If only Matty/Mattie had been there to tap over a few handy ones after Lyng scored the goalâŚ
obviously an asterisk beside Tyroneâs all Ireland that year in hindsight
Fixed that for you
Correct ref respect
Best long grass victory - Waterford in Nowlan Park in 2003 as already referenced by @Fagan_ODowd. We were capable of anything, from very good to very bad, but I felt Waterford were a bit flaky or showy or something and that we would beat them. Think Mullane was on fire early on but we got to grips with him. It was the game where Larry Murphy came on as a first half sub and was outstanding. I mentioned this recently but I fondly recall Darragh Ryan (not wearing a helmet) pinning Seamus Prendergast (wearing a helmet with a face guard) down inside the Wexford goalmouth after a shemozzle and proceeding to box the head off him for ages. Now he probably did more damage to his own hands but it was gas. Nowlan Park is a great championship venue too and Kilkenny is a grand spot for pints. A Saturday evening throw in is ideal if you arrive in the early afternoon and stay over. Pints pints pints beforehand and maybe Breda Breda Breda in Langtonâs nite club afterwards.
Most unexpected victory - Has to be Kilkenny in 2004 as described by @Mac with honourable mention of Tipperary in the 2007 quarter final. 2004 had been a welcome relief but Kilkenny were dominant at that stage and had inflicted some demoralising defeats on us either side of it. We were quite low after the 2007 Leinster Final and it was incredible to rebound and defeat a side managed by the legendary Babs Keating; a team of such strength that Brendan Cummins and Eoin Kelly were only deemed worthy of places on the bench. Cork in Thurles in 2016 was a nice surprise too after our brutal 2015 campaign. Conran, Meyler and Dunne in charge in 2004, 2007 and 2016 in that order.
Most unexpected moral victory - While Kilkenny dished out several heavy beatings to us in the Cody era, we had a couple of right good battles with them when we did ourselves justice but came up just short. Think we played well in the Leinster Final in 2002, losing 0-19 to 0-17. We also played well against them in 2005 or 2006 under Maggot Murphy when we raced into an early lead after Des Mythen scored a lovely goal and Eoin Quigley flicked up and doubled on that ball over the bar from halfway. They reeled us in but we battled away and only lost by 3ish. The 2008 quarter final defeat to Waterford by 3-16 to 2-18 fits into this category too. Kilkenny had demolished us that year by 5-21 to 0-17 and we were severely injury depleted for the QF. Stephen Doyle got one, if not two, great goals and we were unlucky not to win that game. Only considering defeats on the day here rather than the many drawn matches where we didnât show up in the replay. That leads me toâŚ
Flattest performance - 1993 Leinster Final replay, 2001 All Ireland semi final replay, 2003 All Ireland semi final replay, 2004 All Ireland semi final. The replays were high profile occasions when we just didnât get anywhere near our display in the first game and 2004 came when we were Leinster champions. But there have been similar stories in other games too - we exited the championship at the QF stage to Clare in both 2005 and 2006 in very tame fashion under Maggot. Post John Meyler, we started to feel the impact of good, older lads bowing out, other lads not making themselves available and not enough new talent being developed or introduced. Colm Bonnar seemed like a nice, thoughtful fella but we needed someone else at the time. We delivered some listless displays under him and surrended meekly in qualifier games away to Tipp and Limerick in 2010 and 2011 respectively, for example. The annihilation away to Kilkenny in 2015 (5-25 to 0-16, was it?) under Liam Dunne was really bad, especially after weâd beaten Clare and Waterford the year before and expectations had increased. The Joachim Kelly era was a disaster and I recall us rolling over to Offaly one year around 1999 or 2000 and losing by 3-16 to 1-8 or thereabouts. That leads me toâŚ
Toughest defeat to swallow - Offaly in 1998 and the last gasp Johnny Dooley goal. My (biased and fading) memories are that we were comfortably the better side for most of the game, didnât convert our superiority onto the scoreboard yet still led all through and werenât helped by Aodhan Mac Suibhne screwing us over. I think Johnny Pilkington should have been sent off and we were on the end of several questionable decisions. Then having to deal with Biffos going buck ape and yahooing in faces. Oh dear. Last yearâs semi final loss was very tough too, but it was bittersweet because we reinvented hurling in the process.
Great days though, even the shit ones if you get my drift.
