I would say Kilkenny are one of the most loyal fans in hurling.Home league games would be a good gauge.I don't know the exact figures,but Nowlan Park always seems to get a decent attendance,judging by the tv cameras.Per population,i would say Kilkenny have the highest attendance rates of all hurling counties.Tipp seem to get decent home crowds also.Corks are generally very poor for a hurling mad county.I remember watching games on tv at Pairc Ui Chaoimh with hardly anybody at the game.Galway's home league attendances looks poor aswell.Dublin have a small hurling hardcore.I could be wrong,but that's how home league games look to me over the years on TG4.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 13/09/2015 11:23:29    1786551

Good post cruderocket....

it is a pity though that the celebrations were very muted and that large number of Kilkenny fans had left before the final whistle...... maybe we would be the same if we dominated too!!!

cuchulainn35 (Armagh) - Posts: 1691 - 13/09/2015 16:17:35    1786639

@ballydalane - Best follow your own advice and crawl back under that stone. Your comments about Johnny Coen's tackle were as laughable as they were OTT. Your problem is you never see any foul play by anyone in a black and amber jersey.

Ailteoir (Galway) - Posts: 921 - 13/09/2015 16:29:39    1786643

Of course the celebrations were muted as Kilkenny have had so much success that they are spoilt rotten.

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 13/09/2015 16:45:56    1786652

There was over sixty thousand supporting Galway let Sunday, many left before the final whistle and the rest left when the game was over. That left at best 20 thousand Kilkenny supporters and even had they all stayed scattered around the entire ground - lower decks, upper, three stands, Hill 16, premium level, boxes etc - it would have seemed a small crowd. Bring back the pitch invasion when nobody knew exactly how many were left in the stadium.

Anyway, as much as non Kilkenny people are bored with them winning many of us are as bored with the same nonsense being spouted out every time they win. How many times do some have to be reminded that Kilkenny is a relatively small county. They have 12 senior hurling clubs when the likes of Tipp have more than thirty. If they went overboard, like some do, with the celebrations they'd be accused of being arrogant. They can't win!

westisthebest (Galway) - Posts: 444 - 13/09/2015 17:51:15    1786671

Could it be said that Galway were sore losers that they left the stadium before the end and couldn't bare to see Kilkenny lift the cup I allways wait when we loose to watch the presentation of the cup and lots of other people do the same. The knit picking that has gone on this forum really shows that old Ireland is alive well, some of the comments were very immature. I have enjoyed the last week at four club matches over the weekend see Brian Cody at them as well good crowds a couple of thousand at one of them. Did any of ye watch second captains live last week it would educate people in what way the Kilkenny player thinks.

johnwhite12 (Kilkenny) - Posts: 306 - 14/09/2015 08:40:05    1786795

no such issue with the limerick celebrations being subdued at the weekend -pitch invasion and all- we were on the pitch so long after them game they turned off the floodlights to drop a hint we should leave - makes you wonder what it would be like if we ever won the big one

janesboro (Limerick) - Posts: 1502 - 14/09/2015 08:58:46    1786809

@ballydalane

So in one post you say

"read through the Galway forum there. If Fennelly did what he is alleged to have done against Joe Canning then I could only condemn it - but I didn't see the incident nor does it appear to have been picked up on camera, so I can't comment on something I haven't seen."

But then when you hear what you want to you take it as gospel (remember you didn't see it nor did the camera pick it up so you can't comment) and go on to comment whole heartedly on it! Please see below

"Toc, thank you for that excellent and detailed explanation of the incident which certain posters here are, shamefully and scandalously, obviously dramatising for the purposes of their own scarcely-concealed agendas….
I was sceptical to say the least. If it was a court case these guys would not be considered credible witnesses, and now your account, which makes 100% absolute sense, blows their version of events out of the water. In short, they've been completely shown up."

So unfortunately I have exposed you as having ZERO credibility on this forum. And you just blew yourself out of your own dirty bathwater and I have shown you up for what you are!

As for the celebrations, many KK fans around myself left at the final whistle. Look, it's up to people what they do but it doesn't make for a great atmosphere when so many head off. I, a Galway man stayed until they had ran round with the cup. Maybe winning a cup so much makes it less meaningful for those who aren't true hurling people. Remember, Galway KK leinster final had a crowd of 30k so that gives you a better indication of the hard core support both have.

