Looking forward to another great day's championship action with the final round of the hurling qualifiers and the Ulster football final replay.
The hurling season has stuttered along so far but last weekend was really the start of us getting down to serious business.
Cork shocked, I know it's a strong word given that they have one of the top two sides in the country for the last six season, all of us with the quality of their performance last weekend against Galway and their sheer guts and determination in the second half against the wind with a man down.
They defeated the Tribesmen in a game where we saw one of the great individual performances by a teenage Joe Canning.
When you see a young man put in a game like that you just have wonder how good he can be.
If he keeps his feet on the ground and remains injury free, which will be difficult given that he puts his body on the line to create space, he has the potential to become an all-time great.
However, the Cork half back line of Gardiner, Curran and O hAilpin looked like men on a mission and with Joe Deane on fire up front Cork looked irresistible.
Clare on the other hand have also a lot to prove after a fairly poor performance in the Munster final and they should at least not be as dependent on one player to do the damage for them as were Galway.
In the end I think Cork will edge it just because they take their scores easier than Clare but if the Banner can find the Cork net the way they breached the Waterford and Limerick defences early in the season then it could be quite a contest.
I fancy Waterford to overcome Wexford despite their over reliance on Eoin Kelly to beat Offaly last week.
I still think there is a big game in Waterford and it's now die dog or shite the licence.
Wexford are a poor side, their league form and their efforts in Leinster tell us that.
The gap between the rest in Leinster, Cats apart, and Munster isn't as big as some suggest, but the Decies know this is the last throw of the dice and I would expect some of them to begin to perform as they can.
I wouldn't even dream of calling Ulster. Prevailing wisdom that Fermanagh had their chance and that they will be eaten up by Armagh in the replay isn't going to happen.
Fermanagh are much too fit and physically strong to roll over for anyone. They know they had the game by the throat for the last 25 minutes and they will take great heart from that but they must do something about the free taking.
Armagh are methodical, clever and slick in full flight but McGrane is no longer a 70 minute player, he tired last week and the team suffered.
They are a little too pedestrian at times in the build-up and it was a tactical error bringing in Oisin McConville left the field.
The old Armagh disease of the two Brians era of not pushing on when they had a big lead cost them dearly and unless they address the issue of pace in their side they will be found out by better sides than Fermanagh no matter what Curran and McDonnell can conjure up.
I think we are in for another great battle as winning is everything in this one as the losers will find it very tough lifting themselves for the qualifers.
Sunday 27 July 2008
McGeeney will need a good draw
The only game which an Ulster side didn't win yesterday still brought some good cheer to the province with Kieran McGeeney's Kildare overcoming an improving Limerick in the qualifiers to book their place in the last 12.
McGeeney has had a tough season in his first year in charge with Kildare relegated in the league and beaten on their first day out in Leinster.
However, they bounced back beating Cavan with a last minute goal last week before beating Limerick yesterday by three points.
The big plus for Geezer has been the return to form of John Doyle who has been scoring for fun in the last two games.
McGeeney showed a bit of the courage he was renowned for on the field when he made switches for the Cavan game bringing in some of the successful Under 21 side and leaving out Lilywhite stalwart Anthony Rainbow.
The Armagh man is definitely looking to the future and reaching the last 12 of the championship might be just enough to ensure that he returns to serve another year in his three year reign.
I think that unless the Gods smile on Kildare in the draw they have gone as far they can this year but getting to the last 12 means that McGeeney should not be joining the managerial merry go round with the cull of county managers now in full swing as teams crash out of contention.
McGeeney has had a tough season in his first year in charge with Kildare relegated in the league and beaten on their first day out in Leinster.
However, they bounced back beating Cavan with a last minute goal last week before beating Limerick yesterday by three points.
The big plus for Geezer has been the return to form of John Doyle who has been scoring for fun in the last two games.
McGeeney showed a bit of the courage he was renowned for on the field when he made switches for the Cavan game bringing in some of the successful Under 21 side and leaving out Lilywhite stalwart Anthony Rainbow.
The Armagh man is definitely looking to the future and reaching the last 12 of the championship might be just enough to ensure that he returns to serve another year in his three year reign.
I think that unless the Gods smile on Kildare in the draw they have gone as far they can this year but getting to the last 12 means that McGeeney should not be joining the managerial merry go round with the cull of county managers now in full swing as teams crash out of contention.
Down a wild card in last 12
Ross Carr's Down will provide the wild card game of the last round of the qualifiers after seeing off a determined Laois fightback in the second hand of yesterday's game.
Down really are the goal kings of Gaelic football, two more yesterday helped see them through to the last 12.
The Mourne defence is nothing to write home about, and they definitely won't win the county any matches.
However, in Dan Gordon and Ambrose Rodgers they have a good midfield with Jack Lynch also capable of doing a job for them.
Benny Coulter remains the most explosive forward in the country, when he's hot and getting any sort of decent supply he is unstoppable and there will always be the chance of goals when he's close to the target as it's almost always his first instinct to look for the net when his confidence is high.
I just don't know how far Down can go, they beat what is a Tyrone side playing way below its best and lost to Armagh.
They have beaten two Leinster sides in the qualifers but it has been the poorest championship in recent seasons so it is hard to gauge just how much Down have improved since their defeat in Ulster.
But they play an open brand of attractive football and when they get a run in the championship and get their dander up they could pull off a big result.
The top sides will not fear them in the draw unless of course you're Kerry who have never beaten them at Croke Park, but there's none of the sides from outside Ulster who will feel that they are easy pickings in the last round of the qualifiers.
Down really are the goal kings of Gaelic football, two more yesterday helped see them through to the last 12.
The Mourne defence is nothing to write home about, and they definitely won't win the county any matches.
However, in Dan Gordon and Ambrose Rodgers they have a good midfield with Jack Lynch also capable of doing a job for them.
Benny Coulter remains the most explosive forward in the country, when he's hot and getting any sort of decent supply he is unstoppable and there will always be the chance of goals when he's close to the target as it's almost always his first instinct to look for the net when his confidence is high.
I just don't know how far Down can go, they beat what is a Tyrone side playing way below its best and lost to Armagh.
They have beaten two Leinster sides in the qualifers but it has been the poorest championship in recent seasons so it is hard to gauge just how much Down have improved since their defeat in Ulster.
But they play an open brand of attractive football and when they get a run in the championship and get their dander up they could pull off a big result.
The top sides will not fear them in the draw unless of course you're Kerry who have never beaten them at Croke Park, but there's none of the sides from outside Ulster who will feel that they are easy pickings in the last round of the qualifiers.
Monaghan challenge gathers momentum
Monaghan have been very impressive in their run in the qualifiers to date despite drawing the short straw of playing two of the Ulster sides Derry and Donegal who would have been fancied to reach at least the last 12 of this year's football championship.
The Farneymen also travelled to Ballybofey on Saturday to claim the scalp of a decent Donegal side and they put in their most impressive performance of this year's championship to win by a point.
I wondered had Monaghan just run out of steam when their league campaign faltered earlier in the season followed by the defeat to Fermanagh.
The Erne men have gone on to prove that that defeat was no fluke but Monaghan regrouped and are once again a real threat to anyone.
The fact they beat Derry without Paul Finlay and Gary McQuaid shows too that they have improving options on the bench which is vital if you want to have a serious tilt at the All-Ireland title.
