I had fears that an annihilation might happen and I hinted at it last week. A couple of things pointed to it. First, you had the performance of the Wexford under-21s against Kilkenny in the Leinster final. In their own back yard, Wexford were humiliated. It didn’t help the morale of the county.
Second, you had Clare beating Offaly in the qualifiers. That result put their Leinster final form into perspective. If it wasn’t for some terrible wides Offaly would have beaten Wexford and so before a ball had been pucked on Sunday you sensed the form wasn’t holding up.
I never doubted the strength of this Cork team either, provided they played as a team and not a collection of individuals. Sunday was the first time I could honestly say they produced a real team effort. For the first hour there was very little wastage from their forwards. It was good, percentage hurling until the subs came on and started doing their own thing in order to impress the manager. That kind of thing won’t beat Kilkenny.
So I wouldn’t be getting carried away with Cork just yet. They had it handy from the start and it’s easy to express yourself when the opposition does nothing to stop you. Wexford were really short up the middle, at centre field, centre-forward and full-forward. They need five, six or seven new players and God knows where they’re going to get them.
The margin of victory was depressing for everybody bar Cork people. If you’ve a love of hurling then you’ll be worried, like me. No matter what happens on the second Sunday of September, it looks like more dominance for Kilkenny going into the future, what with their under-21s and minors going well. Facing into 2005 you’ve got to ask the question: what does the future hold? I used to think that four counties could win the All-Ireland. Now, it’s down to three: Kilkenny, Cork — and Waterford will keep the show on the road for a while yet.
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That’s why Sunday was so depressing. I’ve been preaching for six or seven years that the authorities can’t continue to bury their heads in the sand as regards hurling’s problems. They have to face up to the fact that huge investment is needed.
This controversy over Croke Park annoys me. Will the people who are objecting to the gates being opened up — and the millions of euros in revenue that would entail — take full responsibility for the further decline of hurling? Counties need help and the GAA can’t be mean about paying coaches and getting teams properly organised. County boards have to be properly run as well. They have to be accountable for what’s going on. Croke Park could be a money-spinner and the money could be pumped into making the hurling championship a proper championship again.
I’m tired of saying it but the legacy that was left to me was a game on the up and up. There were more teams competing at a serious level. It’s a different situation now. Imagine what it might be like in 25-30 years’ time? The way it’s going in a lot of counties there just won’t be the interest any more. I can foresee a situation where you might not have your 50,000 or 60,000 people turning up for an All- Ireland semi-final.
I hope Conran stays because nobody would do a better job with Wexford. But nobody should criticise him if he went either. It’s not his fault his team was outclassed.
Liam Griffin is one of the smartest men in hurling and he left straight after Wexford beat Limerick in 1996. He got his All-Ireland, his kudos and then got out, maybe because he saw that he couldn’t get any more out of those players. He didn’t want to hang around to see the demise. And despite their Leinster title, the demise continues. That’s not just Wexford’s problem. It’s all of hurling’s.