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Post by Kerryman Randy Savage on Jun 17, 2022 14:11:10 GMT
If I recall correctly the current disciplinary system was put in place to discourage players going to Court. I think it was after 2004 when a Westmeath footballer O'Connell or O'Connor went to High Court to overturn a suspension. Had to laugh at all the media talk complaining about the Sunday Game panelists setting the agenda on who gets punished after the event. Kerry fans were advised that we had a persecution complex, to put it politely, when we made similar observations in 2010. I'm pretty sure the CCCC members claimed in the late 00s that they don't watch the Sunday Game. Imagine being that involved in the GAA and you don't watch the main televised shows. Some lawyers or is it liars? 🤔 |
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Post by Mickmack on Jun 18, 2022 8:23:18 GMT
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Post by Mickmack on Jun 18, 2022 14:35:21 GMT
Cork are now the biggest under achievers in hurling. They conceded two soft goals...the first one slipped through the keepers fingers. The second one was down to poor defending although Whelan did brilliantly.
Cork had enough chances to win two games but they didnt take them. Even at the end when a point down their defender gave away possession.
Galway didnt play well.
Is there another gear in them? Hard to say.
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Post by Ard Mhacha on Jun 18, 2022 14:37:20 GMT
Tragic news. He seemed to be the main scorer for Dungannon and Tyrone. He got 14 points in the Nicky Rackard final a few weeks ago. Very sad. RIP. |
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Post by veteran on Jun 18, 2022 15:32:31 GMT
How did Cork manage to lose this game? They will be sickened by the result for weeks. They looked by far the slicker side whereas Galway seemed to rely, too often, on long , often aimless, deliveries into a sparsely crowded forward line. Of course Cork will be kicking themselves for conceding those goals, both of which I felt the goalie should have saved.
I must commend the referee for penalising a few obvious throw balls and also for waving play on when the Galway defender effected a terrific shoulder on the Cork centre half forward.
Joe Canning made an impressive debut on RTE.
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Jun 18, 2022 15:50:40 GMT
Cork will be kicking themselves?
They'd probably miss if they did try to kick themselves.
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Jun 18, 2022 16:01:57 GMT
Distracted Clare players. Game far far from over but appealing suspensions appears to my eye to backfire again and again and again. |
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Post by veteran on Jun 18, 2022 16:30:26 GMT
Delighted for Clare. No doubt if they lost the narrative would be they were exhausted after the Munster final.
It must be said Wexford should have had a penalty near the end.
Great last twenty minutes or so . Not a good day for goalies in Thurles today!
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Post by legendz on Jun 18, 2022 16:37:19 GMT
I only saw the final quarter. Timed it well! Wexford definitely should have been given a penalty. Last man back and clear goalscoring opportunity denied.
Cork were beaten by the Munster finalists and gained confidence in beating 4th and 5th. They came into the quarter-final on a false positive. The first goal for Galway was a gift. It happened the Clare keeper in that goal against Cork. A strange one. The yellow ball is supposed to be easier to see as it travels past different background colours.
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Post by Mickmack on Jun 18, 2022 16:44:09 GMT
In the 50th minute Clare hit the crossbar and the ball was in the Clare net a few seconds later. Wexford went 6 up and that was that? Not quite. The big men for Clare stood up and led the way. Also Aaran Shanaher came on. What a difference he made. That last 20 minutes warmed the cockles of my heart.
Wexford were heroic and i feel for then especially Lee Chin. What a great player he is and he shook every Clare hand at the end.
So Clare v KK at 5pm on Saturday 2nd July. Galway v Limerick the following day.
Very good panel today...Joe Canning, Anna Geary and Davy Fitz. Joe is a great addition.
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Post by Mickmack on Jun 21, 2022 12:08:51 GMT
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Post by Mickmack on Jun 27, 2022 22:34:38 GMT
Time to tune out of the football now and let the hurling provide a bit of diversion.
Clare v KK on saturday with Fergal Horgan as ref. KK seemed to get a rake of scorable frees in the Leinster final and TJ pointed them. A lot seemed to be manufactured with the lad in possession running into traffic and going down. It will be interesting to see how Fergal Horgan calls those situations.
Clare are coming off a win now and KK are longer without a game. If both teams play to potential Clare should win as they have serious options off the bench. But if Clare are below par KKs relentless workrate could sway it.
We know what Limerick will bring on sunday. Is there one big performance in Galway. They have won something like 8 of the last 12 minor titles. Henry seemed dismayed by the no show v KK and there is bound to be a reaction.
Saturday night in a great buzz with supporters from the 4 counties mingling. The weather forecast is very good for the weekend.
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Post by legendz on Jun 28, 2022 19:25:11 GMT
Galway were poor enough against Cork and were fortunate enough to get through. Sheflin might have expected more of a reaction after the Leinster final.
Kilkenny v Clare is the tougher game to call. Clare's Munster Championship form would nudge them as favourites in my book. With Kilkenny though, they have the know how to get through these semi-finals. It'll be interesting.
