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All Ireland Gold - Wexford V Offaly 1996

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Anyone watching this on TG4 just now?

What a brilliant game it was. There is an incident where Joe Errity rounded Ger Cushe at full back and Cushe just pulled across his hip. Marty Morrissey said in commentary 'I'd say that was a booking'.

A high ball came in between Joe Dooley and Rod Guiney - both pulled overhead and both got head injuries.

There was one incident out by the sideline where Liam Dunne was coming in to tackle John Troy but Troy's magical hands got him out of trouble to set up a point. What a player he was.

A great game to watch from a great summer of hurling. Two fine teams.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 21/08/2019 20:55:44    2228359

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Replying To slayer:  "Anyone watching this on TG4 just now?

What a brilliant game it was. There is an incident where Joe Errity rounded Ger Cushe at full back and Cushe just pulled across his hip. Marty Morrissey said in commentary 'I'd say that was a booking'.

A high ball came in between Joe Dooley and Rod Guiney - both pulled overhead and both got head injuries.

There was one incident out by the sideline where Liam Dunne was coming in to tackle John Troy but Troy's magical hands got him out of trouble to set up a point. What a player he was.

A great game to watch from a great summer of hurling. Two fine teams."
It would be nice to see Offaly get back to that level again.

Trump2020 (Galway) - Posts: 2119 - 21/08/2019 21:29:12    2228368

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Raging I missed that. There was nothing nice in that game. Ferocious stuff as Dalo would say.
You'd probably get 6mths nowadays for a lot of what went on back then.
Hardy boyos.

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 1905 - 21/08/2019 22:41:08    2228387

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The good old days when you would see timber breaking all over the field, and no yellow or red cards even in the refs pocket at the time!! Skill and toughness, if a lad came off with blood pouring out of his head it's was said 'that lad is a hardy bit of stuff' now a lad has to get a plaster and a jersey and let's take him off for 5 mins he is very emotional. There's a whole generation that will never know the feeling of knockout championship, when it's do or die every game and your team climbs the steps on the last day and the pitch is flooded with supporters. A true golden era of hurling!

ke40 (Kildare) - Posts: 209 - 21/08/2019 23:06:01    2228393

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Probably the most skill in a single hurling match I've ever seen. John Troy is an underappreciated genius.

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2550 - 22/08/2019 07:20:50    2228414

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Replying To slayer:  "Anyone watching this on TG4 just now?

What a brilliant game it was. There is an incident where Joe Errity rounded Ger Cushe at full back and Cushe just pulled across his hip. Marty Morrissey said in commentary 'I'd say that was a booking'.

A high ball came in between Joe Dooley and Rod Guiney - both pulled overhead and both got head injuries.

There was one incident out by the sideline where Liam Dunne was coming in to tackle John Troy but Troy's magical hands got him out of trouble to set up a point. What a player he was.

A great game to watch from a great summer of hurling. Two fine teams."
Cork's Patrick Horgan referenced that game in an interview he gave recently. He was responding to criticism of Cork's defeat to Kilkenny this year and their style of play, he said he watched the Offaly Wexford match and it was "gammy".

ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1246 - 22/08/2019 07:29:48    2228416

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I probably remember that '96 Leinster Final victory even more fondly than the All-Ireland that year.

First ever Wexford match my father brought me to was when I was six years old, for the Leinster Final 1978. Remember Wexford had won the previous two (1976 and '77) and there was no way anybody could have predicted it would be so long before they'd win one again.

But then, for the entire rest of my childhood, puberty, teenage years, coming of age, college, and first job, first serious girlfriend, and all sorts of other milestones, it was disappointment every year - sometimes a hard luck story, sometimes just not good enough, and probably worst of all were the years where we'd beat Kilkenny in the semi-final but then lose to Offaly in the final.

So to finally see Wexford win one in '96 really was something special. Didn't know it was on the telly last night. Must root out the old video tape sometime soon and watch it anyway, now that I'm thinking of it again,

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2232 - 22/08/2019 11:01:34    2228458

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Replying To icehonesty:  "Probably the most skill in a single hurling match I've ever seen. John Troy is an underappreciated genius."
He has to have been one of the most skilfull players that ever played. That goal he scored against Antrim was incredible.

