I’ll just stop you there. Underage means fuck all.
Apart from Minor, which is truly the greatest grade.
1998 was a very strange year where cold logic should not be applied. Offaly won the A/I as they rolled with the punches and got their breaks. It wouldn’t have taken much for Waterford to have gone all the way if things had broken slightly differently in the drawn munster final or the A/I semi final.
It was an All Ireland which Clare left behind them in all honesty for numerous reasons
1 Like
Ah here ye didn’t beat all of them. Teams are as strong as their weakest parts as ye should know
Waterford didn’t have the same hang ups about Cork that they did about Kilkenny. A reapet of the 2004 Munster Final in 2004 All Ireland Final would have been a 50/50 shout.
Chance was gone and team on a downward trajectory after 2004 even if they did keep getting to semi finals.
Mullane should have kept his mouth zipped after 2004 Munster Final. There wasn’t really any scope to get a Frank Murphy type rulebook guru or barrister on the case after the tired and emotional, mea culpa, I love me county address. Kilkenny were jaded in 2004 and the loss of Mullane and the messing around in goal gave them a get out of jail in that semi final.
They definitely deserved participation medals
Could you say the same for Waterford?
In nought 8? It must have been harrowing. Galway have had a few shameful batings in my time, Kilkenny 04, waterford 2011 the worst but at least it wasn’t in the final
Waterford 98 too a systematic failure
Limerick also didnt have a back door in 95 and in 97 it was only for losing provincial finalists … Waterford had the backdoor to regroup.
Agree about Mullane. More of the fuckacting that wouldn’t have been tolerated in Kilkenny. He should have been in the dressing room hanging his head in shame instead of braying like a jinnet on tv.
Pity the game is 70 minutes
Go way?
As for Cork, I assume we are looking at 2013, 2017 and 2018 as the ones that got away. A bit like Waterford in the 2000s they had the firepower but lacked the bench and defenders to seal the deal.
I think 2018 was every bit as good an opportunity as 2013 for them, they were hurling very consistently and had Limerick beaten with 10 to go before the Limerick bench reeled them in, their own lack of a bench was a killer. I think the sharpness of their hurling and pace would have caused a tired Galway team huge problems in the final if they had gotten there.
They will regret the 2013 defeat as they were winning in injury time but on the balance of play both days Clare were marginally the better side. Pat Cronin winning frees for falling over every time the ball went in near him was responsible for a lot of Cork scores both days.
2017 was probably their best year. Think a Galway - Cork final would have been better than the one we got had they made it. Ultimately though, they came up short in those years against a one-hit wonder Clare team, a no-hit wonder Waterford team and an up-and-coming, but novice Limerick team. That’s enough to exclude them from this conversation.
Yeah Cahalane’s sending off fucked them in 2’17
That and the dreaded Munster Champion Curse. They won too many Munster Championships for their own good.
Did them again in 2014 actually.
I know Cork came closest in 2013 but, honestly, they weren’t a great team. Some very very average players, coupled with a few excellent ones. Clare had a bit of luck too but were definitely well worth their win over the two days.
The Cork team of 2018 were a much better outfit than 2013. And the Waterford & Limerick teams in question were superior to the 2013 version.
1 Like
Doubt Cork would have beaten us in 2017. Despite their record against us in finals. I was actually inordinately annoyed they didn’t win their semi as I wanted to stuff them in the final.
2018 they would have had a right chance alright as we were carrying a couple injuries and generally running on fumes by the final.
Cork would bate Galway with their cap in a final.
1 Like
Not that year they wouldn’t have. They’d have been ate in the final.