All Ireland Championships 2014

[Leonormous Boozer]

Wexford had a good season but bottled it, ran out of gas, GAA clichéd on Sunday, they're building and look like they could contend for Leinsters very soon and All-Ireland's down the line. Dublin on the other hand took two steps back from last year with an ageing side, Sutcliffe, McCrabbe and Keaney were found wanting due to varying reasons from injury and being played out of position to just struggling in a poor side, without those three Dublin don't score much. Even for a county like Dublin it's hard to fight on both fronts and Football will always be give priority in the capital so we'll need to be lucky to win a hurling All-Ireland but it's far from impossible.

Anyone think that penalties in hurling should be changed to one player in goal with the keeper? Because goal saving fouls often go unpunished or cost the team only a point, Dublin for example got two points from their last two penalties choosing to knock one of them straight over the bar. Admittedly I don't watch much hurling as I do football and I've never played the sport but I think it's a flawed system if ever a team that is losing by a handful of points choose to settle for a point from a penalty received after a foul stopped a goalscoring chance.

 

[munstermuffin]

Cmac regards penalty. I wouldn't change it like in a way Dublin took point but bottle to pick spot in a penalty in hurling is needed to.
Regards Wexford and to a lesser extent Tipp. Have they been good though like in fairness to Wexford they lost to Dublin who weren't great this year, beat Clare in 2 thrilling games but Clare have been poor this year, beat Waterford team that will be in trouble for few years. Then trounced by Limerick.
Tipp jury still out because Galway weren't great this year and Dublin weren't right this year

 

[SimonG]

Only found out yesterday that Tyrone had been knocked out two weeks ago...dedicated fan me.

I think being the best team of the first decade of the 21st century has led to a lot of complacency here. We kept giving Kerry a hiding and all of a sudden lost much of the hunger and manic desire to continue winning. Guess its hard to maintain being top dogs. What we kept doing to Kerry a very hungry Cork side did to us a few years ago and we haven't been the same since. Once you've climbed Everest it becomes hard to find the desire to get back up there.

 

[SimonG]

Dublin just don't have the class to compete at the very highest level. A lot of their best players are very athletic and have great engines, but they have very few really skillful hurlers.

The same applies for most of the country where football dominates. This is a tiny country with a small playing pool, and if most of your best sportsmen play gaelic football it leaves hurling with the scraps.

How many of the 32 counties have hurling as the major Gaelic sport? 5 or 6?

 

[munstermuffin]

Only found out yesterday that Tyrone had been knocked out two weeks ago...dedicated fan me.

I think being the best team of the first decade of the 21st century has led to a lot of complacency here. We kept giving Kerry a hiding and all of a sudden lost much of the hunger and manic desire to continue winning. Guess its hard to maintain being top dogs. What we kept doing to Kerry a very hungry Cork side did to us a few years ago and we haven't been the same since. Once you've climbed Everest it becomes hard to find the desire to get back up there.

Well on top of that Mickey Harte lost a lot of his core team in space of 2 years and like all teams has had to rebuild. Mix that with personal tragedy this man has dealt with and it's clear why he's a hero to a lot. He seems to be getting some progress again now with this new bunch and hunger is slowly returning but they're still over reliant on Sean Cavanagh.

Regards hurling.
Galway
Clare
Cork
Limerick
Waterford
Offaly
Tipp
Wexford
Kilkenny

That's the list of counties where hurling is #1

 

[SimonG]

Good vid on the subject of dual players, specifically the Dubs, where most choose football

https://youtube.com/watch?v=BiqutAURRRY

And on hurling, Galway and Cork most choose hurling? Really? Any participation numbers on this?

 

[munstermuffin]

Good vid on the subject of dual players, specifically the Dubs, where most choose football

https://youtube.com/watch?v=BiqutAURRRY

And on hurling, Galway and Cork most choose hurling? Really? Any participation numbers on this?

Just look at guys that play both and it's easy to see.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Good vid on the subject of dual players, specifically the Dubs, where most choose football

https://youtube.com/watch?v=BiqutAURRRY

And on hurling, Galway and Cork most choose hurling? Really? Any participation numbers on this?

I couldn't tell you the numbers but the current Cork football side are down a handful of starters who are hurling.

As for Tyrone, I agree with Munstermuffin. Canavan, Dooher, Mugsy, Mcmenamin, O'Neill (Briefly, but he hasn't delivered in big games since his return) all retired in a short time period and Tyrone haven't recovered yet. It's time now for Harte to step down and allow a new man to rebuild the side because it's a county that will always have footballing potential which I like to see them fulfil because despite being a Dub I do quite like them as they have contributed to 2/3rds of my 100% success rate of seeing Kerry lose All Ireland finals and I have to keep granny happy!

