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Wexford Clubs In The Leinster Club Hurling Championship

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Good luck to all the Wexford clubs involved!!!! Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15691 - 08/11/2022 15:47:13 2446891 Link
I think a big record why Wexford clubs have done badly in recent years, especially at Senior level, is because they won the County Championship for the first evert time or else won it for the first time in a long while. If you look back at the teams who consistently go deep in the Club Championships, they generally are teams who have been there before. If we exclude Oulart, here are our County Champions since 2008: 2008: St Martin's: Lost away to Birr, first title win since 1999 2014: Shelmaliers: Lost to Kilcormac/Killoughey at home AET, think it was their first ever win 2017: St Martin's: Lost away to Cuala, first win since 2008 2018: Gorey: Beat Camross away before losing to Ballyhale at home, first ever title win 2019: Martin's: Beaten by Ballyhale away 2020: Shels: No club championship 2021: Rapps: First title win since 1979? Obviuously, 2022 was Ferns's first ever win but they shouldn't have a hangover from it at this stage. On a separate note, I always think Oulart's biggest issue was that they were a summer team, not a winter team. Has the club championships been played in the summer months, they wouldn't have had to wait until December 2015 to finally win Leinster. Funnily enough, the Leinster semi-finals and finals now seem to take place which would have benefitted Oulart hugely; good-draining ground, wide-open spaces, and a bigger venue would have made the atmosphere less intense ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 482 - 08/11/2022 18:17:19 2446905 Link
Just looked back on it and across the last 26 matches (Plus the Ferns game on Sunday) a Wexford club has played in the Leinster Senior Hurling Club Championship on a home-and-away basis (Excluding neutral games), a Wexford club has been at home 9 times out of 27 ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 482 - 08/11/2022 20:43:09 2446914 Link
Oulart were 100% a summer team. There is no doubt about that. The day they won Leinster I thought Cuala would out battle them like Coolderry, Mount Leinster, Kilcormac Killoughey. If that comp was played at a better time of year, or on an astro, Oulart would have gone all the way. ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1336 - 09/11/2022 09:36:44 2446926 Link
EGS - All good points. I'd add in another. Oulart in their prime (7-15 years ago) didn't have as much competition internally in Wexford. And this was a bad thing for them because with tighter matches, you get exposure to more pressure, tighter marking and clutch shots. You get battle hardened for very tough matches. When they came up against quality opposition, they didn't have that tight match experience. Punter72007 (Wexford) - Posts: 318 - 09/11/2022 09:49:51 2446928 Link
Replying To Punter72007: "EGS - All good points. I'd add in another. Oulart in their prime (7-15 years ago) didn't have as much competition internally in Wexford. And this was a bad thing for them because with tighter matches, you get exposure to more pressure, tighter marking and clutch shots. You get battle hardened for very tough matches. When they came up against quality opposition, they didn't have that tight match experience." Think that's a good point too that's often overlooked. Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15691 - 09/11/2022 12:42:56 2446966 Link
Replying To Viking66: "Think that's a good point too that's often overlooked." On the other hand, Ballygunner don't get too many tight matches in Waterford, and yet that doesn't seem to handicap them in the Munster and All-Ireland series.... Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2856 - 09/11/2022 13:30:25 2446977 Link
Replying To Pikeman96: "On the other hand, Ballygunner don't get too many tight matches in Waterford, and yet that doesn't seem to handicap them in the Munster and All-Ireland series...." In my opinion Ballyhale and Ballygunner have brought club hurling to another level, to my mind there at the same standard as a Joe McDonagh intercounty team. TerribleFootwork (Wexford) - Posts: 1760 - 09/11/2022 14:31:31 2446992 Link
