TheAll-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1998 (known for sponsorship reasons as theGuinness Hurling Championship 1998) was the 112th staging ofIreland's premierhurling competition.Offaly won the championship, beatingKilkenny 2–16 to 1–13 in thefinal atCroke Park,Dublin.[5][6]
1998 was the second year that the controversial "back door" or qualifier system was used in the All-Ireland Championship. While the two provincial final winners automatically qualify for the All-Ireland semi-finals the two defeated provincial teams joinGalway and theUlster provincial final winners in two "quarter-finals". The two winners from these two games qualify for the semi-finals where they meet the Leinster and Munster winners. In 1998Waterford andOffaly were the two teams to benefit from the qualifier system.[7][8]
The All-Ireland semi-final replay betweenClare andOffaly ended in controversy when the referee,Jimmy Cooney, mistakenly ended the game five minutes earlier than he had intended. At the time of the early stoppage, the score was 1–16 to 2–10 in favour of Clare. When the whistle blew there was disarray inCroke Park as the disgruntled Offaly supporters began a sit-down protest on the pitch.[9] A Kildare v. Kerry IHC game planned for afterwards had to be cancelled.[10]
Clare graciously agreed to have the game replayed. In the re-fixture in Thurles 6 days later, the result was reversed with Offaly winning the game on a score of 0–16 to 0–13.[2]
As a result of the new qualifier system of games for the second year in a row, the All-Ireland final was contested by two teams from the same province. However, this year the final was a repeat of theLeinster final withOffaly taking onKilkenny. Offaly were playing in their Third All-Ireland Final of the 1990s (having won against Limerick in 1994 and lost to Clare in 1995). Goals for Offaly reversed the Leinster final result and allowed the Offaly men to defeat "the Cats" heavily.
B. Boyle (1–5), C. Kelly (1–4), P. Regan (1–1), M. Cunniffe (0–1), L. Murray (0–1), T. Galvin (0–1).
D. Coen (1–13), A. Kerins (1–4), M. Kenny (0–2), F. Forde (0–2), M. Coleman (0–1), O. Fahy (0–1), K. Broderick (0–1), J. Rabbitte (0–1), J. McGrath (0–1), N. Shaughnessy (0–1).
J. Troy (1–9), Joe Dooley (1–5), M. Duignan (0–4), B. Dooley (1–1), B. Whelehan (1–0), M. Hand (0–3), K. Farrell (0–2), C. Cassidy (0–1), P. Mulhaire (0–1), G. Oakley (0–1), J. Pilkington (0–1).
J. Brennan (0–5), E. Morrissey (0–3), I. McGrane (0–2), S. Perkins (0–2), D. Sweeney (0–1), R. Boland (0–1).
D. J. Carey (1–8), N. Maloney (1–3), B. McEvoy (1–1), K. O'Shea (1–0), M. Phelan (0–3), C. Carter (0–3), P. J. Delaney (0–3), P. O'Neill (0–1), P. Larkin (0–1).
J. O'Connor (0–5), E. Taaffe (0–3), A. Markham (0–3), N. Gilligan (0–3), D. Forde (0–2), O. Baker (0–2), A. Daly (0–1), G. O'Loughlin (0–1), P. J. O'Connell (0–1).
J. Deane (0–7), P. Ryan (0–3), S. McGrath (0–2), F. McCormack (0–1).
J. O'Connor (0–7), A. Markham (1–0), P. J. O'Connell (0–2), E. Taaffe (0–2), A. Daly (0–1), O. Baker (0–1), D. Forde (0–1), N. Gilligan (0–1), C. Clancy (0–1).
N. Gilligan (1–1), S. McMahon (0–4), J. O'Connor (0–4),[14] C. Clancy (1–0), D. Forde (0–2), A. Markham (0–1), F. Hegarty (0–1), G. O'Loughlin (0–1), C. Lynch (0–1), O. Baker (0–1).
Greg O'Kane (0–6), L. Richmond (0–2), P. McKillen (0–2), S. McMullan (0–2), J. Cardon (0–2), J. McIntosh (0–2), M. Molloy (0–1), Gary O'Kane (0–1), A. Elliott (0–1).
T. Moloney (0–10), D. Browne (0–2), D. Murphy (0–2), E. Quiane (0–2), A. Heney (0–2), C. Heney (0–1).
J. Carson (2–2), L. Richmond (1–5), A. Elliott (1–5), Greg O'Kane (1–5), P. McKillen (0–4), J. O'Neill (1–0), S. McMullan (0–2), M. Molloy (0–2), C. McGuckian (0–1), C. McKiernan (0–1), J. McIntosh (0–1).
T. Maloney (1–3), P. Jordan (0–2), B. Dolan (0–1), D. Murphy (0–1).
T. Browne (0–7), P. Flynn (0–5), S. Daly (1–0), K. McGrath (0–2), A. Kirwan (0–2), D. Bennett (0–1), Billy O'Sullivan (0–1), P. Queally (0–1), D. Shanahan (0–1).
L. Burke (1–1), D. Coen (0–3), F. Forde (0–2), J. Rabbitte (0–1), O. Fahy (0–1), K. Broderick (0–1), A. Kerins (0–1).
Joe Dooley (0–4), B. Whelehan (0–4), K. Farrell (1–0), M. Duignan (1–0), J. Troy (0–3), J. Ryan (0–3), B. Dooley (0–2), C. Cassidy (0–1), G. Hanniffy (0–1).
G. O'Kane (0–6), J. Carson (1–0), A. Elliott (1–0), J. McIntosh (0–1), J. P. McKillop (0–1), J. Elliott (0–1).