The 2018 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship was the 55th and last staging of the All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1964. The championship began on 7 May 2018 and ended on 26 August 2018.
Limerick were the defending champions, however, they were defeated by Tipperary in the Munster semi-final.
On 26 August 2018, Tipperary won the championship following a 3-13 to 1-16 defeat of Cork in the All-Ireland final. This was their 10th All-Ireland title overall and their first in eight championship seasons. They were the first team ever to win the All-Ireland title after being defeated in the Munster Championship.
Format change
Central Council motions to alter the format of the championship were endorsed by the Gaelic Athletic Association's Special Congress on 30 September 2017. The proposal to allow Galway and Ulster teams as agreed by the Leinster and Ulster Councils into the Leinster Championship was backed by 72% of delegates. The original recommendation would have ended All-Ireland semi-finals as the Munster winners were set to face off against the Leinster winners from 2018 onwards. Cork argued that the All-Ireland semi-finals should be retained with the Munster champions taking on the runners-up in Leinster and vice versa. Their idea was endorsed by 78% of delegates.
This was the final year of the under-21 championship as the GAA Congress voted on 24 February 2018 to change to an under-20 championship in 2019.
Team summaries TeamColoursMost recent successAll-IrelandProvincialCarlowGreen, red and yellowClareSaffron and blue20142014CorkRed and white19982007DublinBlue and navy2016GalwayMaroon and white2011KilkennyBlack and amber20082017LaoisBlue and white1983LimerickGreen and white20172017OffalyGreen, white and gold2000TipperaryBlue and gold20102010WaterfordWhite and blue20162016WestmeathMaroon and whiteWexfordPurple and gold19652015
Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship
Playoff Round 1
Playoff Round 2
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship
Quarter-final
Semi-finals
Final
All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
All-Ireland Semi-Finals
All-Ireland final
Statistics Top scorers Top scorers overall Rank Player Club Tally Total Matches Average1Evan NilandGalway2-283448.502Séamus CaseyWexford1-2730310.003Declan DaltonCork0-282847.004Chris NolanCarlow1-2225212.505Jake MorrisTipperary2-172345.756Colin CurrieDublin2-162245.507Cianan FahyGalway1-111443.508Donal BurkeDublin2-061226.00Conor CahalaneCork1-091243.00Jack O'ConnorCork1-091243.00Ger BrowneTipperary1-091243.00
Top scorers in a single game Rank Player Club Tally Total Opposition1Chris NolanCarlow1-1114AntrimSéamus CaseyWexford1-1114Galway3Colin CurrieDublin2-0713Wexford4Seán CurrieDublin3-0211LaoisChris NolanCarlow0-1111Dublin6Killian DoyleWestmeath1-0710DublinEvan NilandGalway1-0710WexfordJames McNaughtonAntrim0-1010CarlowSéamus CaseyWexford0-1010Dublin10Donal BurkeDublin2-039WestmeathEvan NilandGalway1-069KilkennyJake MorrisTipperary1-069GalwayEvan NilandGalway0-099Offaly
Miscellaneous
Cork won the Munster title for the first time since 2007. Cork qualified for the All-Ireland final for the first time since 1998. Tipperary became the first team to be beaten in the provincial championship and still qualify for the All-Ireland final.
Awards 2018 Bord Gáis Energy Team of the Year was announced on 17 October. Ger Collins (Cork) Killian O’Dwyer (Tipperary) Brian McGrath (Tipperary) Niall O’Leary (Cork) Fintan Burke (Galway) Robert Byrne (Tipperary) Billy Hennessy (Cork) Mark Coleman (Cork) Ger Browne (Tipperary) Robbie O’Flynn (Cork) Rory O’Connor (Wexford) Cianan Fahy (Galway) Jake Morris (Tipperary) Tim O’Mahony (Cork) Seamus Casey (Wexford)
References