2008 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2008 was the 122nd since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The first matches of the season were played on 25 May 2008, and the championship ended on 7 September 2008. Kilkenny went into the 2008 championship as defending champions, having won their thirtieth All-Ireland title the previous year.

2008 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

Championship details
Dates	25 May - 7 September 2008
Teams	12
All-Ireland champions
Winning team	Kilkenny (31st win)
Captain	James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick
Manager	Brian Cody
All-Ireland Finalists
Losing team	Waterford
Captain	Michael 'Brick' Walsh
Manager	Davy FitzGerald
Provincial champions
Munster	Tipperary
Leinster	Kilkenny
Ulster	Antrim
Connacht	Not Played
Championship statistics
No. matches played	24[1]
Goals total	79 (3.29 per game)
Points total	846 (35.25 per game)
Top Scorer	Eoin Kelly (7-43)
Player of the Year	Eoin Larkin
All-Star Team	See here
← 2007 2009 →

The championship culminated with the All-Ireland final, held at Croke Park, Dublin. The match was contested by Kilkenny and Waterford. It was their first meeting in the final since 1963. Kilkenny won the game by 3–30 to 1–13. It was their third All-Ireland title in succession and a record thirty-first for the county. Kilkenny overtook Cork with the most All Ireland Titles. A position which they have not lost since.

Format

The format of the 2008 championship was slightly different from previous formats:

12 counties participated in Tier 1 of the 2008 Championship. These teams were as follows:

• Leinster: Dublin, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wexford
• Munster: Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford
• Connacht: Galway (Connacht representative)
• Ulster: Antrim (Ulster champions)

Provincial Championships

The Leinster and Munster championships were played as usual. The Leinster and Munster champions advanced directly to the All-Ireland semi-finals. The Ulster champions advanced to the qualifiers. The Connacht championship was not played. Galway entered the qualifiers as Connacht representatives.

All-Ireland Qualifiers

Phase 1: (1 match) This was a single match between Antrim and Galway.

Phase 2: (2 matches) The winner of the phase 1 game played the team eliminated in the first round of the Leinster Championship. The loser of the phase 1 game played the team eliminated in the first round of the Munster Championship.

Phase 3: (2 matches) This phase consisted of two knock-out games between the beaten provincial semi-finalists in Leinster and Munster. Teams from the same province could not meet in these games.

Phase 4: (2 matches) The winners from phase 2 played the winners from phase 3 in a knock-out format.

All-Ireland Series

Quarter-finals: (2 matches) The defeated Munster and Leinster finalists played the winners of the qualifier phase 4 games.

Semi-finals: (2 matches) The Munster and Leinster champions played the winners of the quarter-finals.

Promotion/relegation

The losing teams from the qualifier phase 2 games played off. The loser of this game played a promotion/relegation play-off against the winners of the Christy Ring Cup.

Teams

General information

Thirteen counties will compete in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: one team in the Connacht Senior Hurling Championship, six teams in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, five teams in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship and one team in the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship.

County	Last provincial title	Last championship title	Position in 2007 Championship	Appearance
Antrim	2007	—	Qualifier Group A
Clare	1998	1997	Quarter-finals
Cork	2006	2005	Quarter-finals
Dublin	1961	1938	Qualifier Group B
Galway	1999	1988	Quarter-finals
Kilkenny	2007	2007	Champions
Laois	1949	1915	Qualifier Group A
Limerick	1996	1973	Runners-up
Offaly	1995	1998	Qualifier Group B
Tipperary	2001	2001	Quarter-finals
Waterford	2007	1959	Semi-finals
Westmeath	—	—	Champions (Christy Ring Cup)
Wexford	2004	1996	Semi-finals

