2013 All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship review

Before a sliotar was pucked in this years All Ireland hurling championship, many thought it was a two horse race between Kilkenny and Tipperary. Indeed this frame of thought was further backed up when Kilkenny overcame their local rivals Tipperary in the league final by three points, on a scoreline of 2-17 to 0-20. Beaten league semi-finalists Dublin and Galway were expected to be competing with the favourites at the business end of the Championship. Subsequently, the foundations were set for another predictable year for hurling fanatics across the country.

The season unfurled with Dublin and Wexford playing out a dull draw, with the Dubs coming out on top in the replay. Next up for Anthony Daly’s men was a trip to Portlaoise to battle against Kilkenny under the leadership of Brian Cody, in his 15^th year of inter-county management. Surprisingly Dublin managed to hold Kilkenny to a draw in the Leinster semi-final and a replay was due to be held the following week at the same venue.

Many thought Dublin’s chances had evaporated and Kilkenny would see off the resilient Dubs at a second chance. You just don’t get two chances to beat Kilkenny. However, Dublin succeeded in beating the Cats for the first time in 71 years by 1-16 to 0-16 in an enthralling game of hurling. Liam Rushe put in a man of the match shift in what was the greatest performance by any Dublin player I have witnessed in the blue and navy jersey.

Galway comfortably saw off the challenge of Laois to meet the Dubs in the Leinster final. Dublin’s odds were fast becoming shorter for All Ireland glory after their historic victory against Kilkenny. They overcame the challenge of Galway by 12 points securing their first Leinster title in 52 years with an emphatic victory.

Surprise results were not only found in Leinster. Just like Kilkenny toppling to lesser opposition, start of season favourites Tipperary were defeated in the Munster semi-final by a well-drilled Limerick side, on a scoreline of 1-18 to 1-15. In the quarter final of the competition Clare, under the management of the enigmatic Davy Fitzgerald in his second year as manager of his native county, overcame Waterford, Fitzgerald’s previous location in inter-county management.

Cork went on to comprehensively beat Clare in the Munster semi-final by eight points. But this was not the last time these teams would meet. In front of a partisan crowd in the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick claimed their first Munster title in 17 years after beating favourites Cork, by 0-24 to 0-15.

The qualifiers were coming to the later stages and Kilkenny and Tipperary were drawn together in an encounter many hurling purists were envisaging as a bigger match then both provincial finals. Nowlan Park was the venue and the stage was set for Henry Shefflin to make an eagerly awaited return from injury. The ‘King’ made a late cameo appearance and was greeted with a chilling roar as he entered the field of play to help the Cats see out a three point victory.

The atmosphere of a Kilkenny vs Tipperary match is something all Irish sports fans must experience at least once in their lifetime. It’s often difficult for those of us living in the metropolis of Dublin to understand the colloquial rivalries of these two hurling strongholds. Even chatting to Kilkenny fans as I left O’Moore Park in Portlaoise after a Dublin victory, they weren’t overly disenchanted. Why? Because they had a crack at the Premier county, Tipperary.

In the other qualifiers Waterford and Clare were quietly and efficiently seeing off the respective challenges of Westmeath and Laois. A Wexford side, which brought Dublin to a replay in the early stages of Leinster, saw off a poor Carlow team before being comprehensively beaten by Clare by ten points in stage three of the qualifiers. Clare showed no remorse in extra time stepping up a gear to see off the challenge of Wexford.

With Tipperary bowing out in the earlier qualifying round and Kilkenny not at their expected best, some savvy punters were keeping a close eye on Davy Fitzgerald’s young Clare team. The Clare vs Wexford game preceded another gripping encounter which needed extra time to separate the teams. An ageing Kilkenny side saw off a plucky Waterford team by three points on a scoreline of 1-22 to 2-16.

