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Post by Whosinmidfield on Jul 5, 2019 10:39:43 GMT
KK beat Galway in the u20 in Leinster. KK are rising again. No doubt about it. Eoin Cody of Ballyhale got a DJ Carey type goal. Adrian Mullen of the senior team is also from Ballyhale and he is only a youngster too. Its going to be a massive battle between KK and Cork DJ Carey's son lined out at centre back.
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 5, 2019 23:09:48 GMT
Jackie Tyrrell: Limerick the masters of timing in changed landscape I would have struggled with the idea of being 'rotated' and I wouldn't have been the only one
We stood around in a circle, tightly-knit in Nowlan Park as the last of the baking summer’s day sun beat down on us, a mixture of Vaseline and sweat dripping from lads’ noses after a very brisk and intense Mick Dempsey warm-up.
Martin Fogarty would call out two teams and hand out the gear: one coloured training top was blue and one was green.
Sometimes it was an A versus B game and sometimes it was mixed up. In those days there was always a bit more time between championship fixtures. The farther out we were the more likely it was to be mixed. Psychologically, this was great.
The message going out was, “there’s no team picked, lads” and everyone knew that Brian Cody liked to make changes so that would really fire fellas up.
Closer to the day they would become A v B selections and that got everyone nervous because you either had to defend your place or get the skates on if you were going to take it off someone else. You might be able to get away with being a bit off the pace at training in other counties but not here.
Brian would give us his last few instructions – what he was demanding from us in the session. It wasn’t anything new but still we listened. “I want to see sheer dog-eat-dog stuff out here, fire, intensity – fight for every inch. It is you or him and jerseys are up for grabs,” – the usual, we as we ran to our positions.
“We are playing three sets of 10 minutes,” would be shouted as we broke from the circle but I often wondered who was actually timing it: the auld lad over in McGuinness’s pub across from Nowlan Park, who was on the beer all day?
Whether I was marking Eddie Brennan, Richie Power or Eoin Larkin they would love nothing more than to stick 2-2 down my throat in 30 minutes of training Sometimes 10 minutes felt like four minutes and sometimes it felt like a life-time. However it went, the management team had the great ability of blowing up the match when we were always begging for more.
Always wanting another ball, another chance to prove yourself, another chance to settle a score. When it was heating up to boiling point, the haze was pierced by a shrill blast. The whistle was blown and that was it. They might be the only time the whistle was blown throughout that particular dog-fight so it was good to see that it worked!
You were left primed, ready for more, itching to get at another team and that was a great place to be. As a corner back, I might have hit the ball three or four times, so you would be savage for more.
There was a pride thing there as well. Whether I was marking Eddie Brennan, Richie Power or Eoin Larkin they would love nothing more than to stick 2-2 down my throat in 30 minutes of training. If they could do that, they would – and I’d be going home absolutely seething with myself.
There was always a feeling though that what you did off the ball was at least as important. It was great if some fella got 2-2 but do you know what – he could have been a corner forward converting handy chances? What about the lad who ran and took the belt and maybe turned the ball over? That’s the kind of thing they’d focus in on.
Tip-toed When it comes to timing and having a team ready Limerick have it down to a tee. Last year they tip-toed into third place in the Munster round robin, relatively quiet and unnoticed. In hindsight, from our corner, it worked a treat for them. I’m not sure if that route was intentional but it gave them a lovely run-in to attack the All-Ireland and attack it they did, with wins over Kilkenny, Cork and Galway.
They had not blown a gasket in the round robin. You would have to say that that their timing this year has again been impeccable. After a hiccup against Cork early on, they followed up with two good wins and then rested key players for the last game.
It’s a different hurling landscape these days. It now takes seven or eight games to win an All-Ireland. We used to win them after half that number. I can understand John Kiely’s point of view. You can’t flog the horses, especially thoroughbreds.
It wasn’t without risk because a bad loss to Tipperary in the round robin and it could prove to be poor judgment and worse, have implications for later on in the summer.
