With the All-Ireland hurling final now over, we can now begin to look back and reflect on what was a thrilling inter-county GAA season.
From the outset of the provincial championships, it was clear that we were set for a hugely exciting summer. That is the way it played out, with the Munster Championship in particular providing plenty of drama right from the outset. Leinster did too, especially when it came to possible relegation and Kilkenny's remarkable winning goal in the final.
The All-Ireland series was equally thrilling, with Limerick eventually emerging as deserving champion for the fourth consecutive season.
While there was no shortage of brilliant moments throughout the season, it is also worth remembering some of those that perhaps did not shine such a complimentary light on the GAA.
Joe Canning calls out GAA snub of Dillon Quirke Foundation
The GAA has made some strange decisions over the last few seasons, but perhaps none more so than their decision to ban charitable causes from the front of jerseys.
We were given a prime example in this year's Munster Championship, where Tipperary and Limerick were denied permission to place the Dillon Quirke Foundation logo on their jerseys for a game.
Tipperary and Clonoulty–Rossmore player Dillon Quirke tragically passed away away at the age of 24 after collapsing during a club game in at Semple Stadium in August of last year.
The move from the GAA was widely panned at the time, with the teams getting around it by sporting training tops featuring the logo before the game instead.
While many will now be reflecting on the best of this year's hurling championship, Joe Canning was quick to bring up this incident on last night's edition of The Sunday Game.
When asked about his moment of the year, the Galway man brought what he felt was one of the GAA's biggest failings in 2023.
When Limerick played Tipperary and they weren’t to wear the sponsor jersey, that for me would have been my moment of the year. And it is in a way that Limerick and Tipp, they still wore their (Dillon Quirke Foundation) training gear for warm-ups.
We said it at the day, it was a bit of a disgrace that the GAA did not allow them to support because Dillon Quirke gave his life to the GAA.
That for me was a wrong thing by the GAA this year, and it should be highlighted here tonight and even further afield again.
That young fella lost his life on the hurling pitch, on that pitch in Thurles, and what they done to the foundation, the family, the disrespect they showed by not allowing that . . . and in fairness to both Limerick and Tipperary, they done themselves proud that night.
Joe Canning was among those to criticise this decision at the time, with Donal Óg Cusack and Anthony Daly also hammering the GAA for the move on the day.
With hurling always a unifying force, you would hope that they would consider changing this moving forward.
SEE ALSO: Donal Óg Cusack Calls For GAA Rule Change To Accommodate 'Excellent' Hurling Final Ref
