The 'back-door' system

Since its inception in 1887 the championship had been played on a straight knock-out basis. If any team was defeated at any stage of the provincial or All-Ireland competitions it meant automatic elimination. This system was deemed the fairest as the All-Ireland champions would always be the team who won all of their games. There were some problems with this system. Over the years Galway had become the only credible hurling team in Connacht, thus giving them an automatic pass into the All-Ireland semi-finals every year. Similarly in Ulster there were many problems as hurling was much weaker and confined to a small few counties in the north-east of the province.

In 1995 the Hurling Development Committee began investigating a way of improving hurling in general and revamping the championship. Their proposals involved allowing the defeated Munster and Leinster finalists to re-enter the All-Ireland championship. Although the two provincial final winners would automatically qualify for the All-Ireland semi-finals the two defeated provincial teams would join Galway and the Ulster champions in two play-off games or 'quarter-finals'. The two winners from these two games would then qualify for the semi-finals where they would be drawn against the Leinster and Munster champions. Repeat games would be avoided in the All-Ireland semi-final stage.

At the start of 1996 these proposals looked unlikely of being introduced, however, a whistle-stop tour undertaken by the committee's secretary Frank Murphy and Pat Daly, the GAA's Games Development Officer, had changed the position. In April 1996 the committee's proposals were accepted at the GAA's annual congress. Most counties supported the new proposals and motion 15 (a) was passed with more than a two-thirds majority.

Betting

Prior to the opening of the championship former All-Ireland-winning manager Éamonn Cregan gave his predictions for the upcoming championship in the Irish Times. As with the previous three championships the field was wide open. Although they were the reigning champions, Wexford were given little chance of making it two-in-a-row. The departure of manager Liam Griffin and the sheer exertion of winning the previous years' title meant that Wexford's hurlers, it seemed, had reached their peak. Wexford's greatest rivals, Kilkenny, were tipped for success. Having failed to land the provincial title since 1993, former player and current manager Nickey Brennan seemed to have reignited the hunger. Offaly, a team that had reached two out of the last three championship deciders, were regarded as being up there with Kilkenny. One problem was the age profile of some of the team's players, while a lack of strength in depth on the bench also militated against Offaly's chances. The return of Cyril Farrell as manager of the Galway team seemed to give the team a boost. Farrell guided his native county to three All-Ireland titles in the 1980s and seemed to be blessed with a very strong panel at the start of his third stint as manager. Limerick, the All-Ireland runners-up of the previous year, were again touted as a team that could make the big breakthrough. Two All-Ireland final defeats in three years, however, lead some commentators to question the mental toughness of the team. Clare, the surprise champions of two years earlier, seemed to be in decline and were seen as having reached their zenith in 1995. Tipperary, however, were viewed as the dark horses of the championship. Although the 'big three' were in decline for a number of years, a resurgent John Leahy seemed to give Tipp a half-chance of landing the championship title.

To Championship

Promoted from the All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship

• None

From Championship

Regraded to the All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship

• Carlow
• London

Withdrew from Championship

• New York

Participating counties

Format

Scoring

• First goal of the championship: Eamon Morrissey for Dublin against Westmeath (Leinster quarter-final)
• Last goal of the championship: Eugene O'Neill for Tipperary against Clare (All-Ireland final)
• Hat-trick heroes:
  • First hat-trick of the championship: Ger Ennis for Dublin against Westmeath (Leinster quarter-final)
  • Second hat-trick of the championship: Alan Kerins for Galway against Roscommon (Connacht final)
• Widest winning margin: 37 points
  • Galway 6-24 : 0-5 Roscommon (Connacht final)
• Most goals in a match: 7
  • Dublin 5-15 : 2-8 Westmeath (Leinster quarter-final)
  • Kilkenny 4-15 : 3-16 Galway (All-Ireland quarter-final)
• Most points in a match: 37
  • Limerick 2-20 : 1-17 Waterford (Munster quarter-final)
  • Clare 1-19 : 0-18 Cork (Munster semi-final)
• Most goals by one team in a match: 6
  • Galway 6-24 : 0-5 Roscommon (Connacht final)
• Most goals scored by a losing team: 3
  • Galway 3-16 : 4-15 Kilkenny (All-Ireland quarter-final)
  • Down 3-8 : 3-24 Tipperary (All-Ireland quarter-final)
• Most points scored by a losing team: 18
  • Cork 0-18 : 1-19 Clare(Munster semi-final)
  • Tipperary 0-18 : 1-18 Clare(Munster final)

Discipline

• First yellow card of the championship: Alfie Devine for Westmeath against Dublin (Leinster quarter-final)
• Last yellow card of the championship: Brian O'Meara for Tipperary against Clare (All-Ireland final)

Miscellaneous

• The meeting of Clare and Tipperary in the All-Ireland final was the first time that two teams from the same province met in the championship decider.

Season

Single game