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Post by Mickmack on Jun 29, 2022 19:19:33 GMT
Offaly play Tipp in the All Ireland minor hurling final in Nowlan Park on Sunday
Capacity is 27000 and it looks it it will be a sellout.
About 3000 tickets would go to these counties if it was on before the All Ireland senior hurling final.
Galway and Mayo will play the minor football final in Hyde Park. That will be another big draw for supporters of these counties.
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Post by glengael on Jul 1, 2022 9:38:27 GMT
The Offaly bounce continues. I think they might have enough to add to their silverware.
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 1, 2022 10:13:47 GMT
THU, 30 JUN, 2022 - 17:45
Eoin Cadogan
A student said to his master: “You teach me fighting, but you talk about peace. How do you reconcile the two?”
The master replied: “Is it better to be a warrior in the garden than to be a gardener in a war.”
As the weekend's All-Ireland SHC semi-finals loom, the top six inches become increasingly important. Some players, some of the semi-finalists, have more experience than others at getting over the semi-final hurdle.
For Limerick and Kilkenny, this is more common ground than Clare and Galway. My last semi-final experience was one of finally beating Kilkenny in a championship encounter. Add in extra time, last-minute goals and the absolute chaos I’ve spoken about previously and it made for an emotional experience.
I know you’re thinking 'where was that performance in the final, Cadogan?!'. But semi-finals are all about one thing - winning.
Some might deem this strange bit in terms of my own mindset, falling at the semi-final stage is about as good as being beaten in the Qualifiers - which is to say no good at all. I used tell myself for any semi-finals that this was my All Ireland final. No second chance. No envisaging what a final would be like or how great it would be for the county or the team. No fairytale thoughts.
Just facts. 70 minutes to get to the biggest stage of the GAA calendar that you have dreamed of as a young fella. And in a final, there’s always a chance.
Saturday's Clare v Kilkenny semi-final is probably the harder to call. Clare coming in with a similar stat to my own. Only beating Kilkenny once previously in a championship game.
Since the start of the year, you could see there’s a cut in those Clare players, offering an appropriate impersonation of their leader, Brian Lohan. They have the skills and speed but it’s their willingness to hunt down the opposition that’s impressed me most. No lost causes, no matter who you are. The most influential element of their improvement has not been in their heads or their hurling but between their ears.
After pouring their soul into the Munster final against Limerick, it could only go two ways. A defeat like that says 'we can compete with the top dogs of hurling and push on' or they could have fallen into the trap of believing 'our best still wasn’t good enough' and fall flat in the preliminary quarter-final. People don't realise how difficult it can be to emerge from that low. However, Clare found a way and know they have a panel of players that suits the system perfectly. In my head, I’m saying Clare to win at Croke Park.
As much as everyone has doubted Kilkenny at different stages in the past few years, if ever there’s been a team who never give up on anything, Cody's crew. I saw that first-hand last year in the All Ireland semi-final. I remember staring up the field at the scoreboard after Adrian Mullen stuck that last-minute goal to bring the game to extra time thinking 'will these bastards ever just go away?'.
It’s ingrained in the minds of every Kilkenny man who wears the jersey to never concede, to never submit. The Brian Cody philosophy. Because Kilkenny play more traditional hurling than others, the requirement to win your own ball as a forward is a must and they have those toilers and grafters in Eoin Cody, Adrian Mullen, TJ, Walter and more. Add in the energy of Cian Kenny and there’s a lot of danger on show.
Throughout the league, the more contemporary approach of working the balls through the lines seemed alien to some and even more infuriating to the backroom team when it broke down, leading to the concession of soft scores. There is a balance of mixing the short with the long to keep the opposition guessing.
But tactics, while evident, remain secondary to Brian Cody - winning your individual battle is a must first and foremost.
I’m expecting the outstanding Micky Butler to live in Tony Kelly’s shadow. TJ will probably be moved closer to goal with Eoin Cody or Billy Ryan asking more questions of John Conlan's legs.
Hence why the head and the heart have conflicting thoughts. Will the upgraded, hard-working Clare be able for the raw will to win from a side that knows better how to get over the line? I think this one could go to the wire - with Kilkenny to cause an upset.
Limerick and Galway, based on what we have seen so far, leads to one inevitable result - Limerick being back in another All Ireland final. If only life was that straightforward. I base that off what I’ve seen from Galway in the Leinster final and quarter-final against Cork and when you look at the lack of scoring efficiency from Cork - leaving 3-17 behind them - you would have to be concerned what a cuter and more clinical Limerick forward unit can do.
Conor Whelan was pivotal to Galway's success against Cork but with Sean Finn or Barry Nash picking up the man-marking duties allied to a Limerick half back line that sits slightly deeper, Whelan's scope to cause damage may be more limited.
Galway will play four players across the half forward line. On those those long aerial balls Galway need to make their presence known early, with ball-winners competing in front and from behind. Worst case scenario if they lose the puck out is the need to bombard the Limerick man in possession and delay the attack play to permit their Galway colleagues to sit in in front of a potent Limerick full forward line.
Four counties sprinkled with warriors in pursuit of that holy grail. Their four masters vocal and leading the charges from the sideline. For two, the promise of a final tilt. For two others, summer in the garden when they crave Sunday war.
