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The Greatest Club Hurling Team

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Since club all Ireland series has begun in all the provinces, just wondering what was the greatest club team? Portumna, Birr, Athenry, Sarsfields, Cuala, Shefflin Ballyhale of the late 00s/10s or the current Ballyhale side. There's been so many. (Obviously Ballyhale are the greatest club of them with 8 titles but on about a team that won them close together and not over the entire competitions history) ML89 (Galway) - Posts: 39 - 30/11/2021 14:30:39 2391215 Link
Replying To ML89: "Since club all Ireland series has begun in all the provinces, just wondering what was the greatest club team? Portumna, Birr, Athenry, Sarsfields, Cuala, Shefflin Ballyhale of the late 00s/10s or the current Ballyhale side. There's been so many. (Obviously Ballyhale are the greatest club of them with 8 titles but on about a team that won them close together and not over the entire competitions history)" Almost impossible to answer. I was going to say Birr but I think you could make a strong argument for Birr, Portumna, Athenry and Ballyhale. I was young in the 90's but I remember it being seriously competitive with a lot of teams around the provinces stacked with intercounty stars. They quality of some of those games was ridiculous. tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 01/12/2021 14:48:00 2391312 Link
Birr stand out for me as a team I loved to watch and had a great consistency of players through their period of dominance. Then Portumna for the same reasons but any team that wins even one has achieved something monumental. It's also let the rest of us see players like Liam Watson who never got a big day with their county. BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 2579 - 01/12/2021 16:58:43 2391332 Link
Replying To tiobraid: "Almost impossible to answer. I was going to say Birr but I think you could make a strong argument for Birr, Portumna, Athenry and Ballyhale. I was young in the 90's but I remember it being seriously competitive with a lot of teams around the provinces stacked with intercounty stars. They quality of some of those games was ridiculous." Tiobraid I am surprised you did not mention the Thurles Sarsfields team of the early sixties. Oldtourman (Limerick) - Posts: 4333 - 01/12/2021 18:04:58 2391336 Link
Replying To BarneyGrant: "Birr stand out for me as a team I loved to watch and had a great consistency of players through their period of dominance. Then Portumna for the same reasons but any team that wins even one has achieved something monumental. It's also let the rest of us see players like Liam Watson who never got a big day with their county." Antrim clubs have reached 9 finals winning 2. More than us! The Dunloy team of the mid/late 90s and early noughties reached 4 finals sadly winning none though they drew 1 against the great Birr team of the 90s. If they could grow the game some more in West Belfast theyd awake a sleeping giant I'm sure! Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 12017 - 01/12/2021 19:05:40 2391341 Link
Replying To BarneyGrant: "Birr stand out for me as a team I loved to watch and had a great consistency of players through their period of dominance. Then Portumna for the same reasons but any team that wins even one has achieved something monumental. It's also let the rest of us see players like Liam Watson who never got a big day with their county." Liam Watson was as good a hurler as I've seen, the guy had ability and skill to burn. Was great to see him on the big day like you said. Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 1913 - 01/12/2021 19:17:23 2391343 Link
I think the big 3 in Cork of the 70s deserve to be in the conversation. St Finbarrs, the Glen and Blackrock were amazing and practically owned the trophy for nearly ten years. I think that Finbarrs team stands out if for nothing more than winning in both codes in that period. No other club have managed that to date. I'd say Kilmacud could be a danger to repeat this though. BaldyBadger (Cork) - Posts: 311 - 01/12/2021 20:09:40 2391350 Link
Replying To BaldyBadger: "I think the big 3 in Cork of the 70s deserve to be in the conversation. St Finbarrs, the Glen and Blackrock were amazing and practically owned the trophy for nearly ten years. I think that Finbarrs team stands out if for nothing more than winning in both codes in that period. No other club have managed that to date. I'd say Kilmacud could be a danger to repeat this though." I'd say the Finbars one will always be more impressive than if Kilmacud do it due to the fact there is only one player on both panels for Kilmacud. Finbars was a proper dual win. ML89 (Galway) - Posts: 39 - 02/12/2021 10:12:17 2391374 Link
