and you know Slayer Im living in Limerick for the last 7 years and would love to see ye wi an all ireland. I know Pat Hartigan well a man in my opinion one of the greatest full backs of all time!


Hmm, would have to think about that. I always thought Leonard Enright was a class act. We also had Pa Carey play there aged 18 & play very well.

In terms of other counties full backs I'd rate all of these guys very highly

Brian Lohan - Clare
Kevin Kinihan- Offaly
Philip Maher - Tipperary
Denis Mulcahy - Cork

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6483 - 01/09/2010 11:12:31    762237

ok tb since 00 the record is as follows

minor
galway 8 appearences in the final, 4 wins
tipperary, 3 appearences in the final, 2 wins
kilkenny, 5 appearences in the final, 3 wins
cork, 3 appearences in the final, 1 win

u21
galway, 5 appearences, 2 wins
tipperary, 3 apperances, 0 wins
kilkenny, 5 apperances, 4 wins

didn include this years finals.

in total, kilkenny and cork are tied at 11 all ireland u21's each. GALWAY are second with 9 and tipp have 8.

in minor, kk again are top with 19 with tipp on 18.

yes noel mcgrath was going for three in a row in minor an achievement only done once. but joe canning was also going for it in 2006 when tipp beat them (and beat them well too) and ger faragher was going for it in 2001 when cork beat them.

fatchops (None) - Posts: 127 - 01/09/2010 20:59:32    762952

The Clare team in the nineties were probably the 3rd best side of that decade.

They did have a few "greats" as in McMahon and for a very short period Jamsie, but they did rely a lot on fitness and determination as well.

The Kilkenny team of 1992/93 and the Offaly team from 94-98 were superior in my opinion.

The Tipp 15 from 1991 might have rattled Clare as well.

However none of that detracts from Clare's success and they lit up the decade by bringing something new to the table.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 01/09/2010 21:23:43    762997

However none of that detracts from Clare's success and they lit up the decade by bringing something new to the table.

I agree totally & take nothing away from them at all. As a team they were the best, that was reflected in their results for 4-5 years. Sometimes I wonder did Cody look at the intensity that Clare played with & model his Kilkenny side on it, only Kilkenny having the bonus of far better hurlers. But what the Clare players achieved from 95-99 was matched by nobody in that era.

The first time they made their mark was that 95 Munster final. In 94 we had easily beaten them but the difference in 95 was a savage intensity. PJ O'Connell could never match Ciaran Carey's array of skills but what he did do was demoralise him by stopping him play totally & then destroy him by scoring off him, hitting him hard, winning every battle. What symbolised Clare of that era was how Loughnane got average players to play out of their skin. Fergal Hegary hit 3 long range points in that Munster final. A few years later he was nowhere near the Clare panel.

I think people thought they would be happy with just a Munster title, but against Galway they showed they were up for the battle. Sparrow's goal was part of a scoring burst that took them on their way. And once they'd won one All-Ireland they dominated a lot of hurling for the next 3 years, they really were that good. But for Ciaran Carey, they could and probably should have won the 3 in a row, if Clare had met Wexford in 96 it would have been one hell of a battle.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6483 - 02/09/2010 09:07:01    763079

Thurlesblues,

The 08 Minor final was contested by Kk and Galway.Check your facts before you post.

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 02/09/2010 09:34:00    763095

Barnowl94
County: Galway
Posts: 675

763095 Thurlesblues,

The 08 Minor final was contested by Kk and Galway.Check your facts before you post.

Very sloppy there Thurlesblue. I guess they hadnt updated the website when you were checking that one out.

Corrxxx (Kerry) - Posts: 584 - 02/09/2010 10:21:25    763120

The 08 Minor final was contested by Kk and Galway.Check your facts before you post.
Barnowl94 , 02/09/2010 at 09:34

I know that Kilkenny stopped Tipp going for 3 in a row in the semi

thurlesblues (Tipperary) - Posts: 4475 - 02/09/2010 10:35:20    763132

its not really going for three in a row if they dont reach the final.

fatchops (None) - Posts: 127 - 02/09/2010 16:40:33    763611

its not really going for three in a row if they dont reach the final.
fatchops , 02/09/2010 at 16:4

why isnt it as without being beaten in the semi they would have won the 3 in a row!

thurlesblues (Tipperary) - Posts: 4475 - 02/09/2010 16:43:18    763615

its not really going for three in a row if they dont reach the final.
fatchops , 02/09/2010 at 16:4

so what you are saying is that before Cork game Kilkenny were not going for 5 in a row!

thurlesblues (Tipperary) - Posts: 4475 - 02/09/2010 16:54:43    763639

patrique
County: Antrim
Posts: 9265

762997 The Clare team in the nineties were probably the 3rd best side of that decade.

They did have a few "greats" as in McMahon and for a very short period Jamsie, but they did rely a lot on fitness and determination as well.