Limerick had soft-pedalled into a Munster final. They were primed to assault Tipperary and blew them away. They were awesome in that second half. I loved their work-rate and physicality and how they let Tipperary know in no uncertain terms who the new kings of Munster were.
If I was to summarise the game in one incident, it was when Jake Morris received the ball in the second half and Kyle Hayes hunted him down, buried him, turned over possession and picked out Cian Lynch for a super point. That was Limerick at their best – savage in pursuit of the ball and clinical and precise in using it.
You would have to give Kiely huge credit here. While everyone was stroking their chin wondering, which Limerick will turn up; can they turn it on and off just like that, one team came to play a Munster final and the other team was going to war.
Even earlier in the championship when they lost to Cork, there was nothing structurally wrong with them – no obvious damage to the team. It was more of a mindset issue. They weren’t up for it.
They would have been thinking, “we probably started believing that we were in a better place than we were. We have to understand that every game is different and every team we play is different but we need to bring the same attitude, application and work rate.
“We didn’t that day and we got caught but the next day? We reset our focus.”
I know Limerick made a few changes but they played the game the same way, set up the same way and had the same puck-out strategy. They weren’t suddenly experimenting with a new system and switching players all around the place.
Kiely will have told them, every day you go out there as All-Ireland champions and every team you play is going to be a few per cent more determined to beat you.
I have to say personally that I would have struggled with all of this rotation and going up and down gears. I know from hurling and playing with different lads that they would have almost needed, depended on that regularity and constant performance.
Tommy Walsh for instance, wanted to play every game – an Oireachtas Cup fixture in January in the muck and the rain, he was passionate and wanted to be out there. Larkin was the same. We always thought that the more games you played the less you had to train.
I remember in league games, particularly in the late 2000s when we were going really well and playing really well for 50, 55 minutes, against Tipp or Cork and coming off delighted with myself and sitting down and seeing, maybe John Dalton going in corner back and hurling very well for the 10 or 15 minutes – and thinking to myself, “s**t, I could be in trouble here for next week.”
We always thought like that because Cody had us like that. Permanent anxiety.
So, yes, damn right I would have struggled. I can see the sense that this now is the format and I probably couldn’t play every game but it wouldn’t have been an easy adjustment.
Phony wars are started by certain results and fixtures. In the past it was foot to the floor stuff every day you turned on the engine but management teams now need to be aware that it could be five games in eight weeks and having a team primed for ignition at the right times is very hard.
Age profile I wonder if Tipperary’s age profile is a problem for them. Are older generations of players more resistant, like me, to the idea of rotation? For Tipp it could be at least as much to do with their panel strength now that they’ve shipped a couple of injuries but there looked to be tiredness there.
Noel McGrath, midway through the second half, was dropping balls that he’d normally be rising. He just wasn’t quite as sharp or as relentless as he’d been in the round robin – maybe a five per cent drop-off but five per cent in that game against Lynch and Will O’Donoghue and you can forget it.
Pádraic Maher was another. Mentally when you are fatigued, you play a little more cagily and you don’t run as much. Paudie was at centre back and the ball went over his head. Nine times out of 10 and he flies back to his 20m line but the 10th time?
Look at Peter Casey’s goal in the first half. Where was Maher? Too far up the field and he just couldn’t make it back to free up another defender to put pressure on Aaron Gillane and Casey. Small margins but put them together and they catch up with you.
Tipperary will regroup and come again in this All Ireland series. They will learn from Sunday and will need to get Cathal Barrett back to inject some pace into their back line, and push Brendan Maher back into the half back line. They also need to develop their panel and look to get some options from their bench. But Limerick are the front-runners and favourites after Sunday’s demolition job.
On a separate note, my heart does go out to the Joe McDonagh finalists who have to play this weekend, after a hard-fought campaign.
Seven days is not enough time to come down from the high of it for Laois and for Westmeath to pick themselves up and go at it again. They have a shot at Cork and Dublin and 14 days would be ideal to recover and plan a major shot at these two.
If you look at the fixtures calendar the first weekend in May is available and I think the McDonagh Cup could start a week earlier and let Laois or whoever wins it have a couple of nights out to celebrate a great achievement before getting focused on the preliminary quarter-final.
