ANTRIM
2012 was…depressing. All the good vibes that emanated after Loughgiel Shamrocks All-Ireland club triumph last St Patrick’s Day, quickly dissipated. They coughed up a six-point lead before losing against a 14-man Westmeath team in Leinster and then were walloped by Limerick in the qualifiers as they conceded 8-26 and lost by a staggering 32 points.
Their heart-warming moment…First day out in the league and Antrim get off to a flying start with a six-point win over Wexford in Casement Park. Matters went downhill though from there.
Their gut-wrenching moment…The spectacle that unfolded in the Gaelic Grounds against Limerick. Their collapse saw Limerick tear their defence apart and plunder eight goals.
They discovered that…club success does not translate into inter-county glory. Loughgiel Shamrocks claimed only Antrim’s second All-Ireland club hurling title last March but it failed to prove the springboard for inter-county progression.
Turning to 2013…Kevin Ryan has been appointed the new hurling supremo in the county as he succeeds Jerry Wallis. Division 1B hurling will kick things off but they can be enthused by a Leinster draw that makes qualifying for a semi-final a realistic prospect.
CARLOW
2012 was…under-performing. They got an early fillip with a league campaign that yielded promotion and silverware from Division 2A. But then the championship saw a convincing seven-point loss to Laois and they paid for the amount of goals they conceded against Wexford in the qualifiers.
Their heart-warming moment…Their Division 2A final win over Westmeath. The five-point success rounded off a fine body of work during the spring from the Barrowsiders.
Their gut-wrenching moment…Their Leinster championship defeat to Laois. It was a tie that Carlow would have targeted getting a positive result from but they could not match the scoring power that Laois demonstrated.
They discovered that…the gap between themselves and the elite players in the Liam McCarthy Cup remains as difficult as ever to bridge.
Turning to 2013…John Meyler is their latest manager after the departure of Kevin Ryan. He represents a good appointment and it will be interesting to see how the team fares in the league being exposed to a higher level of hurling in Division 1B.
CLARE
2012 was…excellent. Certainly they did lose out in the Munster semi-final and phase three of the All-Ireland qualifiers. But a year that featured a Division 1B league title, a landmark championship win for a young team against Dublin and an All-Ireland U21 title, has to be recalled fondly.
Their heart-warming moment…The U21 heroics in September were stirring yet the mid-July triumph over Dublin was one to savor. In the second-half Clare were down to 14 men on the pitch and down by five points on the scoreboard. But they recovered to chisel out a two-point success that gave the county their first senior hurling championship win in four years.
Their gut-wrenching moment…The loss to Limerick seven days later in the qualifiers. In a thrilling game, Clare found themselves dislodged by Limerick and left to rue an inability to build on the momentum from their victory over Dublin.
They discovered that…their band of precocious youngsters can start to cut it at senior level. Players like Seadna Morey, Tony Kelly, Colm Galvin and Aaron Cunningham – minors in 2011 – produced persuasive evidence that they were adjusting to the top tier.
Turning to 2013…Davy Fitzgerald will be enthused at the prospect of working with this Clare squad for a second year. Getting tests in the more demanding arena of Division 1 in the league should be invaluable to their development.
Liam Rushe of Dublin with Cian Dillon of Clare. Pic: INPHO/Donall Farmer
CORK
2012 was…revealing. On the one hand Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s return saw them enjoy a splendid league campaign to reach the final and the satisfaction of a major championship win over Waterford in the All-Ireland quarter-final. On the other hand there were days that checked them in their stride like the league decider hiding against Kilkenny, the Munster championship loss to Tipperary and being five points short of Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final.
Their heart-warming moment…The victory over Waterford in the All-Ireland quarter-final was one to savor. In a gripping finale, Cork outscored Waterford by 0-6 to 0-1 to fashion a 1-19 to 0-19 success.
Their gut-wrenching moment…The All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Galway. Cork were ultimately defeated by a better side but to lose out on the prospect of appearing in an All-Ireland final was a grave setback for their younger players and the game was also noted for Sean Óg Ó hAilpín’s final appearance in a Rebels jersey.
They discovered that…they need further refinement if they are to realize their goal of attaining the All-Ireland title. They need more physically dominant figures like Patrick Cronin around the middle third and Darren Sweetnam’s switch to Munster rugby is a major loss given the lack of underage talent filtering through their ranks.
Turning to 2013…League progression will not be as much of a necessity as this year with the focus instead on reaching a Munster final (they face either Clare or Waterford in the semi-final). The hope will also be that the form of youngsters Christopher Joyce and Conor Lehane will continue to travel on an upward curve.
DUBLIN
2012 was…sobering. After the 2011 highs of a league final and running Tipperary close in the All-Irleand semi-final, 2012 was far more difficult to bear. They suffered relegation from Division 1A after being hammered by Galway in the playoff and then there was championship misery in the form of losses to Kilkenny and Clare.
Their heart-warming moment…During a largely grim season, there was a rare moment of celebration when a last-gasp Liam Rushe goal grabbed a draw for Dublin in their league match with Tipperary in Croke Park last March.
Their gut-wrenching moment…The Leinster semi-final loss to Kilkenny. Dublin had been forecast to provide Brian Cody’s side with a stern test but instead flatlined and were emphatically beaten.
They discovered that…they still have a way to go after a year where Dublin began thinking that they were closing in on a spot amongst the All-Ireland contenders. The 2012 regression has lead to a reappraisal of their standing.
Turning to 2013…After much speculation Anthony Daly has opted to stay on for another year but Dublin will be bereft of key defender Tomas Brady as he has switched allegiances to the county’s football side. It will be a challenging year with promotion from Division 1B the target they will be hoping to initially achieve.
