HURLING’S NEW ORDER SEES TRIBE LEAD WAY
It’s been a year of change as unheralded heroes stood up while former giants took a step backwards
(1) (4) GALWAY
THE Walsh Cup final defeat by Kilkenny was the only blemish on an otherwise flawless year where Galway swept to a first National League since 2010, a first Leinster since 2012 and a first All-Ireland since 1988.
It’s worth recalling that chilly February when two shadow squads went toe-to-toe with the usual result: this time Richie Hogan lifting the Cup.
Almost lost in the fine print was the appearance of Gearóid McInerney at centre-back for the unfortunate Martin Dolphin, who was stretchered off the field after a bad knock.
Turns out, the son of a famous father would play a crucial role in Galway bridging the generation gap in terms of the Liam MacCarthy Cup, solving the problem of the troublesome number six jersey.
If there was a turning point, it came with that storming comeback from 10 down against Waterford in the League quarterfinal, Joe Canning putting down a first deposit on Hurler of the Year status with a crucial contribution.
That provided the springboard to the rout of Tipperary in the final and a remarkable show of summer scoring when the champions would break the 30point barrier against Offaly.
Goalkeeper Colm Callanan aside, the age profile is just right to follow the lead of their predecessors and secure a memorable double. P13 (League & Championship) W12 D0 L1 Win-rate: 92% Main man: Joe Canning
(2) (1) TIPPERARY
ON the All-Stars tour of Singapore, Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher took issue with the ‘Where did it all go wrong?’ line of questioning, reminding us of that famous George Best story when the hotel waiter delivered champagne to his room where a Miss World was in situ and asked the soccer star the same question.
Rewind to the spring and going into the League final, Tipperary had every reason to wear the same self-satisfied look, cruising to the decider without Michael Ryan ever playing his best team.
Nobody saw a 16-point hammering coming and it took until mid-summer for the champions to rediscover their mojo, by which time an All-Star cornerback in Cathal Barrett had been cut from the squad as a disciplinary measure.
Bar a wonder score from Joe Canning in the All-Ireland semifinal, Tipperary could so easily have remained on course for backto-back titles for the first time since 1964-65. Barrett is already back in the fold and vulnerabilities in the full-back line is one of the first things Ryan needs to address in 2018. P13 W8 D1 L4 Win-rate: 62% Main man: Pádraic Maher
(3) (3) WATERFORD
ANOTHER season spent chipping away at the county’s own glass ceiling. A first Championship victory over Kilkenny since 1959 via an epic extra-time qualifier in Semple Stadium.
A first All-Ireland final appearance on Derek McGrath’s watch and only the second since 1963. A record-equalling haul of five players honoured as All-Stars — Stephen O’Keeffe, Noel Connors, Jamie Barron, Kevin Moran and Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh.
And yet September leaves a hatful of regrets. What if Conor Gleeson hadn’t missed the final due to his needless suspension? What if Austin Gleeson had produced his Hurler of the Year form? What if Kevin Moran’s point attempt had arrowed over instead of wide at a critical juncture?
Shane Bennett’s decision to take a break from the squad suggests the need to evolve from the limited rewards of a two-man inside line; Tom Devine’s return though is one reason for optimism in 2018 when Championship silverware is everything. P12 W7 D0 L5 Win-rate: 58% Main man: Jamie Barron
(4) (6) CORK
STOP the season after the provincial campaigns and the summer belonged to Cork as much as anyone. In every line out the field, new players developed into real leaders.
Cork found a tigerish man-marker in Colm Spillane, an All-Star teenager at wing-back in Mark Coleman, a box-to-box midfielder in Darragh Fitzgibbon, a natural finisher in Shane Kingston and an elusive runner in Luke Meade. That’s some return. And yet the All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Waterford showed up a few old deficiencies.
Kieran Kingston’s decision to step down dulled the good vibes of the summer further but John Meyler’s appointment provides much-needed continuity. P10 W6 D0 L4 Win-rate: 60% Main man: Patrick Horgan
(5) (9) WEXFORD
IN terms of promotion to Division 1, Davy Fitzgerald is already two years ahead of schedule.
Staying in the top flight is surely the short-term aim and the roundrobin Leinster championship schedule removes that win-orbust first round pressure.
Like Waterford though, there’s the question of how much the team needs to evolve in an attacking sense if a sweeper remains in place at the back.
Lee Chin and Conor McDonald need more support in the scoring stakes and a summer Championship run might entail easing back on the training regime that saw Wexford batteries run a bit flat by summer’s end. P11 W8 D0 L3 Win-rate: 73% Main man: Lee Chin
(6) (2) KILKENNY
LIKE one of those long-time number one singles that suddenly drops down the charts, no top tier team has dropped as many places on last year’s position.
Looking back now, that All-Ireland final torching by Tipperary in 2016 did so much to puncture the aura around Brian Cody’s team.
