2000 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
Encyclopedia
The 2000 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the culmination of the 2000 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. It was played on 10 September 2000 between Kilkenny
and Offaly
. Kilkenny were appearing in their third All-Ireland final in-a-row after losing to Offaly in 1998 and to Cork in 1999. They were looking to capture a first championship title since 1993. Offaly were lining out in their first championship decider since they won the title in 1998. Both sides last met in the championship in the Leinster final earlier in the year when Kilkenny trounced Offaly.
threw in the sliothar and the Millennium All-Ireland final, the 112th in all, got under way. Right from the throw-in the Kilkenny men tore into the game. Offaly errors, so atypical of them throughout the late 1990s, were punished mercilessly by the Kilkenny defenders and their forwards. ‘The Cats’ goal-scorer supreme, D.J. Carey, needed only six minutes to make his mark on this decider when he pounced on a mistake from Offaly corner-back Niall Claffey
to ram home Kilkenny's opening goal. Carey’s sixth minute goal was followed three minutes later by a Henry Shefflin
three pointer. Shefflin’s effort was helped home by Carey but the umpire ruled that the ball had already crossed the line. After ten minutes the score read 2-3 to 0-1 in Kilkenny’s favour and Offaly looked like they were in real trouble. The last twenty-five minutes of the opening half saw Offaly get into the groove and score seven more points, five of which came from Johnny Dooley
frees. Offaly’s only real goal chance, a ground stroke from Michael Duignan
, went narrowly wide in the eighteenth minute. Kilkenny, however, created several opportunities to add to their two early goals and it was little surprise when Charlie Carter
bagged a third goal for ‘the Cats’ four minutes before half-time. At the interval, in spite of Offaly’s eighteen scoring chances to Kilkenny’s fifteen, ‘the Cats’ had to a ten-point lead of 3-10 to 0-9.
At the beginning of the second-half the Offaly selectors made some tactical changes in an effort to eat into Kilkenny’s ten-point lead. Ace wing-back Brian Whelehan and star corner-forward Michael Duignan swapped positions while John Troy
was sprung from the substitutes’ bench. These changes failed to alter the dominance of Kilkenny as ‘the Cats’ looked likely to score a goal at any time of the game. For the second time Shefflin was the man on hand to hit the fourth goal after latching onto a brilliant long clearance from substitute Canice Brennan
and kicking the sliothar past Stephen Byrne
from close range. In the fifty-ninth minute Johnny Pilkington
clawed one back for Offaly when his shot went past James McGarry
. An injury-time goal by substitute Eddie Brennan was the icing on the cake as Kilkenny defeated their Leinster rivals by 5-15 to 1-14. This game marked the end of the road for the great Offaly team of the 1990s while it was the beginning of a great decade of success for Kilkenny.
MATCH RULES
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
and Offaly
Offaly GAA
The Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Offaly GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Offaly...
. Kilkenny were appearing in their third All-Ireland final in-a-row after losing to Offaly in 1998 and to Cork in 1999. They were looking to capture a first championship title since 1993. Offaly were lining out in their first championship decider since they won the title in 1998. Both sides last met in the championship in the Leinster final earlier in the year when Kilkenny trounced Offaly.
Match report
At 3:30pm match referee Willie BarrettWillie Barrett
Willie Barrett is an Irish hurling referee. A native of Ardfinnan, County Tipperary he is one of the sport's top referees and has officiated at several All-Ireland finals in minor, under-21 and senior levels.-References:...
threw in the sliothar and the Millennium All-Ireland final, the 112th in all, got under way. Right from the throw-in the Kilkenny men tore into the game. Offaly errors, so atypical of them throughout the late 1990s, were punished mercilessly by the Kilkenny defenders and their forwards. ‘The Cats’ goal-scorer supreme, D.J. Carey, needed only six minutes to make his mark on this decider when he pounced on a mistake from Offaly corner-back Niall Claffey
Niall Claffey
Niall Claffey is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Birr and was a member of the Offaly senior inter-county team between 1999 and 2006.- References :...
