerry to secure McDonagh Cup success at Croke Park". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
    2. "Cusack fears for Antrim in 2021 Leinster championship". RTÉ Sport. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
    3. Fogarty, John (13 December 2020). "Superb Limerick regain All-Ireland title with emphatic win". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
    4. Ryan, Eoin (22 August 2021). "Limerick crush Cork to claim back-to-back All-Irelands". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
    5. Keys, Colm (18 December 2020). "No Super 8s or hurling round robin, new league format and county before club - GAA approve plan for 2021 season". Irish Independent. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
    6. O'Brien, Kevin (21 December 2020). "GAA set to unveil plan for 2021 season with inter-county February start and July All-Ireland finals". The 42. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
    7. "All the football and hurling championship fixtures and dates". Meath Chronicle.
    8. "Limerick and Cork set for Munster SHC semi-final showdown". The 42. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
    9. "Clare to face Wexford in qualifier Semple Stadium showdown". RTE Sport. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
    10. "Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Semple Stadium to host quarter-finals as GAA fixtures revealed". The 42. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
    11. "85-year wait ends as Limerick topple Tipperary to win historic Munster hurling title". Limerick Leader. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
    12. Clancy, James (7 August 2021). "Cork v Kilkenny All-Ireland Senior Hurling Semi-Final Full Preview". Cork Beo.
    13. "Canning breaks all-time scoring record but can't prevent Galway's defeat to Deise". Hogan Stand. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
    14. "Limerick dominate Sunday Game Hurling Team of the Year". Hogan Stand. 22 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
    15. "Cian Lynch on top as Sunday Game name Hurling Team of the Year". RTE Sport. 22 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
    16. "All-Ireland champions Limerick dominate Sunday Game Team of the Year". The 42. 22 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
    17. "12 awards for Limerick as 2021 All-Star hurling team is named". The 42. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
    18. "Record-breaking Limerick dominate 2021 PwC All-Stars hurling team". GAA.ie. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
    19. "Limerick's Cian Lynch and Tyrone's Kieran McGeary named 2021 Hurler and Footballer of the Year". The 42. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
    20. "Lynch and McGeary crowned PwC Players of the Year". GAA.ie. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
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