Emmet Moloney writes for the 'The Irish Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.

Emmet Moloney recalls the highs and lows of the last twelve months...

Every year is a sporting year to remember. But no-one has the exact same feelings when it comes to success, loss or sporting robbery. Ireland’s Grand Slam was something; as a neutral, the All-Ireland hurling final was pulsating; as a Clareman, our U-21 hurling triumph was the icing in the cake. It was, as usual, a busy year – when we kept our heads above water and we’re all still here to talk about it. That’s always a year-end highlight. Here’s what else sticks out for me.

BEST 70 MINUTES
This has to be the All-Ireland hurling final. The league final runs it close, between the same two teams, but last September’s final was a classic – at last the big day living up to the hype. Tipperary were marginally the better team but Kilkenny were ruthless, as befitting their status as champions. There were so many wonderful moments in that Croke Park classic: Lar Corbett’s genius hand-pass to Eoin Kelly that should have resulted in a goal; Tommy Walsh’s immaculate display; Brian Cody cutting the ground out from under Marty! It was a day for hurling – one we might be lucky enough to see a repeat of in 2010. Honourable mentions to the hurlers of Galway and Clare in their U-21 All-Ireland semi-final.

WORST 14 MINUTES
The last 14 of the football final. A scoreless anti-climax that summed up the match. Imagine, Sam Maguire at stake and no team could muster up one score over the last quarter of an hour – sums it up really.

WORST IDEA
A lot of contenders here but the winner has to be whoever decided that Pat Kenny and his 'Late Late Show' production team could handle two and half hours of celebrating the GAA. Cringe-worthy moments included Brush Shiels, the Nob Nation fella, Pat waving a picture of Brian Dooher holding the Sam Maguire right in Darragh Ó Sé’s face – ah, the whole thing really!

BRAVEST MOVE
Jonathan Sexton must be a contender for his various incidents with Munster players in their two titanic clashes last season. More than once he was involved in physical and verbal exchanges with his now Irish team-mates, including a very visible altercation with Ronan O’Gara. They have long memories, Jonny – fair play to your pluck. But there’s only one winner: Dónal Óg Cusack. Love him or hate him, it took some guts to come out as he did.

BEST MANAGER
Declan Kidney, naturally, has got every award going. And rightly so. Brian Cody is a close second and surely Leinster’s Michael Cheika deserves special mention. But I like to look at the missionaries – the men and women who do the work in the perceived weaker counties. Micko is top of that list. Kerry might have won the All-Ireland, but I doubt they knocked the enjoyment out of it that Wicklow managed in those five or six wet weeks in the summer. Aughrim buzzing and the Garden County festooned with county jerseys. That’s what it’s all about.

WORST DEVELOPMENT
The powers that run rugby are far-seeing. They have changed many laws in recent years to suit the changing face of the game. They have to act quickly to cure rugby of the kicking disease it is currently suffering from. We’ve won a Grand Slam and a Heineken Cup in Ireland these past 12 months, but rugby as a viewing spectacle is losing ground. We need flair and speed back in the international game.

BEST COMEBACK
This goes to Brian O’Driscoll. After a ropey enough 2008, he came back better than ever. No player could top the year he had, with phenomenal performances all year long and showing no sign of stopping. Ireland’s greatest ever rugby player.

HENRY SHEFFLIN PLAYER AWARD
This has to go to his team-mate Tommy Walsh. Say what you like about his D’Unbelievables performance at the homecoming (I thought it was hilarious), but no-one can stop this man dominating a game. His standards are, incredibly, rising. If this hurler comes to a county grounds near you in the coming year, bring your kids. He could be the best we have seen in our lifetime.

BIGGEST SHOCK
Leinster’s hammering of Munster in Croke Park. Very few people saw this coming. The manner of it, too, was startling.

JAMMIEST PLAYER
Step forward, Paddy Wallace. Rightly or wrongly, Paddy was blown up for the penalty that allowed Stephen Jones to finish Ireland’s Grand Slam dream with the last kick of the Six Nations championship. He missed and Paddy’s sigh of relief could be heard in the stands – and probably all over Ireland. Had it gone over, that mistake would have followed Paddy around for the rest of his life.

MOST IDIOTIC CONTROVERSY
I hate writing about soccer. This should be the penalty awarded against Tipp in the closing minutes of the All-Ireland final. It should be Tadhg Kennelly’s prose. It could be the traffic around the Ploughing Championships or Martin Cullen’s attempts to strangle the players’ grants, but it has to be the soccer. Listen, if Clare could have a replay for every game-turning incorrect decision given against us, we would have won seven out of the last 10 All-Irelands. And if you ask people in Kilkenny, Cork and Tipp, they’ll say they would probably have won them all! Tipp didn’t win the 2009 All-Ireland because PJ Ryan managed to save two balls that should have been buried in the back of the net. Same for the soccer. End of story. Get over it.

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