With Dublin's victory of Kerry bringing the curtain down on the 2023 All-Ireland SFC, the Sunday Game panel pick out their personal highlights from the season.
Paul Flynn
Mick Fitzsimons, James McCarthy and Stephen Cluxton picking up a ninth All-Ireland medal
I was lucky to play six (finals) with these guys along that journey, played with them since 2010. The scenes afterwards, watching them embrace…these are three lads that have given to the Dublin jersey their whole careers.
It felt like (on Sunday) they were given the opportunity to be the centre of attention, even though they probably didn’t want to be. These three lads have left a big, big legacy on the game and that is my moment of the year.
Enda McGinley
High drama on last day of round-robin All-Ireland series
The whole season felt like one big experiment. We didn’t really know what way the group stages were going to go and they were kind of slow to get started.
In the last round we travelled through the games and we sort of knew how it was going to play out, yet it all came down to four free-kicks. Shane Walsh (Galway v Armagh), John Heslin (Westmeath v Tyrone), Aidan O’Shea (Mayo v Cork) and Kevin Feely for Kildare (versus Roscommon). The drama that day, and the crowds were probably limited enough, and we sort of realised after that how the group stages were working, and we’re still learning about it.
The drama that brought will probably inform some of the discussion the GAA will have in the off-season.
Cora Staunton and Tomás Ó Sé
The Clifford brothers playing for Kerry after the passing of their mother
TOS: They played a Munster final after their mother Ellen died on the Saturday, and played so well, who was an unbelievable Kerry supporter. They honoured her that day. Dermot, their dad, is an unbelievable Kerry supporter. Football sometimes can be an escape. They are a credit to their county, their club, their parish.
I went through it myself, you can guarantee that they are suffering even more (after All-Ireland final defeat). It is a time where when you lose or win, you miss those closest to you. They are class in every way, on and off the pitch.
CS: I thought their courage and bravery, not alone just to tog out, but the performance from both of them (David scored 2-06, Paudie also found the back of the net). The class that they held themselves in that day and in the rest of the championship, is phenomenal.
Lee Keegan
New York claiming a first championship win
It’s a historic moment. We have been waiting a long time for New York to win a game. It was fitting that an American-born player, Mikey Brosnan, finished it off in the penalty shootout win against Leitrim. The scenes of celebration at the full-time whistle were great. The work that goes on out there. It was magical. It was a touching moment to see a team that give so much to get something back.
Sean Cavanagh
Evergreen Conor McManus still producing the goods
I had the right idea 10 years ago to take him down before he got going! We live in an ageist world and this man defied all the odds as the season went on, he got stronger. In the GAA, every time someone has a bad game, over the age of 30 we write them off and say they are done, but this man stood up again against Armagh and the two penalties were ridiculous, into either top corner. He won a free which he converted himself to bring the game into extra time.
He was absolutely phenomenal and is getting stronger. I saw the other day he is coming back, and fair play to him. Why should he retire coming up on 36? His body is strong and still leading the line for Monaghan.
