Which counties had a decent championship?

[Mayo4sam16]

Tipperary and Clare

[Rossfan]

Leaving out next Sunday's pair - Tipp would be one of the few satisfied Counties.
Clare beating Sligo, Laois and our demoralised crew and Longford beating Down and Monaghan away would have a few smiles on their faces.
Galway/ Tyrone have shiny cups but wouldn't be feeling that great about it all
As for the rest - 2016 to be forgotten asap.

[armaghniac]

Clare and Longford have reason to be pleased.

[seafoid]

Surely any county that made progress this year can look back with some satisfaction. Most counties are never going to win Sam.

[vallankumous]

The threads get better and better by the day.

[mouview]

Definitely Dublin. And Mayo.
In Hurling I would say Tipp and then Kilkenny.

Tipp' obviously, not sure would I agree with KK, they've finished the year with a number of overhanging positional question marks. Deise's 2 game saga with KK plus the U-21 win has them finishing the season on the up. Galway hurlers may get some kudos from being the closest anyone got to Tipp' but I'm fairly despondent for next year, (my default setting in fairness). Will JC regain full fitness and when, and the type of hurlers we need just aren't coming through. Need at least 2 top-quality defenders and 2 more for the forwards.

Like the hurlers, if Mayo win the AI, Galway footballers will get a bit of praise for being the only team to beat them. The truth remains though that this is a truly terrible, wretched Galway team and it's an absolute mystery how they won Connacht. Div. I football is essential to develop a better team and panel, and next season's NFL draw isn't too unkind, with the 3 away games to Fermanagh, Down and Meath not the toughest, but a major overhaul again of the squad is needed I think.
As for the rest, Clare and Tipp' will probably take the most positives from 2016.

Mo I was trying to imagine what you would be like if you had been born in Mayo.

Probably just as fatalistic!
Of the team that started v Tipp latterly, only 4 played in the domestic Senior c'ship 1/4 finals recently, (3 Corofins + O'Donnell, Tuam) while the 2 Varleys (Cortoon) came on as subs. While clubs' fortunes ebb and flow within the county from year to year, this is still a startling statistic and surely cannot be right that only 6 players from the top 8 clubs are on the county panel. There has to be better out there.

[Iarmhí Abú]

Westmeath hurlers had a great year.  The Leinster round robin series represented a great return.  Our hurlers will never compete with tier 1.  There are simply not enough people playing hurling in the county and only a handful of hurling clubs.  The results against Kerry and Offaly combined with the u21s ruining Eddie Brennan's summer meant that the hurling fraternity will reflect warmly on 2016.

The footballers reached the provincial final for the 5th time in 132 years. Admittedly they ran into the Dublin juggernaut but no shame there.  In the early rounds victory in the border skirmish with Offaly and toppling Kildare for the first time since the 60's will be viewed as good days. The football might not have been great but bragging rights in border pubs have been retained.  The Mayo performance was also heartening.  With 70 minutes on the clock we were attacking seeking an equalising goal.  It wasn't to be but it felt a lot better going home than the dismal retreat from Breffni after the Fermanagh match last year.

I'd be more than happy if we repeated this journey next year.

[smelmoth]

Armagh (football). 5 year plan ticking along nicely. Verified at County Board earlier in the week. Couldn't ask for more