Finally, it’s mad to think there are only seven games left this year but they will tell some tale.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2019 16:46:51 GMT
Laois up by two in injury time
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2019 16:50:25 GMT
Laois up by two in injury time What a win by Laois No doubt the Dublin fans will be making some hilarious quips about how Laois should be split in two.
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Post by sullyschoice on Jul 7, 2019 16:53:05 GMT
Laois up by two in injury time What a win by Laois No doubt the Dublin fans will be making some hilarious quips about how Laois should be split in two. All 10 of them
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 7, 2019 17:16:33 GMT
No one saw this ambush coming.
Eddie Brennans stock will rise after this.
Tipp will be warned and should make it to the semis now.
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Post by kerrygold on Jul 7, 2019 19:33:11 GMT
Great win for Eddie Brennan & Laois. The Dubs must have been caught napping...............
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Post by dc84 on Jul 7, 2019 20:36:38 GMT
I didn't think they would beat dublin but I thought they would give them a game. Dublin hurlers are a bit like mayo footballers when they are fired up and attacking everything at 100pc they can put it up to anyone when they aren't well ..
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 7, 2019 20:59:00 GMT
so either Laois, Tipp or Wexford will be in the final.
Monumental screw up by Dublin. Wexford are beatable and Tipp may be mentally scarred by the Limerick hammering.
Dublin had every chance of reaching the final.
Limerick will meet Cork or KK in the semi final.
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Post by dc84 on Jul 7, 2019 22:40:13 GMT
so either Laois, Tipp or Wexford will be in the final. Monumental screw up by Dublin. Wexford are beatable and Tipp may be mentally scarred by the Limerick hammering. Dublin had every chance of reaching the final. Limerick will meet Cork or KK in the semi final. Dublin are away off standard I think Munster is far superior at the moment cork to best kk next week and tipp will eat both laois and Wexford setting up a thrid meeting of limerick tipp in the ai bonners loss can't be underestimated
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Post by thebluepanther on Jul 7, 2019 23:04:10 GMT
so either Laois, Tipp or Wexford will be in the final. Monumental screw up by Dublin. Wexford are beatable and Tipp may be mentally scarred by the Limerick hammering. Dublin had every chance of reaching the final. Limerick will meet Cork or KK in the semi final. Dublin were never going to be in an All Ireland Hurling Final, next up would have been Tipperary and we wouldn't have beaten them. Why ? Because we are lacking in guys coming through with natural ability and a never say die attitude , we get fleeting moments and occasional back to the wall performances , but they are never followed up . For all the talk about the number of Gpo's, Training facilities, Sponsorship deals and playing numbers in the capital , At the top level if you haven't got the talent coupled with a never say die attitude all the rest count for nothing.
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 7, 2019 23:17:25 GMT
so either Laois, Tipp or Wexford will be in the final. Monumental screw up by Dublin. Wexford are beatable and Tipp may be mentally scarred by the Limerick hammering. Dublin had every chance of reaching the final. Limerick will meet Cork or KK in the semi final. Dublin were never going to be in an All Ireland Hurling Final, next up would have been Tipperary and we wouldn't have beaten them. Why ? Because we are lacking in guys coming through with natural ability and a never say die attitude , we get fleeting moments and occasional back to the wall performances , but they are never followed up . For all the talk about the number of Gpo's, Training facilities, Sponsorship deals and playing numbers in the capital , At the top level if you haven't got the talent coupled with a never say die attitude all the rest count for nothing. Con oCallaghan would have saved Dublin today. There is a gap between the Joe McDonagh Cup and Leinster championship as Carlow found out. This was carelessness. Was the fullback injured today?
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Post by Whosinmidfield on Jul 8, 2019 8:13:15 GMT
How many of the Dublin footballers would start for the hurlers if they were available?
