Late bloomers in hurling

pmy.murphy

what intercounty hurlers didnt make their countys minor or u21 teams or even their school/colleges team if there are any?????

DublinGAA96

pmy.murphy wrote: »

what intercounty hurlers didnt make their countys minor or u21 teams or even their school/colleges team if there are any?????

First hurler that springs to my Mind is Lar Corbett. He didn't play minor hurling for Tipp, and I recall even reading that he doesn't have any underage medals. Playing minor or u21 isn't the be all and end all, I mean it's just as good If not better to not because you will work extra hard to get something you want(play senior for county). From my experiences, development squads aren't great in most places, coaching isn't what it should be, there's a lot to be Desired for them.

premierstone

DublinGAA96 wrote: »

First hurler that springs to my Mind is Lar Corbett. He didn't play minor hurling for Tipp, and I recall even reading that he doesn't have any underage medals. Playing minor or u21 isn't the be all and end all, I mean it's just as good If not better to not because you will work extra hard to get something you want(play senior for county). From my experiences, development squads aren't great in most places, coaching isn't what it should be, there's a lot to be Desired for them.

It wasnt that Lar was a late developer as such though, the reason he wasnt a county minor is he retired from hurling between the ages of 16 to 18, he has underage medals and in fact made he's return for Thurles in a minor final, which he then preceeded to win almost single handed.

Clareman

Brian Lohan couldn't make the Comp team when he was in school (he was a sub)

Mountainlad

Stephen Molumphy and Brian Phelan would be two from Waterford, if you mean they weren't involved in underage teams.

hefferboi

Michael Webster I think!

Mountainlad

hefferboi wrote: »

Michael Webster I think!

Now it depends on what your definition of a bloomer is!

dotsflan

Martin comerford was a late bloomer from what i can remember

Mountainlad

dotsflan wrote: »

Martin comerford was a late bloomer from what i can remember

And Eddie Brennan I think too!

Fentdog84

Id imagine they are few and far between. Usually, if you dont play minor/u-21 at inter-county level its very hard to break into the reckoning for the senior team afterwards, unless its someone really exeptional.Thats wrong, imo. A few of the great Clare team of 90's didnt play underage for the county or with any great distinction because Loughnane only picked players who were physically strong, wouldnt give out under pressure and who fitted into his game plan. Hence, no shapers were allowed on that team.

From what i gather the expectation level with Shefflin wasnt huge in Kilkenny when he was a minor. He didnt turn out a bad aul hurler now Derek Lyng was only hurling junior for Urlingford Emeralds also around 2001 when he got the call off Cody.

Shane McGrath couldnt even make the Flannans team when he was a young lad.

Declan Fanning amazingly didnt even get a medal in 2001 and he was highly thought of in Tipp i can tell you. Fair enough Philly Maher was hurling great stuff at the time but its the mad the fact Decky wasnt on the panel and he was so versatile. Most of his hurling sure was done at right wing back or left wing back which at that time we had Paul Kelly on the left and John Carroll on the right....both of which were natural forwards.

Not sure if his fellow Killenaule man Pat Kerwick ever played under 21 or minor for Tipp either. Only called up properly by Sheedy when he was 26 and was instrumental in Tipp getting to semi in 2008 and final in 2009 when he even caught some great ball against that Kilkenny half back line.

hefferboi

hefferboi wrote: »

Michael Webster I think!

Webster come on the scene in 2005 in a blaze of glory when even the Rock O'Sullivan found it hard to cope with him in the Munster final that year. 2006 looked promising but he fell out with Babs.
He had super strength and proved a useful foil for Kelly and Corbett for a while but then Full backs learned how to cope with him.

premierstone

Deleted User wrote: »

Declan Fanning amazingly didnt even get a medal in 2001 and he was highly thought of in Tipp i can tell you. Fair enough Philly Maher was hurling great stuff at the time but its the mad the fact Decky wasnt on the panel and he was so versatile. Most of his hurling sure was done at right wing back or left wing back which at that time we had Paul Kelly on the left and John Carroll on the right....both of which were natural forwards.

There was nothing amazing about it really, firstly John Carrol was not wing back, Eamon Corcoran was, secondly Philip Maher was undoubtedly the best full back in the country at the time until hes untimely injury and thirdly Fanning was nowhere near that that panel at the time, you are right though he is a perfect example of a late bloomer and was instrumental in the 2010 win and still hasnt been replaced.

premierstone

Deleted User wrote: »

Webster come on the scene in 2005 in a blaze of glory when even the Rock O'Sullivan found it hard to cope with him in the Munster final that year. 2006 looked promising but he fell out with Babs.
He had super strength and proved a useful foil for Kelly and Corbett for a while but then Full backs learned how to cope with him.

