GAELIC SPORTS WORLD Issue 35 – October 6, 2015 | Page 41
3. Tipperary showed plenty of skill
throughout the championship. They
were far too good for Limerick and
were also ahead of Waterford but
were taken by surprise by Galway
in a game that most definitely could
have gone either way. Their defense
let them down in that game when
they looked as if they would drive
on for another final. The loss of key
player Noel McGrath – though he
returned as a late sub for the semifinal – was a blow in the champiImage: gaa.ie
onship and maybe lessened their
overall strength. Under new management, they will be right in the thick of things again
next year.
4. Waterford the surprise team of the year. They deservedly won the league and were competitive in both
losses to Tipp and Kilkenny in the championship. They
are a very young team. They have skill, play with intensity but too often their defensive setup deprived them
of an all-powerful attack. They should improve again
next season and will be one’s to watch.
5. It’s a toss-up for the last two spots but maybe Dublin just about deserve the No. 5 birth. They did play
well for most of their first game against beaten finalists
Galway, and showed pluck when getting past Limerick.
They need to cut out over-complication in defense that
cost them against Waterford and also need to settle on
a best six in attack. As said last year, Dublin are a much
improved team from 10 years ago and that’s a good
thing.
6. Cork get in ahead of Limerick and Clare for this placing.
They did well against Wexford and Clare but like last season
still have major problems in defense and midfield. They
weren’t helped when losing new full back Christopher Joyce
to a cruciate knee injury. Cork also need more players who
can win their own ball throughout the pitch.
The two most disappointing teams in the championship
were Clare and Limerick. The latter had shown well to run
Kilkenny close in the 2014 semi-final but were very poor
this season. Limerick need cutting edge up front. To this
scribe the most disappointing team of this championship is
Clare. Yes, they are youthful but have talent in abundance
with plenty of All Ireland winning experience and cutting
edge U21 players yet they have looked second tier all championship long. They had problems in the camp early on in
the year and perhaps never quite recovered. Next year will
be a big one for the team and an even bigger one for their
manager Davy Fitzgerald.
41