Personal and kits

Team	Colours	Sponsor	Captain(s)	Manager(s)
Antrim	Saffron and white	Creagh Concrete	Paddy Richmond	Terence 'Sambo' McNaughton Dominic McKinley
Clare	Saffron and blue	Vodafone	Brian O'Connell	Mike McNamara
Cork	Red and white	O2	John Gardiner	Gerald McCarthy
Dublin	Navy and blue	Arnotts	Stephen Hiney	Tommy Naughton
Galway	Maroon and white	Supermacs	Ollie Canning	Ger Loughnane
Kilkenny	Black and amber	Glanbia	James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick	Brian Cody
Laois	Blue and white	The Heritage Hotel		Damien Fox Niall Rigney
Limerick	Green and white	Sporting Limerick	Mark Foley	Richie Bennis
Offaly	Green, white and gold	Carroll Cuisine	Kevin Brady	Joe Dooley
Tipperary	Blue and gold	Enfer	Eoin Kelly Paul Ormonde	Liam Sheedy
Waterford	White and blue	3	Michael 'Brick' Walsh	Davy FitzGerald
Wexford	Purple and yellow	Wexford Cheddar	Rory Jacob	John Meyler

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

Main article: Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

	Quarter-Finals				Semi-Finals				Final
	Dublin	3-21
	Westmeath	0-11
					Dublin	0-19, 1-15
					Wexford	2-13, 2-15
									Wexford	0-17
									Kilkenny	5-21
	Laois	2-12
	Offaly	4-22
					Offaly	0-12
					Kilkenny	2-24

May 25
1st Round

Laois	2-12 - 4-22	Offaly
W Hyland 2-3 (2-0f), N Costello 0-9 (7f).		B Carroll 0-16 (11f, 1 '65'), D Hayden 1-1, G Healion, D Molloy, J Rigney 1-0 each, S Dooley 0-2, A Egan, B Murphy, P Cleary 0-1 each.

O'Moore Park, Portlaoise

Referee: C McAllister (Cork)

---

May 25
1st Round

Dublin	3-21 - 0-11	Westmeath
D O'Callaghan 1-6 (1f), J Kelly, J Burke 1-1 each, R Fallon 0-3 (2f, 1 '65'), S Lambert, K Flynn, R O'Carroll 0-2 each, P Carton, D Curtin, M Carton, J McCaffrey 0-1 each.		A Mitchell 0-4 (4f), B Murtagh 0-3, P Clarke, D McNicholas 0-2 each.

O'Moore Park, Portlaoise

Referee: C McAllister (Cork)

---

June 14
Semi-final

Dublin	0-19 - 2-13	Wexford
D O'Callaghan 0-9 (3f), R O'Carroll 0-4, M Carton, J McCaffery (sl), S Lambert, J Burke, D O'Dwyer, K Flynn 0-1 each.		E Quigley 1-2, D Lyng 0-5 (4f), S Banville 1-0, R Jacob 0-3, S Doyle 0-2, D Redmond 0-1.

Nowlan Park, Kilkenny

Referee: S Roche (Tipperary)

---

June 15
Semi-final

Offaly	0-12 - 2-24	Kilkenny
B Carroll 0-6 (2f, 1’65’), G Healion, J Bergin 0-2 each, R Hanniffy, D Molloy 0-1 each.		H Shefflin 0-11 (9f, 1’65’), E Larkin 0-4, M Comerford 1-1, A Fogarty 1-0, M Rice, E Brennan 0-2 each, J Fitzpatrick, M Fennelly, R Hogan, TJ Reid 0-1 each.

O'Moore Park, Portlaoise

Referee: J Sexton (Cork)

---

June 22
Semi-final
Replay

Dublin	1-15 - 2-15	Wexford
D O'Callaghan 1-9, R Fallon, J McCaffrey 0-2 each, M Carton, K Flynn 0-1 each.		R Jacob 1-2, S Banville 1-1, D Lyng 0-4, S Doyle 0-3, W Doran 0-2, D Redmond, PJ Nolan, E Quigley 0-1 each.

Croke Park, Dublin

Referee: M Wadding (Waterford)

---

July 6
Final

Kilkenny	5-21 - 0-17	Wexford
H Shefflin 1-7 (1-7f), E Brennan 2-2, R Power 1-2, A Fogarty 1-1, J Fitzpatrick 0-4 (1f), E Larkin 0-3, D Lyng, M Comerford 0-1 each.	Report	D Lyng 0-7 (6f, 1 sl), R Jacob 0-3, PJ Nolan, D Redmond 0-2 each, S Doyle, M Jacob, B Lambert 0-1 each.

