Hurling 2026

[seafoid]

Limerick took a talented under 14 team and showered it with JP McManus' millions. I wonder how much Caroline Currid or Kinnerk charge per hour.
They are fabulous hurlers but they had an awful lot of money spent on them. The Dublin footballers were the same. Huge effort at underage with no.expense spared to develop generational plsyers who won 9 all Irelands. The other counties can't compete until the money teams hit the end of the road. Dublin are mediocre now. Limerick will be too.

[Captain Obvious]

Cody won 11 all Irelands between 2000 and 2015

The Kilkenny 4 in a row team won 8 all Irelands
Dublin footballers won 9 I think.

Limerick are in that class but not at Cody level.
So they might win 2 or 3 more

5 wins in 26 All-Ireland final appearances for Galway a poor return and win percentage of 19%

Limerick in comparison 6 All-Ireland titles won from 6 All-Ireland final appearances since 2018.  Even before this spell 7 wins from 16 finals better than Galway.

Losing finals shouldn't in itself be seen as a badge of failure. It shows at least a consistency of something being done right in the background processes. Limerick themselves lost 2 in '94 and '96 they really should have won  - Kiely is still "scarred" by it. For the counties that reach finals infrequently, Dublin, Wexford (in particular), Waterford, Clare (to an extent), I'm sure they'd love to be in more finals for the mini-boost and excitement it would give locally.

Limerick also lost 2007.

Most of Galway's losses happpened before Galway went into Leinster and was on its own with no competition.
Since it went into Leinster Galway has been in 4 finals and won 1. 2 of those losses were against Kilkenny and one against Limerick..

Limerick was competitive in those final loses the least any player,manager and supporters wants to see from their team.

Galway was competitive in 2012,2015 finals losses before winning in it in 2017.  It's much harder to bounce back after a heavy final loss as Galway suffered on Sunday.  Cork got similar experience last year in the final and it was clear in the semi-final a few weeks ago that they hadn't recovered from the manner and margin of that defeat. 

Maybe now is the time Galway build up a final winning mentality in Leinster first as 4 wins in 12 Leinster finals since they joining it in 2009 isn't a great strike/success rate either.

[mouview]

Cody won 11 all Irelands between 2000 and 2015

The Kilkenny 4 in a row team won 8 all Irelands
Dublin footballers won 9 I think.

Limerick are in that class but not at Cody level.
So they might win 2 or 3 more

5 wins in 26 All-Ireland final appearances for Galway a poor return and win percentage of 19%

Limerick in comparison 6 All-Ireland titles won from 6 All-Ireland final appearances since 2018.  Even before this spell 7 wins from 16 finals better than Galway.

Losing finals shouldn't in itself be seen as a badge of failure. It shows at least a consistency of something being done right in the background processes. Limerick themselves lost 2 in '94 and '96 they really should have won  - Kiely is still "scarred" by it. For the counties that reach finals infrequently, Dublin, Wexford (in particular), Waterford, Clare (to an extent), I'm sure they'd love to be in more finals for the mini-boost and excitement it would give locally.

Limerick also lost 2007.

Most of Galway's losses happpened before Galway went into Leinster and was on its own with no competition.
Since it went into Leinster Galway has been in 4 finals and won 1. 2 of those losses were against Kilkenny and one against Limerick..

Limerick was competitive in those final loses the least any player,manager and supporters wants to see from their team.

Galway was competitive in 2012,2015 finals losses before winning in it in 2017.  It's much harder to bounce back after a heavy final loss as Galway suffered on Sunday.  Cork got similar experience last year in the final and it was clear in the semi-final a few weeks ago that they hadn't recovered from the manner and margin of that defeat. 

Maybe now is the time Galway build up a final winning mentality in Leinster first as 4 wins in 12 Leinster finals since they joining it in 2009 isn't a great strike/success rate either.