Rathnure and Buffers Alley struggled to win the All-Ireland, but I think have about 10 Leinster titles between early 70's and late 80's, capped off with the Alley winning the All Ireland with a great team in 1989. I think Rathnure played in 4 or 5 All-Irelands without winning one. Serious going for two rural clubs. icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2553 - 02/12/2021 10:36:19 2391380 Link
Replying To ML89: "I'd say the Finbars one will always be more impressive than if Kilmacud do it due to the fact there is only one player on both panels for Kilmacud. Finbars was a proper dual win." I wouldn't even consider Kilmacud's double in Dublin a genuine double if that makes sense. bostonredsox (Wexford) - Posts: 4368 - 02/12/2021 10:41:39 2391381 Link
Replying To ML89: "I'd say the Finbars one will always be more impressive than if Kilmacud do it due to the fact there is only one player on both panels for Kilmacud. Finbars was a proper dual win." Fair point, but for the people running the club it takes some doing getting two teams to compete at such a high level in two codes. Of course Loughmore have the same opportunity. A fantastic achievement for the players. They are an excellent football team, however it would be very difficult to compete in both codes at provincial and All Ireland level week in week out. BaldyBadger (Cork) - Posts: 311 - 02/12/2021 11:09:35 2391388 Link
Replying To wexico15: "I wouldn't even consider Kilmacud's double in Dublin a genuine double if that makes sense." Most of the bigger Dublin clubs arent dual clubs in that sense. They have the playing numbers. Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 12017 - 02/12/2021 11:19:13 2391390 Link
Replying To wexico15: "I wouldn't even consider Kilmacud's double in Dublin a genuine double if that makes sense." No doubt you have some complex genealogical basis for this discovery? BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 2579 - 02/12/2021 11:24:19 2391393 Link
Replying To BarneyGrant: "No doubt you have some complex genealogical basis for this discovery?" Nothing to do with geography, Kilmacud have 1 dual player so essentially 2 different panels, Loughmore for example used 18 players in the football final, 14 of them played in the hurling final, that's a genuine dual club. bostonredsox (Wexford) - Posts: 4368 - 02/12/2021 11:35:34 2391394 Link
Replying To Viking66: "Most of the bigger Dublin clubs arent dual clubs in that sense. They have the playing numbers." Given the likes of Crokes, Cuala and Ballyboden have the catchment area of a small county that is sort of the case. bostonredsox (Wexford) - Posts: 4368 - 02/12/2021 11:37:15 2391397 Link
Replying To wexico15: "I wouldn't even consider Kilmacud's double in Dublin a genuine double if that makes sense." your right, that doesn't make sense. Jimmycricket (Meath) - Posts: 113 - 02/12/2021 11:38:36 2391399 Link
Replying To Jimmycricket: "your right, that doesn't make sense." I gave my rationale already, Kilmacud is basically 2 different panels, Loughmore is basically 1 panel for 2 codes. bostonredsox (Wexford) - Posts: 4368 - 02/12/2021 12:21:17 2391409 Link
Replying To Oldtourman: "Tiobraid I am surprised you did not mention the Thurles Sarsfields team of the early sixties." A long time before my time and I tend not to try comment when I havent seen them with my own eyes! No doubt they were an unreal team but to the best of my knowledge they never played a competitive game outside of Tipp. For all thurles' dominance they have only one Munster club title despite 9 county final wins since the introduction of the current club cship in 1970. For the purpose of this thread its hard to know how good any of the teams were prior to 1970 as they never were tested outside of their county apart from a few tournaments I believe. tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 02/12/2021 12:30:24 2391415 Link
Replying To wexico15: "Nothing to do with geography, Kilmacud have 1 dual player so essentially 2 different panels, Loughmore for example used 18 players in the football final, 14 of them played in the hurling final, that's a genuine dual club." Fair play to the players too. Genuinely dual players ! Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 12017 - 02/12/2021 14:27:46 2391432 Link
Replying To wexico15: "Nothing to do with geography, Kilmacud have 1 dual player so essentially 2 different panels, Loughmore for example used 18 players in the football final, 14 of them played in the hurling final, that's a genuine dual club." Genealogy has nothing to do with geography either. BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 2579 - 02/12/2021 14:37:57 2391435 Link