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Post by onlykerry on Jul 8, 2019 8:25:52 GMT
so either Laois, Tipp or Wexford will be in the final. Monumental screw up by Dublin. Wexford are beatable and Tipp may be mentally scarred by the Limerick hammering. Dublin had every chance of reaching the final. Limerick will meet Cork or KK in the semi final. Dublin were never going to be in an All Ireland Hurling Final, next up would have been Tipperary and we wouldn't have beaten them. Why ? Because we are lacking in guys coming through with natural ability and a never say die attitude , we get fleeting moments and occasional back to the wall performances , but they are never followed up . For all the talk about the number of Gpo's, Training facilities, Sponsorship deals and playing numbers in the capital , At the top level if you haven't got the talent coupled with a never say die attitude all the rest count for nothing. Any idea of the split in effort being put into Dublin hurling and Dublin football at juvenile/development level - are coaches dedicated to one code or do they coach both. If dedicated how many coaching each code. Also how many of the Dublin clubs are dual clubs, fielding both hurling and football teams?
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Post by givehimaball on Jul 8, 2019 14:53:10 GMT
so either Laois, Tipp or Wexford will be in the final. Monumental screw up by Dublin. Wexford are beatable and Tipp may be mentally scarred by the Limerick hammering. Dublin had every chance of reaching the final. Limerick will meet Cork or KK in the semi final. Dublin were never going to be in an All Ireland Hurling Final, next up would have been Tipperary and we wouldn't have beaten them. Why ? Because we are lacking in guys coming through with natural ability and a never say die attitude , we get fleeting moments and occasional back to the wall performances , but they are never followed up . For all the talk about the number of Gpo's, Training facilities, Sponsorship deals and playing numbers in the capital , At the top level if you haven't got the talent coupled with a never say die attitude all the rest count for nothing. John Costello's words from his annual report last year. Go Games are up to age 11 so give it a few years and the effect of pouring millions into underage coaching will start to filter through. Hard not to see Dublin hurling progressing when you the number under the age of 11 playing it doubles. It would be interesting to compare what sort of participation growth (if any) there was in other counties in these categories. As for the footballers a 58% increase in the participation rate will mean that when Dublin are eventually split, Dublin North and Dublin South will be two of the very top tier teams.
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Post by thebluepanther on Jul 8, 2019 16:21:49 GMT
Participation rate is one thing. How they are coached and how many jewels in the crown you find is another. Maybe eventually the penny will drop with some that the Dublin Senior football team is just a very good team , with a top coach. Which wont last forever.
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 8, 2019 16:30:50 GMT
You are pretending that its one team since 2011 that is growing old together....
who are you trying to kid.
One or two new players every year is all thats needed now.... that should not be too hard.
How can Dublin possibly fall away fron its current position will all the younsters playing the game now.
Dublins only challenge is finding enough pitches for all the games.
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Post by thebluepanther on Jul 8, 2019 16:39:05 GMT
Dublin were never going to be in an All Ireland Hurling Final, next up would have been Tipperary and we wouldn't have beaten them. Why ? Because we are lacking in guys coming through with natural ability and a never say die attitude , we get fleeting moments and occasional back to the wall performances , but they are never followed up . For all the talk about the number of Gpo's, Training facilities, Sponsorship deals and playing numbers in the capital , At the top level if you haven't got the talent coupled with a never say die attitude all the rest count for nothing. Any idea of the split in effort being put into Dublin hurling and Dublin football at juvenile/development level - are coaches dedicated to one code or do they coach both. If dedicated how many coaching each code. Also how many of the Dublin clubs are dual clubs, fielding both hurling and football teams? Purely speaking for my Club its a 50/50 split of time allocated to both codes at underage, this is the case in nearly all Clubs in Dublin. For example the same u10 ,11,12,13 or 14 team would play football one week and hurling the next. Train 2 nights football one week and train two night hurling the following week. Some kids might opt out of one code as they get older but not many at underage . The same group of mentors will oversee both codes they would look after a particular age group not a particular code. Most clubs field football and Hurling . Some Clubs would be football only and there are a few Hurling only clubs.
