2008 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
| Championship details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 25 May - 7 September |
| Teams | 12 |
| All-Ireland champions | |
| Winning team | Kilkenny (31st win) |
| Captain | James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick |
| Manager | Brian Cody |
| All-Ireland Finalists | |
| Losing team | Waterford |
| Captain | Michael 'Brick' Walsh |
| Manager | Davy FitzGerald |
| Provincial champions | |
| Munster | Tipperary |
| Leinster | Kilkenny |
| Ulster | Antrim |
| Connacht | Not Played |
| Championship statistics | |
| No. matches played | 24 |
| Goals total | 79 (3.29 per game) |
| Points total | 846 (35.25 per game) |
| Top Scorer | Eoin Kelly |
| Player of the Year | Eoin Larkin |
| All-Star Team | See here |
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← 2007
2009 →
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The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2008 was the 122nd since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The first matches of the season were played on 25 May 2008, and the championship ended on 7 September 2008. Kilkenny went into the 2008 championship as defending champions, having won their thirtieth All-Ireland title the previous year.
The championship culminated with the All-Ireland final, held at Croke Park, Dublin. The match was contested by Kilkenny and Waterford. It was their first meeting in the final since 1963. Kilkenny won the game by 3-30 to 1-13. It was their third All-Ireland title in succession and a record thirty-first for the county. Kilkenny overtook Cork with the most All Ireland Titles. A position which they have not lost since.
The format of the 2008 championship was slightly different from previous formats:
12 counties participated in Tier 1 of the 2008 Championship. These teams were as follows:
Provincial Championships
The Leinster and Munster championships were played as usual. The Leinster and Munster champions advanced directly to the All-Ireland semi-finals.
All-Ireland Qualifiers
Phase 1: (1 match) This was a single match between Antrim and Galway.
Phase 2: (2 matches) The winner of the phase 1 game played the team eliminated in the first round of the Leinster Championship. The loser of the phase 1 game played the team eliminated in the first round of the Munster Championship.
Phase 3: (2 matches) This phase consisted of two knock-out games between the beaten provincial semi-finalists in Leinster and Munster. Teams from the same province could not meet in these games.
Phase 4: (2 matches) The winners from phase 2 played the winners from phase 3 in a knock-out format.
All-Ireland Series
Quarter-finals: (2 matches) The defeated Munster and Leinster finalists played the winners of the qualifier phase 4 games.
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The Munster and Leinster champions played the winners of the quarter-finals.
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