Former Mayo attacker Evan Regan currently functions as the inter-county team's nutritionist. After the weekend, many may wonder again whether he's being wrongly deployed.
The 34-year old kicked 1-08 in total and 1-03 in the final 10 minutes as he helped propel Ballina Stephenites to a remarkable comeback victory over Westport to seal a three-in-a-row in Mayo, their first such run since the 1920s.
The champions, who only secured a replay after Frank Irwin's last-gasp two-point free the previous Sunday, were 10 points behind in the 51st minute, when Regan's quickly-taken free took a deflection and flew into the net.
This kick-started an extraordinary surge, which culminated in Regan levelling the game with a two-pointer in injury time and then lofting over another point to win it.
It was a remarkable crescendo to a dramatic, if contentious, Mayo SFC. Westport were without Lee Keegan for the replay, the former Footballer of the Year leaving MacHale Park in crutches last week after a collision with former inter-county teammate Padraig O'Hora.
Later that night in Galway, Maigh Cuilinn held off Salthill/Knocknacarra's much vaunted forward line to win their third Galway SFC title of the decade.
Salthill, whose attack contains both Rob Finnerty and Matthew Thompson, Galway's two most consistent forwards of 2025, had overcome modern-day kingpins Corofin in the semi-final. However, it came at a cost with an injury to John Maher ruling him out of the final.
It teed up another decider between two clubs west of the city. Maigh Cuilinn is technically within the Galway Gaeltacht, albeit on its outermost eastern fringe, and so we are legally obliged to write their name in Irish. (If anyone in here types the words 'Moy' and 'Cullen' and then squashes them together, they get a severe rap on the knuckles and we mean that quite literally.)
The pair had last met in the county final in 2022, when the late John O'Mahony was managing Salthill.
Indomitable county captain Sean Kelly was to the fore, raiding through to fire a goal for the opening score of the game. Finnerty kept Salthill in touch and rifled home a penalty.
Peter Cooke, as is often the case, was absent working in the States for most of the campaign but came off the bench to kick two two-pointers. As in '22, he was a decisive figure.
SATURDAY'S COUNTY FINAL RESULTS AND REPORTS
It was an emotional success for a Gaeltacht area in Kerry, Daingean Uí Chúis (Dingle) winning their first Kerry crown since 1948, after near misses over the years.
In the modern era, they had lost county finals in 2012, 2018 and 2024. They had also lost the Munster club final on penalties to Castlehaven in 2023 - for which they had qualified after winning the Kerry club championship (a separate competition excluding the divisional outfits, who aren't eligible to progress beyond Kerry).
It was a dramatic triumph too. They trailed Austin Stacks for most of the game, until Paul Geaney - a veteran of all the previous final losses - buried two goals in the final 10 minutes to turn the tables on the Tralee club.
Geaney, who won his third All-Ireland medal this year, had been in excellent form for Kerry earlier in the season before injury ruled him out of the latter stages.
"It's probably up there with one of the best days of my life! It's unbelievable," Geaney told RTÉ Radio 1's Sunday Sport afterwards.
"I've been at the wrong end of this three times before. This is our 10th major final as a club, this is our fourth county final. We had a Munster final against Castlehaven we came out the wrong side of on penalties. We had four club finals as well.
"We felt as a group we were underachieving a bit. We had a confidence today was going to be our day."
The Taoiseach's weekend won't have improved after seeing his Nemo Rangers club pipped by St Finbarr's in the Cork decider.
It was a very rare success for the 'Barrs over their city rivals, who have now lost three Cork finals on the bounce, akin to a famine by their standards.
Dual star and Hurler of the Year nominee Brian Hayes scored the decisive goal, rustling up 1-02, though it was sub Cillian Myers-Murphy who curled over the winning point in injury time.
It also marked yet another success for Jimmy Barry Murphy, a selector in Brian Roche's management team for the past two seasons.
JBM was part of the back-to-back All-Ireland winning football teams of 1979 and 1980 and he hailed it as a proud day.
"I was just overcome completely with emotion when the game was over, great to have my grandchildren here today, it's just fantastic. I never thought I'd see that day again," he told the Cork Evening Echo.
Elsewhere, Pearses and Brigid's will have to do it over after a 1-15 apiece draw in Roscommon, while in Sligo, east Sligo outfit Shamrock Gaels ended a 33-year wait for a county title as they demolished reigning Connacht champions Coolera/Strandhill in the decider.
Double triumph for the Grimleys
The story of Sunday was in Ulster where the Grimley family were celebrating on two fronts. Armagh star Niall Grimley and his brother Liam were on the field as Madden Raparees claimed their first-ever county triumph with a fair degree of swagger, blowing past Cullyhanna with 11 points to spare.
