The weekend just past was a bumper one for Man of the Match performances that were ultimately in vain. Not only did David Burke win Man of the Match off of RTE in the Sunday semi-final but Sky Sports disagreed with the state broadcaster and bestowed Waterford's wonder-kid (well, he's 21) Austin Gleeson with the award after Saturday's trilling replay.
Seamus Callanan
David Burke's MOTM award on Sunday marked the second successive year that the losing player had picked up Man of the Match in a Tipp-Galway semi-final. In 2015 it was Tipp's Seamus Callanan, who this year barely got a sniff all game and ended up a winner.
Bizarrely, Anthony Cunningham decided not to subject Callanan to any extra attention in last year's game. He made hay, hitting a staggering 3-9 and carrying the fight to Galway in a rollercoaster of a game.
However, the rest of the Tipp forward line, including some much vaunted names, went AWOL. Galway's complete dominance of the middle third saw them over the line in a thrilling and borderline surreal game.
Padraig Kelly
The last man to win the Man of the Match gong on a day when his team lost the All-Ireland final. Others since have won the individual award in drawn finals and gone on to lose the replay. But none have actually won it on a day when his team lost.
Padraig Kelly played three big matches in Croke Park in 1993 and was Man of the Match in all of them. He won an All-Ireland club title with Sarsfields on St. Patrick's Day, starred as Galway surprised a much more experienced and intimidating Tipperary team in the All-Ireland semi-final.
In the final, Kelly was detailed to mark DJ Carey, then on course for Hurler of the Year. Carey's reputation for failing to turn up in All-Ireland finals, a reputation which remained intact until the 2000 All-Ireland final, was largely built on the back of the 1993 final. Kelly shackled Carey thoroughly, sweeping forward to hit a point of his own with less than ten minutes remaining. It looked it would be a tight endgame until PJ Delaney's snakey late goal. It was not until injury time with the game winding down that Carey whipped over a point from play. He would go onto beat Kelly to the Hurler of the Year award.
Ciaran McDonald
A tough spectacle for Mayo people to endure, having to watch Galway swagger their way to an All-Ireland title after they lost two successive finals. To this day, Mayo supporters openly rue that they didn't meet Kildare in an All-Ireland final.
The May0-Galway matches of 1998 and 1999, along with the League final in 2001, together mark the zenith of Connacht football.
The 1998 first round in McHale Park was, as Ja Fallon told Laochra Gael, a 'riproaring game' and one of the most exciting and high-stakes matches ever played in the Connacht championship.
Ciaran McDonald blasted home two first goals and in the second half whacked a shot off the underside of the crossbar which bounced the wrong side of the line. From a Mayo perspective. After that agonising miss, Galway rustled up a few points from Niall Finnegan and claimed their first win over Mayo in Castlebar in eleven years.
Still, Ciaran McDonald was rewarded with the Man of the Match gong. Little consolation.
Joe Canning
On Joe Canning's debut, his supporting cast in the Galway forward line decided to slink into the shadows and allow Canning the stage all to himself.
Galway, in the second year of Ger Loughnane's management and following a positive League campaign, were hotly fancied to beat Cork in a qualifier in Thurles.
Marked by Diarmuid O'Sullivan, Canning proved the hype was justified with a sensational opening bow. He hit 2-12 in total with a fair chunk of it coming from play. Some of the scores he hit were outrageous. With 12 minutes remaining and with Galway beginning to panic, co-commentator Michael Duignan said it was one of the greatest displays he'd ever seen.
Michael Meehan
As if there wasn't enough Galway on here. They appear to have a knack for this stuff. With Kerry chasing three-in-a-row, Galway entered the 2008 All-Ireland quarter-final as heavy outsiders. When Galway face Kerry in football, it is often akin to Arsenal playing Barcelona in football. This is before both sides gravitated over to the dark side in defensive terms.
Galway ended up putting it up to Kerry, while remaining true to their much loved traditional style. In a match memorable for the staggeringly awful weather conditions, Michael Meehan kicked 0-10. Galway ended fading in the final few minutes, losing honourably and earning compliments from the victors.
Read more: Tomás Mulcahy Made A Very Obvious Attempt To Wind-Up Ger Loughnane On The Sunday Game