Croke Park, Dublin

Attendance: 18,855

Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath)

Munster Senior Hurling Championship

Main article: 2008 Munster Senior Hurling Championship

	Quarter-Finals					Semi-Finals					Final
						Cork		1-13
						Tipperary		1-19
											Tipperary		2-21
											Clare		0-19
						Limerick		1-16
	Waterford		0-23			Clare		4-12
	Clare		2-26

June 1
1st Round

Waterford	0-23 - 2-26	Clare
D Bennett 0-10 (9f), J Mullane 0-8, G Hurney, S Molumphy, S Prendergast, E McGrath, D Coffey 0-1 each.		M Flaherty 1-7 (3f, 2 '65'), N Gilligan 1-2, T Griffin 0-5, C Plunkett 0-3 (2f), D McMahon 0-3, C Lynch, T Carmody 0-2 each, P Vaughan, B Bugler 0-1 each.

Gaelic Grounds, Limerick

Referee: D Murphy (Wexford)

---

June 8
Semi-final

Cork	1-13 - 1-19	Tipperary
B O'Connor 1-3 (2f), C Naughton 0-4, J O'Connor 0-2, S Óg Ó hAilpín, P O'Sullivan, T Kenny, B Corry 0-1 each.		E Kelly 1-7 (5f), L Corbett 0-4, S Callanan 0-3, E Corcoran (sl), W Ryan, S McGrath, P Kerwick, M Webster 0-1 each.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork

Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath)

---

June 22
Semi-final

Clare	4-12 - 1-16	Limerick
J Clancy 1-2, B Nugent 1-1, P Vaughan, D McMahon 1-0 each, M Flattery (3f), N Gilligan (2f) 0-3 each, T Carmody 0-2, C Lynch 0-1.		A O’Shaughnessy 0-6 (5f), N Moran 0-5, O Moran 1-1, D Reale, D O'Grady, M O'Brien, D Ryan 0-1 each.

Semple Stadium, Thurles

Referee: E Morris (Dublin)

---

July 13
Final

Tipperary	2-21 - 0-19	Clare
J O'Brien 1-4, S Callanan 1-3, E Kelly 0-6 (2f), S McGrath 0-3, L Corbett 0-2, J Woodlock, P Kerwick, H Maloney 0-1 each.		N Gilligan 0-8 (5f), M Flaherty (3f), C Lynch 0-3 each, T Carmody 0-2, J Clancy, G Quinn, D McMahon 0-1 each.

Gaelic Grounds, Limerick

Attendance: 48,077

Referee: D Kirwan (Cork)

Main article: 2008 Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final

Ulster Senior Hurling Championship

Main article: 2008 Ulster Senior Hurling Championship

	2nd round					Quarter-Finals					Semi-Finals					Final
											Down		4-16
											London		'1-16
						Armagh		4-16
	London		2-13			London		2-23
	Tyrone		1-06													Down		2-16
																Antrim		3-18
											Antrim		2-17
											Derry		1-12
						Derry		7-23
	Donegal		1-14			Monaghan		3-13
	Monaghan		1-15

2008 marked the first time in decades that all nine Ulster counties (plus London) competed in the Ulster championship.

Due to the historical strength of Antrim and the relative strength of Down, and more recently Derry and Armagh, a system of seeding was used to prevent one-sided matches. The success of the format was indicated by two 'underdog' victories, for Monaghan over Donegal, and London over Armagh, and a number of close matches. However, Antrim retained the trophy beating Down in the final.

May 11
1st Round

Cavan	1-16 - 2-15	Monaghan

Breffni Park, Cavan

---

May 11
1st Round

Tyrone	1-11 - 2-7	Fermanagh

Brewster Park, Enniskillen

---

May 18
2nd Round

Donegal	1-14 - 1-15	Monaghan

St Tiernach's Park, Clones

---

May 18
2nd Round

London	2-13 - 1-6	Tyrone

Healy Park, Omagh

---

May 24
Quarter-final

Armagh	4-16 - 2-23	London

Páirc Esler, Newry

---

May 25
Quarter-final

Derry	7-23 - 3-13	Monaghan

Celtic Park, Derry

---

June 1
Semi-final

Down	4-16 - 1-16	London

Casement Park, Belfast

---

June 1
Semi-final

Antrim	2-17 - 1-12	Derry

Casement Park, Belfast

---

June 15
Final

Down	2-16 - 3-18	Antrim

Casement Park, Belfast

Cup competitions

Christy Ring Cup (Tier 2)

