Paul Brady celebrates after winning his 11th oneills.com All-Ireland Senior Singles title in dramatic fashion at Croke Park.
By Paul Fitzpatrick
Fairytale endings are rare in elite sport but sometimes it appears that the true greats can bend things to their will. Giving up just shy of 20 years against the number one ranked player in the country in Cork’s David Walsh, Paul Brady (45) rounded off his domestic career with an 11th oneills.com All-Ireland Senior Singles title in dramatic fashion at Croke Park.
The Cavanman led most of the way in game one before Mallow’s Walsh came roaring back. Both men had chances to win it but Brady closed it out 21-20.
Ahead 8-1 in the second, he seemed to be cruising to a comfortable victory only to pick up a debilitating quad injury which necessitated a number of injury time-outs. Brady hobbled his way through the remainder of the second game, which the powerful Walsh won 21-13.
Brady had reached the final 12 months ago and found himself in a near-identical situation when injury struck; on that occasion, he was forced to forfeit but this time, he managed to eke out a win on an 11-9 scoreline, the match instantly being spoken about in handball circles as one of the greatest finals of all time.
“The same thing happened last year so it was just about managing the situation a wee bit better this year,” Brady said.
“I had a shoulder issue coming into it and I didn't get to play as much as I’d like so I think that kind of contributed to the conditioning aspect of it. It's obviously very difficult, the atmosphere and the heat on the day so I’m just happy I was able to get through it.”
Paul Brady in action in the oneills.com All-Ireland Senior Singles Final against David Walsh.
Brady took his regulation time-outs plus the permitted 15 minutes of injury time-outs, which he was able to take across a handful of breaks, after each of which he returned to the fray. It was a difficult situation for both players.
“Every time I came out, I was trying to get treatment. I didn't want to forfeit like last year. I wanted to finish the game out, even if I had to stand there, I was going to so I might as well make the best of the situation. That was my thought process.
“I’m very conscious of my self-talk, you're fighting it because you're thinking, ‘this is over here, it’s really gone from me, it's happened again’, and that's life. And then you're answering those doubts all the time. So it was just managing my thoughts and my self-talk and not giving in. You're having a battle with yourself and if I can win that battle in those situations, then I’ll win the game.”
Brady closed out the match with a flat roll-out off the back wall after Walsh, who came out of the match with his reputation greatly enhanced, marginally over-hit a ceiling shot. Given the timing, the pressure and the margins, it was the shot of the match and arguably the best one of a 25-year career in senior ranks.
“I suppose it was just a primal type shot. Everything went into, after having to forfeit at that stage last year when I was obviously well in command and knowing it was going to be my last game here, at this level.
“So I thought of that during that period before and I said, ‘right, I'm just gonna go for it here, give everything’. That's just it, I probably wasn't doing that in the game generally. That's a little bit disappointing for me, but that (the final shot) is normally how clinical I would be.”
Martina McMahon is presented with the ladies Senior Singles cup by GAA Handball President Conor McDonnell and Cormac Farrell of oneills.com (sponsors).
Meanwhile, the ladies Senior Singles title went to Limerick’s Martina McMahon for a second time after the Broadford left-hander delivered an outstanding performance to defeat Ciana Ní Churraoin of Galway.
McMahon had lost the final of the World Championships against the Micheál Breathnachs woman so this was a doubly sweet victory.
The Treaty star totally dominated the first game, running out a 21-5 victor, and while Ní Churaoin clawed her way back in the second, McMahon closed it out 21-18.
“It's a long seven years waiting for this. As everyone knows, I was out with injury but at the start of 2025 or the end of 2024, this was one of the goals on my agenda and I'm glad to have achieved it today,” McMahon said.
The chance for revenge was on her mind, she admitted.
“100pc, I was disappointed over the Worlds, obviously I would have liked to retain that title but I used it as fuel for the fire for this competition. And when I knew it was the two of us doing battle again today, I was hoping to get one up and I was glad I did,
“I can be a slow starter but today I did a better warm-up so I was going into the game with adrenaline pumping and a lot more on my toes so I think that kind of stood to me, I came out firing on all cylinders and probably played the game of my life.
“But I knew the second game was going to be different.”
The key spell, she felt, was the closing run of points.
“When I got from 18 to 20 (was crucial). Ciana got me out at 18 all and in my head, as I was receiving serve, I was just saying 'don't let me get a point'. So I think it was crucial at that point to just get a hand-out without any ace and just try to close it out.
“It's a lot easier said than done, when you're in there it's one point at a time but those three points at the end were the toughest three points for me.”