I have been very impressed by Eoin Lennon in the middle of the field, he is a powerhouse and with Finlay, Rory Woods and Clerkin also in there winning ball Monaghan have a good platform to work from.
Tommy Freeman's form has been outstanding too.
If he isn't scoring his intelligent runs and lay-offs are creating opportunities for his team mates and Stephen Gollogly is also leading the three quarter line with some clever movement and scores.
The other big thing going the way of the Monaghan side is their sheer work rate, they would run all day and that alone makes them a handful.
The defence too has tightened up although there has to be a bit of concern at the way in which Donegal opened them up for goal chances they failed to take.
I hope Monaghan will avoid the other Ulster sides in the draw to make the last 12 as they will pose a real threat to any of the beaten finallists from the other provinces including Kerry.
The Farneymen also travelled to Ballybofey on Saturday to claim the scalp of a decent Donegal side and they put in their most impressive performance of this year's championship to win by a point.
I wondered had Monaghan just run out of steam when their league campaign faltered earlier in the season followed by the defeat to Fermanagh.
The Erne men have gone on to prove that that defeat was no fluke but Monaghan regrouped and are once again a real threat to anyone.
The fact they beat Derry without Paul Finlay and Gary McQuaid shows too that they have improving options on the bench which is vital if you want to have a serious tilt at the All-Ireland title.
I have been very impressed by Eoin Lennon in the middle of the field, he is a powerhouse and with Finlay, Rory Woods and Clerkin also in there winning ball Monaghan have a good platform to work from.
Tommy Freeman's form has been outstanding too.
If he isn't scoring his intelligent runs and lay-offs are creating opportunities for his team mates and Stephen Gollogly is also leading the three quarter line with some clever movement and scores.
The other big thing going the way of the Monaghan side is their sheer work rate, they would run all day and that alone makes them a handful.
The defence too has tightened up although there has to be a bit of concern at the way in which Donegal opened them up for goal chances they failed to take.
I hope Monaghan will avoid the other Ulster sides in the draw to make the last 12 as they will pose a real threat to any of the beaten finallists from the other provinces including Kerry.
Tyrone a poor shadow of a great side
Was very disappointed in Tyrone's performance yesterday although relieved that the injury to Sean Cavanagh was not as serious as first thought.
I have always believed that the Red Hands could emerge as one of the dark horses in this year's championship race if they could get their top players match fit with a run through the qualifiers.
However, they looked only a shadow of the side which won two All Irelands earlier in the decade and most importantly the key players they depend so much on look to be still off the pace.
Brian McGuigan shows flashes of the brilliance which made him the best centre half forward in the country before injury but isn't yet involved enough to meet the challenges of one of the top sides.
Dooher works hard and intelligently but for me has lost a yard of pace and at times looks a bit pedestrian and will struggle to make space against the top sides.
Mulligan never kicked leather when he came on and the full forward line just doesn't carry the threat that it used to and it's no wonder given that they had the two best forwards in the country at one stage playing with Mulligan.
Enda McGinley's performance was a big plus at midfield but the Red Hands will not win games against the teams now left in the qualifiers unless they can raise their game significantly and I haven't seen anything this year which convinces me that they can do that.
They are now in the last twelve and there are no poor sides left. Unless Tyrone draw one of the less fancied sides such as Wexford, Kildare their All-Ireland dream could finish next week especially if Cavanagh is ruled out with concussion.
I have always believed that the Red Hands could emerge as one of the dark horses in this year's championship race if they could get their top players match fit with a run through the qualifiers.
However, they looked only a shadow of the side which won two All Irelands earlier in the decade and most importantly the key players they depend so much on look to be still off the pace.
Brian McGuigan shows flashes of the brilliance which made him the best centre half forward in the country before injury but isn't yet involved enough to meet the challenges of one of the top sides.
Dooher works hard and intelligently but for me has lost a yard of pace and at times looks a bit pedestrian and will struggle to make space against the top sides.
Mulligan never kicked leather when he came on and the full forward line just doesn't carry the threat that it used to and it's no wonder given that they had the two best forwards in the country at one stage playing with Mulligan.
Enda McGinley's performance was a big plus at midfield but the Red Hands will not win games against the teams now left in the qualifiers unless they can raise their game significantly and I haven't seen anything this year which convinces me that they can do that.
They are now in the last twelve and there are no poor sides left. Unless Tyrone draw one of the less fancied sides such as Wexford, Kildare their All-Ireland dream could finish next week especially if Cavanagh is ruled out with concussion.
Sunday 20 July 2008
Offaly at last on the road back?
It was great to see an Offaly hurling team play in the manner they went about their business on Saturday night at Semple Stadium in their qualifier against Waterford.
In the end they were beaten by two Eoin Kelly goals conceded in the first half, both of which came after errors by the defence.
However, it has been six or seven years since I have seen an Offaly team hurl with the skill, pace and intelligence which characterised their play on Saturday.
Granted they faced a Waterford team which is seriously under performing but in fairness to Offaly they denied Waterford's big half forward line the room to make much of an impact on the game.
Offaly are a young side and you have to hope that Joe Dooley's men can continue to improve over the next couple of seasons.
Lads like Shane Dooley and Derek Molloy in the half forward line really took the game to the Waterford defence while Brendan Carroll weighed in with nine scores with a couple of crackers from play.
Veteran Ger Oakley was a rock in the heart of the defence while midfielders Brendan Murphy and Rory Hannify got the better of the exchanges on the night.
The two lines where Offaly did struggle all night was in the full back and full forward lines.
Eoin Kelly saw off a succession of markers and they just couldn't hold him.
Mullane tore holes in them in the first half too though to their credit the Faithful men eventually curtailed him but they struggled all night and never looked secure..
Up front Joe Bergin struggled to get into the game and while Carroll was doing damage by drifting out the field by and large the full forward line got little change out of the Waterford defence.
Some of Offaly's link-up play and stick work on the night also bodes well for the future.
The fact that they were level going into the last ten minutes is testament to their fighting spirit as they never let their heads drop after conceding two first half goals and Waterford only managed to draw away as Offaly visibly tired in the closing stages.
They will become physically stronger with more games at this level and this intensity and they answered the question I raised earlier in the week about the gap closing between the Munster and Leinster sides except for the Cats of course.
This is the end of Joe Dooley's first year in charge of a rejuvenated Offaly let's hope they can continue to make progress.
In the end they were beaten by two Eoin Kelly goals conceded in the first half, both of which came after errors by the defence.
However, it has been six or seven years since I have seen an Offaly team hurl with the skill, pace and intelligence which characterised their play on Saturday.
Granted they faced a Waterford team which is seriously under performing but in fairness to Offaly they denied Waterford's big half forward line the room to make much of an impact on the game.
Offaly are a young side and you have to hope that Joe Dooley's men can continue to improve over the next couple of seasons.
Lads like Shane Dooley and Derek Molloy in the half forward line really took the game to the Waterford defence while Brendan Carroll weighed in with nine scores with a couple of crackers from play.
Veteran Ger Oakley was a rock in the heart of the defence while midfielders Brendan Murphy and Rory Hannify got the better of the exchanges on the night.
The two lines where Offaly did struggle all night was in the full back and full forward lines.
Eoin Kelly saw off a succession of markers and they just couldn't hold him.