[/b]

Yes, that is surely a prerequisite. Galway were well beaten in 1979 but bounced back the following year. Their AI wins have come in 'clusters', i.e. where they have previously reached finals in preceding years, so reaching another one soon would be a further step in the right direction you would think.

[seafoid]

Cody won 11 all Irelands between 2000 and 2015

The Kilkenny 4 in a row team won 8 all Irelands
Dublin footballers won 9 I think.

Limerick are in that class but not at Cody level.
So they might win 2 or 3 more

5 wins in 26 All-Ireland final appearances for Galway a poor return and win percentage of 19%

Limerick in comparison 6 All-Ireland titles won from 6 All-Ireland final appearances since 2018.  Even before this spell 7 wins from 16 finals better than Galway.

Losing finals shouldn't in itself be seen as a badge of failure. It shows at least a consistency of something being done right in the background processes. Limerick themselves lost 2 in '94 and '96 they really should have won  - Kiely is still "scarred" by it. For the counties that reach finals infrequently, Dublin, Wexford (in particular), Waterford, Clare (to an extent), I'm sure they'd love to be in more finals for the mini-boost and excitement it would give locally.

Limerick also lost 2007.

Most of Galway's losses happpened before Galway went into Leinster and was on its own with no competition.
Since it went into Leinster Galway has been in 4 finals and won 1. 2 of those losses were against Kilkenny and one against Limerick..

Limerick was competitive in those final loses the least any player,manager and supporters wants to see from their team.

Galway was competitive in 2012,2015 finals losses before winning in it in 2017.  It's much harder to bounce back after a heavy final loss as Galway suffered on Sunday.  Cork got similar experience last year in the final and it was clear in the semi-final a few weeks ago that they hadn't recovered from the manner and margin of that defeat. 

Maybe now is the time Galway build up a final winning mentality in Leinster first as 4 wins in 12 Leinster finals since they joining it in 2009 isn't a great strike/success rate either.

Galway's return from Leinster has been poor. Kilkenny won 7 in a row until this year. Kilkenny are in a period of rebuilding and won't be winning Leinsters for a while. Kilkenny beat Galway by 11 points in 2012.
Apart from the 2023 final all of Limerick's wins have been by more than 10 points.

[seafoid]

Something mentioned on TSG on Sunday was that Munster teams have won all the all Irelands since 2018 and that this is down to the competitiveness of the Munster chmapionship. someone suggested to get rid of the provincial championships so everyone can be exposed to the higher level. What would you think of that ?

[Blowitupref]

Cody won 11 all Irelands between 2000 and 2015

The Kilkenny 4 in a row team won 8 all Irelands
Dublin footballers won 9 I think.

Limerick are in that class but not at Cody level.
So they might win 2 or 3 more

5 wins in 26 All-Ireland final appearances for Galway a poor return and win percentage of 19%

Limerick in comparison 6 All-Ireland titles won from 6 All-Ireland final appearances since 2018.  Even before this spell 7 wins from 16 finals better than Galway.

Losing finals shouldn't in itself be seen as a badge of failure. It shows at least a consistency of something being done right in the background processes. Limerick themselves lost 2 in '94 and '96 they really should have won  - Kiely is still "scarred" by it. For the counties that reach finals infrequently, Dublin, Wexford (in particular), Waterford, Clare (to an extent), I'm sure they'd love to be in more finals for the mini-boost and excitement it would give locally.

Limerick also lost 2007.

Most of Galway's losses happpened before Galway went into Leinster and was on its own with no competition.
Since it went into Leinster Galway has been in 4 finals and won 1. 2 of those losses were against Kilkenny and one against Limerick..

Limerick was competitive in those final loses the least any player,manager and supporters wants to see from their team.

Galway was competitive in 2012,2015 finals losses before winning in it in 2017.  It's much harder to bounce back after a heavy final loss as Galway suffered on Sunday.  Cork got similar experience last year in the final and it was clear in the semi-final a few weeks ago that they hadn't recovered from the manner and margin of that defeat. 