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Post by onlykerry on Jul 8, 2019 17:46:56 GMT
You are pretending that its one team since 2011 that is growing old together.... who are you trying to kid. One or two new players every year is all thats needed now.... that should not be too hard. How can Dublin possibly fall away fron its current position will all the younsters playing the game now. Dublins only challenge is finding enough pitches for all the games. Mick, forget about 2011. Just looking at the 4 in a row sequence. 6 of the starting 15 in 2018 did not start the 2015 final and 5 of them were not on the match day panel in 2015. Biggest change has been in the Dublin forwards division where only 2 of the starting forwards in 2018 played in all four finals. Eoin Murchan is the only new defender to emerge for Dublin in that four in a row sequence. If you delve back to 2013, only 8 of the starting fifteen in 2013 started the 2018 final with a further 2 coming on as subs. This differs substantially from other great teams that have come and gone in the past - Dublin is a squad/machine and not simply a great team that will age and disappear in the normal way of the past great teams.
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 8, 2019 18:15:34 GMT
You are pretending that its one team since 2011 that is growing old together.... who are you trying to kid. One or two new players every year is all thats needed now.... that should not be too hard. How can Dublin possibly fall away fron its current position will all the younsters playing the game now. Dublins only challenge is finding enough pitches for all the games. Mick, forget about 2011. Just looking at the 4 in a row sequence. 6 of the starting 15 in 2018 did not start the 2015 final and 5 of them were not on the match day panel in 2015. Biggest change has been in the Dublin forwards division where only 2 of the starting forwards in 2018 played in all four finals. Eoin Murchan is the only new defender to emerge for Dublin in that four in a row sequence. If you delve back to 2013, only 8 of the starting fifteen in 2013 started the 2018 final with a further 2 coming on as subs. This differs substantially from other great teams that have come and gone in the past - Dublin is a squad/machine and not simply a great team that will age and disappear in the normal way of the past great teams. Gavin deserves credit for constant integration of new players like Cody did when he had a constant supply coming on stream. Codys supply dried up though. Dublins supply can hardly run dry though!
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Post by thebluepanther on Jul 8, 2019 18:44:35 GMT
You are pretending that its one team since 2011 that is growing old together.... who are you trying to kid. One or two new players every year is all thats needed now.... that should not be too hard. How can Dublin possibly fall away fron its current position will all the younsters playing the game now. Dublins only challenge is finding enough pitches for all the games. You read what suits your agenda . I'm not trying to kid anyone. Never once did i say this is a team growing old together. I've consistantly said that without the minor team of 2011 coming through at the time it did and Jim Gavin taking over we would possibly looking at scenario like 1995 and another gap between All Irelands . Cluxton, Johnny Cooper, Mick Fitz, David Byrne, Cian ,Philly, Small, Jack mc, James mc, Fenton, Ciaran Kilkenny, Dean Rock, Niall Scully, Paul Mannion are a blend of those two teams. Howard and Con are the only two since who have grabbed places. Why is there not currently a huge group of minor or u21 Dublin players fueled by all these extra resources and coaching beating everyone in sight, We are losing to Meath and Kildare in Leinster. If Meath and Kildare can beat us at underage why cant they beat us at Senior. Ill tell you why, because we have a very Strong Senior football Team with a great Manager. I haven't got my head stuck in the sand. I can clearly see the advantages Dublin have over opposing counties. Advantages that aren't only recent, they go way back , Playing numbers , Crokepark , proximity to training. Now having a successful football team living in the capital means extra revenue is a hell of a lot easier to come by, Dublin are able to pull in money that dwarfs every other county. Does something need to be done off course it does. Personally id like to see huge investment in other counties especially in Leinster and see where that takes us. If you explained to someone from another country how the provincials work they wouldn't believe it. The current Gaa Provincial Championship is outdated and Dublin are only one part of the problem.
