Limerick are All-Ireland champions for the fourth year in a row after a sensational scoring blitz in the second-half against Kilkenny on Sunday afternoon.
With 20 minutes to go, there was just one point in it, as Limerick led by 0-20 to 2-11 under the heavy rain at Croke Park.
A remarkable closing phase from the Treaty County, however, saw them rack up another ten points in the closing stages, as they ran out 0-30 to 2-15 victors on a memorable day.
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It marks just the third time in hurling history that any county has won four All-Ireland titles in a row, and it came after Limerick totalled 30 points in the final for the fourth year in a row.
Against such persistent brilliance, it would be easy for the opposition to roll over, but Kilkenny did anything but, with the scoreline not doing justice to what they brought to a gripping All-Ireland final.
Diarmaid Byrnes was one of the top performers for Limerick on Sunday and, speaking to RTÉ at the full-time whistle, the half-back praised the excellence of their opponents - while also quipping at his interviewer for a question about Paddy Deegan's second-half goal for Kilkenny.
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All-Ireland hurling final: Diarmaid Byrnes gives brilliant post-match interview
Paddy Deegan's second-half goal from Kilkenny was one of the more bizarre goals we've seen in an All-Ireland final, with the power of the strike bursting the net at the Hill 16 end.
NETBUSTER!
Paddy Deegan drills a bullet to the net and through the net
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At that point of the game, it seemed as though Kilkenny had the upper hand, before Limerick's scoring burst saw them take control of the game.
Limerick half-back Diarmaid Byrnes was one of the leading contenders for man-of-the-match in a memorable display for his team and, when quizzed about how the team reacted to Deegan's goal, he threw a playful jab at the RTÉ reporter:
Are you blaming me for that?
I'll give you one of them! [Mimicking the swing of a hurl]
That's the relentlessness we talk about [from Kilkenny], we know they just don't go away. We got a good few scores second-half, we brought our game plan, we enforced our game plan. We got a lot more scores.
That goal is just an example of what they can do, you never switch off with these boys
It was a brilliant moment, in an interview which exuded class from Byrnes.
'I'll give ya one of them!'
Potential man of the match Diarmuid Byrnes soaks in the atmosphere and explains that second half!
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📱 Follow https://t.co/SKkrhbFQlu pic.twitter.com/FwMo2SWVPe— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 23, 2023
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The Patrickswell man effused praise on Limerick's opponents, likening this Kilkenny side to those which had such prolonged success under Brian Cody in the 2000s and 2010s.
He said that performances such as Sunday's were in Kilkenny's "DNA", and stressed how much it had taken out of Limerick to win out:
Unbelievable! Jesus Christ!
Kilkenny brought exactly what we expected, pure intensity.
We always speak about the Kilkenny teams of the past but they're a real replica, they inherited that. It's just in their DNA to work hard. Them lads would die in their boots.
There were a couple of big moments to step up, we did across the field. We needed a big talk at half-time to get us going for the second-half, you could see the response. The lads were just immense there.
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