Never mind the numbersWinning is often a time of elegy, remembrance of things past – no matter how exclusive that past may be. It was, however, entirely natural that in the aftermath of Sunday’s glorious weekend, Westmeath would reflect on their only previous Leinster title in 2004.Manager Mark McHugh paid tribute to Páidí Ó Sé and players talked about the inspiration of that great couple of weeks 22 years ago – even those for whom it was scripture rather than lived experience.“As a young lad growing up in Westmeath,” recalled current star Matthew Whittaker, “my cousin Gary [Connaughton] was in goals when Westmeath won in 2004, and all I ever wanted as a child, looking up to him, was that Delaney Cup.“He was saying 22 years later, people still talk about it ... and it’s just inspiring the next generation, and that’s the biggest thing.”I remember commenting that year that the Leinster final attendance would be reduced with Westmeath and Laois involved. It was a neutral comment to do with provincial funding, but drew a response from a reader in Mullingar.Westmeath's Matthew Whittaker. Photograph: Grace Halton/Inpho They explained the occasion would be so big and inspiring for a county – then having reached the provincial final for just a third time – that it should be celebrated regardless of their ability to send capacity crowds to Croke Park.As it turned out, the 2004 final went to a replay – the most recent one until this weekend to be level after 70 minutes – and cumulatively drew a bigger attendance than any other in that era of the new stadium’s novelty and apparently endless ability to attract huge crowds.The draw brought 56,440 spectators to Croke Park before 38,306 turned out for the Saturday replay.In light of that, Sunday’s figure of 36,536 holds up reasonably well and presumably includes any number of children who will be able to date their fascination with the Delaney Cup back to the day Ronan Wallace lifted it in the Hogan Stand. – Seán MoranTony Kelly leaves his mark in ThurlesTowards the end of Clare’s thumping win over Tipperary on Saturday night, Tony Kelly emerged hobbling from the dugout, an ice pack wrapped around his bare right ankle. His last act on the field was to put Clare 12 points clear with his fifth score.On the night, Diarmuid Stritch, Seán Rynne and Ian Galvin provided the scoreboard fireworks, but Kelly’s influence was pervasive. He produced five assists, more than anybody else on the field. Remarkably, two of them came from sideline cuts: one of them was a vanilla pass played with a straight bas, but the other was an exquisite cross-field delivery to Cathal Malone. Most other players would have fallen into the gap between seeing that pass and executing it. How many would even have tried?Tony Kelly scored five points for Clare in their win over Tipperary on Saturday. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho Kelly has a long and mostly loving relationship with Thurles. Saturday’s night’s game was his 26th championship appearance at Semple Stadium, stretching back to his debut season in 2012. In those games he has scored a staggering 3-147, 0-71 of which have come from play. The only game in which he failed to score was the 2017 Munster semi-final against Limerick, when Clare won by two points and Kelly was replaced in the final minute.One of the extraordinary things about Kelly’s record at Semple Stadium is that his greatest performances have been in defeat. In the 2020 Munster Championship he scored 17 points in a loss to Limerick, eight of them from play, and in the Munster final two years later he scored 13 points, seven from play and an everlasting sideline cut that brought the game to extra-time. Limerick won that game too. Kelly had suffered like many others against Limerick in Ennis a couple of weeks ago, but on Saturday night, like so often before, he bestrode hurling’s greatest arena. – Denis WalshDublin pull off tactical coupOnly two teams remain unbeaten in the hurling championships – Cork in Munster and Dublin in Leinster. The Dublin hurlers winning in Salthill isn’t unheralded, since they also beat Galway in Pearse Stadium two years. But this is the first time Dublin have gone four championship games unbeaten since they won Leinster in 2013. Before that, you have to go back to the 1940s.Two things really stood out on Saturday. First off, their defensive solidity has improved out of sight since that opening night against Offaly when they conceded four goals and were blessed to get out with a draw. That’s two games in a row now, away to Wexford and Galway, that they haven’t conceded a goal. Liam Rushe’s return to the heart of the defence has been a game-changer.And secondly, they’re winning games on the line now. Niall Ó Ceallacháin held John Hetherton and Ronan Hayes back until the last 20 minutes on Saturday night and their introduction won Dublin the game. With the wind at their backs, Dublin suddenly had not one but two target men who could make the ball stick. Hayes won man of the match, scoring 1-2 and laying off the ball for the winning goal by his brother Brian.John Hetherton's introduction added fuel to Dublin's effort against Galway at Pearse Stadium. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Dublin didn’t make any other substitutions. They didn’t need to. Hayes and Hetherton made such an immediate impact that Galway were forced to switched Daithí Burke and Pádraic Mannion back from the half-back line to try and shut them down. Galway had played pretty well into the wind, but without Burke and Mannion in the half-back line, they were short of a launch pad in the crucial minutes near the end.A tactical coup for Ó Ceallacháin. An extra dimension for Dublin. Kilkenny are next up in Parnell Park on Sunday. Nothing to fear there. – Malachy ClerkinKieran McGeeney’s attention switches to Sam MaguireEven as the joyful chaos of Armagh fans celebrating continued out on the pitch in Clones on Sunday, beneath the Gerry Arthur Stand at St Tiarnach’s Park Kieran, McGeeney’s focus had already shifted to the All-Ireland series.In nearly all his post-match interviews, the Armagh manager made some form of reference to being back at the starting line, emphasising how Derry will have a plan for them in two weeks, or how the likes of Kerry and Donegal are already a bit further ahead in terms of planning for a Sam Maguire assault. This Ulster title meant a lot to Armagh – particularly given the three consecutive losses between 2023-25 – but McGeeney was at lengths to stress the victory probably meant more to the players winning it for the first time than it did to him.Oisin O'Neill celebrates after Armagh's Ulster final victory over Monaghan. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho As a player, he claimed six Ulster titles. So, even in the euphoria of his county’s first Ulster title since 2008, McGeeney was setting out the way forward. This was no end point, just a stop along what he hopes is the road to Croke Park in July.“They wanted this one probably more than I did, it showed at the end, they really wanted it,” said McGeeney.“But we are all back at the starting line now, another seven or eight teams are sitting out there looking on going, ‘we’ll have them.’ “We’ll enjoy tonight and try give the next stage a rattle as well.“Kerry are back training. Derry waiting in the wings for us. They have been now for two weeks. Donegal, everybody is just raring to go again.” – Gordon ManningOffaly closing in on something specialHurling history weighed heavily on Offaly shoulders last Saturday evening. They needed to overcome Wexford, who they hadn’t beaten in 14 years, to ensure they stayed in the Leinster Championship again next year. Do that and they’d also keep alive their chance to make a first All-Ireland quarter-final in 23 years.It was also the first time in yonks they were tipped to beat Wexford. All that put a different sort of pressure on Johnny Kelly’s young team. Especially in Tullamore, where a season-topping crowd of 8,103 showed up to witness the occasion.Despite a shaky first-half, trailing Wexford by five points, Offaly’s once familiar fighting spirit saw them win by six points. No player embodied that spirit more than corner forward Eoghan Cahill, who finished with 1-12, as he deftly converting a 50th-minute penalty which ultimately shifted the course of the game.Eoghan Cahill claimed 1-12 in Offaly's win over Wexford. Photograph: Tom O’Hanlon/Inpho Cahill wasn’t in the Offaly starting team at the start of the Leinster Championship. Called up against Kilkenny the week before, the Birr man hit 0-15 to help seal that draw. Everything about his performance on Saturday evening, as accurate in his tackles and turnovers as he was in his vision in front of the posts, reflected where Offaly want to go from here.“I was off the team, at the start of the year, and rightly so,” said Cahill. “The boys were going absolutely brilliant. It was all about taking your chance when got it. Now our goal shifts straight away, to try get a massive performance next weekend, and try embrace the challenge that faces us.”Offaly still need a win over Kildare and for Dublin to beat Kilkenny in next Sunday’s final round to move into third place. If Kilkenny lose and Offaly win, Derek Lyng’s side will exit the championship, and the weight of hurling history will have turned further still. – Ian O’Riordan