League performance. 
Is this one factual based on odds or more of a personal feeling? Thought Cork would have been favourites in 2005 after their dominance in the last 25 mins of the 2004 final against Kilkenny.
It’s based on my personal feeling about who the favourites were.
It would be common enough that the defending champions would not be favourites going into the following year.
Tipperary had a dominant second half against Kilkenny in 2010 but my personal feeling is Kilkenny were still favourites going into 2011.
My personal feeling on 2011 was correct:
Tipp are 6/4 to make it back to back All Ireland Hurling titles while Cody’s Cats are 11/10.
Best F1 tracks
1 Suzuka
2 Old Hockenheim
3 Imola
4 Spa
5 Monaco
6 Monza
7 Hungaroring
8 Jerez
9 Catalunya
10 Paul Ricard
11 Mexico
12 Adelaide
13 Interlagos
14 Estoril
15 Canada
16 Silverstone
17 Magny Cours
Agree re Suzuka (which is the greatest track on earth) but you are harsh on Silverstone
Portimao should be in there
I’d go for:
- Spa-Francorchamps
- Hockenheim
- Monza
- Suzuka
- Imola
- Montreal
- Monaco
- Interlagos
- Jerez
- Silverstone
There’s something about Silverstone that’s just depressing. It’s in a completely nondescript setting, the stands are shit and I associate it with dull, overcast weather.
Spa I also associate with either dull, overcast weather or pissing rain but it’s a great track. But I don’t recall many classic races there over the years.
Interlagos is a great track but in a dump of a location which looks shit on television.
I forgot that Austrian track which would probably be up around eighth or ninth.
Catalunya, which was a new track staging its first race, wrote itself into the history books in its first race when this happened:
It’s the lack of elevation changes that kills Silverstone. Everyone thinks of Eau Rouge/Raidillon when you mention Spa. It’s just another corner without the undulations.
Ranking Waterford’s greatest performances of the hurling round robin era
By Cheasty for CamánLAD
1 Limerick 0-30 Waterford 2-21 - April 23rd, 2022
The benchmark for great Waterford round robin performances. Still lost.
2 Waterford 2-22 Tipperary 2-22 - June 3rd, 2018
Should have won, would have won only for a ghost Tipperary goal in front of a ghost crowd at home in Limerick. Didn’t win. Didn’t lose, at least, and you can’t say that about many Waterford performances in the round robin.
3 Waterford 0-19 Limerick 1-18 - April 23rd, 2023
Should have won, lost. But a moral victory.
4 Waterford 2-24 Tipperary 2-20 - April 17th, 2022
Did win, possibly should have lost against Colm Bonnar managed Tipperary.
5 Waterford 1-20 Cork 1-23 - June 17th, 2018
The Derek McGrath era ended with pride in this dead rubber as Waterford lost by only three points at home in Fortress Thurles.
6 Waterford 0-22 Clare 1-20 - May 12th, 2019
The high point of the Patsy Fanning era as Waterford lost by just a point in what would turn out to be the battle to avoid the wooden spoon.
7 Cork 2-30 Waterford 2-17 - June 8th, 2019
A nice run out in a dead rubber on a sunny Saturday evening and 2 goals and 17 points to end the Patsy Fanning era. Plenty of chances to drink after this one.
8 Waterford 1-19 Cork 2-22 - May 15th, 2022
Pound for pound, possibly Waterford’s worst round robin performance of all. Qualification within their grasp, at home, against a team on 0 points, who they had beaten comfortably in the League final six weeks previously. On the plus side they only lost by six points.
9 Clare 2-27 Waterford 2-18 - May 27th, 2018
Waterford’s first ever Munster round robin game. Start as you mean to go on.
10 Limerick 2-26 Waterford 1-16 - June 10th, 2018
It gets very difficult to rank games at this point.
11 Clare 3-31 Waterford 2-22 - May 22nd, 2022
The Liam Cahill era ends with abject surrender.
12 Cork 0-27 Waterford 0-18 - April 30th, 2023
The end of Davy Fitz’s second reign, in his second game. Game over after seven minutes.
13 Tipperary 2-30 Waterford 0-18 - May 19th, 2019
The sick man of Munster.
14 Waterford 0-10 Limerick 2-24 - June 2nd, 2019
Please, Oliver Cromwell, come in and ransack our town. Here’s the red carpet for you.