Main article: 2008 Christy Ring Cup

Nicky Rackard Cup (Tier 3)

Main article: 2008 Nicky Rackard Cup

All-Ireland qualifiers

Main article: All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship qualifiers

	Phase 1
	Antrim		1-10
	Galway		6-21

	Phase 2+3				Phase 4				Finals
	Waterford	6-18
	Antrim	0-15
					Waterford	2-18
					Offaly	0-18
	Limerick	0-18
	Offaly	3-19
									Waterford
									Cork
	Galway	1-26
	Laois	0-09
					Galway	2-15
					Cork	0-23
	Cork	1-17
	Dublin	0-15

June 28
Phase 1

Antrim	1-10 - 6-21	Galway
D Mc Naughton 0-4 (4f), M Magill 1-0, M Herron, K Stewart, K McKeegan (1f) 0-2 each.		J Canning 2-6 (1-2f), K Wade 2-0, D Hayes 1-2, A Kerins 1-1, C Donnellan, I Tannian 0-3 each, A Cullinane, F Healy 0-2 each, E Cloonan, D Joyce 0-1 each.

Casement Park, Belfast

Referee: J Ryan (Tipperary)

---

July 5
Phase 2

Waterford	6-18 - 0-15	Antrim
E Kelly 2-3 (3f), J Mullane 2-2, E McGrath 0-5, D Shanahan 0-4, G Hurney, E Molumphy 1-0 each, J Nagle 0-2, P Flynn, D Bennett 0-1 each.		P Shiels 0-7 (5f), PJ O'Connell, K Stewart 0-2 each, C Herron, M Herron, B Quinn, S McNaughton 0-1 each.

Walsh Park, Waterford

Referee: M Haverty (Galway)

---

July 5
Phase 2

Galway	1-26 - 0-9	Laois
J Canning 0-9 (4f), A Cullinane 1-2, G Farragher (2f), D Hayes 0-4 each, A Kerins 0-3, I Tannian, A Smith 0-2 each.		N Costello (3f), J Brophy 0-3 each, J Rowney, E Holohan, W Hyland 0-1 each.

Pearse Stadium, Galway

Referee: J McGrath (Westmeath)

---

July 12
Phase 3

Cork	1-17 - 0-15	Dublin
J Deane 1-1, C Naughton 0-3, T Kenny, J O'Connor, B O'Connor (1f), N Ronan 0-2 each, J Gardiner (1f), E Cadogan, N McCarthy, P Cronin, P Horgan 0-1 each.		D O'Callaghan 0-10 (7f), R O'Carroll 0-3, P Ryan 0-2.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork

Referee: J Owens (Wexford)

---

July 12
Phase 3

Limerick	0-18 - 3-19	Offaly
P Tobin 0-5, A O'Shaughnessy 0-4 (1f), N Moran 0-3, W McNamara, B Geary (1 '65'), M Foley, D Ryan, D Sheehan, K Tobin 0-1 each.		J Bergin 3-2, S Dooley (1f), B Carroll (1f, 1 '65') 0-6 each, D Molloy 0-2, B Murphy, D Horan (1 '65'), D Currams 0-1 each.

Gaelic Grounds, Limerick

Referee: C McAllister (Cork)

---

July 19
Phase 4

Waterford	2-18 - 0-18	Offaly
E Kelly 2-13, J Mullane 0-2, E McGrath, S Prendergast, S Molumphy 0-1 each.		B Carroll 0-9, B Murphy, G Hannify 0-2 each; D Franks, P Cleary, S Dooley, D Molly, J Bergin 0-1 each.

Semple Stadium, Thurles

Attendance: 30,082

Referee: M Haverty (Galway)

---

July 19
Phase 4

Galway	2-15 - 0-23	Cork
J Canning 2-12(6f, 1 sideline, 1-0 penalty), N Healy, D Hayes, R Murray 0-1 each.	Report	B O’Connor 0-12, J Deane 0-4, C Naughton 0-3, J Gardiner 0-2, N McCarthy, P Horgan 0-1 each.

