0 Only three All-Ireland hurling finals in history have finished goalless. It happened twice in five years between Cork and Kilkenny (1999 and 2004). The other one was the Covid final between Limerick and Waterford in 2020.1 There has been just one goalless game in the 2026 hurling championship. Dublin and Clare’s All-Ireland quarter-final is the only game all year not to have seen a green flag. Galway have scored 17 goals in seven matches, Limerick have put up 12 in 6.2 It will be a second All-Ireland final for referee Colm Lyons of Nemo Rangers in Cork. Lyons refereed the 2022 decider between Limerick and Cork. Remarkably for a final, Lyons didn’t produce a single yellow card in that game.Referee Colm Lyons. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho 3 There are three sets of brothers involved in the final. Limerick have the Casey and the Morrisseys, Galway have the Mannions. Aaron Niland’s brother Evan has played in this championship for Galway but has been squeezed out of the matchday 26 in recent games and has had to settle for being listed as a standby player.4 This will be the fourth time Galway and Limerick have met in the All-Ireland final. Galway have won two (1923 and 1980), Limerick won the most recent in 2018. All three previous finals between the sides contained at least five goals. In the 1923 final, Galway prevailed by 7-3 to 4-5. Only the 1910 final saw more goals (Limerick 7-0, Wexford 6-2).5 Number of All-Ireland finals, including replays, that Conor Cooney has played in for Galway, going back to 2012. If he features in this final, he will join Pete Finnerty, Michael McGrath and Joe Cooney as Galway players to feature in six All-Ireland finals. Only Sylvie Linnane, Conor Hayes (both seven) and Noel Lane (eight) have played in more.5 If Galway win, Micheál Donoghue will become the fifth manager to win an All-Ireland in both his first and second stint with the same county. Cyril Farrell (Galway), Pat Henderson (Kilkenny), Fr Michael O’Brien (Cork) and Liam Sheedy (Tipperary) are the others.6 If Limerick win, it will be the sixth All-Ireland medal for 15 of their players. No hurler outside Kilkenny, Cork or Tipperary has ever won more than five.7 There are seven Galway survivors from the 2018 final versus Limerick. Daithí Burke, Pádraic Mannion, Conor Whelan, Conor Cooney and Cathal Mannion all played in the match. Tom Monaghan and Seán Linnane were unused subs.Limerick manager John Kiely with Galway manager Michael Donoghue at the final whistle. Photograph: Tommy Dickson/Inpho 8 It’s been eight years since John Kiely and Micheál Donoghue faced each other in an All-Ireland final. This is the second longest gap between finals for any two managers to be opposing one another. Brian Cody and Liam Sheedy went nine years between 2010 and 2019 before meeting in the final for a second time.10 This is Kiely’s 10th season as Limerick manager. His five All-Ireland titles put him third on the all-time list behind Kilkenny duo Brian Cody (11) and Fr Tommy Maher (seven). Only two other men have done it three times – Bertie Troy (Cork) and Cyril Farrell.15 There are 15 Limerick survivors from the 2018 final versus Galway. Nickie Quaid, Seán Finn, Mike and Peter Casey, Dan and Tom Morrissey, Diarmaid Byrnes, Cian Lynch, Darragh O’Donovan, Gearoid Hegarty, Kyle Hayes, Aaron Gillane and Will O’Donoghue all played in that final. Barry Nash and David Reidy were unused subs.21 It has been 21 years since Galway beat Limerick in a championship match. That 2005 qualifier in the Gaelic Grounds is also the only time Galway have beaten Limerick outside of Croke Park. Limerick have won all four matches since then, each of them at GAA HQ.25 The jubilee team presented before this final will be the Tipperary All-Ireland winners of 2001. They beat Galway by 2-18 to 2-15, thanks to two goals from wing forward Mark O’Leary. Joe Rabbitte played in his third All-Ireland final for Galway that day; his son Jason appears in his first on Sunday.50 In the past 50 years, the All-Ireland final has been won just nine times by the team scoring the fewest goals on the day. Limerick and Galway are the only teams to have done it since the turn of the century, Limerick in 2022 and 2023, Galway in 2017.