Maybe now is the time Galway build up a final winning mentality in Leinster first as 4 wins in 12 Leinster finals since they joining it in 2009 isn't a great strike/success rate either.

Galway's return from Leinster has been poor. Kilkenny won 7 in a row until this year. Kilkenny are in a period of rebuilding and won't be winning Leinsters for a while. Kilkenny beat Galway by 11 points in 2012.
Apart from the 2023 final all of Limerick's wins have been by more than 10 points.

2022,2018 was one score wins in finals for Limerick.

2023 Limerick beat Kilkenny by 9 points but it wasn't like last Sunday as that match Kilkenny had 6 and 5 point leads during it and that final was level with 12 minutes to play.

[marty34]

Limerick took a talented under 14 team and showered it with JP McManus' millions. I wonder how much Caroline Currid or Kinnerk charge per hour.
They are fabulous hurlers but they had an awful lot of money spent on them. The Dublin footballers were the same. Huge effort at underage with no.expense spared to develop generational plsyers who won 9 all Irelands. The other counties can't compete until the money teams hit the end of the road. Dublin are mediocre now. Limerick will be too.

This is the same 'seafoid' that people like to spout about Dublin. Now it's Limerick's turn.


What money is being spent on them that's not being spent on other counties?


You also talked about Limerick's reign coming to an abrupt end, like KK, and that they'll drop off the edge. I provided reasons why they won't.

[seafoid]

Limerick took a talented under 14 team and showered it with JP McManus' millions. I wonder how much Caroline Currid or Kinnerk charge per hour.
They are fabulous hurlers but they had an awful lot of money spent on them. The Dublin footballers were the same. Huge effort at underage with no.expense spared to develop generational plsyers who won 9 all Irelands. The other counties can't compete until the money teams hit the end of the road. Dublin are mediocre now. Limerick will be too.

This is the same 'seafoid' that people like to spout about Dublin. Now it's Limerick's turn.


What money is being spent on them that's not being spent on other counties?


You also talked about Limerick's reign coming to an abrupt end, like KK, and that they'll drop off the edge. I provided reasons why they won't.

It's hard to get data comparing counties. The Limerick hurlers often thank JP and Noreen for their financial support. Limerick has a backroom team of 37. They have the best people.in the business. JP McManus has been involved since 2004. He funded the successful u14 team that became the senior team. They spent €2.3m in 2025. He has pumped a lot of money.into.the team and they have a clear financial advantage over the competition.

[marty34]

Limerick took a talented under 14 team and showered it with JP McManus' millions. I wonder how much Caroline Currid or Kinnerk charge per hour.
They are fabulous hurlers but they had an awful lot of money spent on them. The Dublin footballers were the same. Huge effort at underage with no.expense spared to develop generational plsyers who won 9 all Irelands. The other counties can't compete until the money teams hit the end of the road. Dublin are mediocre now. Limerick will be too.

This is the same 'seafoid' that people like to spout about Dublin. Now it's Limerick's turn.


What money is being spent on them that's not being spent on other counties?


You also talked about Limerick's reign coming to an abrupt end, like KK, and that they'll drop off the edge. I provided reasons why they won't.

It's hard to get data comparing counties. The Limerick hurlers often thank JP and Noreen for their financial support. Limerick has a backroom team of 37. They have the best people.in the business. JP McManus has been involved since 2004. He funded the successful u14 team that became the senior team. They spent €2.3m in 2025. He has pumped a lot of money.into.the team and they have a clear financial advantage over the competition.

You state it's hard to get data on what counties spend but then you proceed to mention what Limerick has spent. Lol. 


How does anybody know how an U14 team will turn out? There are loads of successful U14 teams and are you saying JP went to watch them and knew straight away they'd become multiple All-Ireland winners and All-Stars etc. and decidedthen to 'pump a lot of money into the team'?



What backroom numbers have every other county?



This, to me, is just sour grapes. Limerick put their plan in place, got buy in and developed from there. But the key ingredient is they have probably the best team that has every played the game in my opinion. They are talented players in every facet of the game.