Replying To Pikeman96: "On the other hand, Ballygunner don't get too many tight matches in Waterford, and yet that doesn't seem to handicap them in the Munster and All-Ireland series...." Pikeman - Maybe you are right ... I still think Oulart weren't battle hardened enough in the Wexford championships. And remember, some of those years were when there were 16 teams and oulart trounced teams by 20+ points in the first round on a few occasions. But on that point about Ballygunner ... if you go back to when Ballygunner made their breakthrough at provincial level winning Munster in 2001, the Waterford club championship was arguably more competitive than what Oulart had in Wexford. Look at the 10-20 years ago time period in Waterford: Mount Sion won the Munster club championship in 2002 and were the runners up in 2000 and 2004. De La Salle won the Munster club championship in 2008 and 2010 and were runners up in 2012. Then compare that to the Wexford club scene. No Wexford club has made the club provincial final in the last 20 years - Shocking when you look at that way. In fact, the last non Oulart club to play in a Leinster club final was the Alley in 1992 (30 years ago), which was just as Oulart was on the rise winning their first championship in 1994. Anyway, that's all history now and it's up to Oulart to rebuild and create tomorrow's successes. Punter72007 (Wexford) - Posts: 318 - 09/11/2022 16:56:51 2447006 Link
Replying To Pikeman96: "On the other hand, Ballygunner don't get too many tight matches in Waterford, and yet that doesn't seem to handicap them in the Munster and All-Ireland series...." I think as club teams go they are well ahead of where Oulart were. Ballygunner have thousands of players and hundreds of adult players. Many would say they are where they ought to have been years ago. Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15691 - 09/11/2022 17:11:02 2447007 Link
Replying To Punter72007: "Pikeman - Maybe you are right ... I still think Oulart weren't battle hardened enough in the Wexford championships. And remember, some of those years were when there were 16 teams and oulart trounced teams by 20+ points in the first round on a few occasions. But on that point about Ballygunner ... if you go back to when Ballygunner made their breakthrough at provincial level winning Munster in 2001, the Waterford club championship was arguably more competitive than what Oulart had in Wexford. Look at the 10-20 years ago time period in Waterford: Mount Sion won the Munster club championship in 2002 and were the runners up in 2000 and 2004. De La Salle won the Munster club championship in 2008 and 2010 and were runners up in 2012. Then compare that to the Wexford club scene. No Wexford club has made the club provincial final in the last 20 years - Shocking when you look at that way. In fact, the last non Oulart club to play in a Leinster club final was the Alley in 1992 (30 years ago), which was just as Oulart was on the rise winning their first championship in 1994. Anyway, that's all history now and it's up to Oulart to rebuild and create tomorrow's successes." Think they are a few years off. Too big of a gap between their best current players, most of whom are in their late 30s, and a very good underage team or 2 coming through. They will be competitive but not dominant. Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15691 - 09/11/2022 17:55:40 2447012 Link
Replying To Viking66: "I think as club teams go they are well ahead of where Oulart were. Ballygunner have thousands of players and hundreds of adult players. Many would say they are where they ought to have been years ago." I'd agree. It took them a long time and many losses at provincial level to get to where they are now. Even at all Ireland stage they've only ever played in the one final, lost the other semi finals to Clarinbridge in 01 and Ballyhale in 19. Na Piarsaigh have had their number at provincial level bar thelast time they played so that might have something to do with as well. You often see it with clubs who know they'll back to this spot again a few times that the struggle to get over the line e.g Oulart, Thurles Sars, Ballygunner up until last year, don't know if its a mental thing or the lack of competition on their own counties or maybe they just weren't good enough(big fish in a small pond) which makes what some clubs are able to do on club runs all the more amazing the likes of Birr, Ballyhale, Portumna, Athenry etc who were able to harvest nearly as many all Ireland's as county titles. Throughthemidfieldhewasstormin (Wexford) - Posts: 318 - 09/11/2022 17:59:51 2447015 Link
People like to go on about Ballyhale, Ballygunner, Cuala, and Na Piarsaigh and how good these clubs have been but that Oulart team were as good as them for my money. If Oulart hadn't have taken so long to win a Leinster, they would have surely won an All-Ireland. Which brings me to another point. I said earlier that if you want to win the Provincial Championship, you realistically have to have won your County Championship at least twice in the last few years. I always think that if you want to win the All-Ireland Championship, you have to have won the Provincial Championship at least twice in the preceding years. For as good as Ballygunner (And Kilcoo in the football) have been, last February wasn't their first rodeo. ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 482 - 09/11/2022 18:13:19 2447019 Link