Semple Stadium, Thurles

Attendance: 30,082

Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath)

Relegation play-offs

July 19
Semi-final

Antrim	2-18 - 0-16	Laois
P Shiels 0-8 (8f), S McNaughton 1-3, Paddy Richmond1.1, K Stewart 0-2, J Campbell, E McCloskey, M Herron, C Duffin 0-1 each.		N Costello 0-5 (4f), W Hyland, J Brophy (1f) 0-3 each, E Holohan, C Delaney 0-2 each, T Fitzgerald 0-1.

Páirc Tailteann, Navan

Referee: J O'Mahony (Limerick)

---

August 9
Final

Laois	4-18 - 3-11	Carlow
W Hyland 1-5 (1f), D Peacock , T Fitzgerald 1-2 each, N Holmes 1-1, J Brophy 0-3 (1f), J Walsh, J Phelan 0-2 each, C Delaney 0-1.		C Doyle 1-2, M Brennan 1-1, C Hughes (2f), S Kavanagh (2f , 1 '65') 0-3 each, D Murphy 1-0, R Foley, S Murphy 0-1 each.

Dr Cullen Park, Carlow

Referee: D Richardson (Limerick)

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

Main article: All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

Bracket

Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The provincial champions are marked by an asterisk.

	Quarter-Finals July 27				Semi-Finals August 10 / August 17				Final September 7
					Kilkenny*	1–23
					Cork	0–17
	Clare	2–17
	Cork	2–19
									Kilkenny*	3–30
									Waterford	1–13
					Tipperary*	1–18
					Waterford	1–20
	Wexford	3–15
	Waterford	2–19

All-Ireland quarter-finals

July 27
Quarter-final

Wexford	3-15 - 2-19	Waterford
S Doyle 2-1, D Lyng 0-5 (5f), W Doran 1-1, R Jacob 0-3 (1f), D Redmond 0-2, S Nolan, E Quigley, D Fitzhenry (pen) 0-1 each.		E Kelly 1-8 (1-6f, 1 '65'), E McGrath 0-4, D Shanahan 1-1, J Mullane 0-3, J Nagle, S Prendergast, S Molumphy 0-1 each.

Semple Stadium, Thurles

Attendance: 46,571

Referee: J Sexton (Cork)

---

July 27
Quarter-final

Clare	2-17 - 2-19	Cork
N Gilligan 0-8 (3f, 1 '65'), D Mc Mahon, B Nugent 1-1 each, J Clancy, T Carmody 0-2 each, G Quinn (1f), P Donnellan, B O'Connell (sl) 0-1 each.		B O'Connor 0-7 (3f, 1 '65'), T McCarthy, K Murphy 1-0 each, P Horgan 0-3, P Cronin, N Ronan 0-2 each, T Kenny, J O'Connor, N McCarthy, C Naughton, J Deane 0-1 each.

Semple Stadium, Thurles

Attendance: 46,571

Referee: D Murphy (Wexford)

All-Ireland semi-finals

August 10
Semi-final

Kilkenny	1-23 - 0-17	Cork
H Shefflin 0-11 (6f), E Larkin 1-2, A Fogarty 0-5, TJ Reid 0-2, R Power, E Brennan, J Fitzpatrick 0-1 each.		B O'Connor 0-8 (8f), T Kenny 0-2, J Gardiner 0-1, P Horgan 0-1, J O'Connor 0-1, P Cronin 0-1, C Naughton 0-1, N Ronan 0-1, T McCarthy 0-1.

Croke Park, Dublin

Attendance: 71,235

Referee: M Wadding (Waterford)

---

August 17
Semi-final

Tipperary	1-18 - 1-20	Waterford
E Kelly 0-8 (6f), S Callanan 1-3, S McGrath 0-3, C O’Mahony (1f), L Corbett, P Kerwick, S Maher 0-1 each.	Report	E Kelly 1-10 (8f), J Mullane 0-3, E McGrath, S Molumphy, M Walsh 0-2 each, J Kennedy 0-1.

Croke Park, Dublin

Attendance: 53,635

Referee: D Kirwan (Cork)

All-Ireland final

Main article: 2008 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final

September 7
Final

Kilkenny	3-30 - 1-13	Waterford
E Brennan 2-4, H Shefflin 0-8 (5f, 1 '65'), E Larkin 1-4, TJ Reid 0-4, A Fogarty, D Lyng 0-3 each, R Power, J Fitzpatrick 0-2 each.		E Kelly 1-9 (9f), J Mullane 0-3, D Bennett 0-1.

