NEAR THE TAIL end of the 2013 All-Ireland SHC, the presence of Clare, Limerick, Dublin and Cork in the final four signalled the dawning of a new era for the small ball code.
But that optimism was short-lived as Tipperary and Kilkenny reclaimed their stranglehold on the Liam McCarthy Cup over the next three seasons.
But hurling’s ‘Top Two’ have been dumped into the qualifiers once again this year, amid hopes the likes of Galway, Waterford, Clare and Wexford can compete for top honours in the short-term at least.
“It’s going to be a serious championship,” says former Galway skipper David Collins.
“Everyone is feeding off the energy that the likes of Wexford have brought to it. You look at Tipperary, I don’t think they’ve performed this year yet really. Kilkenny, you look at the mistakes they made, the points and goals that were missed, they’re not going to go away any time soon.
“They didn’t play well the last day but it’s nice to see there’s new teams coming through. The likes of Wexford have reinvigorated the whole championship. Galway are stepping up there, winning Division 1 out of 1B. It’s really confidence building for teams to get good games and wins.
“It’s going to be a great championship. Cork, Waterford, there are some serious teams in it. You’re looking at five or six serious contenders this year and it hasn’t been that way for the last couple of years.
“Tipp and Kilkenny have dictated it and we’ve always come up against Tipp or Kilkenny in the semi-final or final and never come out the better end of it. But this year it’ll hopefully be different. ”
Collins, who is the President of the Gaelic Players Association, departed the Galway squad over the winter but admits he’s enjoying watching his former team-mates blossom.
“You look at them and you go, ‘class’. The boys in there are just class, they’re fantastic young lads and they’ve really set out their stall now. Obviously Offaly this weekend coming is going to be a really important game for them to get over and then build on that.
“Micheál (Donoghue)’s attitude is just ‘next game, next game, next game’, and that’s just all he focuses on. So, yeah, I hope to god they win it and I hope to God they go far. Of course I’d be jealous, but you’ve made your bed so lie in it.
“You can see it in them, they were hungry for breaking balls, they were hungry for tackles in their faces.
“They are an incredible bunch of athletes. You can see their physical strength, and that’s all been laid down in the last four or five years really in terms of conditioning and it’s really come to fruition now.
“The likes of Cathal Mannion back and Joe Canning at centre-forward really commanding the game. Just exceptional. ”
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