Mullane tore holes in them in the first half too though to their credit the Faithful men eventually curtailed him but they struggled all night and never looked secure..
Up front Joe Bergin struggled to get into the game and while Carroll was doing damage by drifting out the field by and large the full forward line got little change out of the Waterford defence.
Some of Offaly's link-up play and stick work on the night also bodes well for the future.
The fact that they were level going into the last ten minutes is testament to their fighting spirit as they never let their heads drop after conceding two first half goals and Waterford only managed to draw away as Offaly visibly tired in the closing stages.
They will become physically stronger with more games at this level and this intensity and they answered the question I raised earlier in the week about the gap closing between the Munster and Leinster sides except for the Cats of course.
This is the end of Joe Dooley's first year in charge of a rejuvenated Offaly let's hope they can continue to make progress.
Waterford still off the boil
Waterford boss Davy Fitzgerald will be a worried man following the Decies' win over a young but fiercely competitive Offaly side at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
While the Decies eventually saw off the Faithful County's challenge Waterford rode their luck and were less than convincing winners against a team which is not yet currently up there with the country's top sides.
The first obvious flaw in the Decies' performance was the fact that Eoin Kelly hit 2-13 of the team's total of 2-18.
Kelly's performance was awesome whether from the placed ball or from play and it didn't seem to matter what angle he was shooting from.
Kelly has been one of the top players on the Waterford team for the last six years but he hasn't always produced with the consistency with which he struck yesterday.
However, the forward line, once much feared, is not firing as a unit and the two Kelly goals which were the difference in the sides at the end came from defensive errors.
Last year's hurler of the year Dan Shanahan seems totally off the pace and is a shadow of the player who lit up the championship last year with ten goals.
John Mullane looks back to his best and was very lively and dangerous in the first half but even he faded as the game progressed.
However, despite their huge physical advantage the half forward line of Shanahan, Hurney and Prendergast is not winning enough ball and they had a bad night at the hands of the Offaly half back line.
The Decies' own half back line looks decidedly dodgy too.
They struggled to hold Molloy and Shane Dooley and I am not convinced about the move of Tony Browne to centre half.
Browne has been a great player but he is no longer up to the pace of championship hurling and I think Ken McGrath's presence at half back is missed.
The one positive Fitz can take out of the performance was the fact that the full back line gave little away over the night and for a team which leaked goals in last year's All-Ireland semis this is a big plus.
Waterford are fortunate in that they will once again face Leinster opposition in the shape of Wexford in the next round of the qualifiers.
The Model men turned Waterford over at the beginning of this year's National League campaign but they were once again comprehensively beaten in the Leinster final after struggling to overcome Dublin in two games in the semi finals.
Wexford are not a good side and while Waterford will find them difficult to beat given their current form, Davy Fitz must be hopeful that another game so soon in his reign will at least give him the chance to work on some of the side's shortcomings.
The biggest single thing that the Clare man must hope for is that Shanahan, midfielder Michael Walsh or some of his other big players do eventually find their form and often the best way for that to happen is a run of games.
The Decies stumble on but only just and they won't be in the running for honours this season unless there is a huge improvement in their performance.
While the Decies eventually saw off the Faithful County's challenge Waterford rode their luck and were less than convincing winners against a team which is not yet currently up there with the country's top sides.
The first obvious flaw in the Decies' performance was the fact that Eoin Kelly hit 2-13 of the team's total of 2-18.
Kelly's performance was awesome whether from the placed ball or from play and it didn't seem to matter what angle he was shooting from.
Kelly has been one of the top players on the Waterford team for the last six years but he hasn't always produced with the consistency with which he struck yesterday.
However, the forward line, once much feared, is not firing as a unit and the two Kelly goals which were the difference in the sides at the end came from defensive errors.
Last year's hurler of the year Dan Shanahan seems totally off the pace and is a shadow of the player who lit up the championship last year with ten goals.
John Mullane looks back to his best and was very lively and dangerous in the first half but even he faded as the game progressed.
However, despite their huge physical advantage the half forward line of Shanahan, Hurney and Prendergast is not winning enough ball and they had a bad night at the hands of the Offaly half back line.
The Decies' own half back line looks decidedly dodgy too.
They struggled to hold Molloy and Shane Dooley and I am not convinced about the move of Tony Browne to centre half.
Browne has been a great player but he is no longer up to the pace of championship hurling and I think Ken McGrath's presence at half back is missed.
The one positive Fitz can take out of the performance was the fact that the full back line gave little away over the night and for a team which leaked goals in last year's All-Ireland semis this is a big plus.
Waterford are fortunate in that they will once again face Leinster opposition in the shape of Wexford in the next round of the qualifiers.
The Model men turned Waterford over at the beginning of this year's National League campaign but they were once again comprehensively beaten in the Leinster final after struggling to overcome Dublin in two games in the semi finals.
Wexford are not a good side and while Waterford will find them difficult to beat given their current form, Davy Fitz must be hopeful that another game so soon in his reign will at least give him the chance to work on some of the side's shortcomings.
The biggest single thing that the Clare man must hope for is that Shanahan, midfielder Michael Walsh or some of his other big players do eventually find their form and often the best way for that to happen is a run of games.
The Decies stumble on but only just and they won't be in the running for honours this season unless there is a huge improvement in their performance.
Qualifiers produce the goods
After what has seemed like an eternity we have had a really great weekend in the championship with more action than you would get on Super Tuesday in the US primaries.
I am a great fan of the qualifiers in both football and hurling when they are played on a sudden death basis and this weekend proved once again that when it really matter the best sides rise to the top.
The hurling championship looks like being the real deal after one good game and an absolute thriller at Thurles on Saturday.
The crowds were out in force too with almost a full house at Croke for the Leinster football final between Dublin and Wexford and Clones too was packed to the rafters for the Ulster final between Armagh and Fermanagh with the two sides having to do it again next weekend.
All this should silence the doomsayers about the drop in attendances in the earlier part of the season when the GAA public know there is a second chance.
When there really is something at stake the GAA people will come out, there is nothing like a hanging to focus people's attention and for many teams up and down the country this weekend's results have ended their county's interest in the championship for another year. But it was gripping stuff and it really is shaping up to one of the most open championships in years in both codes.
I am a great fan of the qualifiers in both football and hurling when they are played on a sudden death basis and this weekend proved once again that when it really matter the best sides rise to the top.
The hurling championship looks like being the real deal after one good game and an absolute thriller at Thurles on Saturday.
The crowds were out in force too with almost a full house at Croke for the Leinster football final between Dublin and Wexford and Clones too was packed to the rafters for the Ulster final between Armagh and Fermanagh with the two sides having to do it again next weekend.
All this should silence the doomsayers about the drop in attendances in the earlier part of the season when the GAA public know there is a second chance.
When there really is something at stake the GAA people will come out, there is nothing like a hanging to focus people's attention and for many teams up and down the country this weekend's results have ended their county's interest in the championship for another year. But it was gripping stuff and it really is shaping up to one of the most open championships in years in both codes.
Tuesday 15 July 2008
Offaly, a candle in the wind?
Great to see Offaly back in contention in this year's Liam McCarthy even if I believe that their involvement will be snuffed out like a candle later this week when they take on Waterford in the qualifiers.
I'm still not sure whether what we saw on Saturday night was the beginning of the long road back for the Faithful County or just a horror picture for the long suffering Limerick hurling.
