No question shortens the winter better than, ‘what if’? The 2024 hurling championship has provided a glorious litany of enticing and agonising moments that can transform a season. Cork are the centre of several. What if the umpire didn’t award Clare a late 65 in Ennis and Waterford held on for a draw? Davy Fitzgerald’s side had the head-to-head advantage over Cork at the time.
It would’ve likely sent them out. What if Tipperary’s Gearóid O’Connor misses the free at the end of the thriller in Walsh Park? Waterford benefit and Cork suffer again. Some other scenarios are more intricate given that they did not occur in the closing moments of a match, but they are no less significant.
What if David Burke wasn’t sent off after 16 minutes with Galway five up against Dublin? What about Rory O’Connor’s red card as Wexford had just drawn level with Clare? All hypotheticals. Counterfactual narratives. Speculation bordering on spoofery.
The ripple effect means it would take little to alter the course of history. That can still teach us something about succeeding in elite sport. Victory isn’t about merely seizing the big moment or mastering each tactical call, we project that evaluation onto results in hindsight as a cleaner yarn.
It can be exceedingly complicated. What truly helped Clare and Cork make it to the All-Ireland final? They consistently put themselves in contention for it. It is the mantra that fuelled elite athletes like Padraig Harrington, the simple .