Croke Park, Dublin

Attendance: 82,186

Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath)

Championship statistics

Scoring

• Top scorer from play in the championship: John Mullane for Waterford 2-21
• First goal of the championship: Brian Carroll for Offaly against Laois (Leinster quarter-final)
• Last goal of the championship: Eoin Kelly for Waterford against Kilkenny (All-Ireland final)
• First hat-trick of the championship: Joe Bergin for Offaly against Limerick (All-Ireland qualifier)
• Widest winning margin: 26 points
  • Waterford 6-21 : 1-10 Antrim (All-Ireland qualifier)
• Most goals in a match: 7
  • Antrim 1-10 : 6-21 Waterford (All-Ireland qualifier)
  • Laois 4-18 : 3-11 Carlow (Relegation final)
• Most points in a match: 49
  • Clare 2-26 :0-23 Waterford (Munster quarter-final)
• Most goals by one team in a match: 6
  • Waterford 6-21 : 1-10 Antrim (All-Ireland qualifier)
  • Galway 6-21 : 0-15 Antrim (All-Ireland qualifier)
• Most goals scored by a losing team: 3
  • Wexford 3-15 : 2-19 Waterford (All-Ireland quarter-final)
  • Carlow 3-11 : 4-18 Laois (Relegation final)
• Most points scored by a losing team: 23
  • Waterford 0-23 : 2-26 Clare (Munster quarter-final)

Cards

• Most yellow cards: Waterford (16)
• Fewest yellow cards: Galway (1)
• Most red cards: Antrim, Clare, Cork, Laois and Wexford (1)
• Fewest red cards: Waterford, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Limerick, Dublin, Offaly and Galway (0)

Overall

• Most goals scored - Waterford (12)
• Most points scored - Waterford (111)
• Most goals conceded - Antrim (12)
• Most points conceded - Waterford (122)
• Fewest goals scored - Antrim and Limerick (1)
• Fewest points scored - Carlow (11)
• Fewest goals conceded - Kilkenny (1)
• Fewest points conceded - Carlow and Westmeath (18)

Miscellaneous

• Kilkenny win their 31st All-Ireland title to become outright leaders on the all-time roll of honour for the first time in their history.
• Top scorer from play John Mullane didn't win an all star.
• Waterford become the second top-scoring team in a hurling championship season to have a negative score difference (Westmeath 1961)

Roll of Honour

• Kilkenny - 31 (2008)
• Cork - 30 (2005)
• Tipperary - 25 (2001)
• Limerick - 7 (1973)
• Dublin - 6 (1938)
• Wexford - 6 (1996)
• Offaly - 4 (1998)
• Galway - 4 (1988)
• Clare - 3 (1997)
• Waterford - 2 (1959)
• Laois - 1 (1915)
• London - 1 (1901)
• Kerry - 1 (1891)

Player facts

Debutantes

The following players made their début in the 2008 championship:

