Drive for five: Previous attempts to win five consecutive All-Ireland titles
Sunday 6 January 2019 11:36, UK
As the Dublin footballers embark on 2019, aiming to go where no side in the history of the GAA has been and win five consecutive All-Ireland senior championships, we look at the teams who have previously failed in their quest for five in a row.
Kilkenny (hurling) - 2010
Brian Cody's Kilkenny outfit swept aside all in their path between 2006-2009. After they saw off a three-in-a-row chasing Cork team in the 2006 decider, they asserted their dominance over the rest of the country in the coming years.
The Leinster kingpins looked imperious following the 2008 final win over Waterford by 23 points, as many were left wondering who could possibly defeat them in the coming years.
They edged Tipperary in a tight 2009 final, and went about their defence in 2010 with wins over Dublin, Galway and Cork. However, a resurgent Tipp returned to the 2010 All-Ireland final and outgunned the Cats.
Boasting a team littered with some of the best hurlers of all time, the great Kilkenny team refused to wane, and went on to win four of the following five All-Ireland titles.
Kerry (football) - 1982
Seamus Darby's late goal for Offaly in the 1982 All-Ireland final is one of the most iconic moments in GAA history, as the last-minute strike denied Mick O'Dwyer's men a fifth title on the bounce, with the Leinster side winning out 1-15 to 0-17.
Kerry inflicted heavy final defeats on Dublin in 1978 and 1979, edged Roscommon in 1980 before accounting for Offaly in 1981. However, the Faithful County regrouped to end the Kingdom's dominance in 1982 in one of the most famous games in GAA history.
Crucially throughout this period, Kerry enjoyed real dominance over their great Munster rivals, Cork as they claimed eight provincial titles in succession.
Cork (hurling) - 1945
With the legendary Christy Ring at the peak of his powers, Cork embarked on a streak of four consecutive All-Irelands between 1941 and 1944.
Although they won the 1941 All-Ireland without claiming the Munster crown (the Munster final was delayed until after the All-Ireland due to an outbreak of the foot and mouth disease). However, they asserted their dominance over the ensuing three seasons, seeing off challenges from Tipperary and Limerick in the province.
However, their run eventually came to an end in 1945 when Tipp finally got one over their great rivals, dominating Cork in the Munster semi-final, winning 2-13 to 3-02 as the Rebels' 'drive for five' didn't clear the first hurdle.
Kerry (football) - 1933
The Kingdom's first attempt to win five in a row met a similar end to the one 49 years later, albeit at the semi-final stage.
After four triumphs between 1929-1932, beating Kildare (twice), Monaghan and Mayo in the finals, Kerry looked well on their way to another Sam Maguire after winning the 1933 Munster Championship, defeating Tipperary in the provincial decider.
However, they fell in the All-Ireland semi-final to Cavan, as the Breffni County scored a late goal to win 1-05 to 0-05. Cavan went on to become the first ever Ulster team to win the All-Ireland.
Wexford (football) - 1919
After losing to Kerry in the 1914 final following a replay, the Yellowbellies set out on a famous run from 1915 to 1918, winning four All-Ireland titles on the spin.
They learned from the defeat to the Kingdom, beating the same opposition in 1915, before wins over Mayo, Clare and Tipperary in the following finals. The 'Wexicans' established utter control in Leinster during this period.
They eventually fell to Dublin after a first round win over Wicklow in 2019.
When the Model County claimed their fourth successive All-Ireland, and fifth in total, in 1918, few would have ever imagined that Wexford would still be yet to win their sixth over 100 years afterwards.