An incredibly narrow-minded assessment. You're just going along with the lazy media-driven nonsense rife throughout the last few years. Clare were more skillful than ANY other team in the 90s (including offaly). YOU CANNOT WIN HURLING GAMES WITHOUT SKILL!!

Liam Doyle, Frank Lohan, Colin Lynch, Seanie McMahon, Anthony Daly, Jamesie O'Connor, Fergie Tuohy, Sprrow O'Loughlin and most notably the great Brian Lohan are some of the most skillful players to EVER grace the game.

Loughnanne did indeed bring a more fitness oriented approach to the game but the only reason for that was to perform their skills at a faster, more intense level. It wasn't to go hunting after opposition lads with the ball they'd drop it near the goal for us to pounce on. The whole emphasis was on moving the ball faster and beating your man in getting to the ball faster.

You are all sooooooooo narrow-minded.

banner_boy (Clare) - Posts: 1285 - 02/09/2010 17:04:18    763653

no if they hadn't been beaten in the semi they would have to have played the final. jimmy doyle played and won three all ireland minor finals. JC and Ger faragher played in three and won two finals. noel mcgrath just won two minor finals. that not really an huge achievment. a good few have done that

fatchops (None) - Posts: 127 - 02/09/2010 20:20:58    763908

also i think its funny that when faced with the facts that tipp have a poorer underage record that kk and galway in the past ten years, TB suddenly stops going on that tipp will dominate cause of there superior underage talent coming through

fatchops (None) - Posts: 127 - 02/09/2010 20:23:22    763912

banner_boy - out of your list of players Sean McMahon is the only one I'd rate as 'one of the most skilful players ever to play the game'.

Again, all because people think Clare were not as skilful as other teams doesn't mean we think Clare were a bad side. My opinion is that from 95-99 they were the best side about. In 99 they just ran out of steam in the Munster final & All-Ireland series. The training they had done seemed to have taken it's toll.

Nobody is slagging off Clare here.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6483 - 03/09/2010 09:10:11    764062

Is that the same Clare team that Tipp hammered in 93 Munster final by about 20 points??

thurlesblues (Tipperary) - Posts: 4475 - 03/09/2010 11:03:18    764133

Is that the same Clare team that Tipp hammered in 93 Munster final by about 20 points??

That's the one, you know the same one that beat Tipp in the Munster final and All Ireland final in 1997

tonorio (Offaly) - Posts: 609 - 03/09/2010 11:14:31    764147

Is that the same Clare team that Tipp hammered in 93 Munster final by about 20 points??

That's the one, you know the same one that beat Tipp in the Munster final and All Ireland final in 1997
tonorio , 03/09/2010 at 11:14

yep not by 20 points though!! And Tonto if the backdoor systes was around before 1997 Tipp would have been beating Clare twice in the same year every year!

thurlesblues (Tipperary) - Posts: 4475 - 03/09/2010 11:28:06    764163

The backdoor system has been around since 97 and ye havent beaten them twice yet

tonorio (Offaly) - Posts: 609 - 03/09/2010 11:52:12    764198

I think that restricting it to teams that you have seen clearly makes sense but it means that teams from the past whose achievements are clearly greater get left out.

I am surprised that with all the mention of the many fine teams of that no one has mentioned the Kilkenny team of the early 90s, which came within a bad puck of the ball of winning a 3-in-a-row between 1991-1993. While I think that Tipperary were the better side in 1991 had Michael Clearly not fluked goal from a mis-hit free it could easily have been Kilkenny's day. Also that team were the only team of the highly competitive 90s to win back to back All-Irelands. With players like the O'Connor brothers, Pat O'Neill, John Power, Eamonn Morrisey and D.J. Carey at his very best they really were a very fine team.

My rankings based on what I have seen and heard from those who saw them all:

1. Kilkenny 2002-2010 (I feel that as most of the current team were in the 2002 squad it makes sense go that far back
2. Tipperary 1961-1965
3. Cork 1976-1978
4. Cork 1941-1944
5. Kilkenny 1972-1975
6. Wexford 1955-1960
7. Galway 1985-1990

Meath1986 (Dublin) - Posts: 247 - 03/09/2010 12:34:10    764264

thurlesblues

you're killing yourself Man.

1993 Munster final Tipp 3-27 Clare 2-12
1993 All-Ireland semi final Galway 1-16 Tipp 1-14

Arguably, like last year's slaughrtering of Limerick, had ye kept back one of those goals when hammering teams, then you might have beaten Galway. Ther's nothing easier in GAA than hammering a beaten team.

Contrast to Clare 1997

Munster final - Clare 1-18 Tipp 0-18
All-Ireland final Clare 0-20 Tipp 2-13

Clare's 2 victories over ye in 97 were by a total of 4 points and yielded a Munster & All-Ireland title. Yer 1993 18 point Munster final win was over a side up to that point famous for losing Munster finals and all it yielded was that - the Munster final.

I'd rather win EVERY game by a point, than win some by 20 & lose others by 5 :-)

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6483 - 03/09/2010 12:40:06    764273