National Forum

Galway Hurling thread

(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post


Replying To CillTormoir:  "Limerick came out of nowhere in 2018 and developed into a machine. Why is it never us?"
We got absolutely hammered in the 2009 AI semi final by Tipp. It was the worst experience id ever had in Croke park up to that point (which is saying something) but it laid the foundations for the current team.

Men with the absolute best interests of "Limrick" hurling (to paraphrase Katser), sat down and asked how do we make sure this never happens again ?

Despite the narrative around JP McManus money, he had been our sponsor for years at that point. But it wasn't managed wisely .. the county board, fair play omtk them, took on a lot of recommendations and a serious effort to cultivate and organise underage structures were put in place..Paul Kinnerks falling out with Davy Fitz in Clare, was a great thing for Limerick, as he got involved and was allowed to implement his coaching vision.

All that, and a generational group of hurlers gave us what we have today... but it came from some very hard work and on the back of a miserable experience where lessons had to be learned.

There's no reason why Galway can't do the same thing.. you have all the raw ingredients... to be honest, when we go into decline, I think all Limerick hurling people would be delighted to see you take over our mantle an go on a run of all Ireland wins.. it would be well deserved.. keep the faith....

skillet (Limerick) - Posts: 1124 - 23/07/2026 21:32:40    2686849

Link

Replying To endgame:  "Galway had a great team in the 80s but they lost three out of the five All Ireland finals they contested. Finnerty, Keady , McInerney was surely the best half back line in hurling history. Galway hurlers don't play well in All Ireland finals. 21 losses for Galway in 26 finals speaks for itself. Contrast with Tipperary who always turn up in All Ireland finals. Can't recall Tipp ever being hammered in an All Ireland final."
Can't argue with Tipperary hurling All Ireland win ratio which is at 69% in finals.

Tipperary All Ireland Hurling Finals
Total appearances: 42
Total Wins: 29
Total Losses: 13
Win Ratio: 69%

Kilkenny All Ireland Hurling Finals
Total appearances: 61
Total Wins: 36
Total Losses: 25
Win Ratio: 59%

Cork All Ireland Hurling Finals
Total appearances: 61
Total Wins: 30
Total Losses: 22
Win Ratio: 58%

Galway All Ireland Hurling Finals
Total appearances: 26
Total Wins: 5
Total Losses: 21
Win Ratio: 19%

Past hurler (None) - Posts: 1040 - 24/07/2026 09:46:07    2686873

Link

What is with the level of giving out about michael Donoghue. You are probably the fifth or sixth best team
In the country , going absolutely no where the past five years , your best players have either retired or nearing it and he brings ye to an all Ireland final after beating the supposed champions in waiting Cork. Ye got beat well because this is one of the all time great limerick teams. Give the man time and ye will
Be competing again in the three years. If you are not willing to wait that long it could be thirty.Better Galway teams than this one came up short and got a hammering in finals.

Ros2013 (Roscommon) - Posts: 674 - 24/07/2026 10:06:54    2686875

Link

Replying To skillet:  "We got absolutely hammered in the 2009 AI semi final by Tipp. It was the worst experience id ever had in Croke park up to that point (which is saying something) but it laid the foundations for the current team.

Men with the absolute best interests of "Limrick" hurling (to paraphrase Katser), sat down and asked how do we make sure this never happens again ?

Despite the narrative around JP McManus money, he had been our sponsor for years at that point. But it wasn't managed wisely .. the county board, fair play omtk them, took on a lot of recommendations and a serious effort to cultivate and organise underage structures were put in place..Paul Kinnerks falling out with Davy Fitz in Clare, was a great thing for Limerick, as he got involved and was allowed to implement his coaching vision.

All that, and a generational group of hurlers gave us what we have today... but it came from some very hard work and on the back of a miserable experience where lessons had to be learned.