Wexford turned them over in a League game for the first time since 1957 at Nowlan Park; Waterford bridged a gap to 1959 with their Championship win.
The search for a number three
Bar a Canning wonder score, Tipp could have back-toback titles
Imagine Con O’Callaghan moonlighting for the group stages?
also continues, Paul Murphy’s tour of duty in the Lebanon lending a further air of vulnerability to the full-back line in the coming League campaign. Richie Hogan’s back trouble is an on-going cause of concern given the scoring burden on TJ Reid and himself.
The biggest test of Cody’s managerial skills. P9 W3 D1 L5 Win-rate: 33.33% Main man: TJ Reid
(7) (5) CLARE
AS a box-ticking exercise, the Clare joint management of Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor can point to appearing in a provincial final and All-Ireland quarter-final as signs of progress.
Except, the truth is that Clare won a single game all summer, squeezing unconvincingly past a muddled Limerick. Conceding the puck-out over and over arguably cost them the Munster final, while the decision to go short was later punished by Tipperary so Clare need to find a winning tactical setup in the wake of Donal Óg Cusack’s departure as coach. Not to mention a ball-winning presence in the half-forward line. P9 W4 D0 L5 Win-rate: 44% Main man: Tony Kelly
(8) (8) LIMERICK
THE book of where Limerick went wrong with the three-in-a-row success at Under 21 level between 2000-02 must be well thumbed by now.
With two titles in the past three years, the onus is on the county to learn the lessons and translate this latest batch of young talent into senior achievement.
Easier said than done, though Aaron Gillane’s position as the competition’s Hurler of the Year suggests he is ready to make a big impact at senior and Kyle Hayes has already been fast-tracked. P9 W4 D0 L5 Win-rate: 44% Main man: Declan Hannon
(9) (7) DUBLIN
CUALA’S bid for back-to-back AllIreland club titles is a sign of Dublin’s standing in the game but it leaves Pat Gilroy an awkward job in reintegrating a key constituency into the dressing room at a time when he is attempting to unify after the turbulence of the Ger Cunningham years.
The idea of Con O’Callaghan moonlighting for the Leinster group stage looks a pipedream but can you imagine if it came to pass? P9 W2 D0 L7 Win-rate: 22% Main man: Eoghan O’Donnell
(10) (11) OFFALY
FOUR guaranteed Championship matches against top opposition — Offaly haven’t had that since they were All-Ireland contenders back at the turn of the millennium.
The Leinster group trapdoor to the Joe McDonagh Cup should help to focus minds as well. If they allow Galway to hit the 30-point mark again in the first round of Leinster at Tullamore it will be over before it’s begun. P9 W2 D0 L7 Win-rate: 22% Main man: Shane Dooley
(11) (12) LAOIS
WILL have serious designs on winning that inaugural Joe McDonagh Cup for the second-tier group of six teams, the top two filtering in to the Liam MacCarthy Cup proper at the preliminary All-Ireland quarter-final stage.
Paddy Purcell’s 3-6 from midfield against Meath in last year’s roundrobin remains one of the top individual displays of the entire summer. P12 W6 D0 L6 Win-rate: 50% MAIN man: Paddy Purcell
(12) (10) WESTMEATH
PUSHING Tipperary to the brink in Semple Stadium put it up to those who didn’t want any tier two teams being part of the Liam MacCarthy competition in 2018. Tommy ‘Jogger’ Doyle’s level of performance at full-back meant he was unlucky not to receive an All-Star nomination after keeping Seamus Callanan scoreless from play. P10 W4 D0 L6 Win-rate: 40% Main man: Tommy Doyle
(13) (13) KERRY
ANOTHER county that will fancy its chances of reaching the All-Ireland knock-out stages proper after finishing in the No Man’s Land of third place in last season’s Leinster round-robin qualifier. P9 W2 D0 L7 Win-rate: 22% Main man: Shane Nolan
(14) (14) MEATH
NICK FITZGERALD takes up the baton from Martin Ennis and the inclusion of decorated Kilkenny pair Michael Kavanagh and Martin Comerford to the backroom team adds serious experience and Championship know-how.
James Toher’s decision to pick hurling is an important one. P9 W7 D0 L2 Win-rate: 78% Main man: Shane McGann
(15) (15) CARLOW
GOOD vibes abound after winning the Christy Ring Cup in such thrilling fashion — James Doyle’s four-goal haul worthy of special mention — and they will be looking to shake up their championship group. P12 W7 D2 L3 Win-rate: 58% Main man: Richard Coady
(16) (16) ANTRIM
THAT Antrim are ranked 16 here shows the slow but steady fall from grace but the only way is up, especially with former Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy lending his sideline smarts to the set-up and a spring campaign in Division 1B to sharpen the learning curve. P10 W7 D1 L2 Win-rate: 70% Main man: Ciaran Clarke