And fair play to JP if he funds Sporting Limerick. He's helped get the golf to Adare to help the Limerick/Munster area. He gave every GAA club £1k euro also.



If Galway had won on Sunday, you wouldn't be making these abstract comments. As I say, just handy to throw out a bit of mud and hope it tarnishes Limerick. Sour grapes.   

[Armagh18]

JP has done loads for Limerick and sport in general but it would probably be better if he'd pay a bit of tax in the country- not that I blame him for avoiding it.

Anyway that's a whole other conversation. His money has done wonders for Limerick hurling but like Dublin footballers you need the talent there

[NAG1]

JP has done loads for Limerick and sport in general but it would probably be better if he'd pay a bit of tax in the country- not that I blame him for avoiding it.

Anyway that's a whole other conversation. His money has done wonders for Limerick hurling but like Dublin footballers you need the talent there

Its a self perpetuating thing though, once you make that initial jump to become a super power, the structures (that JP paid for) are now in place and template for success is there for the development squads coming through. The role models are there and the successful environment has been created, that is the hard part.

It is probably the more unseen things that the money makes the difference with, everyone knows Kinnerk and Currid but the things that go on in the back ground to allow the players to be at their best. Medical wise, rest wise, work wise etc they simply have the ability to make these things happen better than most other counties.

That's not to say that they arent dealing with some generational talents as well at the same time, but if the environment is top level then it gives the best chances to bring these through the system and not lose them along the way.

[EoinW]

I understand the logic that the high quality in Munster aid the Munster teams.  However Munster dominance is due to one simple fact: they've more talent.  It's a poor reason to abolish the provincial format.

Posters are complaining about there only being roughly 10 hurling counties that can seriously compete for the championship.  If one is honest about Gaelic football, is there even 10 counties?  Many years it seems like there's just two - Kerry & Dublin.

Another perspective is that the CFL(in Canada) has only been a nine team league, yet it's perfectly competitive.  Do the math: 9 teams means each team, in theory, wins once every nine years.

Right now Munster is in a very good place.  Limerick dominant but will have a player turn over, plus the challenge of maintaining a desire to win.  Clare also must retire veterans but have excellent young talent coming up.  One never has to worry about Tipperary.  They win AIs even when they shouldn't!  Equally great winning tradition in Cork.  Yes, psychologically, they are Drama Queens.  If they weren't we'd be worrying about Cork dominance, not Limerick dominance.  Poor Waterford.  Good teams but victims of geography.

The big complaint about Leinster was Kilkenny domination.  That's now ended...though I'm never one to write KK off.

Hurling is in a very good place right now.  Just sit back and enjoy it.

[seafoid]

Hurling is in a strange situation now with Cork and Kilkenny in historic slumps.
Tipperary win the odd one.
Limerick have taken up the slack but when they revert to mean who is going to win the all Irelands ?
After that you have the counties with much fewer wins. 

[Armagh18]

Definitely an argument for a rejig to allow 4th place in Munster to get through to some form of play off rather than their year being over. Would imagine Waterford beat most Leinster counties but they're rarely going to get out of the Munster round robin- have they ever?

Am I right in saying that Clare then Tipp didn't get out of Munster after winning All Irelands the last 2 years? Mad how cut throat it is!

[didlyi]

Definitely an argument for a rejig to allow 4th place in Munster to get through to some form of play off rather than their year being over. Would imagine Waterford beat most Leinster counties but they're rarely going to get out of the Munster round robin- have they ever?

Am I right in saying that Clare then Tipp didn't get out of Munster after winning All Irelands the last 2 years? Mad how cut throat it is!

Yes its that cut throat. I would hate to see the round robin disbanded as it has largely been very good and sometimes brilliant. The Munster C'ship is always judged by its own high standards.
Would the idea of having the round robin every second year and then having the old fashioned knockout followed by a an-ireland series every alternate year work? At least for a few years anyway to see how that mixes things up a bit...