Anyway, congratulations to KK, the best team yet again. Heres to next year, Gaillimh Abu!

d3ccy (Galway) - Posts: 75 - 14/09/2015 09:21:17    1786835

Condorman very disappointed with the amount of Dublin colours out to day in Dublin very bad people like you were all talk after the hurling that Kilkenny were boring etc .

johnwhite12 (Kilkenny) - Posts: 306 - 14/09/2015 19:10:03    1787328

Alteoir, I'll condemn any Kilkenny player who performs a gratuitously dangerous and violent act on the field. What we had in this situation was a complete fabrication, an utter falsehood, being peddled as if it were fact, by individuals with a scarcely-concealed agenda of perpetuating the hoary old myth of the big bad Kilkenny team. The story doing the rounds of a deliberate, unprovoked off-the-ball strike by Michael Fennelly on an innocent Joe Canning has been well-and-truly blown to smithereens in this thread. It's clear that the anti-Kilkenny keyboard warriors, who cannot find examples of actual dirty Kilkenny play (Kilkenny's disciplinary record in recent years is actually outstanding) will think nothing of making these stories up. It really is scandalous that they're allowed get away with it.

As to Johnny Coen's "tackle", if Coen felt that he needed to take down Colin Fennelly to prevent a goalscoring chance, fine, it happens in the game. But he could easily have done it in a way that was not as violent and dangerous as what he did. In the semi-final and final, Galway defenders performed what in wrestling parlance could only be described as a "piledriver" (Hanbury on Callinan) and a "clothesline" (Coen on Fennelly) on forwards bearing down on goal. I shudder to think of the reaction had it been Kilkenny defenders doing the WWF impersonations. We'd have probably had files sent to the DPP. By contrast, Galway got off quite lightly in terms of the criticism they received for the incidents. Complete double standards.

ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1258 - 14/09/2015 20:16:59    1787372

d3ccy, let me help you out on this one. I choose to believe Toc's version of events because it's a forensically detailed account of what happened from a neutral observer with no axe to grind either way. By contrast, the other version of events read like an extract out of Little Red Riding Hood, peddled by individuals with a chip on their shoulder the size of Godzilla. Balance of probability.

ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1258 - 14/09/2015 20:31:37    1787376

Very few, if any, people saw what happened between Fennelly and Canning. Nor did the cameras pick in up. The principal person on the pitch saw it though, that is the referee. And he dealt with it appropriately in telling Canning to get up. I think Joe felt he could be in trouble but once the ref ignored what had happened Joe's jaw healed!

westisthebest (Galway) - Posts: 444 - 15/09/2015 08:19:17    1787424

@ballydalane no I don't need your help with anything. Your own words have sealed your fate so perhaps you should cast your eyes over them again

I didn't see the incident nor does it appear to have been picked up on camera, so I can't comment on something I haven't seen."

Zero credibility, enough said.

I was sat directly on the goal line of the hoganstand, I saw fennelly strike out and flatten Canning. It didn't force Joe off so I didn't feel it was a huge deal. Should Fennelly have been sent off? Probably. Unless Joe comes out and says that is the reason he didn't get on the ball from the 36th - 62nd min of the second half then it was irrelevant (but I suspect it had nothing to do with the altercation). The best team won and there are no qualms in Galway about that. However I do take issue with people like yourself who say they cant comment on it as they didn't see it and then when they read a version of events that suits them they run with it and its gospel. You only served to make yourself look stupid and for everyone else to now discount all your future comments due to your black and amber tinted glasses.