Player	Team	Date	Opposition	Game
James Burke	Dublin	May 25	Westmeath	Leinster quarter-final
Niall Corcoran	Dublin	May 25	Westmeath	Leinster quarter-final
Noel Costello	Laois	May 25	Offaly	Leinster quarter-final
Joe Dooley	Laois	May 25	Offaly	Leinster quarter-final
Ger Healion	Offaly	May 25	Laois	Leinster quarter-final
Eoin Holohan	Laois	May 25	Offaly	Leinster quarter-final
Niall Holmes	Laois	May 25	Offaly	Leinster quarter-final
Diarmuid Horan	Offaly	May 25	Laois	Leinster quarter-final
Simon Lambert	Dublin	May 25	Westmeath	Leinster quarter-final
Conor Mahon	Offaly	May 25	Laois	Leinster quarter-final
Enda Barrett	Clare	June 1	Waterford	Munster quarter-final
Mark Flaherty	Clare	June 1	Waterford	Munster quarter-final
Richie Foley	Waterford	June 1	Clare	Munster quarter-final
Gary Hurney	Waterford	June 1	Clare	Munster quarter-final
Tadhg Keogh	Clare	June 1	Waterford	Munster quarter-final
Séamus Callanan	Tipperary	June 8	Cork	Munster semi-final
Brian Corry	Cork	June 8	Tipperary	Munster semi-final
Pat Kerwick	Tipperary	June 8	Cork	Munster semi-final
Conor O'Brien	Tipperary	June 8	Cork	Munster semi-final
Paudie O'Sullivan	Cork	June 8	Tipperary	Munster semi-final
Stephen Banville	Wexford	June 14	Dublin	Leinster semi-final
Tommy Dwyer	Wexford	June 14	Dublin	Leinster semi-final
Colm Farrell	Wexford	June 14	Dublin	Leinster semi-final
Peter Kelly	Dublin	June 14	Wexford	Leinster semi-final
Brendan O'Leary	Wexford	June 14	Dublin	Leinster semi-final
David Redmond	Wexford	June 14	Dublin	Leinster semi-final
Paul Ryan	Dublin	June 14	Wexford	Leinster semi-final
James Tonks	Wexford	June 14	Dublin	Leinster semi-final
Richie Hogan	Kilkenny	June 15	Offaly	Leinster semi-final
T.J. Reid	Kilkenny	June 15	Offaly	Leinster semi-final
Paudie O'Dwyer	Limerick	June 22	Clare	Munster semi-final
Joe Canning	Galway	June 28	Antrim	All-Ireland qualifier
Cyril Donnellan	Galway	June 28	Antrim	All-Ireland qualifier
James Skehill	Galway	June 28	Antrim	All-Ireland qualifier
Patrick Bergin	Dublin	July 12	Cork	All-Ireland qualifier
Jamie Nagle	Waterford	July 21	Offaly	All-Ireland qualifier
Paddy Stapleton	Tipperary	August 17	Waterford	All-Ireland semi-final

Retirees

The following players played their last game in the 2008 championship:

Player	Team	Date	Opposition	Game	Début
Colin Lynch	Clare	July 27	Cork	All-Ireland quarter-final	1997
Frank Lohan	Clare	July 27	Cork	All-Ireland quarter-final	1995
Joe Deane	Cork	August 10	Kilkenny	All-Ireland semi-final	1996
Brian Murphy	Cork	August 10	Kilkenny	All-Ireland semi-final	2004
Diarmuid O'Sullivan	Cork	August 10	Kilkenny	All-Ireland semi-final	1997
Éamonn Corcoran	Tipperary	August 17	Waterford	All-Ireland semi-final	1999
Dave Bennett	Waterford	September 7	Kilkenny	All-Ireland final	1997
Tom Feeney	Waterford	September 7	Kilkenny	All-Ireland final	1995
Paul Flynn	Waterford	September 7	Kilkenny	All-Ireland final	1993
James McGarry	Kilkenny	September 7	Waterford	All-Ireland final	1999

Top scorers

Season

Rank	Player	County	Tally[2]	Total	Matches	Average
1	Eoin Kelly	Waterford	7-43	64	5	12.8
2	Henry Shefflin	Kilkenny	1-37	40	4	10.0
3	David O'Callaghan	Dublin	2-33	39	4	9.75
	Joe Canning	Galway	4-27	39	3	13.0
5	Brian Carroll	Offaly	0-37	37	4	9.25
6	Ben O'Connor	Cork	1-32	35	5	7.0
7	Martin Finn	London	1-29	32	3	10.67
8	John Mullane	Waterford	2-21	27	5	5.4
9	Niall Gilligan	Clare	1-21	24	4	6.0
	Eoin Kelly	Tipperary	1-21	24	3	8.0
11	Eddie Brennan	Kilkenny	4-09	21	4	5.2

