You are overlooking that 3 of those finals were replays though.
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I said winning margins, you canât win a draw
Yes but three of them were after a draw the first day which means the final in those years were very competitive and came down to the last puck and realistically 10 all Ireland finals not 7 were within a score/draw. Rather than painting 3 years finals off as write offs
Replays take on a life of their own.
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2007 Kilkenny average winning margin 11.2
Played offally, wexford, galway, wexford, limerick
2008 17.25 average margin
Played offaly, wexford, cork and waterford
2009 5 points average
Played galway, dublin, waterford and tipp
2009 was arguably their most impressive win too. All the teams they beat were stronger than previous years.
I said winning margin
You canât win a draw.
You can read my post again if you want
Plus he blatantly threw the ball, made no attempt whatsoever to even hide the fact, when Clare had the goal chance which Fogarty brilliantly snuffed out. Also it wasnât until I watched it back that I realized O Donnell actually put his leg out and tripped Tommy Walsh before pushing him to the ground before getting his shot away for his own goal. This lad gets refered by different rules.
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I didnât want to say anything because Iâve no skin in the game but if that wasnt charging the may as well remove it from the rules
They know deep down that like Dublins period of dominance itâs down to a Professional setup giving a good panel a huge advantage over the chasing pack.
Their physical & mental preparation is light years ahead of everyone else as the money tree is eternally in bloom thanks to PJ.
Good luck to them but deep down they know the score
SOD definitely should have stood there and let the KK backs wrap the two arms around him like they normally get away with.
Ah I think heâs a better hurler than some dunce standing waiting to get tackled
Limericks treble in comparison
2022 3 points average margin
Played Cork, Waterford, Tipp, Clare, Galway and Kilkenny
2021 10 points average margin
Played Cork X2, Waterford and Tipp
2020 7.4
Played Waterford x2, Clare, Tipp and Galway
i think the decline has started for Limerick - they are below 1 for winning margins this year - and Kilkenny are on the way up - this will be a huge test of them - hopefully they can win on muscle memory this year before KK take over again
Theyâre well prepared alright but its a freak bunch of athletes. Hayes, Hegarty, Donoghue, The Morriseys, Finn. The physicality of these lads and they can all hurl. Forgot Flanagan, Gillane, Mike Casey.
There is no other team around right now with that physical raw material. Blue chip athletes.
and Byrnes
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I suppose we need to look at the quality of their final opponents.
2018: A fine Galway team who were going for 2 in a row. They were probably running on empty by the conclusion of the championship to a certain extent but an impressive scalp for a young Limerick team and in my opinion the toughest opponent theyâve faced in an All-Ireland final during this period. 8/10 opponent.
2020: A grand Waterford team with a sprinkling of real quality. They lost Tadhg De Burca early in proceedings though and were probably lacking a couple more forwards to really trouble Limerick. Only posted 0-19 on the day (iirc) and their travails in the Munster Round Robins since have diminished their status. They were hurling very well in November 2020 though. 6/10 opponent. Maybe Iâm a tad generous with a 6 there.
2021: An extremely moderate Cork team with a questionable enough management team. They probably overachieved by reaching a final during a transitional period. 3/10 opponent.
2022: Again not a vintage Kilkenny team by their standards but they were hurling well at the time. A typically doughty effort. The old adage that you have to be a few points better than Kilkenny rang through here as Limerick only won by 2 despite being the better team throughout. 6.5/10 opponent.
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Sure Kilkenny had a few handy opponents in their four-in-a-row
I think whatâs clear is Limerick canât be considered a truly great side until they stop avoiding Wexford on these All Ireland runs. The unquestionably great Kilkenny side never shirked a battle with Wexford.
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Cork were the best team Limerick played yet this year. When the dip comes for this Limerick team it will be themselves and Kilkenny contesting finals for the next few years
wexford getting out of Leinster being a requirement for such
They beat an excellent Cork team in 2006 who were going for 3 in a row and a very good Tipp team in 2009. Limerick were obviously a moderate and harmless enough opponent in 2007 and Waterford were an ageing team by 2008. Limerick with the tougher route to finals but Kilkenny with the tougher final opponents overall I would say.
that cork team were on a serious downward spiral by 06 - they scraped past a limerick team in the quarter final that was being managed only a few weeks by Richie Bennis. They werenât a great side by then, the rot had set in