Martin Kavanagh fired 11 points for Carlow, but he was unable to get them over the line for victory as Galway claimed the win in their Leinster SHC opener at Pearse Stadium.

The Joe Show, that most popular one-man production which has been enthralling crowds since the middle of the last decade, ain’t running these next two months.

Galway boss Micheal Donoghue will face a sweat over the fitness of another All Star as Conor Cooney left the field on crutches, on an awful weekend for St Thomas’.

Sunday’s league semi-final will tell Galway manager Micheál Donoghue whether the fringe players he has persisted with throughout the spring are capable of making an impact come championship, according to former Galway forward Niall Healy.

Galway advanced to the semi-finals of the Allianz League thanks to an impressive display in the second-half when they were playing against the wind at Pearse Stadium.

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

Niall Burke finished with 11 points as Oranmore-Maree saw off the challenge of St gall's in today's All-Ireland Club Intermediate Hurling Championship semi-final at Parnell Park.

By last Sunday morning, my voice was creaking, writes Anthony Daly

The player

By last Sunday morning, my voice was creaking, writes Anthony Daly

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

Galway 5-18 Offaly 2-15

YESTERDAY’S events in Thurles told us more about a man who wasn’t on the field than one who was. If anybody was in doubt about the Westmeath man taking charge of the All-Ireland final, they aren’t now.

The Twitterati, and numerous other Twitter bandits, were laying it into Jackie Tyrrell and I hot and heavy last Sunday night. They weren’t happy with our comparative analysis between the Munster and Leinster finals. A few of them told us to go away and watch the World Cup, that we might know more about Colombia and Japan than Cork and Clare.

Hurling aficionados love drama, an enjoyment forever in need of the unexpected.

Dublin nearly stunned the All-Ireland champions in Salthill but Paul Winters two second-half goals were not enough to edge victory for Pat Gilroy’s side in Pearse Stadium.

Eddie Brennan says tomorrow’s NHL semi-final between Wexford and Kilkenny will be “as close as you can get to championship fare”.

From the Limerick team that lined out at Pearse Stadium, only three — Nicky Quaid, Richie McCarthy, and Paul Browne — have been exposed to top-tier league hurling. That’s a damning indictment of the county’s spring form over the past eight years.

Jason Flynn's 1-9 haul eased All-Ireland title holders Galway to an anticipated victory at Parnell Park, setting up an Allianz hurling league promotion shoot-out with Limerick next weekend.

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.

The depth of affection for the late Tony Keady far beyond Galway’s borders was underlined again on Saturday when a deputation from Cork visited Oranmore to make a presentation of Cork hurling memorabilia to the Keady family, writes Larry Ryan of the Irish Examiner.

Enda McEvoy is the first to ask ... Who’ll win the 2018 All-Ireland? 

Derek McGrath has criticised the “sweeper” characterisation of Waterford on RTÉ’s Up For The Match programme on Saturday.

Derek McGrath has criticised the “sweeper” characterisation of Waterford on RTÉ’s Up For The Match programme on Saturday.

Derek McGrath is as talkative as ever but the toll of the day is clear.

Joe Canning has to merely do his bit for Galway to win whereas Austin Gleeson has to do more than his bit for Waterford to win. — (Sentence written at 3.25pm)

Waterford went a point up ten minutes into the second half. It had been tit for tat in the second period, but from that point on Galway had the scoring power to creep ahead and the experience to see out the game.

A righteous delivery is how Micheál Donoghue framed this victory and few could dispute him although we may have to wait for the dust to settle for him to point out exactly who were calling Galway “chokers” in the build-up to yesterday.

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

Micheál Donoghue said criticism of Galway as chokers was well and truly answered by today’s All-Ireland final victory, writes John Fogarty

Long after they stepped from the field and handed back the maroon shirt, Galway’s celebrated men of ’87 and ’88 continue to look out for one another.

Galway hurling selector Noel Larkin says the All-Ireland final will be better for Austin Gleeson’s involvement, writes Eoghan Cormican.

Galway hurling selector Noel Larkin says the All-Ireland final will be better for Austin Gleeson’s involvement.

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

Leinster SHC Final Galway 0-29 Wexford 1-17 

Joe Canning and Conor Cooney weighed in with 0-18 between them at Croke Park as Galway came good with a storming second-half performance to claim the Leinster SHC title.

When I was coming out of Tullamore yesterday, I ran into a few Dublin supporters. The disappointment and frustration was visible on their faces.

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.