The Treatymen were only a shadow of the side which played with such guts and heart last season which took them all the way to the All-Ireland final.
However, it's clear that Limerick have gone backwards since then.
It was obvious last year that they were two to three players short of being a side capable of renewing their challenge and the fear then was once everyone had worked them out that they would exit the national stage as quickly as they had re-entered it.
Sadly that has been the case after a disastrous league campaign and once Offaly got stuck in to them and opened up a two goal lead it was hard to see where the inspiration would come from for a fight back.
It wasn't a lack of effort but their key forwards, Niall and Ollie Moran were having a nightmare and Brian Geary and Mark Foley endured a torrid time at half back.
Stephen Lucey too so often a key man at the heart of the Limerick defence has had a poor year being cleaned out by Clare in the Munster semi and conceding three goals to Joe Bergin on Saturday.
This is a huge setback for Limerick hurling and I can't see them coming back from this one in the near future.
Some of the older players will wonder if it's worth going on, the promise of good Under 21 sides early in the decade now long dissipated.
For Offaly, this result will be a huge lift in new boss Joe Dooley's first year in charge.
Leinster hurling needs a good Offaly side but Saturday night's performance will only mean anything if they can go out and put on a show against Waterford.
An Offaly win or a close contest would show that the gap between the Munster and Leinster championships may not be as pronounced as we have been led to believe in recent seasons.
I'm still not sure whether what we saw on Saturday night was the beginning of the long road back for the Faithful County or just a horror picture for the long suffering Limerick hurling.
The Treatymen were only a shadow of the side which played with such guts and heart last season which took them all the way to the All-Ireland final.
However, it's clear that Limerick have gone backwards since then.
It was obvious last year that they were two to three players short of being a side capable of renewing their challenge and the fear then was once everyone had worked them out that they would exit the national stage as quickly as they had re-entered it.
Sadly that has been the case after a disastrous league campaign and once Offaly got stuck in to them and opened up a two goal lead it was hard to see where the inspiration would come from for a fight back.
It wasn't a lack of effort but their key forwards, Niall and Ollie Moran were having a nightmare and Brian Geary and Mark Foley endured a torrid time at half back.
Stephen Lucey too so often a key man at the heart of the Limerick defence has had a poor year being cleaned out by Clare in the Munster semi and conceding three goals to Joe Bergin on Saturday.
This is a huge setback for Limerick hurling and I can't see them coming back from this one in the near future.
Some of the older players will wonder if it's worth going on, the promise of good Under 21 sides early in the decade now long dissipated.
For Offaly, this result will be a huge lift in new boss Joe Dooley's first year in charge.
Leinster hurling needs a good Offaly side but Saturday night's performance will only mean anything if they can go out and put on a show against Waterford.
An Offaly win or a close contest would show that the gap between the Munster and Leinster championships may not be as pronounced as we have been led to believe in recent seasons.
Clare remain a threat
Was disappointed with the Clare performance in Sunday's Munster hurling final but if the Banner men learn anything from the game they could be a threat yet and no one will enjoy playing them.
I thought the occasion got to some of the Clare players and it was a very nervous first half performance from their forwards in particular.
When Mark Flaherty missed his first shot from a free I had a feeling it was going to be one of those days for the Banner.
However, I have to confess that I didn't expect the likes of Niall Gilligan to be suffering from the shakes.
He spurned three out of four chances in the first half, one after he had done all the hard work to win the ball, shake off his man only to blaze a mishit shot wide.
Clare's series of early wides cost them the game, you could almost see the confidence draining out of them as Carmody, McMahon, Gilligan and Clancy all missed chances.
The failure too to deal with the threat posed by the Tipp three quarter line until the break left them too much to do in the second half.
The biggest difference between them and Tipp was that the Premier men seemed to be able to take their scores at will while Clare had to fight for every chance they got.
The weaknesses in the Banner defence exposed by Waterford and Limerick couldn't be covered up by a big score being posted at the other end.
However, they did put some of this right at the interval and Gerry Quinn's move to centre half certainly turned the game in their favour.
It was worrying however, that so much of the fight back was built upon the efforts of the veterans like Quinn, Colin Lynch, who was magnificent throughout, and Gilligan.
Maybe the tension of a first Munster final for the younger lads and the expectation this raised in the county took its toll but despite the horrific number of wides posted by the Banner if they can learn from the experience they will not fear anyone coming out of the next round of qualifiers.
We can only hope that the weekend's games do indeed signal a change in the hurling order and that Tipp and Clare will emerge once again as genuine contenders for the Liam McCarthy.
I thought the occasion got to some of the Clare players and it was a very nervous first half performance from their forwards in particular.
When Mark Flaherty missed his first shot from a free I had a feeling it was going to be one of those days for the Banner.
However, I have to confess that I didn't expect the likes of Niall Gilligan to be suffering from the shakes.
He spurned three out of four chances in the first half, one after he had done all the hard work to win the ball, shake off his man only to blaze a mishit shot wide.
Clare's series of early wides cost them the game, you could almost see the confidence draining out of them as Carmody, McMahon, Gilligan and Clancy all missed chances.
The failure too to deal with the threat posed by the Tipp three quarter line until the break left them too much to do in the second half.
The biggest difference between them and Tipp was that the Premier men seemed to be able to take their scores at will while Clare had to fight for every chance they got.
The weaknesses in the Banner defence exposed by Waterford and Limerick couldn't be covered up by a big score being posted at the other end.
However, they did put some of this right at the interval and Gerry Quinn's move to centre half certainly turned the game in their favour.
It was worrying however, that so much of the fight back was built upon the efforts of the veterans like Quinn, Colin Lynch, who was magnificent throughout, and Gilligan.
Maybe the tension of a first Munster final for the younger lads and the expectation this raised in the county took its toll but despite the horrific number of wides posted by the Banner if they can learn from the experience they will not fear anyone coming out of the next round of qualifiers.
We can only hope that the weekend's games do indeed signal a change in the hurling order and that Tipp and Clare will emerge once again as genuine contenders for the Liam McCarthy.
Munster win signal that Tipp have arrived
The Munster hurling final may not have delivered on its promise of a great contest between two sides hungry for honours but it has signalled the arrival of a Tipp side who were a joy to watch.
Liam Sheedy's team showed that their National League win was no one off and this young Premier side looked equipped to take on even the mighty Cats.
I have always believed there is no substitute for class and the Tipp lads showed that in abundance on Sunday.
They seemed to be able to take their scores at will from all angles but this was due to some great passing into the front three and great movement at pace off the ball by Lar Corbett in particular which created the openings for Tipp to finally put Clare to the sword.
Tipp to be honest looked good all over the field.
Their full back line gave Clare no quarter whatsoever and it was no fluke that Niall Gilligan only got into the game after half time when he moved out the field.
It was a tough day at the office for Gilligan and young Mark Flaherty in the opening half.
Eamon Corcoran put in another mighty performance in half back and while Clare had purple patches in the middle of the field Shane McGrath kept working hard and eventually came out on top.
Tipp enjoyed a great return from their half forwards Seamus Callinan and John O'Brien, their two goals were really nails in the Banner men's coffin.
Eoin Kelly put in another good solid performance and I think he has been helped by the fact that the team is no longer so dependent on him to bring home the bacon, Kelly can afford to play almost like a mere mortal these days and the team will come up with the goods.