d3ccy (Galway) - Posts: 75 - 15/09/2015 08:37:16    1787436

I have been off this for about 2 weeks due to work commitments.
Firstly I have to add my congrats to Kilkenny on another All Ireland.Better team will always win and no way were Kilkenny going to turn up and let Galway run all over them. You give Kilkenny a sniff and they will take it. Galway's down fall they were probably shocked at how good in the first half they looked they never came out for the second half.
Secondly they can celebrate what ever way they want. I actually was in Kilkenny on Monday after the game as my other half's sister lives there ( Tipp supporters)!!
Met a few of his buddies and they us there was no buzz around but if they had beaten Tipp the city would be electric. Cant blame them really. Lets be honest though the game was not a great one so the quicker you can get out the better.
Ballydalane I am just commenting on your post given its the last one I read and to be honest this is the quietest Kilkenny team in years in terms of physicality.
They don't hit as hard but they certainly can use their strength to get on the ball and knock an opponent off it.Nothing different to what the other teams are doing.
Not dirty by any stretch of the imagination so to finger point at Kilkenny is cowardly.
This team is winning games based on other aspects. We have all taken a punt at Kilkenny in the past when they were physically dominating teams who just wanted to knock the ball around and create space for their forwards but Kilkenny had the full package and we all hated it. Now they do something different and were still moaning.
Seems that Kilkenny are dammed if they win and dammed if they don't. Comes with the territory I guess when your top of the pile.

WildPundit (Tipperary) - Posts: 1709 - 15/09/2015 08:39:38    1787438

d3ccy - how do you explain that the ref took no action if Fennelly did what you said he did? After all Owens had no hesitation in showing him a yellow for pushing Smith in the second half. My guess is that Fennelly didn't strike Joe and wasn't the instigator in the first place.

WildPundit - very balanced post.

westisthebest (Galway) - Posts: 444 - 15/09/2015 09:27:48    1787468

Westisthebest,

So because the ref dealt with it the way he did you are satisfied Fennelly didn't strike Canning? I would suggest that that ref didn't have his best day on Sept.6th.he got more than one call wrong did he not?
From my vantage point Fennelly appeared to hit Canning with the hurl under the chin, admittedly I was some distance away but a Clareman I know and a fellow Dub have told me he did strike him.
Its academic at this point.

Condorman (Dublin) - Posts: 983 - 15/09/2015 09:42:37    1787489

@westisthebest I don't know why, he didn't see it? or he didn't want to send someone off if he did? and like I said in my post, for me it wasn't a huge deal, especially in the wake of Johnny Coen's tackle. Should it have ended Joe's game then of course it would be vastly different. I want to see 15 on 15 and the best team win, which is exactly what happened. My post has been more to highlight a certain someones like of consistency with their comments which irked me. Call a spade a spade, im a galway man sat here not crying about Joe taking a belt or Galway losing!

d3ccy (Galway) - Posts: 75 - 15/09/2015 10:04:51    1787514

I had a good view of this incident from the front row of the Upper Hogan and Fennelly did not strike Canning. If the ref, who saw the incident, was going to take any action it would have been against Canning. I did not consider it a big deal at the time as the ref gestured at Canning to get up which he did.
If anything, it seemed to stir Fennelly up and he came into the game in a big way afterwards. Anyway all the words here make no difference as the better team on the day won.

Toc (Kildare) - Posts: 3 - 15/09/2015 11:15:39    1787576

D3ccy, you're still not seeing the difference. I'm not commenting on an alleged off-the-ball strike which I didn't see. But I AM going to comment on the veracity of the allegations based on the following factors: the plausibility of the accusations; the level of detail given to describe the incident; and the motive(s) of the accusers. On all three factors, the accusation against Fennelly falls down under the weight of the testimonies which exonerate him.

Is it plausible that Michael Fennelly, for absolutely no reason or provocation, would deliberately strike Joe Canning in the head in full view of the referee, as was alleged?
Simply.
Not.
Plausible.

Is it plausible that the referee, having seen this dangerous and unprovoked assault, rather than booking or red-carding Fennelly, would instead tell Canning to get up?!
Simply.
Not.
Plausible.

Is it plausible that individuals, who harbour an obvious bigotry against the county, as already evidenced by posts on this thread, thought they were onto a "winner" when they heard rumours doing the rounds of a dirty pull by a Kilkenny player, and posted it as if it were fact for the purposes of their own scarcely-concealed agenda?
Oh, very VERY plausible.


And that is exactly how it has played out.

ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1258 - 16/09/2015 10:58:26    1788064

Kilkenny have a very loyal fanbase who are amongst the best in the country, as someone already pointed out Nowlan park always gets a great attendance when compared to other counties. The muted celebrations were due to many factors, kilkennys supremacy and the killjoys in Croke Park who do not let fans celebrate with their heros after the match. It was a good final and fair play to Kilkenny for winning after losing so many great players this past few years.

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 2001 - 16/09/2015 11:50:37    1788087