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 8, 2019 19:33:11 GMT
You are pretending that its one team since 2011 that is growing old together.... who are you trying to kid. One or two new players every year is all thats needed now.... that should not be too hard. How can Dublin possibly fall away fron its current position will all the younsters playing the game now. Dublins only challenge is finding enough pitches for all the games. You read what suits your agenda . I'm not trying to kid anyone. Never once did i say this is a team growing old together. I've consistantly said that without the minor team of 2011 coming through at the time it did and Jim Gavin taking over we would possibly looking at scenario like 1995 and another gap between All Irelands . Cluxton, Johnny Cooper, Mick Fitz, David Byrne, Cian ,Philly, Small, Jack mc, James mc, Fenton, Ciaran Kilkenny, Dean Rock, Niall Scully, Paul Mannion are a blend of those two teams. Howard and Con are the only two since who have grabbed places. Why is there not currently a huge group of minor or u21 Dublin players fueled by all these extra resources and coaching beating everyone in sight, We are losing to Meath and Kildare in Leinster. If Meath and Kildare can beat us at underage why cant they beat us at Senior. Ill tell you why, because we have a very Strong Senior football Team with a great Manager. I haven't got my head stuck in the sand. I can clearly see the advantages Dublin have over opposing counties. Advantages that aren't only recent, they go way back , Playing numbers , Crokepark , proximity to training. Now having a successful football team living in the capital means extra revenue is a hell of a lot easier to come by, Dublin are able to pull in money that dwarfs every other county. Does something need to be done off course it does. Personally id like to see huge investment in other counties especially in Leinster and see where that takes us. If you explained to someone from another country how the provincials work they wouldn't believe it. The current Gaa Provincial Championship is outdated and Dublin are only one part of the problem. BP...tis only in 5 years time that it will be clear which of us is right. In the meantime, enjoy it as no doubt you will. You are a sound GAA man and a great poster on here.
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Post by givehimaball on Jul 8, 2019 20:35:03 GMT
Participation rate is one thing. How they are coached and how many jewels in the crown you find is another. There's far more getting professional coaching in Dublin than in any other county in the land. Why is there not currently a huge group of minor or u21 Dublin players fueled by all these extra resources and coaching beating everyone in sight. We are losing to Meath and Kildare in Leinster. If Meath and Kildare can beat us at underage why cant they beat us at Senior. Ill tell you why, because; we have a very Strong Senior football Team with a great Manager.Dublin have won 7 u21/u20 Leinster football titles in the last decade. In total they have won 14 u21/u20 Leinster football titles. Dublin have won 3 u21/u20 Leinster hurling titles in the last decade. In total they have won 6 u21/u20 Leinster hurling titles. Dublin have won 5 minor Leinster football titles in the last decade. In total they have won 33 Leinster minor football titles. Dublin have won 4 minor Leinster hurling titles in the last decade. In total they have won 16 Leinster minor hurling titles. The fact is that Dublin have never had been anywhere near as successful underage in Leinster as they have been in the last decade in both codes.
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Post by dc84 on Jul 8, 2019 21:30:45 GMT
Hurling thread?
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 13, 2019 22:20:11 GMT
Was talking to someone close to the Dublin hurling scene. Dublin's Rushe and ODomhnaill had slight knocks before the Laois game so they were not named on the panel of 26 v Laois so they could not be sprung when laois suddenly posed a challenge. All the focus was on playing Tipp.
Tipp will be forewarned.
Cork v KK... Cork are in for a rude awakening as they wont be used to such hassling and tackling. KK panicked at the end v Wexford. They went for a goal when points could have saved them. Cork are better than in 2018. Too hard to call this. A draw maybe.
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 15, 2019 13:21:20 GMT
Just watched the Cork v KK game.
Nice even first half with Cork halfbacks playing lovely diagonal balls in front of their forwards who collected and scored at will. KK stayed in touch though in that half.
Codt put a man back to cut out the Cork attacking ploy mentioned above and for most of the second half KK dominated totally.
The great Pat Horgan produced wonders to keep Cork in the game but too many red shirts were being beaten all over the pitch in that second half.
KK are rising. TJs form has dipped. If he fires against Limerick the cats could win it.
It will be sad if Pat Horgan doesnt win a celtic cross. He is simply class.
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 15, 2019 13:53:17 GMT
KK v Limerick at 6pm on sat 27th
Wexford v Tipp at 3.30 on sun 28th
No clash with Kerry games in super 8. Brilliant!