Corbett is absolutely flying this season. He seems to be playing much more consistently and his constant probing is opening up gaps in any defence he has faced so far.
What most impressed me was the sheer quality of Tipp's striking and movement and they matched this with the toughness required to face strong opposition.
Of course they still have to face the Cats and will have to overcome another stiff test in the All-Ireland semi final no matter who comes through the qualifiers just to earn the right to take on the champions.
However, they look for the first time in years like the genuine article.
They are a young side and have a conveyor belt of young talent breaking through to suggest that they will be a force for a few years to come.
Hurling badly needs at least one team capable of a genuine rivalry with the Cats and the Premier County men look like the team best equipped to put in a sustained challenge, but try telling that to Galway!
Liam Sheedy's team showed that their National League win was no one off and this young Premier side looked equipped to take on even the mighty Cats.
I have always believed there is no substitute for class and the Tipp lads showed that in abundance on Sunday.
They seemed to be able to take their scores at will from all angles but this was due to some great passing into the front three and great movement at pace off the ball by Lar Corbett in particular which created the openings for Tipp to finally put Clare to the sword.
Tipp to be honest looked good all over the field.
Their full back line gave Clare no quarter whatsoever and it was no fluke that Niall Gilligan only got into the game after half time when he moved out the field.
It was a tough day at the office for Gilligan and young Mark Flaherty in the opening half.
Eamon Corcoran put in another mighty performance in half back and while Clare had purple patches in the middle of the field Shane McGrath kept working hard and eventually came out on top.
Tipp enjoyed a great return from their half forwards Seamus Callinan and John O'Brien, their two goals were really nails in the Banner men's coffin.
Eoin Kelly put in another good solid performance and I think he has been helped by the fact that the team is no longer so dependent on him to bring home the bacon, Kelly can afford to play almost like a mere mortal these days and the team will come up with the goods.
Corbett is absolutely flying this season. He seems to be playing much more consistently and his constant probing is opening up gaps in any defence he has faced so far.
What most impressed me was the sheer quality of Tipp's striking and movement and they matched this with the toughness required to face strong opposition.
Of course they still have to face the Cats and will have to overcome another stiff test in the All-Ireland semi final no matter who comes through the qualifiers just to earn the right to take on the champions.
However, they look for the first time in years like the genuine article.
They are a young side and have a conveyor belt of young talent breaking through to suggest that they will be a force for a few years to come.
Hurling badly needs at least one team capable of a genuine rivalry with the Cats and the Premier County men look like the team best equipped to put in a sustained challenge, but try telling that to Galway!
Wednesday 9 July 2008
Deane a Rebel with a Cause
Cork's failure to unearth any new talent in the forward line in the last two years has been put in stark relief by the return of Joe Deane and Neil Ronan to the full forward line with All-Ireland winner Niall McCarthy also returning as centre half forward for this weekend's clash with Dublin in the hurling qualifiers.
Manager Gerald McCarthy tried out Pa Cronin and Paudie O Súilleabháin in their Munster exit to Tipp but it was only when Deane came on to the field in the last ten minutes that Cork carried any real threat from pace up front.
It has been the failure to bring in new players into the full forward line over the last three seasons which has seen Cork lose ground to Brian Cody's Cats.
Kilkenny have brought in at least one new face each season and with the level of competition for places it has kept the Cats fresh and more importantly ruthless.
Cork on the other hand are still heavily dependent on the team which made the breakthrough in 1999.
The O'Connors, Joe Deane and Timmy McCarthy all played back then and if anything the Cork forward line is going backwards.
Ironically Cork have a problem of a different hue in their defence as two of Cork's half back line Seán Óg Ó hAilpín and Ronan Curran are out with injury and what has been one of the most consistent lines in the country has an unfamiliar look to it with John Gardiner going into centre half.
It's probably as well for Cork that they are facing a demoralised Dublin who have suffered Senior, Under 21 and minor defeats in recent weeks.
The old guard up front will be good enough to see off the Metropolitans but while they have been great servants of their county I just don't believe that they have a collective last hurrah left in them, but then again I thought Kerry would see off their footballers too.
Manager Gerald McCarthy tried out Pa Cronin and Paudie O Súilleabháin in their Munster exit to Tipp but it was only when Deane came on to the field in the last ten minutes that Cork carried any real threat from pace up front.
It has been the failure to bring in new players into the full forward line over the last three seasons which has seen Cork lose ground to Brian Cody's Cats.
Kilkenny have brought in at least one new face each season and with the level of competition for places it has kept the Cats fresh and more importantly ruthless.
Cork on the other hand are still heavily dependent on the team which made the breakthrough in 1999.
The O'Connors, Joe Deane and Timmy McCarthy all played back then and if anything the Cork forward line is going backwards.
Ironically Cork have a problem of a different hue in their defence as two of Cork's half back line Seán Óg Ó hAilpín and Ronan Curran are out with injury and what has been one of the most consistent lines in the country has an unfamiliar look to it with John Gardiner going into centre half.
It's probably as well for Cork that they are facing a demoralised Dublin who have suffered Senior, Under 21 and minor defeats in recent weeks.
The old guard up front will be good enough to see off the Metropolitans but while they have been great servants of their county I just don't believe that they have a collective last hurrah left in them, but then again I thought Kerry would see off their footballers too.
Monday 7 July 2008
Humble pie over Munster final
Endured dog's abuse yesterday over the Cork Kerry game.
I take my hat off to the Rebels they were brilliant in the second half and it was a great contest, much better than I thought possible in Munster.
I don't particularly think Cork are a great side, they are workmanlike and they possess some good players but the ease with which Kerry took their defence apart in the first half should give Conor Counihan food for thought.
Kerry's second half collapse was their worst since Armagh bullied and played them off the park in 2002.
The fact that this latest reverse comes hot on the heels of their collapse to Derry in the National League final will be causing manager Pat O'Shea nightmares.
Paul Galvin is a huge loss as his competitiveness and combativeness in the middle of the field was sorely missed.
The sending off of Marc Ó Sé was another huge blow and I thought he was very unlucky.
However, Kerry were over run in the middle of the field and they find themselves with what could be a tricky qualifier given the quality of some of the sides in the draw.
The Kerry full back line was also over run in the second half with Michael Cussen giving them all sorts of problems.
But what does all this mean in the greater scheme of things?
Cork have had false dawns before in recent seasons collapsing at Croke Park, especially at the sight of the Kerry jersey, after a good Munster.
Some of the younger players have made progress but Canty's injury will be a loss as he is a great man marker.
Cork are also a bit like Donegal in that they can overdo the hand pass and it was only when they got the ball in early to the full forward line in the second half that their fortunes changed.
The win can do their confidence no end of good but Kerry basically humiliated almost the same bunch of players who came back into yesterday's game in last year's All-Ireland final.
I have no doubt too that the Kingdom's training is geared towards the latter part of the season.
However, Kerry's midfield looked tired in the second half and I don't think that the pairing of Ó Sé and Scanlon will cut it later in the season.
I think that Darragh Ó Sé's physical powers are in decline and while I think that Kerry will be a different beast in a few weeks time they need to improve dramatically.
I take my hat off to the Rebels they were brilliant in the second half and it was a great contest, much better than I thought possible in Munster.