An extremely exciting hurling championship came to its quarter final stage in the last weekend of July. It was Cork vs Kilkenny and Galway vs Clare in a double header played out in what many perceive to be the home of hurling, Semple Stadium in Thurles. Cork saw off the challenge of Kilkenny by five points. Henry Shefflin saw red in what was a very harsh decision in the eyes of many neutrals. There was an eerie atmosphere that this result signalled an end of an era for Kilkenny hurling.

Although a plethora of injuries in 2013 didn’t help the cause, it would be an almighty shame if Shefflin was to bow out of inter-county hurling in such circumstances. However, Cody was ratified as Kilkenny manager for their 2014 campaign. Only time will tell if Cody can bring future success to a team who know they underperformed this season.

Clare continued their winning streak by beating Galway 1-23 to 2-14. Many questioned Davy Fitzgerald’s tactical nous coming into the hurling championship but critics were silenced when Clare employed a sweeper system which quelled the attacking threat of Joe Canning for Galway. The hurling championship which kept churning out epic encounters had Dublin vs Cork and Limerick vs Clare as the semi-final fixtures, as these underdog counties came to the fore at the end of the hurling campaign.

Dublin and Cork played out one of the games of the year which the Rebels won by 1-24 to 1-19. The scoreline certainly doesn’t reflect how close the game was. The sides were level an astonishing 15 times throughout the 70 minutes. Ryan O’Dwyer’s sending off and a goal scored by Pat Horgan, who had a red card rescinded so he could partake in the match, proved to be the pivotal moments of the game. Many were tipping Dublin for an All Ireland double in both codes of the game, but Cork’s victory now made them strong favourites for All Ireland hurling glory.

In the other semi-final Clare beat Munster champions Limerick, 1-22 to 0-18. It was undeniable that Davy Fitzgerald was doing a magnificent job in transporting the success of a young under 21 Clare team into a promising senior side who could put it up to any side on their day. Davy Fitzgerald had managed to bring this Clare side to an All Ireland final in only his second year of managing them. The Banner county were on the precipice of claiming their fourth All Ireland title. All that stood in the way was Cork.

Clare and Cork already met on three separate occasions throughout the year. Clare got the better of their Munster neighbours both times during their league campaign, including a high scoring relegation play-off in the Gaelic Grounds. Clare were victorious on a scoreline of 0-31 to 2-23. However, almost three months later in the same venue Cork won by eight points in the Championship. There wasn’t much between these two teams as they faced into their September showdown, after being ranked as outsiders at the beginning of the All Ireland Championship.

The All Ireland final would eventually go to a replay thanks to a late point from young corner back, Domhnall O’Donovan, with the last puck of the game. Cork must have seen this as a missed opportunity in a match which was far from a classic. What unfolded in the replay could not have been scripted. An enthralling game from start to finish. A late call up to the starting 15 was young corner forward Shane O’Donnell, who put in the individual performance of the year with his early hat-trick.  

Clare defend their goalmouth in large numbers in the All Ireland final

Both teams started the game with such ferocity, one would think the game would have a lull. It didn’t. Cork showed great fight in coming back from an eight point deficit in the first half but late goals from Conor McGrath and Darach Honan sealed a famous victory for the Banner county. Clare eventually came out on top by 5-16 to 3-16. Davy Fitzgerald had constantly referred to his Clare side as the “little fish” and it was his school of young hurlers who brought the Liam McCarthy cup home to Clare.

It was no surprise that Clare dominated the All Star team with eight representatives. Tony Kelly also made history in becoming the first hurler to receive the Young Hurler of the Year award and Hurler of the Year award in the same season. Credit must be given to Jimmy Barry Murphy for bringing an unfancied Cork so far in the Championship. It was a refreshing year for hurling with the big two of Kilkenny and Tipperary bowing out before the semi-final stage.

This young Clare side will be the ones to beat next year as they look to retain their title. A resurgent Dublin and a Kilkenny side who will still be feeling the pain of defeat, will be chomping at the bit to topple Davy Fitzgerald’s men in what is sure to be another frantic and entertaining All Ireland hurling Championship.  

S.DAWSON 27/11/13