A 74th minute strike from Shane Bennett decided a game of two halves in stormy weather at Walsh Park this afternoon.

Leading into last year’s All-Ireland final, something that nagged at me as a Waterford man was the thought we might come to rue the time we didn’t kill off Galway earlier that season during a league quarter-final up in Salthill, writes Tony Browne

Galway and Limerick have both named their starting lineups ahead of this Sunday's All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final at Croke Park.

At the end of the match yesterday, I shook hands with Michael Lyster. It may be my last time doing a live TV game with Michael, who retires from RTÉ at the end of this year, and I wanted to acknowledge his help to me, and his absolute professionalism, over the years.

Over the last while, I’ve been listening to Alan O’Mara’s excellent podcast ‘Real Talks’.

Call it as it was. Last day out against Galway, Kilkenny were pretty much crushed, writes PM O’Sullivan.

Galway 1-19 Antrim 1-16: After an hour of average hurling Micheál Donoghue’s Galway finally showed their class to launch the defence of their league and championship titles with victory over Antrim at Pearse Stadium.

Neal Peden’s Antrim almost landed the first major knock-out blow of the season, but the All-Ireland and league champions Galway finally found their form in the closing minutes to take the points at Pearse Stadium.

Enough is enough.

In a TV interview afterwards, David Burke spoke about an incident midway through the second half, where he shouted to Joe Canning, Conor Cooney, and Joseph Cooney.

From a distance, the world looks maroon and white this morning.

Donal O’Grady gives his tactical breakdown of an intriguing All-Ireland final.

It is a mild pity that match previews do not include an insight into the thought processes which led yer man — never yer woman, of course — to his verdict.

As Galway v Tipperary games go, Anthony Daly felt yesterday’s was on another level.

Galway have shown to date that when they are tuned and ready, they are capable of wrecking teams, writes Anthony Daly.

Anytime I get the lift down from the press box to level 2 in the Hogan Stand, I always look over at the hurling roll of honour as I make my way out through the corridor of the main exit.

At around half six on Sunday evening, most of the Galway team were to be found licking ice creams outside Supermacs on the Old Ennis Road.

After Clare were well beaten by Cork in the 1998 league semi-final in Thurles, myself, Fergie Tuohy, and ‘Sparrow’ O’Loughlin went back to Powers in Clarecastle.

I wrote last Saturday that players are strongly motivated by comments which call their personal courage into question.

When Galway manager Micheál Donoghue sits down to review the DVD of the Leinster final, he should concentrate on the 10-minute period after half-time. 

Former Munster forward Niall Ronan has called on the GAA to ban Philly McMahon for an alleged eye-gouging incident in Sunday’s All-Ireland final.

Through incredible planning and focus, Kilkenny have oiled a conveyor belt of lean, mean hurlers that have placed All-Ireland glory on a summit out of the reach of most. As the serious contenders already turn to 2016, Dónal Óg Cusack examines how far they have to climb.

Tipperary star Seamus Callanan is still suffering aches and pains following John Hanbury’s controversial foul on him in last month’s All-Ireland semi-final.

Experienced defender Fergal Moore says Galway must learn from the mistakes of previous All-Ireland final losses if they are to bounce back in 2016.

Nabokov tells us there is no science without fancy, nor art without facts. Can we apply that to yesterday in Croke Park?

Kilkenny rob Galway of their early thunder

Kilkenny 1-22 Galway 1-18: A story of two halves and a familiar ending.

TJ Reid and Joe Canning. One of them came to Croke Park as the Hurler of the Year elect, the other as not even a nailed-on All Star. One of them scored the first goal, which mattered a little, the other the second goal, which mattered not at all.

Galway needed to be in touch as the game entered the crucial last ten minutes but they faded badly when they needed to kick on, having impressed when leading by three points at half-time.

It was Johnny Glynn’s dispossession of Pádraic Maher two minutes from the end of normal time that told David Collins he’d see Croke Park in September.

The most decorated manager in Galway hurling history believes Daithí Burke is the defender to tie down Kilkenny talisman Richie Hogan.

Galway hurler John Hanbury is in a race to be fit for Sunday week’s All- Ireland final. The Galway full-back has been sidelined since the county’s semi-final win over Tipperary on Sunday week last owing to a calf strain.

When it come to the physical side there needs to be an acceptance that the lines can be crossed at times without the game being called into disrepute. It’s accepted in hurling, so why not in football, asks Dick Clerkin

Kilkenny’s last two All-Ireland successes haven’t been replicated in the All Stars honour lists, where the runners-up in both years, Galway in 2012 and Tipperary last year, trumped them. As of now, Kilkenny look set to take the lion’s share of personal honours but Galway have plenty of strong contenders too.

Trevor Hogan is a Tipperary man. His background is rugby. On those two counts, some may disqualify him from commenting on the defeat of his county but they shouldn’t.