The last great championship

cms88

What was the last great football or hurling championship in your opinion? What made it great?

For me in football it was 2010. It had everything imo.

The provincials for a start.

Munster had two great Kerry Cork games in the semi-final. Limerick again coming so near but so far to winning Munster. Even Waterford getting past the first round was a rare thing.

Leinster

Most will talk about Meath beating Dublin it's often forgotten that Wexford also brought them to exta-time in the round before.

Of course the final speaks for itself!

Connacht

Sligo did the hard work by beating Galway and Mayo only to lose out to a Donie Shine masterclass in the final. New York also were unlucky to lose to Galway.

Ulster

You seen a real changing of the guard here with Monaghan making the final with a few big wins before losing the final.

It was also imo the peak of the qualifiers.

Longford ended John O'Mahonys intercounty managements days in round one. Few would have thought Kildare would go as far as they did when they drew with Antrim and needed a replay. Another rare pairing was Dublin and Tipp in Croke Park in round 2 along with Kildare and Leitrim plus Galway and Wexford. In Round 4 Limerick again coming up just short with Cork. Sligo after much a great showing in Connacht were hammered by Down.

All 4 provincial losing the the quarter-finals and all 4 semi-finalists didn't even make their provincial finals.

Both semi-finals were great games in their own right.

Down almost keeping their 100% record in finals. Imo that Cork team is one of the most underappreciated to ever win an All-Ireland.

Martin Clarke displays were some of the best individual ones I've seen.

It's a championship that just wouldn't happen nowadays and it's really not that long ago!

randd1

In hurling, I'd go 2018.

The Leinster Championship was interesting enough overall due to the new format, Kilkenny pipping Dublin at the death in the opening round, a Wexford/Dublin arm wrestle, A final round with Leinster Final/Championship status on the line, and a tense and very physical Leinster Final between Kilkenny and Galway went to a cracking replay.

Munster was a minefield, had some great games, the "ghost goal" game that saw Waterford (the AI runners up the year before) stumble and eventually fall down, a goalpost and a goal subsequent counter attack deciding between Tipp and Clare to advance, Limerick coming out of nowhere, an epic Munster final.

And then the AI phase.

Quality from Clare to finish off an under-firing but physical Wexford. Kilkenny and Limerick playing out an epic that was decided in injury time.

Those semi-finals, the Cork/Limerick game was beyond ridiculous, the two Clare/Galway games just monumental.

Then an Ai final, not the best game but certainly a good watch, saw Limerick end their famine with a one point win and Galway nearly claw it back.

More than that, it was probably the last year where the hurling wasn't based around the run and throw, just nearly pure instinctive hurling with teams just going for it before the system/run & throw possession/as-many-steps-as-you-like game-plans took over and sullied the sport, and any one of 5/6 teams could have won it depending on their luck giving the hurling public near full buy-in.

What a year it was.

Bot1

For hurling last season was a belter!

Munster was insane. Waterford shocking Cork. Tipp drawing with Waterford. Cork shocking Limerick. Clare getting a last minute 65 to draw with Waterford and keep Cork's championship alive.

Leinster was decent with some very competitive games.

Cork v Limerick semi-final was a game for the ages! Other semi was only okay but the All Ireland Final made up for it with one of the greatest final's ever.

callaway92

Agreed with the above

Not exactly sure what more could’ve happened last year to make it more exciting.

Underdog AI winners in both codes

Munster Hurling Championship almost unanimous sellouts. Leinster Championship provided some good stuff too (in particular Dublin upsetting Galway and Antrim upsetting Wexford)

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122656878#Comment_122656878

"Not exactly sure what more could’ve happened last year to make it more exciting."

We could have won 5 in a row 🤣

Being serious though this year and 2018 are surely up there with the best hurling championships ever.