Next door in Tyrone, home to a famously competitive and democratic county championship with the last retention coming all the way back in 2005, Loughmacrory nabbed a late winner to edge out Trillick, beaten in the final for the second year running.
SUNDAY'S COUNTY FINAL RESULTS AND REPORTS
Not alone was it Loughmacrory's first Tyrone senior success, they hadn't even reached the last-four before this season. Remarkably, another Grimley brother, Ryan, was on the pitch for the Tyrone club, coming on as a late substitute.
Poignantly, it comes 23 months after the Madden area was hit by tragedy. In November 2023, the trio lost their brother Patrick, his wife Ceira and Ciara McElvanna in a four-vehicle crash as they returned home from Patrick's 40th birthday party. Ciara’s husband Kevin McElvanna, an All-Ireland winner with Armagh in 2002, was part of the Madden management this term.
Madden captain Conor Grimley - a cousin - explained what it all meant on Morning Ireland this morning.
CONNACHT CLUB SFC
QFs
8/9 Nov
Maigh Cuilinn v Shamrock Gaels
Ballina Stephenites v North London Shamrock Rocks
SFs
15/16 Nov
Leitrim Gaels v Maigh Cuilinn/ Shamrock Gaels
Padraig Pearses/ St Brigids v Ballina Stephenites/ North London Shamrocks
MUNSTER CLUB SFC
QFs
9 Nov
Éire Óg v Waterford SFC winners
16 Nov
Tipperary SFC winners v St Finbarr's
SFs
23 Nov
Daingean UÍ Chuis v Limerick SFC winners
Winner of two quarter-finals
LEINSTER CLUB SFC
Round 1
1 Nov
Old Leighlin v Portarlington (Live on RTÉ2)
2 Nov
Summerhill v Killoe
Baltinglass v Athy
ULSTER CLUB SFC
Round 1
1 Nov
Newbridge v Dunloy
QFs
8/9 Nov
Kingscourt v Erne Gaels
Loughmacrory v Kilcoo
Scotstown v Naomh Conaill
Madden v Newbridge/Dunloy
HURLING: Champions survive
Na Fianna looked set to lose their Dublin, Leinster and All-Ireland club crowns and a second county senior final in successive weekends (as they had done in 2022).
Lucan Sarsfields, seeking their first ever title under the management of former Kilkenny star Charlie Carter, had surged into a two-point lead as the clock ticked past 60 minutes, goalkeeper Sean McClelland and Killian Costelloe landing big scores. However, Na Fianna dominated the added time, with Sean Currie floating over the winner, a beautifully worked score and an example of calmness under pressure.
There was a bitter dispute over the penalty that ultimately proved decisive, the ref deeming that Ronan Smyth had fouled Donal Burke.
Full-time: Na Fianna 1-20 Lucan Sarsfields 0-22
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) October 25, 2025
The All-Ireland champions survive and retain their title as Sean Currie's injury-time point wins it as Lucan Sarsfields are denied at the death pic.twitter.com/h64ILIrW3H
In Tipperary, the McGraths' annus mirabilis continued as Loughmore-Caslteiney buttressed their reputation of as the dominant force in the club scene in the county, sealing back-to-back titles and a third in five years.
It was Liam McGrath who was to the fore, hitting 1-03 from play, as they saw off Nenagh Éire Óg by three points in a lively final.
Ireland's most successful hurling club - we speak of course of Ballyhale Shamrocks - regained the Kilkenny SHC title after an intolerable three-year gap.
The 10-point victory over O'Loughlin Gaels lifts them above Tullaroan in the Kilkenny roll of honour, the latter having last won in 1994 and accumulated most of their titles in the first half of the 20th century.
Not bad for an outfit only established in 1972, an amalgamation of the areas of Ballyhale, Knocktopher and Knockmoylan, which won their first senior championship only six years after their founding.
On the local commentary feed, Tommy Walsh, a Tullaroan stalwart in addition to everything else, was magnanimous as ever and announced that TJ Reid belonged in the same category as Pele and Michael Jordan as sporting greats after he clipped over a first-half sideline cut.
Both Pele and MJ are understood to be grateful for the comparison.
LEINSTER CLUB SHC
QFs
8/9 Nov
St Martin's v Na Fianna
Mt Leinster Rangers v Naas
Ballyhale Shamrocks v Kilcormac Killoughey
Clough Ballacolla v Westmeath champions
MUNSTER CLUB SHC
QF
2 Nov
Na Piarsaigh v Ballygunner
SFs
16 Nov
Éire Óg v Loughmore/Castleiney
Sarsfields v Na Piarsaigh/Ballgunner
ULSTER CLUB SHC
SFs
15/16 Nov
Slaughtneil v Portaferry
Setanta v St John's
Watch Old Leighlin v Portarlington in the Leinster Senior Football Championship on Saturday from 6pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
