2 weeks Ago
WHERE ARE THE flowers for the Leinster hurling championship? Perhaps you feel they’re not deserved. It’s not the biggest show in town. Galway are playing Kilkenny this weekend, which many would consider to be the high point of the competition.
And even then, it’s not quite Clare v Cork: Volume II of the All-Ireland final now is it? The topic of the Leinster v Munster hurling championship is hardly considered a debate for some. The old chestnut about Munster superiority rolls out of disinterested mouths with a yawn whenever it comes up. Most would agree that to advance from Munster requires four Grade A performances.
And the teams who do emerge are then fully primed for the All-Ireland knockout phases. Since the new round-robin format was introduced in 2018, every All-Ireland-winning side has been a Munster outfit. That includes Limerick’s five triumphs in seven seasons.
There is plenty of love for the southern elites. And of course, that admiration is deserved. But to ignore the hurling in the east is to overlook a competition that has more than delivered in terms of intrigue.
Last year alone, we had three striking results. Antrim stunned Wexford at home in Corrigan Park, holding on for a scarcely believable two-point victory to blow the Leinster championship wide open at that point. Antrim would not be expected to win a standalone fixture against Wexford, but this result had extra layers to underline how impressive it was.
Wexford travelled up to Belfast seeking a response after letting victory slip against Dublin the previous week in the opening round of the Leinster series. The Saffrons were carrying the bruises of a 32-point thumping by Kilkenny. And even after conceding a personal tally of 2-11 to Lee Chin, Antrim still emerged with a result few saw coming.
It might not match the significance of their 1989 All-Ireland semi-final victory, but it was a win that helped ensure their survival in the Liam MacCarthy Cup for 2025. Moving on to Round 3 of last year’s competition, and the meeting of Kilkenny and Carlow. Unsurprisingly, no-one was paying attention to this game either.
Why would they when a routine Kilkenny march to victory was on the cards? The headline event that day was Cork v Limerick in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. In fact, it was the subject of controversial focus for the week leading up to throw-in. Cork were on the verge of another early exit from the championship, and fans were furious that the game was not being given free-to-air TV treatment.
A Munster classic ensued to justify their complaints, as Cork came out on top in a game that produced a grand total of 72 points. But earlier that evening, the warm-up act over in Dr Cullen Park was putting on a show. Carlow were pinning Kilkenny down, choking them out, and the promise of a sensational result was in the air.
The difference was just five at half-time and Carlow refused to submit in the second half. Marty Kavanagh slotted a late free to earn a draw that sent shockwaves throughout the sport. And then there was Dublin’s victory over Galway in Salthill on the closing day of the round-robin series.
For the second time in five years, the Dubs dumped the Tribesmen out of the championship in the final round. The 2019 edition was a shock win in Parnell Park, clipping the wings of a Galway team who were All-Ireland champions two years previously and contested the 2018 decider. In 2024, Dublin repeated the trick on Galway’s turf.
The fact that they were under the management of Micheál Donoghue added to the salty flavour of the day. The man who famously masterminded Galway’s 2017 All-Ireland success was now standing on the other side of the white line, wearing sky blue and mercilessly scheming the downfall of his home county. And the latest twist there is that Donoghue has since returned for a Second Act as Galway manager.
That game was part of The Sunday Game’s live broadcast, but it was difficult for fans to really absorb the significance of Antrim’s win over Wexford or Carlow’s draw against Kilkenny. Yes, they were available to stream live on GAAGO (this has since been replaced by the new streaming service GAA+) but The Sunday Game’s live billing is still the platform that is the most impactful in GAA circles. Highlights packages can only offer a taste by comparison.
And it wasn’t just the 2024 Leinster championship that produced rare results. You might recall Westmeath’s draw against Wexford in 2022. Derek McNicholas was the hero for Westmeath, scoring a last-gasp goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time to rescue the draw after his side had just lost Davy Glennon to a second yellow card.
A seismic result that paved the way for their survival in the Liam MacCarthy competition. The following year, Westmeath struck again. This time, they overturned a 17-point deficit in Wexford Park to win and condemn the hosts to the brink of relegation.
Wexford did manage to survive with a comeback win over Kilkenny in the final round, while Westmeath were the ones to drop down to the Joe McDonagh after losing out to Antrim. But that doesn’t detract from Westmeath’s heroic efforts against Wexford in back-to-back seasons. There’s potential for further shocks in this year’s championship too.
Offaly are the newcomers, returning to hurling’s top flight for the first time since 2018. What they can muster with all the winning momentum they have garnered over the last year could spell trouble for the established Leinster sides. Earning promotion from Division 1B as well as winning the All-Ireland U20 championship and Joe McDonagh Cup make Offaly a side that could very well upset the new order and restore the old order.
We’re in the midst of an Offaly renaissance. Whether or not you think they still have more developing to do before they can make a splash in Leinster, you can get excited about where their revival will take them. This may not be the theatre of Thurles.
Or the guttural roars you hear in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Every Munster match is a blockbuster between evenly matched teams, and the consistency in those expectations bring their own thrills. But that’s where the Leinster competition offers something different.
A different show in town. A different flavour of drama. Thrills in a different form.
There are scares for the heavyweights, and memorable results for the underdogs. And of course, jeopardy ties the room together nicely. Flowers for the Leinster championship, please, and the excitement that often goes unseen.
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