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18 // Ladies Gaelic Football Association CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW PEIL Autumn | Issue No 3 | Volume 14 They shut Donegal out admirably in their semi-final clash, a side many would have tipped as serious All-Ireland contenders. Galway, likewise, impressed. They can take pride from the fact that they're the only team to have beaten Dublin in competitive action in 2018. They came close again in the league semi-final, but the Sky Blues dominated when they met in the last four of the All-Ireland championship series. They navigated the round-robin stages extremely well, convincingly beating Waterford and Westmeath, either side of two successful clashes against Connacht rivals Mayo. Peter Leahy's charges have had an extremely turbulent summer, with much of the focus on off-the-field issues. The highlight of the senior championship for many was their win over Cavan in Clones after the mass player walkout. It was an electrifying game of football, their hunger really shone through on the day and their celebrations at the end said it all. Another county to bounce back from tough times this year was Kerry. The Kingdom looked a completely different outfit in the championship as they contested probably the most competitive group - one which featured themselves, Donegal and Tipperary. One thing that is quite disappointing is Tipperary's relegation to the intermediate. The 2017 All-Ireland intermediate champions held their own in their first year up senior and impressed but then came two bad results in the play-offs. Look that's sport. Someone has to win, someone has to lose. And while the curtain comes down on the inter-county scene for the winter, we're already looking forward to all systems going again in 2019 and picking up right where we left off. Cliché, but goals really do win games as was evident time and time again this summer. Finalists Louth showed incredible resilience as they played in honour of their late manager Mícheál McKeown, captivating the country on their journey. Teams like Fermanagh and London who have come so close of late put down solid campaigns, but focus is surely already turning to 2019 and getting over the line. Intermediate, likewise, was an extremely tight championship. Before it kicked off, I said that there were a number of quality sides that could do it. Anyone could beat anyone else on any given day. And that was exactly the case. Tyrone made it second time lucky as they lifted the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup after a classy decider performance. Slick, sharp, sweet; they had it all. I had expected Wexford to go further than the quarter-finals, but that said, they were knocked out by the Red Hand. Meath will be hurting after failing to take that final step to glory, but no doubt they'll be back. Just like all the others; Clare, Laois and Roscommon are just a few that spring to mind who should be back all guns blazing. And senior. What a championship of ups and downs, highs and lows. That final was one of the best games of football I've seen in a long, long time. Incredible. Dublin have well and truly established themselves as the standard bearers. Their conditioning, athleticism, physicality and skill is admirable and it looks like, with two in-a-row under their belt, this is the start of a reign of terror similar to that of Cork. Clinical, well-drilled; they went about their business so well throughout. Ephie Fitzgerald's side were also brilliant to watch and their remarkable attack brought a breath of fresh air to the summer. It was great to see them back in the final after a year's absence and I've no doubt that they'll only push on from here. Dublin players Nicole Owens, left, and Niamh McEvoy celebrate with the Brendan Martin cup Limerick captain Cathy Mee lifts the West County Hotel Cup Tyrone captain Neamh Woods lifts the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup The screen shows the official attendance of 50,141