There's no reason why Galway can't do the same thing.. you have all the raw ingredients... to be honest, when we go into decline, I think all Limerick hurling people would be delighted to see you take over our mantle an go on a run of all Ireland wins.. it would be well deserved.. keep the faith...."
So what your saying is that the reason as to why Limerick are dominant now is down to Davy...

ColmFlaherty (Galway) - Posts: 192 - 24/07/2026 10:52:16    2686884

Link

Replying To CillTormoir:  "can you do stats on the number of minor, u20 and club finals Inter and Senior both counties have contested over the last 20 years and then let me know have we not been ahead of Limerick. There is something very wrong somewhere in Galway if Limerick just had to get two underage groups together to do what theyve done the last 9 years. I dont even mean to bring Limerick into this, it was just a reference and the underlying question is...why is it never us?"
They had damn strong underage teamd all through the Teen wining. Munster Under 21 Titles in 11,15 and 17 and strong Minor teams throughout the decades, even if they did not win a All Ireland.

Oldtourman (Limerick) - Posts: 4565 - 24/07/2026 11:39:17    2686892

Link

Replying To Ros2013:  "What is with the level of giving out about michael Donoghue. You are probably the fifth or sixth best team
In the country , going absolutely no where the past five years , your best players have either retired or nearing it and he brings ye to an all Ireland final after beating the supposed champions in waiting Cork. Ye got beat well because this is one of the all time great limerick teams. Give the man time and ye will
Be competing again in the three years. If you are not willing to wait that long it could be thirty.Better Galway teams than this one came up short and got a hammering in finals."
Maybe the team from 2020 - 24/25 as 5th or 6th but not the current team.

ColmFlaherty (Galway) - Posts: 192 - 24/07/2026 12:37:37    2686911

Link

Replying To CillTormoir:  "can you do stats on the number of minor, u20 and club finals Inter and Senior both counties have contested over the last 20 years and then let me know have we not been ahead of Limerick. There is something very wrong somewhere in Galway if Limerick just had to get two underage groups together to do what theyve done the last 9 years. I dont even mean to bring Limerick into this, it was just a reference and the underlying question is...why is it never us?"
The difference is the quality of the groups which came through. We haven't won an U20/21 All-Ireland in 15 years. We've been hammered in the few finals we've been in since then. Hard to see how we would have great expectations based on that.
Limerick compounded two excellent teams in close succession, who won both their U21 finals well. A big difference in quality there. Almost all of those players were playing and winning Fitzgibbon finals between two different colleges also.
When is the last time we had a few groups like that in their late teens early 20s?
Minor is a long way from that. None of our consecutive All-Ireland winning minor teams came close to winning an U20/21.
That's why it was never us.
Winning underage is no guarantee, but it's very rare you'll see a dynasty type team at senior who haven't been successful at underage.
The Dublin footballers were built off 4 All-Ireland winning U21 teams, with a few years between them, which kept their reign going a bit longer. The quality of player on those teams was exceptional.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 2963 - 24/07/2026 12:48:01    2686916

Link

Replying To Past hurler:  "Can't argue with Tipperary hurling All Ireland win ratio which is at 69% in finals.

Tipperary All Ireland Hurling Finals
Total appearances: 42
Total Wins: 29
Total Losses: 13
Win Ratio: 69%

Kilkenny All Ireland Hurling Finals
Total appearances: 61
Total Wins: 36
Total Losses: 25
Win Ratio: 59%

Cork All Ireland Hurling Finals
Total appearances: 61
Total Wins: 30
Total Losses: 22
Win Ratio: 58%

Galway All Ireland Hurling Finals
Total appearances: 26
Total Wins: 5
Total Losses: 21
Win Ratio: 19%"
Interesting stats there. Tipp are a serious force on All Ireland final day. Tipp have a lot of young players coming through. They'll be the team to stop Limerick. Replying to another post here, Micheal Donoghue did a great job this year fashioning a new young Galway team. However his tactics and the team's performance in the All Ireland Final were shocking . Lost by 11 points and it could have been double that. Totally outplayed throughout the whole game.