I don't particularly think Cork are a great side, they are workmanlike and they possess some good players but the ease with which Kerry took their defence apart in the first half should give Conor Counihan food for thought.
Kerry's second half collapse was their worst since Armagh bullied and played them off the park in 2002.
The fact that this latest reverse comes hot on the heels of their collapse to Derry in the National League final will be causing manager Pat O'Shea nightmares.
Paul Galvin is a huge loss as his competitiveness and combativeness in the middle of the field was sorely missed.
The sending off of Marc Ó Sé was another huge blow and I thought he was very unlucky.
However, Kerry were over run in the middle of the field and they find themselves with what could be a tricky qualifier given the quality of some of the sides in the draw.
The Kerry full back line was also over run in the second half with Michael Cussen giving them all sorts of problems.
But what does all this mean in the greater scheme of things?
Cork have had false dawns before in recent seasons collapsing at Croke Park, especially at the sight of the Kerry jersey, after a good Munster.
Some of the younger players have made progress but Canty's injury will be a loss as he is a great man marker.
Cork are also a bit like Donegal in that they can overdo the hand pass and it was only when they got the ball in early to the full forward line in the second half that their fortunes changed.
The win can do their confidence no end of good but Kerry basically humiliated almost the same bunch of players who came back into yesterday's game in last year's All-Ireland final.
I have no doubt too that the Kingdom's training is geared towards the latter part of the season.
However, Kerry's midfield looked tired in the second half and I don't think that the pairing of Ó Sé and Scanlon will cut it later in the season.
I think that Darragh Ó Sé's physical powers are in decline and while I think that Kerry will be a different beast in a few weeks time they need to improve dramatically.
Codology of the highest order
Kilkenny manager Brian Cody is something else.
He has been at the helm of one of the most successful hurling teams in history and for ten of the last eleven years they have just sailed through Leinster.
Cody never puts a foot wrong in media when it comes to showing respect to the opposition no matter how poor but I wish just once that he would!
Yesterday he claimed after his team had just destroyed Wexford by 19 points that the Cats had been tested twice in Leinster this year against Offaly and Wexford!
That's Brian's codology at its best.
His team never had to get out of third gear at any stage of the game and when they upped their work rate they just blew the Model men away.
The current set-up allows the Cats to prepare for the All-Ireland series, a bit like Kerry do in Munster football, and they have hardly had to stretch themselves to make the All-Ireland semi finals.
Cody to his credit just gets on with it but it almost insults our intelligence to listen to the great man telling us his team had been tested, and yea pigs might fly!
The great thing about this Cats' team however, is that no matter what the system they would be in there at the death anyway as they are that good.
He has been at the helm of one of the most successful hurling teams in history and for ten of the last eleven years they have just sailed through Leinster.
Cody never puts a foot wrong in media when it comes to showing respect to the opposition no matter how poor but I wish just once that he would!
Yesterday he claimed after his team had just destroyed Wexford by 19 points that the Cats had been tested twice in Leinster this year against Offaly and Wexford!
That's Brian's codology at its best.
His team never had to get out of third gear at any stage of the game and when they upped their work rate they just blew the Model men away.
The current set-up allows the Cats to prepare for the All-Ireland series, a bit like Kerry do in Munster football, and they have hardly had to stretch themselves to make the All-Ireland semi finals.
Cody to his credit just gets on with it but it almost insults our intelligence to listen to the great man telling us his team had been tested, and yea pigs might fly!
The great thing about this Cats' team however, is that no matter what the system they would be in there at the death anyway as they are that good.
Kill off the Leinster championship
The half time break in the Leinster hurling championship should carry a health warning that the second 35 minutes is for over 18s only given the slaughter Kilkenny inflicted on Wexford.
There was a time when the Leinster final was a contest for around 50 minutes before the Cats began to pull away but from the moment Eddie Brennan scored early in the second half it was murder.
The game became a turkey shoot as Wexford's hurlers remembered all the other recent bad beatings they have suffered at the Cats' hands in recent seasons and reached for their crash helmets.
Surely someone in Croke Park is looking at the attendances in what has become a meaningless fixture.
There is little or no atmosphere given that the game is still being played in Croke Park which is more than two thirds empty.
Leinster is on the verge of dying of lack of interest let's kill it off now before it becomes too frightening to watch.
There was a time when the Leinster final was a contest for around 50 minutes before the Cats began to pull away but from the moment Eddie Brennan scored early in the second half it was murder.
The game became a turkey shoot as Wexford's hurlers remembered all the other recent bad beatings they have suffered at the Cats' hands in recent seasons and reached for their crash helmets.
Surely someone in Croke Park is looking at the attendances in what has become a meaningless fixture.
There is little or no atmosphere given that the game is still being played in Croke Park which is more than two thirds empty.
Leinster is on the verge of dying of lack of interest let's kill it off now before it becomes too frightening to watch.
Hurling must tackle the elephant in the room
The hurling once again failed to deliver at the weekend and it was hard to listen to Sambo McNaughton who was obviously pained by the fact that Antrim had been mauled for the second week running.
Sambo is a proud hurling man who gave it everything when he took to the field and who has put a lot into Antrim hurling since his retirement but he was at a loss to bring any sense to the tankings his side had just suffered.
I thought he was being too hard on himself and the hurlers, they are playing at the wrong level and they can't and won't improve just by turning up against the big boys.
I thought GAA's most important programme the Sunday Game was again poor on the state of hurling in the country.
There was the usual polite silence about the fact that Laois and Antrim had just been destroyed and shouldn't be playing at this stage of the competition.
It's like no one wants to talk about the elephant in the room.
Hurling was the loser this weekend and there is an onus on headquarters to come up with a system which gives us a competitive All-Ireland series and which places the second tier of teams at a level where they can compete.
Sambo is a proud hurling man who gave it everything when he took to the field and who has put a lot into Antrim hurling since his retirement but he was at a loss to bring any sense to the tankings his side had just suffered.
I thought he was being too hard on himself and the hurlers, they are playing at the wrong level and they can't and won't improve just by turning up against the big boys.
I thought GAA's most important programme the Sunday Game was again poor on the state of hurling in the country.
There was the usual polite silence about the fact that Laois and Antrim had just been destroyed and shouldn't be playing at this stage of the competition.
It's like no one wants to talk about the elephant in the room.
Hurling was the loser this weekend and there is an onus on headquarters to come up with a system which gives us a competitive All-Ireland series and which places the second tier of teams at a level where they can compete.
Friday 4 July 2008
Poor fare on offer for a championship weekend
Early July and you would expect the championship season to move up a notch with the first provincial finals but instead we have one of the least anticipated weekends of the championship calendar.
In hurling the Leinster final is a foregone conclusion, Kilkenny to win with the only interest in the Cats' performance as we all hope to get some sort of a gauge on where their three in a row ambitions are sitting.
The Leinster final is now an non event, I'd rather watch a Tommy Murphy Cup game, no that's a lie but the Leinster hurling championship is right down there at the moment.
This week's qualifiers promise nothing better.
Antrim and Laois will feel like it is raining on them if the Galway and Waterford forward lines go out to prove to their respective managers Clare men Ger Loughnane and Davy Fitzgerald that they want to be in the side for the tougher tests which lie ahead.
It will be real men against boys stuff and wouldn't be allowed in boxing.
