WATCH: Did Laois muscle mangle the Joe McDonagh Cup in Croke Park?
Joe McDonagh Cup trophy snapped during the celebrations shown live on The Sunday Game
GAA trophies often get damaged during exuberant celebrations after finals, but what befell the Joe McDonagh Cup after it was won by Laois is sure to have broken some sort of record.
The Leinster Express / Laois Live has pinpointed the moment when the trophy snapped at the neck in the Hogan Stand as Laois players were passing it to each other after the presentation by GAA president Jarlath Burns.
Something appeared to wobble when Mark Dowling and Mossy Keyes replaced the trophy on the podium after jointly lifting the trophy.
Next up were Aaron Dunphy and Aidan Corby. They also jointly lifted the cup, but when it was in mid-air, the base went tumbling to the ground to the bemusement of players, GAA officials, and fans in the stadium. MORE BELOW PHOTO.
RTÉ commentator Joanne Cantwell and her fellow pundits on The Sunday Game were also taken aback by how easily the damage happened. Photogrpahers captured the cup being carried around the hallowed turf in two halves after the game.
The players continued to lift the top half of the cup, and it was still bottomless by the time it was brought home to Portlaoise by the Laois squad later Saturday.
Croke Park officials are sure to want to get their hands on the trophy from Laois GAA to have it repaired or replaced for next year, but for now it stays in Laois, where it’ll be celebrated far and wide, damage or no damage.