The 2024 GAA year provided its ups and downs and this is perhaps the ideal time in which to take stock. I would prefer to dwell on the plus factors but the setbacks have of necessity to be acknowledged. While sport can transport people to the highest peaks, it can also deliver telling blows from which it can prove difficult to recover. The year just ending has furnished us with highlights that will live long in the memory but it has also provided us with telling reminders that success will only be achieved through relentless sacrifice and ceaseless commitment. Here is my look back across the past 12 months.