to ram home Kilkenny's opening goal. Carey’s sixth minute goal was followed three minutes later by a Henry Shefflin
Henry Shefflin
Henry Shefflin is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Ballyhale Shamrocks and has been a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team since 1999...
three pointer. Shefflin’s effort was helped home by Carey but the umpire ruled that the ball had already crossed the line. After ten minutes the score read 2-3 to 0-1 in Kilkenny’s favour and Offaly looked like they were in real trouble. The last twenty-five minutes of the opening half saw Offaly get into the groove and score seven more points, five of which came from Johnny Dooley
Johnny Dooley
Johnny Dooley is an Irish former hurling manager and player. He played hurling with his local club Seir Kieran and was a member of the Offaly senior inter-county team from 1991 until 2002...
frees. Offaly’s only real goal chance, a ground stroke from Michael Duignan
Michael Duignan
Michael Duignan is a retired Irish hurling manager and former dual player. He played hurling and Gaelic football with his local club St. Rynagh's and with the Offaly senior inter-county teams from the 1980s until the early 2000s. Duignan served as manager of the Meath senior hurling team from...
, went narrowly wide in the eighteenth minute. Kilkenny, however, created several opportunities to add to their two early goals and it was little surprise when Charlie Carter
Charlie Carter
Charles "Charlie" Carter born 1970) is a former Irish sportsperson. He still plays his club hurling with his local Young Irelands GAA Club and played with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team in the 1990s and 2000s.-Club:...
bagged a third goal for ‘the Cats’ four minutes before half-time. At the interval, in spite of Offaly’s eighteen scoring chances to Kilkenny’s fifteen, ‘the Cats’ had to a ten-point lead of 3-10 to 0-9.
At the beginning of the second-half the Offaly selectors made some tactical changes in an effort to eat into Kilkenny’s ten-point lead. Ace wing-back Brian Whelehan and star corner-forward Michael Duignan swapped positions while John Troy
John Troy (hurler)
John Troy is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played senior hurling with his local club Lusmagh and with the Offaly senior inter-county team from the late 1980s until the early 2000s.-References:*...
was sprung from the substitutes’ bench. These changes failed to alter the dominance of Kilkenny as ‘the Cats’ looked likely to score a goal at any time of the game. For the second time Shefflin was the man on hand to hit the fourth goal after latching onto a brilliant long clearance from substitute Canice Brennan
Canice Brennan
Canice Brennan is a former Kilkenny hurler who played with Conahy Shamrocks and the Kilkenny intercounty team. He was part of the Kilkenny team that won the All-Ireland in 2000, having played in previous finals and achieving success at minor and under-21 level....
and kicking the sliothar past Stephen Byrne
Stephen Byrne
Stephen Byrne is an Irish sportsman. He plays hurling with his local club Kilcormac-Killoughey and was the goalkeeper on the Offaly senior inter-county team between 1998 and 2003. Byrne won an All-Ireland medal in 1998 as well as an All-Star award. He was also the recipient of the Eircell Young...
from close range. In the fifty-ninth minute Johnny Pilkington
Johnny Pilkington
Johnny Pilkington is a former Irish sportsperson. He played senior hurling with the Offaly inter-county team in the 1990s and 2000s.-Early life:Johnny Pilkington was born in Birr, County Offaly in 1970...
clawed one back for Offaly when his shot went past James McGarry
James McGarry
James McGarry is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Bennettsbridge and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1999 to 2008.-Club:...
. An injury-time goal by substitute Eddie Brennan was the icing on the cake as Kilkenny defeated their Leinster rivals by 5-15 to 1-14. This game marked the end of the road for the great Offaly team of the 1990s while it was the beginning of a great decade of success for Kilkenny.
Match details
- 70 minutes.
- Replay if scores level.
- Five named substitutes>