Waterford always seem to be missing a load because of injury, suspension or just players opting out.
Ya but they had noticeable passengers the last 2 years . A hugely dominant club giving them little too
If Derek Mcgrath wasn’t as Conservative and let them hurl a bit more freely, they would have gotten over the line at this stage
The two “softest” AIs of the past 50 years were 2020 and 2021 as Waterford and Cork offered poor opposition in the finals. An AI final should be the highlight of the hurling year and the hardest game to win. Not Limerick’s fault, but in reality the only competitive knockout game Limerick had over that two year period was the SF in 2020, they wiped the floor with all other opposition.
I’m not sure they would. They were a bit young in 2015 although in hindsight that was an opportunity missed. Tipp destroyed them in the Munster final of 2016 and were hurling extremely well that year so I don’t think Waterford would have beaten them in the final. 2017 was a good chance and Galway were a bit nervy too but at the end of the day Galway just had a better set of forwards and the scores flowed more easily. 26 scores to 19 if I remember correctly. 2018 they were decimated with injuries then.
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The day Galway played with two sweepers and were afraid to take us on? Only for poor shooting we’d have beaten ye by ten.
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We have agent O’Neill to thank for that.
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That was probably the most miserable spectacle ever seen in Croke Park.
Please God we get another 4/5 soft All Ireland’s over the next few years.
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Ah yeah, I’d accept that argument. We’re in the deposit of winter. The ti e to have these discussions/debates
Surely 2008 is the most comparable to 2021?
Kilkenny disposed of Offaly & Wexford in Leinster; beat a fairly average Cork side in the semi-final and wiped the floor with Waterford in the final.
Very similar to Limerick 2021, except Tipp put it up to us for a half. But a similar course.
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Galway were able to spring Burke and Flynn from the bench who could win ball and take a score. They hit 4 or 5 points between them and helped nudge them over the line and keep Waterford at arms length.
Waterford were bringing on lads like Thomas Ryan and Colin Dunford who are/were nice pacey lads but not the type of lads needed to turn a game
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2007 was another handy one if truth told - they got Wexford in the semi . Limerick did ok in final but overall a handy one
Waterford needed two goals to keep them in it
Yeah it was but it’s hard to say it’s “soft” when you are one of the greatest teams to ever play the sport and everyone else is just not at that level.
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Kilkenny didn’t go past (nor did they need to) third gear in the 07 final.
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The two softest AIs we won were ‘14 and ‘15, we were the best of a bad lot. Cody should have left the stage then, he’d go out on a high at least.
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Fair enough but cork and Waterford were in decline although now I remember Ger Lough’s Galway gave them bags of it in Q/f .
2014 was the last great Championship.
Everyone felt they could win it after 2013 and there were still a lot of Hall of Famers knocking around.
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This is the conundrum. Everyone saying (with some truth) that the big three have regressed but all agree at the same time that limerk have brought the game to another level. So they are in a peculiar way suggesting that the game would be ina better place if limerick regressed rather than teams trying to reach that level
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