endgame (Roscommon) - Posts: 2757 - 24/07/2026 19:45:16    2686969

Link

On reflection 100% progress has been made this year with the integration of the 5 or 6 young players they have been excellent and could not be faulted even in the All Ireland Final. Yes we probably over achieved and that may create its own pressure for next year.
I do think we suffered massively for not having a plan b or a facility to change. Some of the substitutions were baffling and created even more questions.
The only way forward is to get up on the horse again both players and management with both having a clear intent of being better. All is not lost if you learn from your mistakes.

1shot (Galway) - Posts: 50 - 25/07/2026 09:55:09    2687019

Link

Replying To endgame:  "Interesting stats there. Tipp are a serious force on All Ireland final day. Tipp have a lot of young players coming through. They'll be the team to stop Limerick. Replying to another post here, Micheal Donoghue did a great job this year fashioning a new young Galway team. However his tactics and the team's performance in the All Ireland Final were shocking . Lost by 11 points and it could have been double that. Totally outplayed throughout the whole game."
The notion that Tipperary will stop Limerick currently is risible, taking Tipp's championship record and performance levels v Limerick 2018-2026 into account. The only thing that'll stop this Limerick team is the decline phase of their own lifecycle. On 2026 evidence, they're not yet in decline phase, which is why Tipp 2026 didn't lay a glove on them in championship......as usual 2018-2026, it has to be said.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4887 - 25/07/2026 11:56:35    2687034

Link

Replying To endgame:  "Interesting stats there. Tipp are a serious force on All Ireland final day. Tipp have a lot of young players coming through. They'll be the team to stop Limerick. Replying to another post here, Micheal Donoghue did a great job this year fashioning a new young Galway team. However his tactics and the team's performance in the All Ireland Final were shocking . Lost by 11 points and it could have been double that. Totally outplayed throughout the whole game."
His tactics weren't shocking. Galway have played much the same style all season. What Plan B did you fancy? Some say orthodox? Bang our puckouts down on top of Limerick's hb line? Nuts to a monkey surely. A team that played Plan A or improved Plan A all season long isn't going to cobble a Plan B in a fortnight or a month that's going to trouble Limerick. Anthony Daly on TSG suggested in fact that there were some variations or nuances in Galway's tactics compared to the Cork game, but he also stated that these attempts to 'change it up slightly' for Limerick had backfired on Galway on the day.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4887 - 25/07/2026 14:21:11    2687055

Link

Replying To endgame:  "Galway had a great team in the 80s but they lost three out of the five All Ireland finals they contested. Finnerty, Keady , McInerney was surely the best half back line in hurling history. Galway hurlers don't play well in All Ireland finals. 21 losses for Galway in 26 finals speaks for itself. Contrast with Tipperary who always turn up in All Ireland finals. Can't recall Tipp ever being hammered in an All Ireland final."
In the 80s Galway won 3 of 6 finals contested.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4887 - 25/07/2026 14:24:56    2687056

Link

Replying To Viking66:  "Yes. You were very unlucky to meet 2 generational teams motivated by retirement for many players being in sight in the not too distant future.
That team you had in the teens were unlucky not to win more than the one AI title."
FYI the 2012 and 2017 Galway teams were very different sides. Only 3 players started both those finals. Canning, Coen and David Burke. It seems possible that one of those Galway sides was 'unlucky', but both of them hardly were.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4887 - 25/07/2026 14:32:54    2687058

Link

Replying To Pope_Benedict:  "FYI the 2012 and 2017 Galway teams were very different sides. Only 3 players started both those finals. Canning, Coen and David Burke. It seems possible that one of those Galway sides was 'unlucky', but both of them hardly were."
The 2 sides I was talking about were this years team and the 2012 team. You won the AI in 2017.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20336 - 25/07/2026 17:58:25    2687084

Link