Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Ronan Maher celebrates after the game.Laszlo Geczo/INPHO Ronan Maher lands All-Ireland hurling final man of the match award Tipperary captain reveals source of personal motivation for ‘dream come true’. 11.46pm, 20 Jul 2025 Share options TIPPERARY CAPTAIN RONAN Maher has been named man of the match after today’s All-Ireland senior hurling final. Maher led the Premier county to Liam MacCarthy glory after a sensational second-half surge against Cork, winning 3-27 to 1-18 at Croke Park. The Thurles Sarsfields defender beat team-mates John McGrath and Darragh McCarthy to the coveted award, which as announced on The Sunday Game on RTÉ, and presented by GAA President Jarlath Burns at the team banquet at the Grand Hotel, Malahide. “Ah sure listen, it’s absolutely unbelievable,” Maher told RTÉ’s Joanne Cantwell. “It’s what we all dream about, coming up to Croke Park and putting in a performance. Advertisement “Someone asked me earlier on what we done at half time, but I think the group, as a collective, were really, really calm. We knew what we had to do in the second half. “Listen, it’s an honour for me to captain this group of people, the players, the management, the backroom team, I’m the lucky one standing up here. “Everyone put in a savage shift today, even the lads that didn’t get onto the field today, everybody was just tremendous throughout the year. It’s just a good, honest group of people here, and I couldn’t be happier or prouder standing in front of them.” Maher went on to reveal a source of personal motivation for his third All-Ireland success: he will now join an illustrious list of Thurles Sarsfields’ All-Ireland winning Tipperary captains etched onto a wall at the club. “It’s a dream come true really. Liam Cahill spoke to me at the start of the year and I was absolutely privileged to get the job again, I didn’t think I would. I have him to thank for that. “I had a picture of that wall set as my screensaver for the last two or three years. It’s something that I’ve been looking forward to, getting up there. “It’s unbelievable. I couldn’t be prouder as a Thurles Sarsfields man and a Tipperary man to be going up on the wall, but I couldn’t do it without these lads down here.” Hailed a “colossus” by The Sunday Game pundit and former Tipp star Brendan Cummins, Maher’s nullification of Cork star forward Brian Hayes has been widely lauded. Related Reads Darragh McCarthy: 'If you let it get to you, you're going to be curled up in a ball at home in bed' Hell's Kitchen is back for the digital age as Tipp produce Guerilla warfare Stunning Tipperary surge sees them take down Cork and claim All-Ireland hurling glory The 29-year-old played it down. “There was a lot of them to block out, I suppose. Everybody was tremendous today. Like I said, we came out after half time and put in a big shift. Credit to every man that got onto the field there today, it was unbelievable. “I’d like to think that we put so much pride back into the Tipperary jersey, for the supporters, and for everybody in this room, it means so much to everybody. We’re just absolutely thrilled to have Liam MacCarthy here tonight.” Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Ronan Maher lands All-Ireland hurling final man of the match award”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Ronan Maher lands All-Ireland hurling final man of the match award”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. 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