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 1905 - 22/08/2019 11:15:47    2228463

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There's an archive of some match highlights on gaa.ie. can filter by county.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7342 - 22/08/2019 11:24:59    2228468

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i was 12 at that time i remember it well, had a relative on that offaly team, it was a super year for hurling that year and you can talk all you want about hurling now with the physique and conditioning/fitness of players, the games in the 90s were hugely entertaining , real man stuff and individuals and characters on the teams, the crowd always got into the games too.....i feel a lot of entertainment has gone out of the games now , they still good but not the same as 20 years ago. maybe thats just me nostalgic though and seeing everything with rose tinted glasses. im just after watching the 2001 tipp clare game on youtube and the atmosphere and crowd at that game was just electric...the atmosphere has definitely gone from games.

preddan (Kildare) - Posts: 735 - 22/08/2019 12:13:53    2228486

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I saw the 2nd half and although I wasn't born, I didn't think much of it. Yes there was honest endeavour but a lot of bad control, pulling on it on the ground, mis-hit clearances, etc.
But I will give them one thing - they got hit, they got up, they got on with it. The only time I think I saw a doctor in was when Joe (?) Dooley and Rod Guiney were pulling on the ball overhead and both got hit. Now days, every 2nd play has the physio on and it definitely ruins the momentum of games. These are physio's, not surgeons, there is only so much they can do and it is 100% used as a tactic to break momentum. It annoys me no end.

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1732 - 22/08/2019 12:36:26    2228495

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Replying To preddan:  "i was 12 at that time i remember it well, had a relative on that offaly team, it was a super year for hurling that year and you can talk all you want about hurling now with the physique and conditioning/fitness of players, the games in the 90s were hugely entertaining , real man stuff and individuals and characters on the teams, the crowd always got into the games too.....i feel a lot of entertainment has gone out of the games now , they still good but not the same as 20 years ago. maybe thats just me nostalgic though and seeing everything with rose tinted glasses. im just after watching the 2001 tipp clare game on youtube and the atmosphere and crowd at that game was just electric...the atmosphere has definitely gone from games."
Padraic Horgan the present Cork full forward said recently that he watched the 1996 leinster final, shown on TV a couple of weeks ago. He said he wasn't impressed with the standard of play in that game. He was rubbishing it really. For me it was a good honest and very exciting encounter. There was no ultra defensive stuff like you see nowadays. Nobody feigning injury. It was hard but fair hurling. Time moves on and like all things the game evolves but not always for the better. Horgan can have his blinkered views but the 90s gave us great games to be remembered.

Blockandhook (Wexford) - Posts: 668 - 22/08/2019 12:49:03    2228502

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Replying To Blockandhook:  "Padraic Horgan the present Cork full forward said recently that he watched the 1996 leinster final, shown on TV a couple of weeks ago. He said he wasn't impressed with the standard of play in that game. He was rubbishing it really. For me it was a good honest and very exciting encounter. There was no ultra defensive stuff like you see nowadays. Nobody feigning injury. It was hard but fair hurling. Time moves on and like all things the game evolves but not always for the better. Horgan can have his blinkered views but the 90s gave us great games to be remembered."
totally agree...we have to move with the times sometimes but certain things in the gaa should be left, such as the pitch invasion after a match or final...it got the people involved and added tremendously to the atmosphere..i was actually going to start a thread here after what pat horgan said, things are far from perfect in the game now,,,some teams are like pre programmed robots now belting the ball 100 yards, the games are still great but we have lost something from the old games.

preddan (Kildare) - Posts: 735 - 22/08/2019 13:00:37    2228504

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John Troy really was magic!

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 22/08/2019 13:03:58    2228506

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Replying To StoreysTash:  "I saw the 2nd half and although I wasn't born, I didn't think much of it. Yes there was honest endeavour but a lot of bad control, pulling on it on the ground, mis-hit clearances, etc.
But I will give them one thing - they got hit, they got up, they got on with it. The only time I think I saw a doctor in was when Joe (?) Dooley and Rod Guiney were pulling on the ball overhead and both got hit. Now days, every 2nd play has the physio on and it definitely ruins the momentum of games. These are physio's, not surgeons, there is only so much they can do and it is 100% used as a tactic to break momentum. It annoys me no end."
We're you not impressed by the manliness of it?

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 1905 - 22/08/2019 15:13:06    2228547

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Replying To Blockandhook:  "Padraic Horgan the present Cork full forward said recently that he watched the 1996 leinster final, shown on TV a couple of weeks ago. He said he wasn't impressed with the standard of play in that game. He was rubbishing it really. For me it was a good honest and very exciting encounter. There was no ultra defensive stuff like you see nowadays. Nobody feigning injury. It was hard but fair hurling. Time moves on and like all things the game evolves but not always for the better. Horgan can have his blinkered views but the 90s gave us great games to be remembered."
It was organised chaos. Brought me back to the advise we all got when we first started out, 'if it doesn't come up first time let fly!'