Come on Tipp lets call a spade a spade he is one of the worst players to ever wear the blue and gold plain and simple, a poor club hurler on a good day!

premierstone

premierstone wrote: »

Come on Tipp lets call a spade a spade he is one of the worst players to ever wear the blue and gold plain and simple, a poor club hurler on a good day!

i admit he had **** all skill and we may as well of had a rugby player playing for us.

premierstone

premierstone wrote: »

There was nothing amazing about it really, firstly John Carrol was not wing back, Eamon Corcoran was, secondly Philip Maher was undoubtedly the best full back in the country at the time until hes untimely injury and thirdly Fanning was nowhere near that that panel at the time, you are right though he is a perfect example of a late bloomer and was instrumental in the 2010 win and still hasnt been replaced.

Right on Corcoran. Carroll pushed up to wing forward and Paul Kelly slotted in at wing back.

Corcoran switched from no 7 over to no 5 and in fairness to him he was a rock for us over the years. I dont deny Maher was immovable during that time and Fanning wouldnt dislodge him but i would definately think Fanning was worth a place on the panel due to the fact he was a more solid wing back than both kelly and john carroll.

Also at the time john devane was second choice to philip maher as full back and paul curran was very young at the time. fanning was in the very least as good as both devane and curran as an option.

mickmcl09

Eoin Larkin KK. Not sure that he made KK u21 and POTY a few years later.

premierstone

Deleted User wrote: »

i admit he had **** all skill and we may as well of had a rugby player playing for us.

He did at least embarrass Lohan one day in the Gaeliuc Grounds which was hilarious, Lohan just couldnt handle he's size, but he wa a one trick pony and tbh it was'nt a very good trick!!

Deleted User wrote: »

Right on Corcoran. Carroll pushed up to wing forward and Paul Kelly slotted in at wing back.

Corcoran switched from no 7 over to no 5 and in fairness to him he was a rock for us over the years. I dont deny Maher was immovable during that time and Fanning wouldnt dislodge him but i would definately think Fanning was worth a place on the panel due to the fact he was a more solid wing back than both kelly and john carroll.

Also at the time john devane was second choice to philip maher as full back and paul curran was very young at the time. fanning was in the very least as good as both devane and curran as an option.

The only one off the 2001 team I would have had Fanning ahead of at the time was Tomas Costello, who it still amazes me to this day how we won an AI with Tomas corner back, Fanning really did improve post 2001 however and its safe to say he wasa huge part of the 2009-2010 teams success.

BOSTIK

wrote:

Declan Fanning actually played full forward on a Tipp minor hurling team that threw away a seemingly unassailable lead against Galway in 1997. He didn't make the Tipp U-21 team in 2000.

Don't think he'd have been anywhere near the senior panel in 2001. What really helped his escalation to the hurling panel in 2004 was the year he spent playing centre back for the senior footballers in 2003. It got him noticed and in conjunction with some good displays for Killenaule was enough to earn him a call-up from Ken Hogan.

mickmcl09

Another late bloomer in the sense that he wasn't a stand out at underage - Seanie McMahon couldn't make the Barefield minors at 17 and 5 years later he's winning an All-Ireland at centre back for Clare and proving himself to be the best CB in the country in the 90's.

premierstone

mickmcl09 wrote: »

Another late bloomer in the sense that he wasn't a stand out at underage - Seanie McMahon couldn't make the Barefield minors at 17 and 5 years later he's winning an All-Ireland at centre back for Clare and proving himself to be the best CB in the country in the 90's.

I'm sure Brian Whelehan and Ciaran Carey amongst others might have something to say about the bolded bit

premierstone

premierstone wrote: »

I'm sure Brian Whelehan and Ciaran Carey amongst others might have something to say about the bolded bit

True. Brian Corcoran wasnt bad there either when he came back in 1998

mickmcl09

Brian Whelahan was a wing back. Carey was good, but not in McMahons league. Corcoran was in McMahons league to be fair and a better all rounder but Seanie still edges it slightly at CB for me.
Carey, Corcoran and Whelahan were all early bloomers as well as it happens, playing inter county in their teens.

Formosa

mickmcl09 wrote: »

Eoin Larkin KK. Not sure that he made KK u21 and POTY a few years later.

He was a sub on the 2002 AI minor winning team. Well down the pecking order, although I remember seeing him in a minor club match against my club and he was head and shoulders above anyone else on the field.

I think the minor management may have seen him as "troublesome".

He was sub for U21s in 2004, coming on in the final victory over Tipp (I think from memory he may have scored a goal) and was one of the big names on the 2005 U21 team which lost the final to Galway.

EKRIUQ

JJ Delaney was a late bloomer also for Kilkenny, couldn't make the St Kierans team at the time

Formosa

EKRIUQ wrote: »

JJ Delaney was a late bloomer also for Kilkenny, couldn't make the St Kierans team at the time

I'm pretty sure he didn't go to Kierans??

Think he went to Johnstown V.S.

Anyway he was on the Kilkenny senior team in 2001 at 19, first year out of minor and had I think two years with the county minors, so I think you are incorrect there.