Open a poll there I’ll vote in your favour
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He’s a tremendously skilful player. There’s more to the game than that though and there’s a reason why they’re a better team when other players start and he comes off the bench when the game is more open
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It was before the Tipperary match in 2018 that the Na Piarsiagh Twitter man stated “what a joke” when no Na Piarsiagh man was to start on Sunday, he deleted this due the responses from most Limerick people who were appalled by the fucking arrogance. Na Piarsiagh are a massive positive for Limerick and will continue to be so but Kiely had it spot on and still has it spot on. Casey was always going to come in for Hickey, he was being loyal to lads who got the team promoted. Dowling is talented but the way we play does not facilitate him to start games. He is not better than any of Mulcahy, Gillane or Peter Casey and the bench is the right place for him.
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For the Limerick template and his attributes he is a brilliant panel player . Excellent in fact .
Callinan. End of
Didn’t he miss a free to wrap up the game in an All Ireland club final?
He is an outstanding hurler. I would choose him in any team at full forward as he is the best finisher I have seen.
I don’t think anyone would question Dowling’s wrists or technical ability. He is an excellent stick man and a very good striker of a ball, that has never been in doubt. He is a very skillful player and he is one of those players that will be regarded well by his own fans due to his wrists and ability to do things that most other lads on the team couldn’t dream of.
But on the flip side lads outside the county will look at a lad with his ability where his conditioning and workrate at times have been subpar and see a player of unfulfilled potential.
He has thrived in the impact sub role but that in itself is somewhat disappointing given that a lad of his technical ability and at 25/26 he as an impact sub when he should be heading towards his peak, granted injuries and the emergence of others have played their part too.
If someone on here suggested that on here in 2014 when he was winning an all star that Dowling would be an impact sub in a few years time and I think most of his fans on here would have gotten bent out of shape.
I would always have seen him as a much better full forward due to size and hurling than wing forward as he didn’t have the consistent workrate or mobility for it but I can understand why he was picked at wing forward in the early years due to a lack of alternatives.
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Post reported.
But it’s a joke right? I’m a big supporter of Dowling, always have been as my posting history will confirm, but fellas aren’t seriously putting him forward as the best number 14 of the last 20 years?? Please no.
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I doubt lads are aside from a few of the Limerick lads who have voted consistently for Limerick candidates on this whole thing.
As I said, once the other forward positions were filled, the amount of full forward options was thin enough. Callinan and Power the only two who should be considered, the rest are either solid lads or lads who turned it on occasionally but nowhere near the level of the top two.
the biggest problem with dowling was the limerick fans filling him with notions. They turned him into a bit of cult hero and it was worse with nap fans. He should have been discarded with when he clearly wasn’t as a fit as he could be or told to come back when he met certain markers. Getting a squad to a base level of fitness regardless of each individuals ability is key because if the talented lads start cutting corners than everybody else Will and you are screwed then. He was still able to play to a high level because of his natural ability but it’s absolutely no coincidence that in 2018 when he was in serious shape that limerick won the all Ireland and he was also in the form of his life. He was brilliant in the 1/4 final, semi final and final. It’s a pity really that our three biggest successes in the last decade have seen him be used as a sub but I do believe if he was in that shape he was in 2018 through out his career l he’d have been considered one of best forwards of the last decade. He was badly treated by Kiely in 2019 to an extent as well playing time wise. Unlucky anyway at least.
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Cloonan >power.
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Think power is overrated. A guy who was injured alot whose reputation has grown for some reason as opposed to many who don’t get acknowledged for how injuries held them back.
I would rate Power very highly as he was very consistent. Always hurled to a good standard and was a very unselfish hurler despite being a very good finisher himself, his workrate without the ball was always of a high standard too. He had great vision and invariably took the right option. He probably was behind Shefflin, Larkin and Brennan in importance to Kilkenny from 2006 to 2014 but he was still a big player for them especially towards the end of that run.
Cloonan at his best was quality but you never knew what you would get out of him.
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A dirty stroke was always a safe bet.
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He could be hot alright
TFK Hurling Team of the last 20 years
Cummins
Canning^ - Burke - Tyrell
Walsh^ -McGrath^ - Delaney^
Fennelly^ - Lynch
Reid^-Canning-Shefflin^
Eoin Kelly^-Callinan^-John Mullane
Manager - Brian Cody^
^ denotes a player who received over 50% of the vote in their given poll
First team county split Kilkenny - 6, Tipp - 3, Galway - 3, Waterford - 2, Limerick - 1
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Second string
Fitzhenry
Finn - Richie McCarthy* - Barrett
Foley* - McMahon - Paudie Maher
Burke-Brendan Maher
Ben O’Connor-Moran*-Larkin
DJ Carey-Dowling*-Eddie Brennan
Manager - Davy Fitz
*Denotes a player who received votes exclusively from posters from the county they hurled for/no outside votes
Finn and Lynch avoid the dreaded asterisk due to @mac and @padjo voting for them respectively
Thanks for taking part folks
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Clare - 0
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