Hurling’s powerbase is in Munster

KILLINAN END

Despite the mixed emotions around January hurling and the associated drudgery on heavy pitches and wet conditions it was difficult not to be excited at the weekend with the opening round of the Leagues.

The varied situations with teams at this time of year were accentuated with a depleted Waterford being hit from all angles at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. That said, the Déise’s second-half robustness will have given them some sense of achievement, while maybe hinting at Cork’s recurring tendency to empty the tank early on. The Ballygunner missing-players factor may be overstated. If more than three players from the All-Ireland champions start championship for Waterford it’ll buck the trend of the last twelve months. A theme to keep an eye on certainly.

One of the great concerns for the viability of the hurling championship in its current round-robin form is the competitiveness of the established teams. In that context Waterford is of particular relevance. Nobody would ever approach a game against the Déise with anything other than the knowledge that they can cut loose and do untold damage. Yet, their overall record is not good even if they have rarely taken a severe beating.

What if the county goes into longer-term decline? For more than three decades after the days of Frankie Walsh, Larry Guinan, and that flying team of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s Waterford struggled in Munster. A few significant wins most notably beating Cork in 1967 and again in 1974, and a Munster Under-21 title in the latter year were oases on an otherwise barren landscape. A return to those days would be disastrous.

There probably is no greater competition in any sport right now than the Munster Hurling Championship. Yet, it is a house of cards. Traditionally Clare and Waterford were the weaker counties in Munster. The Banner County appears in rude health with more success in the last decade and a half than ever before, including Under-21, Minor, and Colleges’ hurling. The cross-pollination of the Fitzgibbon Cup where Limerick appears to be the centre of the universe gives the county a boost like never before too. Time was when they must have looked at hurlers from successful counties as if they had two heads. A different beast altogether inherently designed to perform at a higher level. That day is done as young hurlers see their peers from other counties on all days and not just Munster Final or All-Ireland day. Let us hope that Waterford can somehow maintain a strong connection with the pack. Sport’s greatest competition needs to have great competition.

Across the border in Leinster there may be similar clouds gathering. The club hurling competitions being won by Munster clubs symbolises the shift in powerbase towards the south. The last eight All-Ireland Senior titles coming to Munster courtesy of three counties is compelling evidence. The reality, however, is that Leinster hurling as discrete powerbase is a misnomer. The heavy lifting for hurling outside of Munster has always been done by Kilkenny. There really are no words sufficient to do tribute to that county’s contribution to the sport. However, they might prove to be as vulnerable to periods in the doldrums as any county. After all, they have toiled on less than fertile soil at times in the past. Between the famed Thunder and Lightning final of 1939 and Eddie Keher’s 14 white flags in just sixty minutes in the 1963 final, the Black & Amber won just two All-Irelands. These were ten years apart too. They now stand eleven years without an All-Ireland and there is a developing sense of despondency on Noreside.

In reality of course Kilkenny are probably shorter odds to be in an All-Ireland semi-final than any individual Munster county given the broader standards in Leinster.

That leaves an All-Ireland is then just two wins away so odds will never lengthen too much. But consider the impact on the championship if Kilkenny were to become just another team for a number of years as could happen considering their under-age challenges in recent years. Galway – and it’d be wise not to read too much into possible green shoots on a wet January League night in Thurles – already appear to be ‘in transition’ to use that great euphemism.

The hurdles for Derek Lyng and Micheál Donoghue are important not just for their own counties but for all of hurling. Dublin remain a ‘bubbling under’ team at best. Wexford appear to need to fire on all cylinders - or else to be playing Kilkenny - to be competitive. There are many moving parts to an apparently healthy championship and if Leinster becomes weaker at the top it has repercussions for the championship generally. We will look towards the League for some clues as to how these counties are developing.

How are their new players going? What is the depth of talent really like?

A long way from the unrelenting furnace of the championship but instructive, nonetheless.