PICS: An amazing gesture from Pauric Mahony to the fan who consoled him after Kilkenny defeat

Sheer class from the Waterford man.

It’s probably the sporting photo of the year. On Saturday night in Thurles, Waterford’s Pauric Mahony was slumped onto the ground, distraught following defeat to Kilkenny in an epic All-Ireland semi-final replay. Mahony, whose last-minute attempt at an equaliser from a long-range free was grabbed from over the crossbar by Kilkenny goalkeeper Eoin Murphy, was understandably heartbroken under the circumstances. Immediately after the final whistle, a fan in a Kilkenny jersey rushed towards Murphy in an attempt to provide some consolation, a lovely sight and an illustration of what sport is all about. The fan has since been revealed as Jennifer Malone and on Tuesday evening, her mother Donna revealed that Jennifer was presented with the jersey worn by Mahony on Saturday and a framed version of the photo, which was signed by Mahony himself. Class. If that gesture was good, then Jennifer’s day was truly made when she received a surprise phone call from her hero, Henry Shefflin, when her mother Donna spoke to John Masterson on KCLR Live on Tuesday afternoon about one of the best sporting images you’ll ever come across. On a day that saw Michael Conlan exit the Olympics in extremely controversial circumstances, something like this is enough to restore one’s faith in sport.