All-Ireland final: The five moments that mattered 

The Treaty were superb in their win over Galway.

Limerick's Kyle Hayes celebrates after the match. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

1. Aaron Gillane winning the first ball played into his corner 

Going into this final, Aaron Gillane’s season was following a trajectory similar to Bernard Brogan’s 10 years ago – the best inside forward of his generation cementing that reputation with a brilliant league final performance only for his form to severely dip through the summer. Brogan was demoted to the bench for the 2016 All-Ireland final replay, as Dan Morrissey and Darragh O’Donovan were for this final after struggling against Clare, just like Gillane who was whipped off after 51 minutes for a second straight day.

But here Kiely stuck with Gillane and that faith was gloriously repaid; you could tell Limerick sought to get him into the game early with how Adam English played the ball down the Cusack Stand side to him for Limerick’s opening score. Once he got out in front and swung it over, we all knew. He was away. He was back.

2. Darach Fahy’s saves from Gearóid Hegarty 

This could have been even worse for Galway and us neutrals. At least it was still a contest by halftime, something some previous finals like Limerick’s demolition of Cork in 2021 weren’t. For that we can thank Fahy for two fine saves from Hegarty in the game’s opening 20 minutes when he’d put through each time by the vision of Gillane.

3. Diarmuid Byrnes’ frees into the Hill 

Scoring into the Hill and that breeze hasn’t been easy in recent weeks as the Dublin footballers could testify. But when this game was still edgy and tight at 0-3 apiece, Byrnes won a free which he drilled over the bar, before then a minute later converting another even further out by the touchline after the relentless Hegarty pressurised Ronan Glennon into over-carrying. It was the loudest of multiple signals to Galway that they weren’t playing Cork now.

4. Limerick’s late flurry of scores before halftime 

Key to both these teams beating Cork over the past six weeks was how they reeled off a string of scores to trail Ben O’Connor’s team by just a point or two heading to the dressing room. On 32 minutes here, Galway still only trailed by two points after Diarmuid Byrnes uncharacteristically lost his poise or concentration by handling the ball three times, allowing Aaron Niland to tap over a free. Limerick though pride themselves on their response to mistakes and theirs and Byrnes’ was exemplary. First by swarming and dispossessing Darragh Neary and Gavin Lee in midfield for Cian Lynch to fire over a point; then O’Donoghue winning a free from which Byrnes brilliantly picked out Hegarty to win a close-in free for Aidan O’Connor; and then O’Donoghue emerging again with the ball to set in motion another point. Just like that a two-point lead had stretched to five.

5. Cathal O’Neill winning a puckout and pointing underneath the Hogan Stand 

Limerick’s real power play came in the third quarter as Kyle Hayes served up his most impactful 15 minutes since the 2024 Munster final, but after outscoring Galway 1-6 to 0-2 upon the resumption, they had to withstand a brief Galway rally as Micheál O’Donoghue’s team reduced the gap from 12 to eight. For a moment the crowd entertained the idea of a Galway comeback. Not John Kiely’s team though. They have a trigger of ‘Four’ to signify their intolerance of any such trend and so from the resultant puckout Nickie Quaid spotted Cathal O’Neill darting out to the Hogan Stand side where he’d brilliantly point into the Canal End side. There endeth Galway’s rally – and the game.