As the vicious cycle of recurring success Kilkenny forced upon Hurling finally fades, a new era is upon us. One that harks back to the heady competitive days of the 1990s. Rejoice, a golden age of competitiveness is upon us.

When Brian Cody took the reins as Kilkenny manager in late 1998 few would have predicted what was to come over the next 16 years. Cody’s Kilkenny team have held a stranglehold on success rarely seen in any sport, their ruthlessness and unwavering desire for glory has ensured them a monopoly on Liam McCarthy. Liam has at times ventured down to the banks of the Lee or across the border into Thurles but he has found a safe home in Kilkenny. From a neutral point of view, the Cody years effectively provided the ruination of Hurling. Gone was the openness of the mid 1990’s when Hurling experienced a great revival and entered a Golden age.

Back then teams like Clare, Offaly, Wexford and Limerick rose up and stepped out of the shadow of the traditional powers of the game. The Hurling championship was must see action as any team was capable of beating another on a given day. Then Cody and a gangly, red haired, 20 year old called Henry Shefflin came along. Those two would become the predominant figures of the next decade and a half. There were plenty of exciting games to come in the 00’s but they were different. People watched to marvel at the skill and brilliance of Kilkenny but the thrill and the unpredictability of the 90’s were gone.

In 2013 some of the old magic of the ancient game seemed to rekindle. Kilkenny looked a spent force as they laboured through the championship via the scenic route of the Qualifiers before being dumped out by Cork. Limerick were champions of Munster for the first time since 1996. Dublin had claimed their first Leinster title in 52 years. Clare were on a rampage through the qualifiers and they would go on to win the All Ireland in the most thrilling climax to a championship in years. The New Era had begun.

In 2014 it seemed that proper service had resumed. Kilkenny and Tipperary were back in the All Ireland final with Kilkenny prevailing again. If we were simply to look at it on paper it would seem that order was restored and that 2013 was a once off but that is not the case. The 2014 championship was the calm after the epic storm that was 2013. The big guns fought it out in a classic final but they had to work harder than ever before to get there. An element of competitiveness has returned to the Hurling championship at last.

Limerick were first to lead the charge of the ‘underdogs’, they became Munster champions in 2013 after disposing of Tipperary and Cork. Their tenacity and work ethic have caused major problems for opposing teams. The blend of experience and youth with players like Seamus Hickey and Shane Dowling leading the charge has been a joy to watch in recent years. They still need to break their Croke Park hoodoo but that can’t be far away. Alongside them in Munster has been Cork. Hardly an underdog but they have returned from a few years in the wilderness thanks to the guidance of a returning Jimmy Barry Murphy. Cork have restored their reputation as a top class team capable of challenging for All Ireland’s.

Clare have already broken through and got their hands on Liam McCarthy. Their 2013 win was a reward for their impressive work at under age levels. Though a breakthrough at Senior level may have come sooner than expected it seemed inevitable that a team featuring talents like Tony Kelly, Conor McGrath and Shane O’ Donnell would taste success at some stage. It seems likely that their disappointing surrender in 2014 will be viewed as a blip on the radar as Davy Fitzgerald’s team have the strength to be a major force for the next decade.

Clare’s conquerors in 2014 were Wexford. Notoriously inconsistent but they have been quietly building a strong underage structure for the last number of years. They finally grabbed their first big win of Liam Dunne’s reign and took out the champions after a replay, a week later they knocked out Waterford before succumbing to Limerick. The likes of Conor McDonald and Lee Chin have restored pride to Wexford shirt and they seem likely to take more big scalps as they continue to rebuild.

Though they lit up the championship throughout the 00’s, it seemed as though Waterford were a team in reverse. They had produced Jekyll and Hyde performances in Munster and were knocked out of last year’s championship by Wexford. It seemed like a long way back for Waterford but from the signs coming out of this year’s league campaign, Derek McGrath has transformed the Deise men. Very well organised and extremely tough to beat, they secured promotion back to Division 1A and will contest the League final. If they can continue their impressive performances into the championship they will be a force to be reckoned with.

Another team in transition is Dublin, although it could be argued that they have been in this ‘transitional period’ for the last 6 years or more. Dublin have threatened time and again to make the breakthrough and they finally did in 2013 when they claimed their provincial crown. 2014 was a let-down but new manager; Ger Cunningham has shaken things up in the capital. The switch of Liam Rushe to full forward and Conal Keaney to the wing back line has revitalised the Dubs and they will fancy a crack at reclaiming their Leinster crown at the very least.

Up to 2012, it seemed that only Kilkenny and Tipperary were realistic challengers for All Ireland glory. The last 2 years of championship action and this year’s National League have shown that we may now have up to 9 teams who can challenge for honours. While teams like Waterford and Wexford are far from the finished article they have proven that on their day they are match for any team in the country. The traditional powers remain strong but the chasing pack has caught up. What we are left with now is an incredibly open Hurling championship, 2015 has the potential to be a season for the ages. The New Era has truly begun and it’s going to be unmissable.

Patrick Kinsella, Pundit Arena

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