Unfortunately for everyone involved other than walking off the field in protest at the brutality of the beating (wonder has anyone consulted the Cork players on that one as they are the experts in these matters?) the players will just have to grin and bear it, ok if you're a sado masochist but just torture for the average GAA player, fan and referee.
I wonder do referees get counselling after a match like these as it must be traumatic to watch?
The only interest in these games will be if the Waterford players give any indication that they mean business after their dressing room coup which saw the end of Justin McCarthy.
The football doesn't get much better with the Munster Football final, yes they still have a Munster championship in football which all six counties enter but which is still only contested by two.
Those two Cork and Kerry play for this year's honours, yet again.
Kerry will win at a canter even though the Kingdom don't usually break sweat in Munster and have even been known to let a few provincial titles slip to the Rebels as they warm up the engine in preparation for the annual bad beating of the Cork men at Croke Park when it matters later in the season.
However, the only thing rebellious about the current Cork side is when they are on strike and they are poor enough to endure a bad beating earlier in the season than usual even though Kerry too will have a few players out to injury.
All in all not a lot to get excited over and I look forward to next week's fare which might just bring us a couple of real games!
In hurling the Leinster final is a foregone conclusion, Kilkenny to win with the only interest in the Cats' performance as we all hope to get some sort of a gauge on where their three in a row ambitions are sitting.
The Leinster final is now an non event, I'd rather watch a Tommy Murphy Cup game, no that's a lie but the Leinster hurling championship is right down there at the moment.
This week's qualifiers promise nothing better.
Antrim and Laois will feel like it is raining on them if the Galway and Waterford forward lines go out to prove to their respective managers Clare men Ger Loughnane and Davy Fitzgerald that they want to be in the side for the tougher tests which lie ahead.
It will be real men against boys stuff and wouldn't be allowed in boxing.
Unfortunately for everyone involved other than walking off the field in protest at the brutality of the beating (wonder has anyone consulted the Cork players on that one as they are the experts in these matters?) the players will just have to grin and bear it, ok if you're a sado masochist but just torture for the average GAA player, fan and referee.
I wonder do referees get counselling after a match like these as it must be traumatic to watch?
The only interest in these games will be if the Waterford players give any indication that they mean business after their dressing room coup which saw the end of Justin McCarthy.
The football doesn't get much better with the Munster Football final, yes they still have a Munster championship in football which all six counties enter but which is still only contested by two.
Those two Cork and Kerry play for this year's honours, yet again.
Kerry will win at a canter even though the Kingdom don't usually break sweat in Munster and have even been known to let a few provincial titles slip to the Rebels as they warm up the engine in preparation for the annual bad beating of the Cork men at Croke Park when it matters later in the season.
However, the only thing rebellious about the current Cork side is when they are on strike and they are poor enough to endure a bad beating earlier in the season than usual even though Kerry too will have a few players out to injury.
All in all not a lot to get excited over and I look forward to next week's fare which might just bring us a couple of real games!
Shefflin still top Cat
Delighted that Henry Shefflin looks likely to continue his comeback from a cruciate ligament injury on Sunday against Wexford in the Leinster final.
Shefflin is a great player and brings something to every game he plays in.
There was a bit of speculation that an injury unrelated to the cruciate setback he suffered might keep him out but thankfully he will be there.
It won't make much difference to the result however, except that you might be looking for more than ten-point advantage for the Cats with Henry in full flight.
Wonder is Paddy Power still even taking bets on a margin less than a ten-point win for the champs?
Shefflin is a great player and brings something to every game he plays in.
There was a bit of speculation that an injury unrelated to the cruciate setback he suffered might keep him out but thankfully he will be there.
It won't make much difference to the result however, except that you might be looking for more than ten-point advantage for the Cats with Henry in full flight.
Wonder is Paddy Power still even taking bets on a margin less than a ten-point win for the champs?
Kiely on hiding to nothing!
Don't you just love them in Waterford?
While Davy Fitz is expecting Antrim to throw the kitchen sink at his hurlers tomorrow in the qualifiers the football manager John Kiely is already complaining about a clash between the county's footballers and Wicklow on July19.
Kiely obviously has not gone to the Davy Fitz school of diplomacy for while Davy is insisting that nothing is a given in tomorrow's clash with Antrim Kiely is complaining that he won't have dual players available on July 19 because it clashes with the next round of the hurling qualifiers!
Obviously the football manager is a bit more confident about the hurlers' chances than Davy!
Kiely does make a good point however, about the treatment of football in the lesser counties when games can be fixed for the same day.
I have a certain sympathy for the football manager which is usually shared by hurling managers in most parts of the country who are trying to promote hurling in areas where football is king.
It is not uncommon for county hurling games to be fixed at the same time as football and it has been a huge issue in Derry for years.
However, I think that Kiely also needs to get a little perspective on all this.
Waterford hurlers are trying to win the Liam McCarthy Cup, the premier hurling trophy in the country.
The footballers are starting out their Tommy Murphy Cup campaign, a competition hardly designed to get the hairs rising in the back of your neck and in some counties the very mention of the name Tommy Murphy Cup is guaranteed to bring the Aer Lingus website crashing down with footballers rushing to get the next flight out of the country.
Kiely is on a hiding to nothing until there is a football competition for the minnows worthy of more interest than the battle of the worst eight!
While Davy Fitz is expecting Antrim to throw the kitchen sink at his hurlers tomorrow in the qualifiers the football manager John Kiely is already complaining about a clash between the county's footballers and Wicklow on July19.
Kiely obviously has not gone to the Davy Fitz school of diplomacy for while Davy is insisting that nothing is a given in tomorrow's clash with Antrim Kiely is complaining that he won't have dual players available on July 19 because it clashes with the next round of the hurling qualifiers!
Obviously the football manager is a bit more confident about the hurlers' chances than Davy!
Kiely does make a good point however, about the treatment of football in the lesser counties when games can be fixed for the same day.
I have a certain sympathy for the football manager which is usually shared by hurling managers in most parts of the country who are trying to promote hurling in areas where football is king.
It is not uncommon for county hurling games to be fixed at the same time as football and it has been a huge issue in Derry for years.
However, I think that Kiely also needs to get a little perspective on all this.
Waterford hurlers are trying to win the Liam McCarthy Cup, the premier hurling trophy in the country.
The footballers are starting out their Tommy Murphy Cup campaign, a competition hardly designed to get the hairs rising in the back of your neck and in some counties the very mention of the name Tommy Murphy Cup is guaranteed to bring the Aer Lingus website crashing down with footballers rushing to get the next flight out of the country.
Kiely is on a hiding to nothing until there is a football competition for the minnows worthy of more interest than the battle of the worst eight!
Davy Fitz not for real
Davy Fitzgerald obviously has a sense of humour when he says that Antrim are getting ready to throw the kitchen sink at his Waterford team in the qualifiers following the Saffrons' 26-point defeat at the hands of Galway last weekend.
I know that managers can't allow their teams to get complacent and Davy Fitz is going to be at the helm of Waterford for the first time but this type of codology puts me up the walls.
Antrim are not at the races on the national stage and nor will they be in the foreseeable future.
We don't play regularly enough at the level required to compete with any of the top teams and that goes for all our underage teams as well as the seniors.
When it comes to the Liam McCarthy Cup the record books don't lie, we have been to two finals in the last 100 years and were slaughtered in both of them and we have been on a downward spiral since the '89 team's last hurrah against Kilkenny in the '91 semi final.