@punter72007 - you're forgetting that Rathnure won in Leinster in 1998. But other than that, all you say is spot on, and we do have a disappointing record as regards reaching or going further than Leinster Finals. @Viking66 - yes, Oulart are nowhere on the same scale as Ballygunner in terms of resources, playing population, etc. But point remains that Ballygunner haven't had too many close matches in Waterford in recent years, and yet they're still able to step it up to what it takes to win a Munster or All Ireland title. Still though, they're exceptional, so maybe not fair to be comparing just about any other club to them in this way! Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2856 - 09/11/2022 18:28:56 2447023 Link
Replying To Pikeman96: "@punter72007 - you're forgetting that Rathnure won in Leinster in 1998. But other than that, all you say is spot on, and we do have a disappointing record as regards reaching or going further than Leinster Finals. @Viking66 - yes, Oulart are nowhere on the same scale as Ballygunner in terms of resources, playing population, etc. But point remains that Ballygunner haven't had too many close matches in Waterford in recent years, and yet they're still able to step it up to what it takes to win a Munster or All Ireland title. Still though, they're exceptional, so maybe not fair to be comparing just about any other club to them in this way!" My bad. How did I forget Rathnure? Sure I was at the All Ireland final against Doora-Barefield and they never really got going in the game. Doora-Barefield had some exceptional players at the time. On a different note, Oulart weren't a million off when they were beaten after extra time by Na Piarasaigh in 2015/2016. If they had got through, I think they would won in the final, which Na Piarsaigh won by 11 points. All in the past now and it's about the next crop coming through for Oulart. Punter72007 (Wexford) - Posts: 318 - 10/11/2022 14:57:59 2447100 Link
Replying To TerribleFootwork: "In my opinion Ballyhale and Ballygunner have brought club hurling to another level, to my mind there at the same standard as a Joe McDonagh intercounty team." I agree how Ballyhale can keep coming back with these phenomenal teams over the last 15 years is a credit to themselves. Ballygunner are at the top now too. I am not sure they would beat Antrim, Kerry or Laois but they would go very close. Past hurler (None) - Posts: 925 - 10/11/2022 17:06:16 2447116 Link
Replying To Past hurler: "I agree how Ballyhale can keep coming back with these phenomenal teams over the last 15 years is a credit to themselves. Ballygunner are at the top now too. I am not sure they would beat Antrim, Kerry or Laois but they would go very close." I think it would be very close, Ballyhale have TJ, Mullen, Fennelly and Eoin Cody, that's essentially a Liam McCarthy forward line. TerribleFootwork (Wexford) - Posts: 1760 - 10/11/2022 21:04:58 2447133 Link
Replying To ElGranSenor: "People like to go on about Ballyhale, Ballygunner, Cuala, and Na Piarsaigh and how good these clubs have been but that Oulart team were as good as them for my money. If Oulart hadn't have taken so long to win a Leinster, they would have surely won an All-Ireland. Which brings me to another point. I said earlier that if you want to win the Provincial Championship, you realistically have to have won your County Championship at least twice in the last few years. I always think that if you want to win the All-Ireland Championship, you have to have won the Provincial Championship at least twice in the preceding years. For as good as Ballygunner (And Kilcoo in the football) have been, last February wasn't their first rodeo." Oulart were as good as those teams. They were better than Kilcormac Killoughey, Coolderry, MLR. But these 3 knew how to hurl in winter when skill can be out-battled. I think I remember Oulart beating Ballyhale and James Stephens and losing to these teams. Crazy. ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1336 - 11/11/2022 16:49:54 2447222 Link
Replying To TerribleFootwork: "I think it would be very close, Ballyhale have TJ, Mullen, Fennelly and Eoin Cody, that's essentially a Liam McCarthy forward line." A very very potent forward line for a club team, would do serious damage. On the flip side of that Antrim, Kerry and Laois would be of a very similar standard to Westmeath. The same Westmeath that drew with Wexford in Leinster senior championship this year and ran Kilkenny close for 50minutes. That above has to be taken into consideration when comparing a club team to a county team. Past hurler (None) - Posts: 925 - 11/11/2022 17:28:14 2447227 Link
Replying To TerribleFootwork: "I think it would be very close, Ballyhale have TJ, Mullen, Fennelly and Eoin Cody, that's essentially a Liam McCarthy forward line." Need more than just a potent forward line to win intercounty games! Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15691 - 11/11/2022 18:13:10 2447233 Link