Kilkenny Hurlers: I salute you

I know this is a Kildare football forum, but I think we are privildged to have witnessed the Greatest GAA team of All time in the last few years.

They will be talking about this team when I am dead and buried. A majestic set of skilled players, matched with a hunger and determination that out strips everyone else.

The Drive for five as it has been called will in my eyes will pale in comparison when they are looking for their seventh and eigth All Ireland in a row because there is no team within a asses roar of them.

Staggering and a sight to behold.

True, I've always said that until they get fed up with winning that some other team might have a chance of winning Liam McCarty. No amount of strikes, player power etc would topple them, Cork 5 years ago wouldn't topple them.

The question has to be asked, but to me them strkes did nothing to improve Cork hurling or the future of Cork hurling. Good riddance to the lot of them. Maybe they should write a book.......

I sense a "Thread Hijack Alert" coming on here...

the harlem globe trotters of gaa

They lost 2 top class centre backs and probably the best hurler ever to have played yet still comfortably beat one of their nearest rivals. They were bringing All Stars off the bench every few minutes and their minors trounced a good Galway minor team.

Unbelieveable stuff.

There are lads not even on the panel that would start on any other team in the Country.
The only team that could beat them are their second team.

Ahh Vincent Hogan is a master with words,

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/vincent-hogan/vincent-hogan-soaring-to-new-heights-2289576.html

Steal their children, I liked that.

But Kilkenny supporters are great too, they say only Cork & Kerry supporters go to All Ireland finals but Kilkenny supporters are hard core, fair play they deserve it.

Great read that.

a bad, bad day for hurling. Although in a season of upsets, no team should be deemed 'unbeatable'. Would love to see it happen.

i was at the match yesterday and would disagree with the sentiments that kilkenny have wonderful fans, they are a cocky shower, and im not just saying that on the evidence of 1 or 2 - all around me i experienced spite and ignorance from their fans, (this coming from a neutral). Suppose they have grounds to be a little cocky but jesus the noserubbling was a bit extreme throughout!

When I was referring to great supporters I'm referring to numerically, but Donal Og definitely paid the piper............

Some team alright. Play similiar style to Coill Dubh !

peile wrote:

Some team alright. Play similiar style to Coill Dubh !

Thought I had seen it before alight.

There a different class .......deserve there 5 in a row!

Kilkenny dominate hurling for decade practically and they're the greatest team ever, nothing is ever commented about the standard of hurling in other counties.

Tyrone and Kerry share all irelands over the last decade, with Armagh and Meath taking one a piece and football is at a low ebb, uncompetitive. Doesn't compare to Hurling.
Leinster is poor.
Blanket defense is ruining it. Ulster football too negative.
Puke football, hail Mary scores the stuff being spouted is endless.


This is a poor a state as we've seen hurling in a long time.
There is Kilkenny , then Tipp, Cork,Galway and Waterford. After that the rest are literally making up the numbers.
Once Strong hurling counties like Offaly, Wexford, Clare, Limerick are so far behind the 2nd tier that Kilkenny are on a different planet.

It's no longer enjoyable to watch when Kilkenny is involved. It's now only mildly competitive now to see who is the second best in the country and that's the feeling you get coming from the counties competing.

Yeah and no Fionn, Tiger Woods never made golf boring, the All Blacks never made rugby boring although Lennox Lewis, Michael Schumacher (or Celine Dion's twin) & Steve Davis made their respective sports boring..............

I admire them

Loads of Pints wrote:

a bad, bad day for hurling. Although in a season of upsets, no team should be deemed 'unbeatable'. Would love to see it happen.

i was at the match yesterday and would disagree with the sentiments that kilkenny have wonderful fans, they are a cocky shower, and im not just saying that on the evidence of 1 or 2 - all around me i experienced spite and ignorance from their fans, (this coming from a neutral). Suppose they have grounds to be a little cocky but jesus the noserubbling was a bit extreme throughout!

Its understandable that people get sick of seeing the same team winning, its human nature, everyone hates Man Utd too unless you're a supporter some might say united fans are cocky, success breeds cockiness, Cork supporters were once very cocky as don't forget they once held the proud record of the most All Irelands won and use to throw that into Kilkennys face even if Kilkenny beat them, now that Kilkenny are 2 clear and looking like extending that further the Cork fans have become bitter such is human nature.

Kilkenny learn from their mistakes after getting beat by 8 points by Cork in 2004 when they met again in 2006 Kilkenny snuffed out Corks preferred tactic of the short game and won by as comfortable 3 points as you would ever see, Cork scoring a goal and a point when the game was already up.
Did Cork learn? no!, they have played the same way since no variation in their game time to rid themsleves of the old guard and start afresh.

