Hurling: Seán Moranlooks back on an All-Ireland campaign that saw Limerick reborn, Waterford meet their end, and Kilkenny decorated

Last month at the GAA's annual Games Development Conference, the closing address was given by Kilkenny's Brian Cody, the most successful hurling manager of the modern era. Speaking without either notes or the benefit of a PowerPoint presentation, Cody briefly outlined his thoughts on the topic, Maintaining Peak Performance and Squad Cohesion during the Course of a Season.

It's a subject on which he's expert. Like Mick O'Dwyer two and half decades ago, the Kilkenny manager annually puts out teams expected to win the All-Ireland from an early stage. Already before 2008 has dawned, the champions are odds on to record a three-in-a-row for the first time in nearly 100 years.

Underpinning the core considerations laid before Cody's audience was the primacy of the collective. The extent to which he still makes this work in a panel adorned with major talent and a hoard of silverware is central to Kilkenny's status.

"Fostering a respect within the panel for everyone's role," he emphasised, "and the duty of everyone on the panel to the rest of the panel. There'll always be special players, those with extra talent and extra class, but if those players aren't giving the same work-rate they're not special anymore.

"There has to be a sense that everyone can make this team. The training ground has to be a place of opportunity. Everyone has to fight for their place; no one owns the jersey.

"Players who aren't regulars very often can add hugely to the dressingroom. The dressingroom is a scared place - fellas are dying to get into it.

"Let players be perceived as Hurler of the Year elsewhere, but not in the dressingroom."

He won't have a Hurler of the Year in his dressingroom or anywhere else next year because although Tommy Walsh's season provided the most dazzling showcase of his talents - artist's virtuosity but edgy as a cutlass - he lost out to a sensational season from Dan Shanahan whose eight championship goals were all needed on big-match days.

Twice Cody's Hurler of the Year has been Henry Shefflin, who carries lightly his assorted individual distinctions. In one of the matches of the year, played remarkably in February, Shefflin demonstrated his force of will in the All-Ireland club semi-final against Toomevara.

Although he was marked well by Benny Dunne, the Ballyhale captain was crucial to his club's resurrection from a 12-point first-half deficit. He didn't score from play but hit frees crucially and unerringly, seven out of seven, and carved out the goal chance for James Fitzpatrick to close the match to within a score.

It might seem to someone looking back on 2007 that, what with the favourites winning the All-Ireland in a desperately one-sided final, the season was all a bit predictable but that wouldn't be fair or accurate.

Waterford, the only team that have the rest of the nation hurting at their inability to win an All-Ireland or even reach the final, looked set to mount their biggest challenge to date.

Not only did the spring yield up a first national title in 44 years but it came after a sprightly league final against holders Kilkenny - and at the end of a campaign that saw them previously dispatch Tipperary and Cork in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

But the championship is far too complex to run according to a simple script, suggesting the two south-east neighbours should reprise the NHL denouement in September.

Kilkenny once more learned their lines thoroughly but Waterford once more fluffed theirs. Events conspired to unhinge the league winners, whose replayed quarter-final against Cork meant three matches in 15 days, culminating in defeat by Limerick.

But lest too much be made of that in the context of the explosive start to the semi-final by Richie Bennis's men it should be remembered that with six minutes left Waterford had reduced the margin to just one. In other words, with the match on the line in the dying stages Limerick went and won it again.

Limerick were the good-news story of the year, finding in Bennis's ebullient leadership the confidence to embark on a redemptive run to the All-Ireland for the first time in 11 years. It started with an epic Munster triple play against Tipperary, which launched the winners and losers off on entirely different trajectories.

If the county could distil the optimism and sense of the possible that boomed around Croke Park just before reality intruded in the All-Ireland final, it would surely fuel a consistent competitive presence for the years to come.

At the start of the year many eyes were on Galway, whose perennial woes in projecting underage success onto the senior stage were addressed by the appointment of Ger Loughnane.

After an hour of the All-Ireland quarter-final against Kilkenny the former Clare manager looked to have made it happen. In the time remaining Kilkenny won by a point a minute and brought back into play Galway's poor league campaign and in particular the calamitous qualifier defeat in Ennis.

Ratified for the coming year, Loughnane was nonetheless so chastised in annual reports in Galway that only someone with his bulletproof disregard for public spats wouldn't have walked away immediately.

Again Cody's words in November are particularly apt.

One of the most important aspects of a successful set-up, according to the Kilkenny manager, was: "Unity: everyone in pursuit of what you want to achieve. Friction between county boards and teams amazes me. You need respect for and from everybody. That's what we in Kilkenny have tried to do."

It's not just Galway that must be casting an envious glance. Cork hurling has been through a turbulent year that is ending in another stand-off between players and the county board.

Although the fallout was triggered by issues pertaining to the footballers the hurlers are again engaged in trying to ensure best practice in the administration of county teams.

It's ironic at the end of a year in which the parties found common ground as recently as seven months ago when in the aftermath of the scatter in Semple Stadium before the Clare championship match, the hurlers were taking public issue with criticism of county secretary Frank Murphy, who attempted to work his rule-book magic to save players from suspension.

The loss of Donal Cusack, Diarmuid O'Sullivan and Seán Ó hAilpín clearly affected Cork in the Munster semi-final but the team's big problem was the other match in Thurles and the failure to beat Tipperary, which consigned them to a second (and third) fixture with Waterford.

Three matches with Cork and two against Limerick, Waterford could argue, was an unfairly punitive schedule compared to Kilkenny's two against Wexford and one against Offaly and Galway.

But the point about the champions is they've been ambushed by rank outsiders arguably just once this decade - Wexford in 2004 - whereas Justin McCarthy's team seem doomed to ending their seasons in heart-wrenching disappointment.

At under-age levels there were two above-average All-Ireland winners, Tipperary recording back-to-back minor titles and a powerful Galway under-21 team bulldozing Dublin, whose own exploits in winning Leinster at both that and minor grades have encouraged greater optimism in the capital than for many years.

What we already knew . . .

That a Ballyhale side containing the Hurler and Young Hurler of the Year had to be in with a good chance of winning the club All-Ireland.

What we learned . . .

That a Ballyhale side not containing the same players could come so close to reaching the All-Ireland semi-finals a year later.

What might happen .. .

Is Galway's glass half full or half empty given that Ger Loughnane's self-imposed two-year deadline for major honours has been so emphatically endorsed by the chair of his hurling board.