It has been quite a year for Kilkenny’s hurlers.
As the sunsets on yet another wonderful season of hurling, we are already looking forward to what the New Year will bring. In the meantime, here are some of the standout moments from the past year:
Kilkenny win All-Ireland
It seems foolish thinking about it now, but there was a time in the lead-up to September 4 when there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the third All-Ireland final meeting in a row of Kilkenny and Tipperary.
There was an air of pessimism around the county, unusual for August, and even management and players alike were keen to go into the Croker showdown as underdogs. It was worry for nothing, however, as the Cats romped home to their fifth title in six years, and avenged last year’s defeat.
That 33rd All-Ireland win – hailed by Cody as “by far the sweetest” – will live long in the memory. It’s impossible to pick a favourite moment: Tommy Walsh’s aerial heroics, Colin Fennelly blocking with his head, Eddie Brennan’s sublime midfield rampage and Richie Hogan’s exquisite finish, to name just a few.
Liam MacCarthy will spend Christmas and New Year by the River Nore. “God’s in his heaven – All’s right with the world.”
Return of the King
It will be forever remembered as one of Kilkenny hurling’s darkest hours: In the 14th minute of last year’s All-Ireland final, Henry Shefflin was withdrawn from action having suffered another recurrence of the cruciate ligament injury. The rest is history – Kilkenny went on to lose the final, and with it, the dreams of five-in-a-row.
This year, however, the King was back to his irrepressible best – tireless work off the ball, peerless free taking, and generally causing defenders anxiety simply by being Henry Shefflin. The results speak for themselves.
His contribution thus far in senior championship hurling stands today at an incredible 24-413. The 32-year old won a record 10th All-Star last month, and while preparing for shoulder surgery, is expected to return to action for club and county next year.
Losing the league
Kilkenny’s loss to Dublin marked a significant turning point in the season.
When they lost, the team and management took it hard. There is no doubt that the loss – combined with the hurt from last year’s All-Ireland final – galvanised the Cats and filled them with a renewed sense of purpose and desire.
Without that rare league loss, who knows what would have happened when the championship came calling?
Mulhall’s singing
The sense of euphoria arising from Kilkenny’s big All-Ireland win is such that many people overlook the true highlight of this year’s inter-county campaign: John Mulhall’s melodic wordsmithery during the homecoming celebrations.
The Muckalee man danced across the stage, leading the team in a rendition of ‘SuperCats’ – an ode to Kilkenny’s 33rd All-Ireland victory. Among the more sensational lyrics were:
“Now we’ve taken back our throne, Tipperary póg mo thóin, Liam MacCarthy’s f****n’ coming home.”
Whether Brian Cody was amused or not is still the subject of some speculation.
Cody signs again
It is taken for granted at this stage, but the Brian Cody era cannot go on forever.
That’s why Kilkenny heaved a collective sigh of relief in November, when the James Stephens man agreed to stay at the black and amber helm for another season, following unanimous approval from the county board. Equally positive was the announcement that the backroom dream team of Martin Fogarty and Mick Dempsey would also be staying on.
Having guided the Cats to eight All-Ireland titles, 12 Leinster titles, and five NHLs, Cody’s hunger shows no sign of abating. There is room in the trophy cabinet yet.
Cha retirement
There weren’t many sour notes this year, but the news in November that James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick would be hanging up his inter-county boots was difficult for many to swallow.
As regards career highlights, the Ballyhale man has a lot to look back on – notably the three All-Ireland victories, including 2008 when he captained the side.
Cha did not see did not see as much action as he would have liked this season, and he clearly felt that things were going to be staying that way. Even when spaces needed filling in midfield, TJ Reid was getting the nod ahead of him.
At 26-years old, it could be argued that he had a few years of top hurling left in him, but he has been a loyal and committed servant of Kilkenny hurling since breaking onto the scene and he doesn’t owe anybody anything.
Senior final
Few people were predicting anything other than a Ballyhale Shamrocks senior county victory this year – particularly so after they overcame Carrickshock in the quarter final replay.
The men of James Stephens were up for the challenge however, and in the first instalment of the county final, they scrapped it out in desperate conditions to secure a replay.
When that final replay took place, all 15 men fought for victory as though their lives depended on it. Eoin Larkin’s performance that day was hailed by many spectators as one of the finest ever in Nowlan Park.
No one deserved to lift the cup more so than Jackie Tyrell, who is clearly back to his best, whether wearing red and green or black and amber.
Ballyragget
It would be impossible to reflect on this year’s hurling without acknowledging one of the biggest success stories of the year – Ballyragget hurling.
The standout tale here is the club’s first junior title success since 1978, coming on the back of a hard-fought victory against Piltown. A 0-21 to 1-7 hammering of Ballyfin saw them add a Leinster title to that.
And with the Northern under-21 title already wrapped up this month, the club managed to turn it on again a fortnight ago against Mooncoin in the u-21 Roinn A final. They added a 2-11 to 0-10 victory to an already memorable season.
If anything, St Patrick’s did exceptionally well to keep up the standard. Many of the team were playing championship hurling on two different panels week-in, week-out. They will have a little break over Christmas, and then they have a junior club semi-final to look forward to early in the new year.