 

[big ginger 8]

Just look at guys that play both and it's easy to see.

Depends on the areas really. There's regions of Galway where it's only football.

 

[William18]

Just one question:

How come Dublin doesn't just win this every year? They easily have the most population. Do players generally represent the area where they are from or do they move around a bit? Both Hurling and Gaelic football look like really good sports to play. The attendances at both are impressive in Ireland.

 

[munstermuffin]

Depends on the areas really. There's regions of Galway where it's only football.

Of course I accept that. It's like in Cork there's a stronghold in football to but most dual players in Cork or Galway prefer hurling.

 

[SimonG]

Ok just had a look at success...Galway have nine football all-Ireland's...two in the last 15 years. They have four hurling all-Ireland's...the last 25 years ago.

So more than double football success..and when you take into account football is about three times more competitive it makes the gulf in success between the two sports even bigger.

Cork I can see they have been far more successful at hurling. Having said that they have always been a quality outfit at football and missed out on quite a few ***les due to the extra competition they face in (being in the same province as Kerry doesn't help either).

There are very few counties that are just hurling. As good as they undoubtedly are, for me Kilkenny get far too easy a ride.

 

[SimonG]

I couldn't tell you the numbers but the current Cork football side are down a handful of starters who are hurling.

As for Tyrone, I agree with Munstermuffin. Canavan, Dooher, Mugsy, Mcmenamin, O'Neill (Briefly, but he hasn't delivered in big games since his return) all retired in a short time period and Tyrone haven't recovered yet. It's time now for Harte to step down and allow a new man to rebuild the side because it's a county that will always have footballing potential which I like to see them fulfil because despite being a Dub I do quite like them as they have contributed to 2/3rds of my 100% success rate of seeing Kerry lose All Ireland finals and I have to keep granny happy!

Agree we lost quite a lot of players in a short space...but I've heard from people in and around the camp that say the intensity isn't what it was. New players have come in thinking its easy street...success will be handed on a plate. Tyrons have a massive pool of players and should be a hell of a lot better than they have been of late. Naturally Mickey's situation puts things in perspective and there wont be the same desire...personally I think he should have the job as long as he wants..he's earned it. Not just for his senior success, he transformed the under age set up. Plus I think it's been his saviour the past three years.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Just one question:

How come Dublin doesn't just win this every year? They easily have the most population. Do players generally represent the area where they are from or do they move around a bit? Both Hurling and Gaelic football look like really good sports to play. The attendances at both are impressive in Ireland.

There's a bit of moving around but not a lot, players usually want to play for their own county. The reason Dublin don't win in Hurling is because up until about 10 years ago it wasn't really played at all it was, and still probably is, the fourth most popular sport in the county after G. Football, Soccer and Rugby. In football Dublin is historically the 2nd best county after Kerry who are similar to New Zealand in terms of rugby, they breath the sport and it's pretty much the only sport they play down there which is shown by the fact that for quite a large county they only have a handful of successful sportsmen who aren't Gaelic Footballers. The Dublin GAA county board has really got their act together in recent years however and they look to be rapidly improving in hurling, not this year though, and dominating the football, they're the best team in the country this year by quite a distance after having won last year and in 2011 as well.

 

[profitius]

Ok just had a look at success...Galway have nine football all-Ireland's...two in the last 15 years. They have four hurling all-Ireland's...the last 25 years ago.

So more than double football success..and when you take into account football is about three times more competitive it makes the gulf in success between the two sports even bigger.

Cork I can see they have been far more successful at hurling. Having said that they have always been a quality outfit at football and missed out on quite a few ***les due to the extra competition they face in (being in the same province as Kerry doesn't help either).

There are very few counties that are just hurling. As good as they undoubtedly are, for me Kilkenny get far too easy a ride.

Generally speaking west Cork is Gaelic football and east Cork is hurling. Cork footballers don't have the best reputation in Cork.

 

[SimonG]

On the subject of Cork GAA, I think of four things when I think of them,

Larry Tompkins, Barry's tea, Colin Corkery, and that goalkeeper with his pulled up striped socks who made a stuttered run up before every kick out.

The hurling side I know next to nothing about.,.other than that dual code player 0' somebody (black curly haired fella)

 

[Feicarsinn]

Sombrero man too.

 

[munstermuffin]

On dual issue in paper today Teddy McCarthy pretty much says same as me. In Cork and Galway talented guys in both codes sway towards Hurling where as Dublin it's toward Football. I'd say out of all top hurling counties Dublin is only 1 that can pull lads away from hurling easy

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Just saw my club features a lot in the Electric Ireland minor football ad, g'wan Olafs!!!

 

[big ginger 8]

Just saw my club features a lot in the Electric Ireland minor football ad, g'wan Olafs!!!

Whatevs you're not 2003 All Ireland champs.