2010 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
| Championship details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 22 May - 5 September 2010 |
| Teams | 13 |
| All-Ireland champions | |
| Winning team | Tipperary (26th win) |
| Captain | Eoin Kelly |
| Manager | Liam Sheedy |
| All-Ireland Finalists | |
| Losing team | Kilkenny |
| Captain | T. J. Reid |
| Manager | Brian Cody |
| Provincial champions | |
| Munster | Waterford |
| Leinster | Kilkenny |
| Ulster | Antrim |
| Connacht | Not Played |
| Championship statistics | |
| No. matches played | 25 |
| Goals total | 72 (2.88 per game) |
| Points total | 851 (34.04 per game) |
| Top Scorer | Eoin Kelly (3-44) |
| Player of the Year | Lar Corbett |
| All-Star Team | See here |
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← 2009
2011 →
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The 2010 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 114th staging of Ireland's premier hurling competition since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. A total of thirteen teams competed in the championship, with Tipperary unseating the four-time defending champions Kilkenny by 4-17 to 1-18 in the final at Croke Park, Dublin. The championship began on 22 May 2010 and concluded on 5 September 2010.
The build-up to the opening of the championship was dominated by Kilkenny and the 'drive for five'. 'The Cats' were installed as the bookies' favourites to retain the All-Ireland title for an unprecedented fifth successive occasion. Since 2006 the Kilkenny team had come to be regarded as arguably the greatest hurling team of all-time. In 2007, they surpassed their greatest rivals Cork at the top of the all-time roll of honour, while in 2009 the team equalled the seemingly unbeatable record of four All-Ireland titles in-a-row. Winning an elusive five-in-a-row would close the argument on hurling's greatest team.
Tipperary were regarded as the primary challengers to Kilkenny's dominance. Many believed that they had the beating of Kilkenny in the previous year's All-Ireland final, however, 'the Cats' pulled away in the last ten minutes to seal the victory. With an extra year of experience many felt that Tipp may finally triumph for the first time in nine years.
A second tier of teams waited just behind the two clear front-runners. Perennial hopefuls Galway entered the championship as the newly crowned National Hurling League champions and were also seen as a stumbling block on Kilkenny's march to immortality. The westerners were regarded as potential Leinster and maybe even All-Ireland finalists. Cork were buoyed by some impressive displays in the National League. 'The Rebels' defeated both Kilkenny and Tipperary in the group stages and finished the campaign as runners-up. Similarly, Cork enjoyed a trouble-free winter and would enter the championship without any off-field controversy. Waterford were also viewed as a team that had the potential to make life difficult for any of the other top tier teams.
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