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Surely losing an All Ireland final to the most blatant square ball of all time hurts more than losing a QF to a goal ruled out for a square ball, no ??
Unreal performance, probably wouldnât have gone only we had a chap from the club playing in the minor. Was damn glad afterwards that I had.
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Thatâs the fella, couldnât think of his first name.
I remember him putting over a point from way out late on in the game that was basically the final nail in our coffin, and this was long before it was commonplace for half backs to score.
He came on as a sub, but my lasting memory of him in that match was out-fielding Shefflin to a ball he had no real right to win.
Iâll try do one in my time following the footballers.
Flattest performance - A lot of days like this with the Tipp footballers. Limerick in 19 would come close but Iâd have to plump for the Munster final replay in 02. Weâd given Cork a right game the week before and were very hopeful of doing the same. We were beaten up a stick from the word go. Itâs a long hour to support a team when you know you have no chance after 10 minutes. To add insult to injury that rosy cheeked fecker Fionan Murray was toying with us doing keepy uppys.
Toughest defeat to swallow - The All Ireland under 21 final in 2015. Lost by a point to Tyrone. It was a stacked Tyrone team who are now back boning their seniors. However it was the play acting and goading by Tyrone. It was clearly audible in a place like Parnell park where you are so close to the pitch. Their supporters in my vicinity with the exception one gentleman were not nice either. Time has made that defeat harder as that Tyrone group of players have kicked on while we have lost a lot of ours.
Most unexpected victory - The Munster under 21 final in 2010 in Tralee. We had lost the three previous finals with better teams (09 vs Cork being an absolute sickner)and didnât expect much with this one. I had two cousins playing, one of whom who had lost his Dad a few months previous. I floated from Tralee to capital city that night.
Most unexpected moral victory - A one point loss to Cork in 2014. Aidan Walsh pulled it out of the bag for them with a few unreal points to win it for them. Sick leaving but on the way home we knew we could take a lot of mid ranking teams. We did that summer when we despatched Laois in a 7 goal thriller.
Best long grass victory - Galway in 2016. We had a smashing run in the qualifiers and were now in Croke park. It really was bonus territory and we were happy for the run out. We had beaten Div 2 +3 teams so far but Galway were blue bloods and seemed a step too far. They had gave us a nice clipping in Tullamore two years previous. It was unreal with 10/15 minutes to go knowing that we had won. By far and away my best day in Croke Park. Unbelievable craic later in Ryans.
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Flattest performance: 1985 v Galway in the semi-final. An horrendous day for hurling, JBM injured, the whole of Cork down in Kerry on holidays waiting for the final - a Galway ambush.
Add in the last two U21 finals.
A few no shows versus Kilkenny were hard to take but Cork would have been underdogs on those occasions.
Toughest defeat: Turned out to be a comprehensive loss in the replay, but the drawn final in 2013 was gut wrenching - Horgan hits a great point, in what looks like the winning of the game - only one puck-out to defend, failed, and then OâDonovan hits a point the like of which heâd never scored before nor since.
Unexpected victory: 1999 v Kilkenny was sweet, a very young team in bad conditions. 1983 Munster final v Kerry was an incredible finish.
Moral victory: Too many to pick from v Kerry
Long grass: âDonkeys donât win derbiesâ. The satisfaction from that win lasted months with the double achieved in September.
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Clare were only a point up with the clock expiring iirc
3 points going into injury time. Honanâs goal made it six. On the balance of play we were six points the better team. Cork got two goals in the last 10 minutes to make it closer than it seems but donât think they scored another point after the 50th minute when they levelled it, Clare pushed ahead twice but the goals kept Cork in touch.
If they were a bit more cynical on o Donnell it could have been very different it was a game of momentum swings I thought , in the first game clare hurled six points better for sure.
We couldnât handle Pat Cronin and Cork knew it. He would get out in front and then fall over with the slightest touch and would get a free every time. Between penalties and frees it was worth 10 points + to them over the two games
That was an incredibly dark day for GAA.
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Skippy Ruth was like an Adonis at centre back for wexford⌠If he had a bit more pace he would have been outstandingâŚ
Quelle surprise
Brilliant reader of the game and rarely beaten in the air. Always had Shefflins number. Never a full back though.
Also know locally as âLord of the Ringsâ, engaged three timesâŚ
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