The All-Ireland under-21 hurling final, as a contest, was a most disappointing affair…

While fair dues must go to Limerick for their terrific performance, clearly Galway are not as bad as they appeared on the day. However, their one game in the competition gave them a one-sided victory over a suspect Wexford outfit, whereas Limerick, buoyed up by the confidence deriving from being defending champions, and rendered razor-sharp by their two epic contests against Tipperary, were operating at a different level straight from the throw-in, and more or less kept it up to the end.

This game once again highlighted how ridiculous it is to continue with a provincial system in a game with such an uneven geographical spread of strength. Indeed, if the GAA should wish to experiment with an open draw, then no competition is more suitable than under-21 hurling. At the moment there are five counties in Leinster who can make a fair fist of this grade. Combined with the five "big" Munster hurling counties and Galway, that makes eleven. How about a "B" championship for the other counties interested in participating, to be held in April/May, with the winners proceeding to the main competition? A first round involving eight counties played in June would pave the way for quarter finals in July, semi-finals in August, and the final as usual in the second Sunday in September. Thus most counties would get to play four games before winning out, with no one having less than three. Apart from being a more balanced competition, it would also inject new freshness and an escape from the repetitious claustrophobia of the provincial system.

Much has been made of the fact that Limerick’s three-in-a-row was achieved despite no prior success at minor level. This contrasts with the Shannonsiders’ single previous win at this level, in 1987, which followed directly from All-Ireland minor success in 1984. It doesn’t necessarily work the other way either: Offaly won three minor All-Irelands in four years in the 1980s, but never followed up with an under-21 win. The facts are that many star minors never make it through to under-21, due to all sorts of reasons, such as a lack of physical development, a loss of interest or the demon drink. At the same time, the under-21 grade tends to draw from a wider age range than the corresponding minor grade of three years previously. When Waterford won the under-21 title in 1992, their ages ranged from Paul Flynn, who apparently was one day away from being a minor again in 1993, to the likes of Sean Daly and Johnny Brenner, who were right on the under-21 age and already established county seniors.

A remarkable feature of Limerick’s team this year is that none of them could be considered established county seniors. Their real strenth derived from their massive commitment and self-belief in every position, boosted by great self-confidence. When they beat Galway at the same stage two years ago, An Moltóir formed the view that Limerick were a team of limited enough inherent skill who tore into Galway, didn’t allow them play, and scraped out enough scores themselves to get over the finishing line first. There are clear echoes here of the Clare senior team of recent years. This year the same virtues of getting to the ball first and winning all the duels was augmented by the self-confidence of defending champions (twice over in the case of half the team), the result being a virtual torrent of scores to round off their monopoly of outfield possession.

Yet, just as a minor title does not guarantee an under-21 follow-on three years later, Limerick folk should be wary of assuming that there will be an automatic progression to senior All-Ireland glory. A succession of Tipperary teams in the 1970s and 1980s will tell you all about this. And the all-conquering Offaly minors who couldn’t do it at under-21 level went on to win the senior All-Ireland twice. The kind of intensity which allowed Limerick to destroy Galway last Sunday is the norm at senior level, especially in Munster. So, while you might get the breaks in a tight finish once or even twice, in order to go all the way you normally need something extra, such as a Henry Sheflin, a Tommy Dunne or a Brian Whelahan. A potential problem for Limerick is that the three-in-a-row teams have thrown up nobody of this stature – or indeed of the stature of Mark Foley or Ciaran Carey. The one possible exception is the remarkable Andrew O’Shaughnessy, whose performance against Galway was extraordinarily accomplished for one so young.

Kilkenny brought the same level of intensity as Limerick to bear in the All-Ireland senior final, but they also had Henry Sheflin and DJ Carey in their side. Which was just as well, as three of their forwards hardly got a smell of the ball for the third match in a row – which is precisely why Brian Cody prevailed on Carey to come back. If, for any reason, the Cats are denied the services of one of these next year, they will be very vulnerable.

But what other county has the forwards to do better? Offaly’s Carroll, Browne and Rory Hanniffy may do the business in time, but hardly just yet (and Brendan Murphy has not been living up to his early promise). Wexford seem to have nobody coming through. Clare’s patience with Markham, Forde and even Gilligan must now be wearing thin, but have they anything better? Similarly, Tipperary’s O’Leary, Corbett, Benny Dunne and Eugene O’Neill will always get you a couple of points, but you need more than this to add to Eoin Kelly’s usual eight or nine to amass a winning score.

Down Waterford way, Kelly’s namesake has been hitting a respectable three or four points per game, but may not be as prolific if, as seems likely, he is moved permanently to midfield next year. John Mullane, with a little more beef and experience, and a good supply of ball, is also capable of multiple scores. Paul Flynn and Ken McGrath have, on different occasions, weighed in with the heavy-duty scoring hauls but both disappeared without trace when it really mattered against Clare. The legendary Cork assembly line of classy forwards seems to have completely run dry. They desperately need a bit of height, weight and strength such as Ray Cummins, Tim Crowley and Tomás Mulcahy gave them in the past in order to create openings for the O’Connors and Deane. Up Galway way, too, there is a surfeit of small, pacy hurlers who can be devastating if there is good ball coming in from out the field but who cannot cut the mustard if a dogfight develops.

Kilkenny, then, with their powerful defence and two forwards capable of winning a game on their own appear to hold a decided advantage as we face into 2003. But even with Carey and Sheflin at their devastating best, the Cats still had to resort to immense commitment and intensity to impose themselves on Clare. Sated by two All-Irelands in three years, can they reach the same level of intensity again? And what if either Carey or Sheflin gets injured or loses form? With a queue of would-be pretenders waiting to pounce at any sign of weakness down Noreside, 2003 looks like producing another fascinating year in the annals of the game of hurling.