It’s the year of the underdog as Clare faces Cork in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final. Expect fans to travel in huge numbers from the south to GAA HQ for this special day. When is the 2024 All-Ireland Hurling Final?
Most people expected Limerick and Kilkenny to contest this hurling final. Ultimately, Clare and Cork shocked the country in a massive boost for the sport. These counties are hurling strongholds. One of them will lift the Liam McCarthy Cup again after a long wait. It’s been 11 years for the Banner and a scarcely believable 19 for the Rebel County. This is going to be a special day but also a heartbreaking one.
When is the All-Ireland Hurling Final?
The two Munster giants will play each other at Croke Park on Sunday, July 31st at 3.30 pm. This promises to be one of the games of the season between two teams who are desperate to regain lost glories.
The entire hurling season has been building up to this point. The winner goes down in the history books and secures glory for their county. After this final, we might have to update our list of the best hurlers of all time.
Who is Playing in the Hurling Final?
Clare will play Cork in the GAA Senior Hurling Championship Final. The Banner enters this game off the back of a victory over Kilkenny. They came into this game as underdogs but belied their status to pull off a famous victory.
It was the third time lucky for Clare because Kilkenny beat them in the semifinals in the previous two years. They rode their luck but showed their spirit as they achieved a sensational 2-16 to 0-24 comeback win.
Still thinking about this moment… 50 minutes of hurling to be played after it, but how important was this save by Patrick Collins?#sundaygame #gaa #hurling #cork #patrickcollins pic.twitter.com/n6ztqy0y7e
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 7, 2024
Cork will enter this final on a massive high after an electrifying victory over Limerick. It’s been an excellent year for Pat Ryan’s men who defeated the Treaty twice. Their second victory was outstanding as both teams gave their all. Ultimately, Cork won 1-28 to 29 points on a day that will live long in their memories.
We covered the Clare vs Cork fixture if you are looking for an All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final prediction.
The Last 10 Winners of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
Before placing a Hurling bet, examine the most recent winners of the competition. While Limerick, Tipperary, and Kilkenny have dominated since 2014, one of our finalists made it to this stage of the tournament in 2021. Below are the ten most recent Hurling finals.
- 2023: Limerick 0-30 vs Kilkenny 2-15. (30-21)
- 2022: Limerick 1-31 vs Kilkenny 2-26. (34-32)
- 2021: Limerick 3-32 vs Cork 1-22. (41-25)
- 2020: Limerick 0-30 vs Waterford 0-19. (30-19)
- 2019: Tipperary 3-25 vs Kilkenny 0-20. (34-20)
- 2018: Limerick 3-16 vs Galway 2-18. (25-24)
- 2017: Galway 0-26 vs Waterford 2-17. (26-23)
- 2016: Tipperary 2-29 vs Kilkenny 2-20. (35-26)
- 2015: Kilkenny 1-22 vs Galway 1-18. (25-21)
- 2014 Re-match: Kilkenny 2-17 vs Tipperary 2-14. (23-20)
- 2014: Kilkenny 3-22 vs Tipperary 1-28. (31-31)
Cork last made the All-Ireland Hurling Final in 2021, where they could not stop a rampant Limerick team. Clare faced Cork in the 2013 final and the game finished 25 points apiece in the first match, but the rematch was one-sided. Clare scored five goals to win 5-16 to 3-16.
Road to the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
It’s been a long road to the final for both teams. Clare came second in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship, level on points with Limerick. Cork finished third in the group stage, putting them through into the All-Ireland preliminary quarterfinals.
Clare lost the Munster Final on June 9th to a dominant Limerick side. It finished 1-26 to 1-20 as both sides put on a show for their fans. Ultimately, Clare came up short, putting them in the All-Ireland quarterfinals and Limerick in the semi-finals.
Cork demolished Offaly in the preliminary quarterfinal. The Rebels won 4-25 to 3-19 in another fantastic spectacle for the neutral. Next came Dublin, a game many fancied to the boys in blue. However, Cork came out deserved winner in the quarter-final by a margin of five points.
FULL-TIME
KILKENNY 2-16
CLARE 0-24Clare are through to the GAA Hurling Senior Championship Final ‼️@KilkennyCLG @GaaClare #GAANOW pic.twitter.com/4wpP6Y3oy6
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 6, 2024
Anyone betting on the winner of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship would have thought Limerick would get the job done against Cork. Even though the Treaty County put 29 points on the board, they lost to a spirited Cork side who completed a remarkable comeback. They won 0-29 to 1-28, with the only goal of the game going to Brian Hayes.
Clare’s run to the final is just as spectacular as they saw of preliminary quarter-final winners Wexford. Clare also faced one of the favourites to win the Liam MacCarthy Cup in Kilkenny. After another thrilling semi-final, Clare came out on top with a two-point advantage. Even though Kilkenny scored twice, they lost 2-16 to 0-24.
Now Clare faces Cork in a wild final and it’s anyone’s guess who will win. It’s been a wild year for making GAA predictions, as none of the pre-championship favourites made the respective finals. Fresh blood is healthy for both Gaelic football and hurling.
Clare and Cork’s All-Ireland History
Clare and Cork are two of hurling’s most decorated teams. However, it’s been over a decade since the Banner won the Liam McCarthy Cup. It’s even grimmer reading for the Rebels because it’s been almost two decades.
The Banner are four-time All-Ireland champions. Davy Fitzgerald led them to their most recent title in 2013. Ominously for Cork, they defeated the Rebels in a replay 5-16 to 3-16 to seal glory. This was a tremendous series and fans hope this one will be just as good. Betting on Crok to win again could be the right move, but both teams have changed a lot in the past 11 seasons.
It’s been a painful 11-year wait for Clare, but they’ve had longer All-Ireland droughts. They went a record 81 years between 1914 and 1995 without winning their second Liam McCarthy. Clare is also a six-time Munster Senior Hurling Champion with their most recent win in 1998.
Cork is one of the GAA’s sleeping giants. They have won an incredible 30 All-Ireland titles. This puts them second overall in the record books behind Kilkenny. However, their team drastically stagnated in the late noughties and only recently recovered. They’ll hope that this is the year that will finally end their long wait.
Their most recent victory came in 2005 in a 1-21 to 1-16 victory over Galway. It was their second title in two years, with all signs pointing to a dynasty. This was a legendary team with the likes of Donal Og Cusack and Seán Óg Ó hAilpín starring. Nobody expected them to endure a 20-year drought.
Everything points to this being a spectacular All-Ireland final. Both sides will be delighted to make it this far, but someone has to go home a loser. Let’s hope we get a fantastic cup final where a Hurling black card does not ruin the contest.
Where to Watch the All-Ireland Hurling Final?
Irish residents can watch this hurling game for free as usual on the national broadcaster. RTE 2 will carry live footage and pre-halftime and post-game analysis. They will offer a highlights show on the Sunday Game at 9:30 pm. The match is also available on RTE Player if you prefer to watch online.
