Tipp/Galway rivalry - Laochra Gael

[JBM on the 21]

Anyone catch the Laochra Gael programme last night on the Tipperary/Galway rivalry in the late eighties - early nineties?
20 years on and you feel the bitterness is still there.  Maybe I am wrong but I don't think any rivalry in the GAA has come close to the hatred those two teams felt for each other, condensed into those 4 - 5 years. It was hard to feel sorry for Galway in 89 - the focus that should have been there (from an experienced team that they were) just was not there.

[IolarCoisCuain]

Bitter is no name for it.

They profiled Tony Keady on Laochra Gael a few years ago. At the end, they asked him what he'd like on his headstone after he's claimed his Eternal Reward. "Tony Keady should have played in '89" he said. No getting over it there.

Of course, the bitterness is much more on the Galway side. See, they think it was a Tipp man that shopped Keady in the first place. A very prominent Tipp man. A legend in Irish sport, as he said himself....

[GalwayBayBoy]

Watched it on the TG4 website today. Well worth a watch. Fairly brought back some memories. Of all the rivalries in the GAA in the past 30 odd years I think this was was the bitterest while it lasted. Both teams hated the sight of each other.

Pete Finnerty was good value though. He still loves winding up Tipp and they hate him in return. Even bringing up the name John Denton in south Galway these days is liable to provoke a volcanic reaction.

I hear there is a 4 page thread about it already on Premier View. Would be well worth a read I'd say.

[longrunsthefox]

Anyone catch the Laochra Gael programme last night on the Tipperary/Galway rivalry in the late eighties - early nineties?
20 years on and you feel the bitterness is still there.  Maybe I am wrong but I don't think any rivalry in the GAA has come close to the hatred those two teams felt for each other, condensed into those 4 - 5 years. It was hard to feel sorry for Galway in 89 - the focus that should have been there (from an experienced team that they were) just was not there.

Nonsense-they were absolutely robbed in that semi-final. It was one of the most disgraceful ever refereeing displays in Croke Park.

[seafoid]

Anyone catch the Laochra Gael programme last night on the Tipperary/Galway rivalry in the late eighties - early nineties?
20 years on and you feel the bitterness is still there.  Maybe I am wrong but I don't think any rivalry in the GAA has come close to the hatred those two teams felt for each other, condensed into those 4 - 5 years. It was hard to feel sorry for Galway in 89 - the focus that should have been there (from an experienced team that they were) just was not there.

Nonsense-they were absolutely robbed in that semi-final. It was one of the most disgraceful ever refereeing displays in Croke Park.

Yeah. I couldn't believe it when Hopper got sent off. Denton was a disgrace. And it was effectively the all-Ireland final.

Did he ever ref a big match after that ?

[GalwayBayBoy]

Anyone catch the Laochra Gael programme last night on the Tipperary/Galway rivalry in the late eighties - early nineties?
20 years on and you feel the bitterness is still there.  Maybe I am wrong but I don't think any rivalry in the GAA has come close to the hatred those two teams felt for each other, condensed into those 4 - 5 years. It was hard to feel sorry for Galway in 89 - the focus that should have been there (from an experienced team that they were) just was not there.

Nonsense-they were absolutely robbed in that semi-final. It was one of the most disgraceful ever refereeing displays in Croke Park.

Did he ever ref a big match after that ?

Never reffed intercounty again anyway. Don't know about club. He pretty much disappeared.

[GaillimhIarthair]

Anyone catch the Laochra Gael programme last night on the Tipperary/Galway rivalry in the late eighties - early nineties?
20 years on and you feel the bitterness is still there.  Maybe I am wrong but I don't think any rivalry in the GAA has come close to the hatred those two teams felt for each other, condensed into those 4 - 5 years. It was hard to feel sorry for Galway in 89 - the focus that should have been there (from an experienced team that they were) just was not there.

Nonsense-they were absolutely robbed in that semi-final. It was one of the most disgraceful ever refereeing displays in Croke Park.

Yeah. I couldn't believe it when Hopper got sent off. Denton was a disgrace. And it was effectively the all-Ireland final.

Did he ever ref a big match after that ?

Did he fcuk ever ref any game of importance after that.  How the fcuk could you appoint that p**** to any meaningful game after his "performance" with the whistle that day?  He was an absolute disgrace.  Your blood would boil thinking about it.

Good programme alll the same last night.  Jaysus, there were a lot of angry men on the train back down to Galway that night.  The auld fella was fit to be tied......

[imtommygunn]

The John Gough of the hurling world...

Looking forward to this program now. Was at that Tipp - Galway match but too young to appreciate it.

I second what HS says.

[longrunsthefox]

That one wasn't like John Gough. when they did the Laochra Gael of Tony Keady the programme clearly showed were Denton penalised Galway and let Tipp off with all sorts. I still believe the hierarchy told him to do that because of Galway's anger at the Keady affair. It diminshed Tipp's title that year and it was good they came again in 1991 to show they were worthy All Ireland champions. 

[seafoid]

That one wasn't like John Gough. when they did the Laochra Gael of Tony Keady the programme clearly showed were Denton penalised Galway and let Tipp off with all sorts. I still believe the hierarchy told him to do that because of Galway's anger at the Keady affair. It diminshed Tipp's title that year and it was good they came again in 1991 to show they were worthy All Ireland champions.

That was a good tipp team but they weren't as good as Galway that year. I suppose they were desperate. 1971 was the last time they won it I think.
not that they won much since  

[longrunsthefox]

Anyway for what it's worth from a Tyrone Gael that Galway team was my favourite team ever in any code (aprt from my own county of course). Fantastic... Keady, McInerney, Finnerty, Naughton, Cooney, Sylvie, Lynskey... loved them

[orangeman]

Anyway for what it's worth from a Tyrone Gael that Galway team was my favourite team ever in any code (aprt from my own county of course). Fantastic... Keady, McInerney, Finnerty, Naughton, Cooney, Sylvie, Lynskey... loved them

A lot of hard, fearless men in those ranks.

[An Fhairche Abu]

TG4 Links to the program here:
http://live.tg4.ie/main.aspx?level=sport&content=104470275073 (Part 1)
http://live.tg4.ie/main.aspx?content=104479782913 (Part 2)

You would have nothing but respect for the treatment the GAA gets from TG4, down through the years they have had some superb programs featuring archive footage and new interviews with the protagonists involved, the national broadcaster is put to shame by their efforts.

Galway and Tipp hurlers hated each other then and still do going by that program.
My fave part of the program was Finnerty describing Sylvie's response to English after Nicky was standing over a 21 yard free in the last minute of the '88 final when 5 points down and asking the ref how much was left, the comeback is an all time classic.

[JBM on the 21]

I remember getting the impression at the time that Tipp did not seem to respect Galway (I think it was John Doyle who said on the night before the 88 decider that Tipp had a devine right to win the AllIreland!). Very insulting to a Galway team that dominated the 80s. Throw in Galway winning in 87 and 88, the Keady incident,  plus Antrim winning before hand really hyped the whole thing up. Did the same thing happen to Paul Delaney (a la Keady) in that year or was it in 91?

[seafoid]

Anyway for what it's worth from a Tyrone Gael that Galway team was my favourite team ever in any code (aprt from my own county of course). Fantastic... Keady, McInerney, Finnerty, Naughton, Cooney, Sylvie, Lynskey... loved them

Any one of the forwards could score 4 points or more on the day. It was a class team.