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Post by glengael on Jul 16, 2019 8:16:20 GMT
KK and Cody in particular will be be gunning for Limerick. A big chance to bring another generation of hurlers to AI Final day.
Wexford Tipp is no less fascinating.- where is Tipp's real form. You have to imagine the Wexford support will be phenomenal -huge day for them and they won't want it to end there.
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 17, 2019 7:48:51 GMT
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 19, 2019 16:03:14 GMT
Jackie Tyrrell With seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of this year’s SuperBowl, the Patriots running-back Sony Michel got in from two yards out to all but seal the victory for New England. When the ticker-tape came down, it was the sixth Lombardi Trophy in Tom Brady’s illustrious career.
If anyone remembers this year’s SuperBowl, it turned out to be a game dominated in defence. After all the hype and all the build-up, it became a slow, grinding arm-wrestle between the Patriots and the LA Rams that ultimately had very few bright sparks on the offensive side of the ball.
In a game like that on a stage like that, everyone knows it can’t go on being a grind forever. Eventually, one side or the other is going to step up and go about winning the game. It’s the SuperBowl, after all. Crunch time comes in every game in every sport, it’s just a matter of who dictates it and what they do with it.
What was really interesting that night was what went on in crunch time, that period in the game when decisions and actions ramped up with their level of importance. When the game was literally on the line and one play could win or lose it. No decisions are made by accident in those moments.
In that period of the game Brady turned to familiar faces to put the game in the bag. Rob Gronkowski set up that final touchdown with two huge catches. One went for 18 yards, the other went for 29. Now, this was in a game where catches over 10 yards had been like hen’s teeth. They made all the difference and got Michel into position to go and win the game.
Listening to Gronk afterwards told the story.
“I knew it was going to come my way,” he said, meaning that really no matter what the cover looked like, Brady was going to get him the ball. Gronk had missed loads of the season through injury and through being kept back for the biggest stage at a point in his career where his body can’t give him what it used to.
But none of that mattered when it came down to crunch time – Brady was going to rely on him when they absolutely needed it. And Gronk didn’t disappoint.
I thought of that SuperBowl on Sunday as I left Croke Park. Crunch time comes in every sport but it’s more important in hurling now than ever. Every team can put up big scores. All the contenders have free-takers who won’t miss more than one or two a game. Games can go along with a kind of a tick-tock of scores, matching each other over and back until one side kicks clear of the other.
On Sunday, Kilkenny performed in the third quarter and Cork didn’t. It was as simple as that. Kilkenny brought the game to a level where Cork couldn’t breathe, where they made errors, where they were forced into poor decisions.
Some Cork players went missing – where the key players for Kilkenny came to the table in an orderly queue, Cork had only Patrick Horgan, Alan Cadogan and Stephen McDonnell. Kilkenny saw out the game but they won it in crunch time just after the break.
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Stark contrast In that period, Kilkenny outscored Cork 1-8 to 0-1 and formed the basis and foundation for their win. This was a stark contrast to the Leinster final where, coming down the home stretch, Kilkenny made some erratic choices with the ball and went for goals too early. It was obvious this time around that they had learned the lessons from the Wexford game.
They were efficient with the ball, they made the right decisions, took the score when it was on. Basically, they played with the traits that Brian Cody has always preached. He empowers the players to decide and play what’s in front of them and above all, to give the ball to the guy in the better position. If you are in at corner-forward and not getting ball, get out there and make something happen.
On Sunday, John Donnelly and Colin Fennelly were perfect examples of that. The game can pass you by sometimes unless you go and get it. Go and look at Fennelly’s goal in the first half. It started with Donnelly going back inside his own half to get on the ball. The number 15 on his back made no difference. Adrian Mullen took the pass with his back to goal, still in the Kilkenny half, made a brilliant turn and played it up to Colin to do the rest.