Ulster finals since 1987 ranked for their Ulster finalness:
1 Donegal v Derry 1992
2 Tyrone v Donegal 2016
3 Armagh v Derry 2000
4 Armagh v Down 1999
5 Down v Tyrone 1994
6 Derry v Donegal 1993
7 Down v Donegal 1991
8 Monaghan v Donegal 2013
9 Tyrone v Donegal 1989 (draw)
10 Tyrone v Down 2003 (draw)
11 Monaghan v Donegal 2015
12 Cavan v Derry 1997
13 Derry v Donegal 2022
14 Donegal v Monaghan 2014
15 Tyrone v Cavan 1995
16 Derry v Armagh 1987
17 Donegal v Armagh 1990
18 Tyrone v Donegal 1989 (replay)
19 Tyrone v Down 1996
20 Armagh v Fermanagh 2008 (draw)
21 Monaghan v Tyrone 1988
22 Tyrone v Down 2017
23 Derry v Donegal 1998
24 Tyrone v Monaghan 2010
25 Tyrone v Monaghan 2007
26 Armagh v Donegal 2002
27 Tyrone v Antrim 2009
28 Armagh v Fermanagh 2008 (replay)
29 Tyrone v Cavan 2001
30 Donegal v Derry 2011
31 Donegal v Fermanagh 2018
32 Donegal v Down 2012
33 Tyrone v Down 2003 (replay)
34 Donegal v Cavan 2019
35 Armagh v Tyrone 2005 (draw)
36 Armagh v Tyrone 2005 (replay)
37 Armagh v Donegal 2004
38 Armagh v Donegal 2006
39 Tyrone v Monaghan 2021
40 Cavan v Donegal 2020
That 2016 one was unreal on a baking hot day in mid July.
Sean Cavanagh kicked some scores near the end to win a low scoring epic.
I was at it. I think it was Peter Harte kicked the big scores.
Munster hurling finals since 1987 ranked for their Munster finalness:
1 Tipperary v Cork 1991 replay
2 Tipperary v Cork 1987 replay
3 Cork v Tipperary 1990
4 Tipperary v Cork 1987 draw
5 Cork v Tipperary 1991 draw
6 Limerick v Tipperary 1996 draw
7 Limerick v Tipperary 1996 replay
8 Limerick v Clare 2022
9 Clare v Limerick 1995
10 Waterford v Cork 2004
11 Cork v Limerick 1992
12 Tipperary v Limerick 2001
13 Cork v Tipperary 2000
14 Limerick v Cork 2013
15 Cork v Clare 2018
16 Waterford v Tipperary 2002
17 Clare v Waterford 1998 (draw)
18 Cork v Waterford 2003
19 Cork v Limerick 2014
20 Clare v Tipperary 1997
21 Cork v Clare 1999
22 Cork v Clare 2017
23 Limerick v Tipperary 2021
24 Tipperary v Cork 1988
25 Tipperary v Cork 2006
26 Cork v Tipperary 2005
27 Clare v Waterford 1998 (replay)
28 Limerick v Clare 1994
29 Waterford v Limerick 2007
30 Cork v Waterford 2010 draw
31 Tipperary v Clare 2008
32 Waterford v Cork 2010 replay
33 Tipperary v Waterford 2009
34 Tipperary v Waterford 2015
35 Limerick v Tipperary 2019
36 Tipperary v Waterford 2016
37 Tipperary v Waterford 1989
38 Tipperary v Waterford 2011
39 Tipperary v Waterford 2012
40 Tipperary v Clare 1993
41 Limerick v Waterford 2020
Im pretty sure Cavanagh got one too.
He then got himself sent off against Mayo in another low scoring epic on a baking hot Saturday in Croke Park.
Those type of days dont exist anymore.
Ulster final pairings ranked:
1 Armagh v Tyrone
2 Armagh v Down
3 Tyrone v Donegal
4 Tyrone v Derry
5 Armagh v Donegal
6 Tyrone v Down
7 Derry v Armagh
8 Monaghan v Donegal
9 Derry v Donegal
10 Monaghan v Cavan
11 Down v Cavan
12 Down v Derry
13 Down v Donegal
14 Monaghan v Armagh
15 Monaghan v Tyrone
16 Donegal v Cavan
17 Monaghan v Down
18 Monaghan v Derry
19 Cavan v Armagh
20 Cavan v Derry
I’ll always associate that game with Shane Dowling absolutely LAMPING close-in frees over the bar and out of the grounds.
The GAA’s biggest backslapping pairings:
1 Cork v Tipperary (cartel)
2 Kilkenny v Wexford (abusive relationship which both counties enjoy)
3 Kilkenny v Offaly (disgusting)
4 Cork v Tyrone (mutual enemies of Kerry and therefore love each other)
5 Dublin v Cork (mutual enemies of Kerry and Meath)
6 Limerick v Waterford (ah if we can’t win an All-Ireland, I’d love to see them win it)
7 Dublin v Louth (mutual hatred of Meath)
8 Down v Kerry (Kerry find it acceptable to lose to Down, Down find it more than acceptable to plámás Kerry, it’s all they have left)
9 Derry v Armagh (mutual hatred of Tyrone)
10 Tyrone v Down (mutual hatred of Armagh)
11 Meath v Kerry (both cunts, both hate Dublin and Cork, so like each other)
12 Kildare v Roscommon (the Dermot Earley friendship derby)
13 Dublin v Armagh (the hooligan friendship derby)
14 Galway v Waterford (ah if we couldn’t win it, I’d like to see them win it)
15 Galway v Limerick (too friendly by far)
16 Dublin v Wexford (there isn’t a Dublin person around who doesn’t instinctively like Wexford)
17 Kerry v Laois (pimp and cheap prostitute relationship)
18 Offaly v Laois (abusive relationship which both counties enjoy, but utterly irrelevant)
19 Armagh v Louth (smugglers’ friendship derby)
20 Cavan v Fermanagh (Sean Quinn friendship derby)