Single game

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Eoin Kelly	Waterford	2-13	19	Offaly
2	Joe Canning	Galway	2-12	18	Cork
3	Brian Carroll	Offaly	0-16	16	Laois
4	Eoin Kelly	Waterford	1-10	13	Tipperary
5	David O'Callaghan	Dublin	1-9	12	Wexford
	Ben O'Connor	Cork	0-12	12	Galway
	Eoin Kelly	Waterford	1-9	12	Kilkenny
	Joe Canning	Galway	2-6	12	Antrim
9	Henry Shefflin	Kilkenny	0-11	11	Offaly
	Eoin Kelly	Waterford	1-8	11	Wexford
	Henry Shefflin	Kilkenny	0-11	11	Cork
	Joe Bergin	Offaly	3-2	11	Limerick
13	Dave Bennett	Waterford	0-10	10	Clare
	David O'Callaghan	Dublin	0-10	10	Cork
	Henry Shefflin	Kilkenny	1-7	10	Wexford
	Mark Flaherty	Clare	1-7	10	Waterford
	Eoin Kelly	Tipperary	1-7	10	Cork
	Eddie Brennan	Kilkenny	2-4	10	Waterford
19	Noel Costello	Laois	0-9	9	Offaly
	David O'Callaghan	Dublin	0-9	9	Wexford
	Joe Canning	Galway	0-9	9	Laois
	Brian Carroll	Offaly	0-9	9	Waterford
	David O'Callaghan	Dublin	1-6	9	Westmeath
	Willie Hyland	Laois	2-3	9	Offaly
	Eoin Kelly	Waterford	2-3	9	Antrim

Clean sheets

Rank	Goalkeeper	County	Clean sheets
1	P.J. Ryan	Kilkenny	4

Monthly awards

Month	Vodafone Player of the Month		Opel GPA Player of the Month
	Player	County	Player	County
May	Brian Carroll	Offaly	David O'Callaghan	Dublin
June	Brian O'Connell	Clare	Brian O'Connell	Clare
July	Joe Canning	Galway	Joe Canning	Galway
August	Eoin Kelly	Waterford	Derek Lyng	Kilkenny
September	Eddie Brennan	Kilkenny	Eoin Larkin	Kilkenny

Annual awards

Vodafone Hurler of the Year

The Vodafone Hurler of the Year award for 2008 was won by Eoin Larkin of Kilkenny.

The shortlist for the Vodafone Hurler of the Year award, in alphabetical order, was as follows:

• Eddie Brennan (Kilkenny)
• Eoin Kelly (Waterford)
• Eoin Larkin (Kilkenny)

Vodafone Young Hurler of the Year

The Vodafone Young Hurler of the Year award for 2008 was won by Joe Canning of Galway.

The shortlist for the Vodafone Young Hurler of the Year award, in alphabetical order, was as follows:

• Séamus Callinan (Tipperary)
• Joe Canning (Galway)
• Cathal Naughton (Cork)

Opel GPA Hurler of the Year

The Opel GPA Hurler of the Year award for 2008 was won by Eoin Larkin of Kilkenny.

The shortlist for the Opel GPA Hurler of the Year award, in alphabetical order, was as follows:

• Eddie Brennan (Kilkenny)
• Eoin Larkin (Kilkenny)
• Shane McGrath (Tipperary)

Managerial changes

The following managerial changes took place during and immediately after the championship.

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Replaced by	Date of appointment	Position
Waterford	Justin McCarthy	Resigned	5 June 2008	Davy FitzGerald	9 June 2008	Defeated in Munster quarter-final
Laois	Damien Fox	Resigned	24 June 2008	Niall Rigney	24 June 2008	Defeated in Leinster quarter-final
Limerick	Richie Bennis	Not reappointed	12 August 2008	Justin McCarthy	7 October 2008	Defeated in All-Ireland qualifiers
Dublin	Tommy Naughton	Resigned	14 September 2008	Anthony Daly	23 November 2008	Defeated in All-Ireland qualifiers
Galway	John Meyler	Resigned	7 October 2008	Colm Bonnar	11 November 2008	Defeated in All-Ireland quarter-final
Galway	Ger Loughnane	Not reappointed	13 October 2008	John McIntyre	18 November 2008	Defeated in All-Ireland qualifiers

Stadia

The following stadia were used during the championship:

County	Stadium	Capacity
Dublin	Croke Park	82,300
Tipperary	Semple Stadium	55,000
Limerick	Gaelic Grounds	50,000
Cork	Páirc Uí Chaoimh	43,500
Galway	Pearse Stadium	34,000
Antrim	Casement Park	32,600
Kilkenny	Nowlan Park	30,000
Meath	Páirc Tailteann	30,000
Laois	O'Moore Park	27,000
Carlow	Dr. Cullen Park	21,000
Waterford	Walsh Park	17,000

See also

• 2008 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship