In the first decade after the turn of the millennium we witnessed many one-sided All-Ireland finals. This was mainly due to the fact that Kilkenny were so dominant. Luckily, the last number of years have provided some absolute classics. However, due to a slight regression in Kilkenny’s form in recent years, the last few years have seen more competitive deciders. The emergence …
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For perhaps the first time since the turn of the millennium, Kilkenny will enter the championship as third favourites. Based on recent history, it would be crazy to write off the Cats before a ball is struck. Brian Cody spoke at yesterday’s Leinster Senior Hurling championship launch of how his side are being written off already ahead of the championship …
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It is without a doubt that Kilkenny vs Tipperary has one of the fiercest rivalries in hurling. We have seen both teams perform at their best, and we have witnessed some terrific, pulsating games. The two old foes have faced off seven times in the championship this decade. From those games, we have picked our best fifteen and in turn, we have …
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Eight-time All-Ireland Senior hurling winner, Eoin Larkin, has hung up his boots. He has retired from the game as one of the most respected and successful hurlers of all time. As well as the eight All-Ireland medals, Larkin had many other success stories with Kilkenny as he captured ten Leinster Senior hurling medals, six National League medals, and personally collected two …
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This weekend sees four big hurling qualifers take place in hurling’s first big ‘knock out’ weekend of 2016. This week Thursday’s Top 10 looks at the 10 best hurling qualifier matches since their introduction in 2002. 10. Clare 4-14 Waterford 0-21 – 2005 This one a few games from the old group staged qualifier …
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Seen as Kilkenny are about to kick off their 2016 Championship season and go for another three-in-a-row, this week’s Thursday Top 10 will look at the top 10 Kilkenny hurlers since the year 2000. Over those 16 seasons, Kilkenny have won ten All-Ireland titles and played in an incredible thirteen All-Ireland finals. Safe to say then that this wasn’t easy to …
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Hurling and football are under the one GAA umbrella. Therefore, this writer finds it inexcusable that Kilkenny can be the recurring holders of Liam McCarthy yet fail to field a football team in National League or senior championship. Kilkenny footballers did win some silverware this year but incredibly it wasn’t even on these shores. Rather, they defeated Scotland (not entirely …
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We comprised a Munster Hurling XV of the half-decade last week, so now it is the turn of the Leinster championship. The introductions of Antrim and Galway to the province along with an improving Dublin have significantly improved the quality of the Leinster championship in recent years. A few years ago, this would have been a full Kilkenny XV and …
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Despite several retirements during the off-season, Brian Barry argues that Kilkenny are by no means finished in their quest for more glory in 2015. Kilkenny captured the All-Ireland Hurling Championship for the 35th time last September, with Brian Cody and Henry Shefflin both securing their tenth titles. On the back of much criticism in 2013, there was a sense that the 2014 triumph …
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Retirements are part and parcel of the off-season of any sport but 2014 has been a big one for players finishing or postponing their intercounty hurling careers. Here is a starting line-up of players who will not take to the hurling fields in the 2015 championship, unless circumstances change themselves. 1. David Herity (Kilkenny) The Kilkenny net-minder has hung …
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With JJ Delaney announcing his retirement last year, Ashling Dalton takes a look back at what made the Kilkenny man so good. It seems the winter of 2014 was awash with retirements in the GAA world, in particular Kilkenny. Tommy Walsh, Brian Hogan, David Herity and Aidan Fogarty all walked away with a bucketful of All-Ireland medals between them. However, …
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Ashling Dalton congratulates Brian Cody and Henry Shefflin on a historic year for Kilkenny hurling. Saturday the 27th of September 2014 seems ordinary on paper but not to Kilkenny fans. A year earlier on Saturday 28th 2013 those same fans were probably looking at their tv screens,, watching a Clare team that promises much for the future bring home a fourth All Ireland …
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Incredible, unbelievable, sensational, epic; the list of adjectives used to describe what Kilkenny and Tipperary served up in the drawn All-Ireland final is endless. Now that the dust has settled, let’s reflect on just how good a game it was. 3-22 to 1-28; twenty five scores to twenty nine making it a total of fifty-four scores. Of these fifty-four scores, …
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There’s just two days to go until the biggest hurling game of the year; Tipperary vs Kilkenny in the All Ireland Final. Brian Barry looks at three key battles that could determine the outcome of Sunday’s game. 1. JJ Delaney v Séamus Callanan Callanan has arguably been the player of the championship thus far, as is testified by his 2-04 …
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Part one of the Pundit Arena preview gave a brief look back at how both Kilkenny and Tipperary rebounded from their poor showings in 2013. Part two now looks at who will be the key men for Kilkenny if they are to get their hands back on Liam McCarthy. 1. JJ Delaney JJ Delaney will unquestionably go down as one …
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Mick Grace looks ahead to this year’s All Ireland Hurling Final and the implications for both Kilkenny and Tipperary should they win or lose. Kilkenny and Tipperary, the great old foes, will once again face off in what is likely to be a titanic battle in Croker on the first Sunday in September. The chance to win an All Ireland should …
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As the hurling season is drawing to a close and the All-Ireland final pairings have been decided, talk of all-star awards will undoubtedly commence. There is no point in trying to predict the team now, as a lot will boil down to who performs well or who wins the final. But here is who is in contention at the moment. …
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