If Antrim were to beat a Waterford side which has won three Munsters and a National League in the last six seasons it would be the biggest shock since David beat Goliath.
One of the problems I feel for Ulster hurling has been the fact that everyone is too well mannered when it comes to speaking about Antrim or Down on the All-Ireland stakes.
No one down below wants to say out loud what they think about the true state of northern hurling, they have too much respect for the people trying to promote the game than to hurt their feelings.
It's about time someone like Davy Fitz said "Antrim are crap, we're going to use them for target practice for the forwards before we get down to more serious business and if my side don't win by a hatful of points then I'm out of here".
There is nothing more likely to inspire northern hurlers than to be told they should not be at the top table, not this year mind you, but it might just bring a bit of steel into the efforts to promote the game up here.
Being patted on the head for turning up is probably more insulting than telling the truth that we don't at this stage belong up there with the elite.
I know that managers can't allow their teams to get complacent and Davy Fitz is going to be at the helm of Waterford for the first time but this type of codology puts me up the walls.
Antrim are not at the races on the national stage and nor will they be in the foreseeable future.
We don't play regularly enough at the level required to compete with any of the top teams and that goes for all our underage teams as well as the seniors.
When it comes to the Liam McCarthy Cup the record books don't lie, we have been to two finals in the last 100 years and were slaughtered in both of them and we have been on a downward spiral since the '89 team's last hurrah against Kilkenny in the '91 semi final.
If Antrim were to beat a Waterford side which has won three Munsters and a National League in the last six seasons it would be the biggest shock since David beat Goliath.
One of the problems I feel for Ulster hurling has been the fact that everyone is too well mannered when it comes to speaking about Antrim or Down on the All-Ireland stakes.
No one down below wants to say out loud what they think about the true state of northern hurling, they have too much respect for the people trying to promote the game than to hurt their feelings.
It's about time someone like Davy Fitz said "Antrim are crap, we're going to use them for target practice for the forwards before we get down to more serious business and if my side don't win by a hatful of points then I'm out of here".
There is nothing more likely to inspire northern hurlers than to be told they should not be at the top table, not this year mind you, but it might just bring a bit of steel into the efforts to promote the game up here.
Being patted on the head for turning up is probably more insulting than telling the truth that we don't at this stage belong up there with the elite.
Tuesday 1 July 2008
Leinster should have made the move
The Leinster Council has admitted that it considered moving this Sunday's hurling final out of Croke Park.
The council says it expects little more than 25,000 for the Wexford Kilkenny clash and they looked at moving the final out of headquarters to a ground in the province which might have retained some of the atmosphere at the provincial showpiece.
The expected 25,000 will look sparse at Croke Park downgrading what is a very poor championship even further.
Even at its best the Leinster showpiece attracted crowds of only between 35,000 and 40,000 but given that the final has become an annual outing for the Cats to show just how far ahead of the posse they are it is rarely even a spectacle.
Wexford don't have a snowball's this Sunday and the world and its ma knows it, it's a surprise given the hidings the Cats have dished out to the Modle men in recent seasons that 25,000 would even bother to make the trip up to Dublin.
It's a pity therefore that the game can't be played in a ground where at least the punters can get value for money from the atmosphere even if the match becomes the usual non event.
The council says it expects little more than 25,000 for the Wexford Kilkenny clash and they looked at moving the final out of headquarters to a ground in the province which might have retained some of the atmosphere at the provincial showpiece.
The expected 25,000 will look sparse at Croke Park downgrading what is a very poor championship even further.
Even at its best the Leinster showpiece attracted crowds of only between 35,000 and 40,000 but given that the final has become an annual outing for the Cats to show just how far ahead of the posse they are it is rarely even a spectacle.
Wexford don't have a snowball's this Sunday and the world and its ma knows it, it's a surprise given the hidings the Cats have dished out to the Modle men in recent seasons that 25,000 would even bother to make the trip up to Dublin.
It's a pity therefore that the game can't be played in a ground where at least the punters can get value for money from the atmosphere even if the match becomes the usual non event.
McSparran on the right track
Antrim chair John McSparran has rowed in with his views on the state of hurling calling for more National League games for what I term the 'intermediate' sides.
McSparran knows he is on a beaten docket when he goes to Congress later in the year but his proposals do have much merit and they wouldn't exactly give those making the fixtures a headache if the GAA is prepared to use a bit of imagination.
McSparran knows that counties like Antrim, Offaly, Dublin and Laois won't make the breakthrough to being genuine contenders unless they can play more regularly at a standard which allows them to progress.
I don't think that McSparran's proposals go far enough as I believe the provincial championships need to be scrapped too as they serve no one well bar maybe the coffers of the Munster board.
However, I don't see anyone rushing to take that one on.
McSparran knows he is on a beaten docket when he goes to Congress later in the year but his proposals do have much merit and they wouldn't exactly give those making the fixtures a headache if the GAA is prepared to use a bit of imagination.
McSparran knows that counties like Antrim, Offaly, Dublin and Laois won't make the breakthrough to being genuine contenders unless they can play more regularly at a standard which allows them to progress.
I don't think that McSparran's proposals go far enough as I believe the provincial championships need to be scrapped too as they serve no one well bar maybe the coffers of the Munster board.
However, I don't see anyone rushing to take that one on.
Hands off the hand pass
Glad to see that the GAA is resisting any calls from the purists about limiting the use of the handpass.
There is a lot of handpassing in our game but the best teams don't overuse it despite what many are claiming.
The handpass is simply the best way of getting out of defence with the ball and its use has brought a lot of movement to the game.
However, when it comes to moving into attack the good sides like Kerry, Armagh, Tyrone, Meath and even the Dubs, I don't include Cork as they are chokers, get the ball fast into space with good foot passing and their point taking under pressure marks them out from the limited teams.
Lets's face it short foot passes are a nonsense, they are difficult to execute and often just the wrong ball.
Those who want to see more kick passing in the game should work with youngsters if they want to change anything and make sure that the standard of kick passing needed to compete at the top is taught to kids from they can walk.
Football remains a simple game and for most of us the reason we fell in love with the game was just kicking the ball around on the street or on a field and the pleasure we got out of being able to reproduce it when you went on to the field to compete with your peers.
There is some great shooting and still some first class passing off the foot in the modern game, there is always room for improvement but restricting another skill, handpassing, is not the way forward.
There is a lot of handpassing in our game but the best teams don't overuse it despite what many are claiming.
The handpass is simply the best way of getting out of defence with the ball and its use has brought a lot of movement to the game.
However, when it comes to moving into attack the good sides like Kerry, Armagh, Tyrone, Meath and even the Dubs, I don't include Cork as they are chokers, get the ball fast into space with good foot passing and their point taking under pressure marks them out from the limited teams.
Lets's face it short foot passes are a nonsense, they are difficult to execute and often just the wrong ball.
Those who want to see more kick passing in the game should work with youngsters if they want to change anything and make sure that the standard of kick passing needed to compete at the top is taught to kids from they can walk.
Football remains a simple game and for most of us the reason we fell in love with the game was just kicking the ball around on the street or on a field and the pleasure we got out of being able to reproduce it when you went on to the field to compete with your peers.
There is some great shooting and still some first class passing off the foot in the modern game, there is always room for improvement but restricting another skill, handpassing, is not the way forward.
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