History of The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship - 1982 To 1986 - Kilkenny and Cork Dominate

Kilkenny and Cork Dominate

After the breakthroughs of the previous two seasons the old order was restored in 1982 with Cork and Kilkenny lining out in the championship decider. Cork were the red-hot favourites following a 5-31 to 3-6 trouncing of Waterford in the Munster final, while Kilkenny had a tough route to the final. Kilkenny bucked the trend when Christy Heffernan scored two goals in a forty-second spell just before the interval to take the wind out of Cork's sails. Ger Fennelly got a third goal within eight minutes of the re-start, giving Kilkenny an unexpected 3-18 to 1-15 victory.

1983 saw both Kilkenny and Cork do battle again in the championship decider. ‘The Cats’ used a strong wind to dominate the opening half and built up a strong lead. Cork came storming back with goals by Tomás Mulcahy and Seánie O'Leary, however, at the full-time whistle Kilkenny had won by 2-14 to 2-12. In spite of losing a second All-Ireland final on the trot the Cork team and supporters were optimistic for the following year.

1984 was a special year in the annals of Gaelic games as it was the centenary year of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Because of the year that was in it, every team made a special effort to claim the All-Ireland title. Kilkenny, the three-in-a-row hopefuls, were ousted at an early stage of the championship. Offaly booked their place in a special All-Ireland final at Semple Stadium with Cork, the Munster champions for the third successive year, soon booking their place. In spite of the GAA celebrating one hundred years, it was their first ever meeting of these two teams in the history of the championship. The centenary-year final failed to live up to expectations and Cork recorded a relatively easy 3-16 to 1-12 victory. In doing so Cork claimed their twenty-fifth championship title and avoided becoming the first team to lose three-in-a-row.

In a repeat of 1981 both Offaly and Galway lined out against each other in the All-Ireland final once again. Both teams were out to prove that their earlier All-Ireland victories were not flashes in the pan. A tense game ensued, however, it was Offaly’s goal-scoring ability that proved crucial. Pat Cleary scored the first of the day after twenty-five minutes of play and got his second less than half a minute after the restart. Joe Dooley had a goal disallowed halfway through the second-half while a long Joe Cooney effort, which seemed to cross the goal line, was not given. P.J. Molloy was Galway’s goal scorer, however, the day belonged to Offaly. A 2-11 to 1-12 victory gave Offaly a second All-Ireland title.

In 1986 Cork claimed a fifth Munster title in-a-row for the third time in their history, thus booking their spot in the All-Ireland final. Galway, the defeated finalists of the previous year provided the opposition and were the red-hot favourites against an ageing Cork team. On the day, however, a different story unfolded. Four Cork goals, one from John Fenton, two from Tomás Mulcahy and one from Kevin Hennessy, stymied the Galway attack and helped ‘the Rebels’ to a merited 4-13 to 2-15 victory.