The rise of hurling and momentum gained by some counties has been great to see in recent weeks.
Carlow and Offaly have shown us that they are not just here to take part and that they want to be in the mix come Division 1B final time but it's Donegal that have possibly had the result of 2025 thus far in defeating Kerry at the weekend.
Mighty stuff for all those flying the flag of hurling up in Donegal, in clubs like Burt, Setanta, Aodh Ruadh, Carndonagh, St Eunan’s and more.
It had been a hundred years since a Munster team travelled up to the north-west to play a hurling match so for Donegal to get the victory makes this result even more special for all those involved.
Whether this is more a reflection of how well they have done in the development of their teams in recent years or how poorly Kerry are going will remain to be seen as the Allianz Hurling League progresses, but for now it’s all good for this team of hurlers under the guidance of Mickey McCann, who is to hurling in Donegal what Pep Guardiola was to Barcelona.
He came into the set-up eight years ago and has done such a brilliant job in uniting the club players, especially those from bitter rivals like Burt and Setanta, and getting them to show that when they pull the county jersey over their head that they are one club, one family, all fighting for the same cause.
Not always easy to do, as can be seen in other counties where the divide amongst clubs often leads to certain players opting out county action. So kudos to Mickey, his management team and to the group of players themselves for giving Donegal hurling people one of their greatest days ever.
Let’s hope they can push on now and back this up, with maybe not a victory away to Kildare but another really good performance to instil that belief in the group that yes, they can mix it with these teams, and give the county the greatest development kick they have ever seen in hurling.
The pool that many of these counties, who are not the traditional strongholds of hurling, are working from is small. I have spoken about Carlow recently and how they have only six senior clubs to pick from. In Antrim they have eight but the panel is mainly made up of players from Dunloy, Cushendall and Loughiel. No club outside these three has won the county championship since O'Donovan Rossa in 2004.
When these counties pick up injuries, or players opt out or retire, the pool of talent they can delve into is far more shallow. It is not that these places don't love hurling and promote it to the last, it’s just the numbers they have to pick from will always be smaller than those at the top.
Take Antrim, for instance. The job that Darren Gleeson did with Antrim will really be appreciated in years to come. He maxed out with the group and got every last bit out of them. Davy Fitzgerald is trying to do the same, but unfortunately he is down some of their big players right now, and as a result they are finding it very hard to even be competitive let alone win a game.
When John Kiely or Pat Ryan lose six or seven players they can look to guys who have won schools, minor or U-20 All-Ireland titles, or Fitzgibbon Cups, to fill the void, or better still ask a few questions of the regulars who are they replacing. In Antrim, Carlow or Wexford, the same depth of talent just is not there and so to be competitive they need their best players, at their best, all the time. It sounds harsh but that’s the reality.
Wexford people might now be asking 'what are you on about, throwing us into that chat?' but let's be honest, Antrim beat ye last year in the championship and I witnessed first hand in Ennis on Sunday that the Yellowbellies are just a completely different animal when Lee Chin is on the field.
He was a colossus against Clare, as were Jack O’Connor, Seamus Casey, Richie Lawlor and Damien Reck, but they need Chin on the pitch to tick. When Keith Rossiter delves down into his panel there is no-one else to step up to the mark and take the game to other teams like Chin does. His presence alone on the field does that for Wexford.
It was a display of passion and heart from a group of lads who knew there was much more on the line than two points in the league. They knew they had to take it up a few levels from what happened in previous games, especially that first half against Kilkenny in Wexford Park when they failed to score from play in 35 minutes.
It wasn’t tactics or magnets on a board that got them the victory last weekend but them wanting it much more than the home team did. They worked like dogs and if I was clipping some bits for video work to get ready for the championship I would be taking a lot of the hooks, blocks and ruck balls from this game and showing them on repeat with the message 'we can do it when we want to lads'.
However, they need all the big guns available for this to become a reality because the Leinster Championship in 2025 is going to be different. It might have the same winners again but we should expect a better overall package. Offaly and Dublin look like two groups who aren’t here for any moral victories.
You would probably still have Kilkenny and Galway as the top two but that third spot will be some battle between Wexford, Dublin and Offaly. It’s hard to see how Antrim will be competitive if they are without the quality of player like Coby Cunning, Paddy Burke, Conor Johnston and Niall McKenna, who are all out at present due to injury.
Success in these counties is relative. In Donegal it has been a magical few days after winning a massive game and league or not, this will do wonders for the development of hurling there.
What Carlow have achieved in the past year, by drawing with Kilkenny in the championship and beating Waterford in the league is wonderous for them in trying to push hurling locally.
These are huge successes for these counties. There might be no cups to show for it but what they have done will be much more beneficial in the long run than a cup for a year will.
As a player, you want to be winning right now, you’re not thinking of the players 20 or 30 years down the line. You’re focused on yourself and the team you are involved in right now, and that's only right, but what they are doing unbeknownst to themselves, by working so hard, training to their max and putting their lives on hold is the greatest gift they can give the future generations of hurlers in their counties.
So here’s to the likes of Donegal, Carlow and Antrim making even greater strides in 2025 and turning a few heads along the way.