The seeds were sown Kilkenny have raised the bar its not their fault they're successful but you would swear it was a crime!! if you listen to some pundits forever having digs at Kilkennys supposed under hand tactics, Paul waterford Flynn the main culprit joined by Ger Loughnane, yes the same Ger who probably coached the most physical team to grace the game of hurling his Clare team of the mid nineties, green eyed envy!.

Do Kilkenny care that most of their rivals are sitting back and feeling sorry for themselves not a bit!, its up to their rivals to try and raise their bar and compete with Kilkenny again, having looked at that Kilkenny minor team yesterday Kilkenny won't be going away for awhile yet!.

It's not Kilkenny's fault and it's definitely not their problem. It's up to everybody else to first and foremost match their intensity and their workrate all over the pitch

Stonecold wrote:

When I was referring to great supporters I'm referring to numerically, but Donal Og definitely paid the piper............

Stonecold the thread is about KK hurlers not an anti-Cork hurlers thread.

Hawker in fairness it was mentioned last week in press about Donal Og and his book, that is all stonecold is referring to.
I think If he was anti-Cork there is a lot worse things could be said, about young Donal too might I add.

Well I feel a comment like 'Good riddance to the lot of them' is unfair on such a fine bunch of hurlers. They have all served their county to the nth degree and don't deserve comments like that to be thrown at them. I've had experience with one of those particular hurlers and despite the bad press, I can assure you he is a total gent and a great ambassador to the GAA.

Why didn't Jack O'Connor get the same treatment about his book? Dessie Farrell told a few home truths in his book and was not ridiculed.

They are not the only county to withdraw their services. Limerick have done the same thing and don't seem to got half the sh1t thrown at them.

Eddie Keher had a go at Donal Og’s book in his piece last week despite admitting he never read any part of the book and “wouldn’t touch it with a forty foot barge poll”. Why the hell were his comments held in any sort of regard by all the other media when he has no right in commenting on something he hasn’t a clue of.

Donal Og and all the Cork team have given just as much enjoyment and showed every bit as much commitment as Kilkenny. Kilkenny were a joy to watch live on Sunday and that’s come from a lad with Cork blood. They are without doubt the best team in my memory and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are as good if not better than Corks 4 in a row team of the 40’s.

Well done to Kilkenny and fair play to them but I find all this anti Cork sentiment that seems to be in vogue lately as bad form and completely unfair.

They crusaded in 2002 and 2007 "for the future of Cork hurling". They haven't won an All Ireland minor since 2001, they haven't won an All Ireland U21 since 1998 and senior since 2005. That current bunch of players are as much to blame as the Cork County Board for the malaise. The interests of the GAME were not being served by either of them, irrespective of their capabilities on the field, so in my humble opinion, good riddance to them.

Back on topic I'm gutted for King Henry and I hope to see him back in action next year.

I have no problem witnessing greatness over a prolonged period. Kilkenny should not be getting any flak for what they are achieving. The malaise in hurling in general without getting into the nitty gritty of it is down to other counties not stepping up to the mark.

People said Tiger Woods was bad for golf but all the others looked at him, took on his fitness regime and attention to detail and focus etc and most probably now are going to at least emulate him and proabably surpass him

Plenty of room for tiger jokes here if you want.

Stonecold wrote:

Back on topic I'm gutted for King Henry and I hope to see him back in action next year.

Actually forgot to mention that, I am gutted for the lad. A long winter of individual recovery on the way for him to compound missing out on the final. Hopefully he'll be back stronger and better and en even greater ambassador for the game next year.

Went in for a couple of the hurling matches this year, Leinster semi final double header and the Cork - Kilkenny game. This Kilkenny team are just unbelievable to watch, every player from 1-15 is capable of stand out performances, and after that most of the bench would walk onto any other starting 15 in the country.

People can try and detract all they like, it's not Kilkenny's or Brian Cody's fault or problem if the rest of Munster or Leinster can't match the cats. Nor would I see it as boring to see them do 5 in a row - they deserve to do it. It wasn't boring to watch Tiger Woods at his peak, the Brazil team of the 70's were far from boring, the Australian team never made cricket boring (to be fair that sport doesn't need any help at times...). Who's to say they won't go on to do 6 or 7 in a row, no team seems to be able to compete with them on a consistent basis. Even their minors bet Galway out the gate on Sunday.

As for Henry Shefflin, normally I'd see injuries as part and parcel of the game, but this time I genuinely feel for the lad. He epitomises everything this Kilkenny team are about, read in a paper the other day that he has started every championship game under Cody - that's every championship game since 1999 if true. Am I right in thinking that Ballyhale are going for their own 5 in a row this year too?

Hopefully he'll be back and as good as ever next year.