Biggest Hurling Shocks

bonzothedog

Straight Talker wrote: »

Asdfgh2020 wrote: »

Both Kilkenny and Tipp had an off form year in 2013.I suppose that was the poorest Cork side (the defence in particular) to play in an all Ireland final in living memory. If we won it would have been a flash in the pan all Ireland, which that all Ireland for Clare was.

Fair dues to Clare they won that all Ireland, but they did nothing after it, and there were hyped up as some sort of new all conquering hurling force after that all Ireland win. I don't want to sound like im putting down Clare, but that Clare team was way overrated in my opinion.

Well in fairness they had won 3 under 21 All Irelands in a row as well as winning the All Ireland under 21 in 2009 so there was plenty of pedigree on that team. The argument in Clare was that overcomplicated playing tactics stifled the team who were more suited to an off the cuff type of game. Davy Fitz favoured the sweeper system that curtailed this team I think.
Interestingly in both finals in 2013 they went orthodox and basically outscored their opponents but sadly reverted to a sweeper for the 3 seasons after that and failed to make an impression. This was the first time a Clare team had beaten a Cork team in a senior hurling final of any description.
With the introduction of Donal Moloney and Gerry O Connor the team did return to Croke Park in 2018 only to be eventually beaten by the current Champions Galway in the semi final replay.
They got there, took their chance, fair play to them.

Corcaigh84

Straight Talker wrote: »

Asdfgh2020 wrote: »

Both Kilkenny and Tipp had an off form year in 2013.I suppose that was the poorest Cork side (the defence in particular) to play in an all Ireland final in living memory. If we won it would have been a flash in the pan all Ireland, which that all Ireland for Clare was.

Christ I'd have taken a flash in the pan, goals win games etc! Incidentally I was sitting two seats down from Hennessy the first day. He had his stopwatch out - "I've still got the fastest goal in a final!". A legendary goal scorer for Cork, and one of the funniest men you could meet.

bonzothedog

Absolutely, ask Ken McGrath, John Mullane, all those fantastic Waterford, Limerick hurlers in the 90s - Carey, Kirby, Houlihan, the Cork players since the mid 2000's, the Galway teams throughout the 1990's and the 2000s.

Straight Talker

bonzothedog wrote: »

Straight Talker wrote: »

Well in fairness they had won 3 under 21 All Irelands in a row as well as winning the All Ireland under 21 in 2009 so there was plenty of pedigree on that team. The argument in Clare was that overcomplicated playing tactics stifled the team who were more suited to an off the cuff type of game. Davy Fitz favoured the sweeper system that curtailed this team I think.
Interestingly in both finals in 2013 they went orthodox and basically outscored their opponents but sadly reverted to a sweeper for the 3 seasons after that and failed to make an impression. This was the first time a Clare team had beaten a Cork team in a senior hurling final of any description.
With the introduction of Donal Moloney and Gerry O Connor the team did return to Croke Park in 2018 only to be eventually beaten by the current Champions Galway in the semi final replay.
They got there, took their chance, fair play to them.

I don't begrudge that Clare team at all. They won a few underage all Irelands, but they had a few mediocre seasons at senior level before 2013. They won a senior all Ireland ahead of schedule, but they then went back to being mediocre again at senior level. They couldn't even win a munster title. I thought thought Clare would kick on from that all Ireland win, but it just didn't happen. But that 2013 all Ireland win for Clare is in the books forever, and fair play to them.

Straight Talker

Corcaigh84 wrote: »

Straight Talker wrote: »

Christ I'd have taken a flash in the pan, goals win games etc! Incidentally I was sitting two seats down from Hennessy the first day. He had his stopwatch out - "I've still got the fastest goal in a final!". A legendary goal scorer for Cork, and one of the funniest men you could meet.

There was a story in the book The Double by Adrian Russell, about John Fitzgibbon and Kevin Hennessy before a match against Limerick. Fitzy will we polish this lot off nice and early says Hennessy? Arra we'll win by about 15 points says Fitzy. And sure enough Cork did go on to hammer the living daylights out of limerick! Ha ha ha Hennessy was completely taken aback by Fitzys swagger and arrogance, when he recounted the story!

Sure i'd take a flash in the pan all Ireland as well. But the greatest teams of our modern history in both codes, were the three in a row hurling team of the 70's and the footballers in 1989/1990. I'd love to see us finally produce a team in both codes better than those two.

cms88

Straight Talker wrote: »

bonzothedog wrote: »

I don't begrudge that Clare team at all. They won a few underage all Irelands, but they had a few mediocre seasons at senior level before 2013. They won a senior all Ireland ahead of schedule, but they then went back to being mediocre again at senior level. They couldn't even win a munster title. I thought thought Clare would kick on from that all Ireland win, but it just didn't happen. But that 2013 all Ireland win for Clare is in the books forever, and fair play to them.

To be fair Clare did win the League a few years after so it's not true to say they didn't win anything after 2013

maniac2003

Ain't seen it mentioned here yet but westmeath beat tipperary in the league Div 2 to get promotion somewhere around mid eighties(1985/1986) from memory. Westmeath were very competitive back then. A big shock not match related though is the offaly decline in the past ten years i don't think anyone saw how low a level they're gone to happening.

cms88

maniac2003 wrote: »

Ain't seen it mentioned here yet but westmeath beat tipo in the league somewhere around mid eighties from memory. Westmeath were very competitive back then. A big shock not match related though is the offaly decline in the past ten years i don't think anyone saw how low a level they're gone to happening.

Kerry beat Clare in their first game after winning the All-Ireland in 1995 when the league stated in the winter. Again at the time Kerry were very competitive.

happyoutscan

Westmeath beating Kilkenny in the U21 Leinster Championship in 2016!

Scoundrel

Antrim beating Clare today!!! Clare were 1/16

supernova5

Scoundrel wrote: »

Antrim beating Clare today!!! Clare were 1/16

are you joking..

if you look back historically Antrim always put it up to the top teams in their first game of the League playing on home ground

its only a mild surprise

breezy1985

supernova5 wrote: »

are you joking..

if you look back historically Antrim always put it up to the top teams in their first game of the League playing on home ground

its only a mild surprise

Also they have had extra group training time no. Or did the GAA set a 32 county rule for restrictions ?

howiya

breezy1985 wrote: »

Also they have had extra group training time no. Or did the GAA set a 32 county rule for restrictions ?

Not sure if they'd additional time at county level but clubs are already playing matches up there whereas adult teams are only going back training here from tomorrow.