Sending shock waves through the system - the fancied runners just keep falling. On an incredible weekend for the GAA, the Tipperary footballers end an 85-year wait for a provincial title by beating Cork.
A selection of some of the best images from Sportsfile's 2020 edition of A Season of Sundays which captures the highs and lows of an incredible GAA season with a look back on a season that hung in the balance because the Covid-19 pandemic.
The book is available at bookstores nationwide and online at www.sportsfile.com
The open university. The Cavan players, keen students of the game, listen to a lecture from manager Mickey Graham at half-time.Antrim's Joe Maskey and Michael O'Leary of Kerry seem to exist in complete isolation from the rest of the players as they contest a high ball in the Joe McDonagh Cup final, with a place in the 2021 Leinster championsNo need to shed any light on this game. After another huge Leinster championship win for Dublin that doesn't require much explanation or analysis, manager Dessie Farrell nevertheless goes through the process with RTÉ Sport.The host with the most. Kilkenny County Board treasurer Barry Hickey sorts out the seating arrangements in the hospitality room at his home club, John Lockes, in Callan.Walking down the aisle. After togging out in the stand, the footballers of Milltown make a grand entrance in Pearse Stadium.You can close the gates but it won't stop them watching. Young spectators locate a useful vantage point to follow the play between Clonduff and Kilcoo at Clonduff Park in Newry.Exactly what it says on the tin. The Stop sign outside Croke Park on March 13th spells it out after the GAA, on the advice of the Government, suspend all activities as the country tries to contain the spread of Covid-19.Say it ain't so. Noel McGrath, being comforted by his team manager and uncle Frankie McGrath, endures the anguish of losing a county final in the last minute for the second time in seven days.Where there's a will there's a way. The longing to get into grounds to see matches live and the frustration of being locked out have generated some ingenuity among fans. In Tuam Stadium, local man Martin Connolly finds a narrow viewing point at the gates.The view from the carwash. There's no point getting drenched when you have a 300-mile drive home to Annascaul in the Dingle Peninsula so Patrick Evans and his grandson Shane watch the match in Edendork from the comfort of their car.Explosion on the airwaves. Cusack Park officials Michael Maher, left, John Meade and Fergie McDonagh tune in to Clare GAA TV to follow the live broadcast of the intermediate semi-final between Kildysart and Corofin at Doonbeg.A surreal sight. Cúchulainn's exhibition hurleys provide an unusual backdrop in the Croke Park service tunnel for Kathryn Browne, a dentist by profession but a 'swabber' in protective equipment testing for Covid-19.Slippery Sam, elusive and still out of reach. Aidan O'Shea has a quick look as Colm Basquel takes his turn to lift the Sam Maguire Cup, no doubt wondering when he and Mayo will reach the holy grail.Na Piarsaigh and Limerick Hurler William O'Donoghue at the launch of Sportsfile's 2020 edition of A Season of Sundays.