The ball would be hit 70 yards to nobody but the whole crowd would shout 'aboy insert name'. If a ball was pulled on on the ground while moving it was 'that's the hurling'.

You wouldn't see it in Junior B nowadays.

I wouldn't agree with Horgan, imagine if Whelahan, DJ, Leahy and all these fellas had the strength and conditioning of todays players. They'd be gods in any era.

Faithfull (Offaly) - Posts: 573 - 22/08/2019 17:11:05    2228568

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Replying To preddan:  "i was 12 at that time i remember it well, had a relative on that offaly team, it was a super year for hurling that year and you can talk all you want about hurling now with the physique and conditioning/fitness of players, the games in the 90s were hugely entertaining , real man stuff and individuals and characters on the teams, the crowd always got into the games too.....i feel a lot of entertainment has gone out of the games now , they still good but not the same as 20 years ago. maybe thats just me nostalgic though and seeing everything with rose tinted glasses. im just after watching the 2001 tipp clare game on youtube and the atmosphere and crowd at that game was just electric...the atmosphere has definitely gone from games."
It is You as You are now older. Teams are still full of characters if You are the same age or younger and most including me idolise the players and personalities of the player our age or a few older also crouds feel different with age mist likely cause You aint jumping round with loads of other young lads waving flags shouting in the wildest part of the standing section.

Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1236 - 22/08/2019 18:19:55    2228592

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Replying To Blockandhook:  "Padraic Horgan the present Cork full forward said recently that he watched the 1996 leinster final, shown on TV a couple of weeks ago. He said he wasn't impressed with the standard of play in that game. He was rubbishing it really. For me it was a good honest and very exciting encounter. There was no ultra defensive stuff like you see nowadays. Nobody feigning injury. It was hard but fair hurling. Time moves on and like all things the game evolves but not always for the better. Horgan can have his blinkered views but the 90s gave us great games to be remembered."
I think to be fair to Horgan is all he was saying is that it was very naive hurling. I think any modern player would say the same. Now I rathered watching hurling back then, it was much more exciting. The reason it was much more exciting is lads just left the ball fly, hence there was loads of 50/50 balls leading to some great tussles. Teams would be killed for playing like that now. It's all about getting the ball in hand because that is the smart thing to do to maintain possession and to work scores.

We'll never be able to go back to the old game unfortunately, any team that tries it would get tanked. Maybe some rule changes would to create more contestable ball. Do we need the handpass in the game, it is effectively a throw. Or what if you couldn't handle a handpass, that would make it much harder to maintain the ball and have more contests.

tomhealycork (Cork) - Posts: 80 - 26/08/2019 11:25:46    2229358

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "I probably remember that '96 Leinster Final victory even more fondly than the All-Ireland that year.

First ever Wexford match my father brought me to was when I was six years old, for the Leinster Final 1978. Remember Wexford had won the previous two (1976 and '77) and there was no way anybody could have predicted it would be so long before they'd win one again.

But then, for the entire rest of my childhood, puberty, teenage years, coming of age, college, and first job, first serious girlfriend, and all sorts of other milestones, it was disappointment every year - sometimes a hard luck story, sometimes just not good enough, and probably worst of all were the years where we'd beat Kilkenny in the semi-final but then lose to Offaly in the final.

So to finally see Wexford win one in '96 really was something special. Didn't know it was on the telly last night. Must root out the old video tape sometime soon and watch it anyway, now that I'm thinking of it again,"
childhood, teenage years, young adult etc. will suffice..we dont need to know about your physical development thank you very much...spot on on your analysis of Wexford from 79-96...so near and yet so far, beat Kilkenny, to loose to Offaly..1984 in particular, Kilkenny were going for 3 AI's in a row...same story, ye beat Kilkenny by a late Tony Doran goal, Offaly went 0-08 to no score up in Leinster final, eventually ye got going, Offaly won though 1-15 to 2-11..the 1993 League finals (replays) loss to Cork was another got away on ye...I remember ye had a free or 65 to win the second day last puck of game and missed it...

Fairplayalways (Offaly) - Posts: 1034 - 26/08/2019 12:29:20    2229376

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Replying To Bon:  "We're you not impressed by the manliness of it?"
Is that not what I said?

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1732 - 26/08/2019 14:20:36    2229423

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