TJ Reid in the thick of the action against Cork. When the need is greatest, the leaders step up. No matter how they are performing up to that point, they hunt the ball down, make something happen. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho TJ Reid in the thick of the action against Cork. When the need is greatest, the leaders step up. No matter how they are performing up to that point, they hunt the ball down, make something happen. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho For the killer goal by Richie Hogan early in the second half, Kilkenny just left him and Colin inside. Long ball in, tap down from Colin into Richie’s path and there’s only going to be one outcome there. Richie nailed it and Kilkenny were moving into top gear.
Or think back to the Munster final. John McGrath gets a goal for Tipperary in the 44th minute as the game goes into crunch time and suddenly the sides are level. Didn’t matter what had gone before, now that game was about who could respond to the circumstances and rise above the other. One emphatic answer, Limerick.
So what happens in that scenario? It’s not as if Limerick were trying harder than Tipp, after all. Sitting in the dressing room at half-time, all teams target the third quarter. Liam Sheedy would have been stressing the need for them to go out and really wire into it straight after the break – and they did it so well that they were level once McGrath got his goal.
Limerick’s leaders stepped up all over the field, they bossed the middle third with physicality and scrapped for every dirty ball as if their lives depended on it. And then when in possession, they moved the ball with pace, accuracy and conviction.
But it isn’t just a matter of upping the intensity. Everybody tries to do that. It’s recognising the moment and using every little bit of good play as a springboard to another. It’s switching on for the puck-out after you’ve scored a point, knowing that it’s a chance to get two for the price of one.
A goal counts for more in that period. A goal in the first half is great but there’s still time to reset and claw back the lead. A goal soon after half-time is different. It does more psychological damage to the opposition. It gives your own team a boost bigger than the three points that go on the scoreboard.
The jugular This is especially true if you’re favourites for the game. When I played for Kilkenny, we always prided ourselves on going for the jugular when the chance arose. Go out, score early, score early after half-time, kill teams off. All of it designed to fulfil the pre-game doubts that opposition teams had when they played us.
That third quarter is the time for management to use the things they feel will act as triggers. Shane Dowling came on for Limerick last year in exactly the same minute in the All-Ireland semi-final and final. John Kiely turned to him both days and got him on in the 56th minute.
Each time it was a statement to Dowling, a statement to his team and, crucially, a statement to the Limerick crowd. It was like he was saying: “Okay, now let’s kick for home, here’s our weapon off the bench for the last 20 minutes. What have they got to match it?”
Shane Dowling in action against Tipperary. Last year his introduction in the All-Ireland semi-final and final was a signal to Limerick that it was time to make the big push for home. Photograph: Ken Sutton/Inpho Shane Dowling in action against Tipperary. Last year his introduction in the All-Ireland semi-final and final was a signal to Limerick that it was time to make the big push for home. Photograph: Ken Sutton/Inpho I always think that’s the time for a show of strength. It’s like the Sunday of a golf Major, Tiger Woods strutting out in his red shirt with the biceps bulging through it. Every bit of him proclaiming: ‘This is my time. I want this. Do you? Do you really?” That’s how you have to be in that crunch period.
Teams need to plan for it. Some teams just survive, hang in during the first half and regroup at half-time to be ready. To me, it looked like that’s what Kilkenny did on the weekend. When crunch time arrived, familiar faces came to the fore, as with Limerick in the Munster final.
When the need is greatest, the leaders step up. No matter how they are performing up to that point, they hunt the ball down, make something happen. It can be anything – a hook, a shoulder, a difficult free. Subs play a huge role and Walter Walsh and Billy Ryan did that on Sunday.
Different players have different triggers. Sometimes verbal, sometimes visual. I always listened out for the 63rd minute, when the stadium announcer would send the stewards to their end-of-match positions. That always gave me a huge boost.
I would be starting to lag on energy, gasping for oxygen after a gruelling game shadowing a top player. I’d be starting to feel the blisters bleeding underfoot, sucking for air. But I always found strength in the stadium announcer.
It meant I could now see the finish line. Just one more push and we are there. Looking up at the scoreboard at that time and seeing us ahead for a second was a big refocus juncture. I always wanted to meet whoever that chap was in Croke Park to thank him for his words of inspiration, even though he couldn’t have known.
He was probably a Kilkenny man!
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