One of the great Kilkenny greats. Bit before my time but the auld lad loved Chunky, said he had it all and a great bit of cuttin’ in him too. RIP
Who was the commentator back then? I can still hear his voice. I must have been in infants or high infants or somesuch.
It was either Micheál O’Hehir or Eileen Dunnes auld boy.
It was Micheal. I can hear him in my head commentating on chunky o Brien. I still say it to myself when I hit yet another wide, or out loud when I’m pucking about with the kids.
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My aul lad loved him too. He reckoned Chunky was the first man to solo with the ball stuck to the hurl rather than bouncing it. I always wondered how true that was. Chunky as you said had great cut and style about him. FOTF Richie Bennis nearly took the head off him at the throw in at the start of the 73 final apparently. 4 all irelands and 4 all stars he won which was a fair haul in dem days. As @flattythehurdler alludes to above I think chunky was MOTM in the 1975 and 1979 victories over Galway
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Great memories.
RIP Chunky…
Too young to remember him hurling but one of the great KK stylists by all accounts. I remember reading an interview with Fan Larkin years ago and he reckoned Chunky would have been just as good if he used a pickaxe handle instead of a hurl.
RIP
Is there any explanation for why bouncy soloing was so popular and then completely died out? @Malarkey
You could argue that as the bass on the hurl got bigger it was easier balance the ball.
A counter argument would be that the ridges on the sliotar which got fair big in the 80s swayed players not to bounce it.
Personally I think it must have been the weight of the sliotar. It was just too heavy back then to not bounce it.
One skill which has died out was holding the hurl short when soloing with the sliotar balanced. Here the weight is again a factor.
Kilkenny are finished
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I think that Naas team got to a fiele semi final a few years back. No surprise.
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Too easy to knock the handle from behind also
But that’s a free.
Ever see it given?
I’d say Gearoid Hegarty would leave you with a 16’ hurl and a sore elbow if you tried it anywhere near him.
Doon should be rattling an all ireland club but can’t win Limerick.
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Not yet. Away yesterday.
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Good question. Not sure but must be to do with (changing) shape of sliotar.
Easier to flick ball away in tackle