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 1, 2022 10:16:49 GMT
FRI, 01 JUL, 2022 - 06:00
CHRISTY O’CONNOR
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Shortly after Clare defeated Wexford two weeks ago, Derrick Lynch of Clare FM interviewed Diarmuid Ryan, who was the station’s man-of-the-match. Ryan was swarmed and congratulated by supporters on the Semple Stadium pitch, but his answers to Lynch’s questions were loaded with references to Croke Park.
“It’s a dream,” said Ryan. “We said at the start of the year that we wanted to get to Croke Park. It’s a dream for all of us to play up there. Not many of us have been there. Kilkenny in two weeks is going to be another massive, massive battle, but Croke Park is where you want to be on those days.”
Ryan has never played at Headquarters before, but even the Clare players which have, the experience has been too fleeting and not nearly regular enough for a side packed with such class and quality.
“It’s massive to be going back to Croke Park,” said Tony Kelly after the Wexford game. “We haven’t played there often. "Getting to Croker and the last four, that’s kind of the start of the year, regardless of winning provincials. That’s exactly where you want to be.”
After Clare won the 2013 All-Ireland title, a young team was expected to have tenancy rights in Croke Park but five years went by in a blink. It took Clare until the 2018 drawn All-Ireland semi-final against Galway for them to return to Croke Park. And they haven’t been back there since.
Only four players on the current squad featured in that 2013 replay - Kelly, Shane O’Donnell, David McInerney and John Conlon. O’Donnell was only 19. Kelly was yet to turn 20. McInerney was still under 21. Conlon was only 24. One appearance in the intervening decade would have been inconceivable at the time but, of this weekend’s All-Ireland semi-finalists, Clare are the most inexperienced team in Croke Park by a distance.
Since that 2018 game, Kilkenny have played in Croke Park on ten occasions. Limerick have lined out there eight times, Galway six. Including his club appearances with Ballyhale Shamrocks, Saturday will be TJ Reid’s 15th visit to Croke Park since a Clare player last featured at the venue.
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Of the Clare panel of 26 for the All-Ireland quarter-final, their combined number of Croke Park appearances – from minor, U-21, club and senior – totals just 37. Twelve of the 26 have never played there before.
Tony Kelly and TJ Reid are two of the greatest forwards in the history of the game but their comparative number of appearances in Croke Park are stark; at all levels, Reid has played at the venue an incredible 51 times; Kelly has featured there on just eight occasions.
Three appearances there as a minor in 2010 and 2011, along with an All-Ireland club final with Ballyea, have bumped up his numbers but Saturday will just be Kelly’s fifth appearance there at senior level with Clare; it will be Reid’s 40th time to play senior championship in Croke Park with Kilkenny.
Kelly was still only 19 when he tore the place up in 2013 but Clare treated the place like their backyard that summer. Before the 2013 All-Ireland final replay, the players ambled out on to the pitch for a stroll. A Super 11s exhibition game had just finished and a large pack of the Clare players gathered in a circle near the halfway line. And started playing keepy-uppy.
Brendan Bugler smiled to himself. His team-mates were laughing and joking so much that they almost seemed oblivious to the huge occasion. Bugler knew that Clare were ready to embrace the occasion. Again.
“It wasn’t planned that we’d go out on the pitch and just have a bit of craic before an All-Ireland final in Croke Park,” he says. “These things just organically happen but we felt so comfortable there. We had a lot of youth in our team. There was no baggage. It was an All-Ireland final, but we were up there to go and enjoy it.”
In 2013 the average age of the team was just 23. Clare were young and fearless and they turned Croke Park into their playground that summer. “We loved the place,” says Bugler. “We felt the shackles were off when we got to Croke Park. There was a sense of achievement already at having got there so there was no real nerves, no anxiety. We never felt any pressure up there.”
In his autobiography, Anthony Daly referred to how Clare always believed that Croke Park was “our field”. That stemmed from Clare’s unbeaten record there in six games between 1995-98.
Clare’s success during that time fed into the mythology of an idyllic relationship with Croke Park, even though the statistics didn’t always back up that claim; in 11 games between 1999 and 2010, Clare only won four of those matches. In their two matches in Croke Park prior to 2013, they had lost to Limerick (2007) and Dublin (2010) by an aggregate of 20 points.
When Clare arrived back there in 2013, it was the county’s first All-Ireland semi-final since 2006, but most of the team had experience of big days out in Croke Park in the interim. Eleven of the starting side had played in either an All-Ireland U-21 final, an All-Ireland minor final, or a minor semi-final.
“Those players always sought to play in Croke Park, but it was more what Croke Park represented than actually playing there,” says Gerry O’Connor, joint manager of the Clare minors which contested the 2010 All-Ireland final, and the 2011 semi-final, as well as being joint manager of the senior team in 2018. “It meant that you were at the business end of the championship.
“Tony (Kelly) often referenced that the season was a success if Clare got to Croke Park. The players were always very comfortable in that environment. There were so relaxed with pressure and winning at a young age that they just felt in 2013 that all this was just a natural progression. We looked made for Croke Park.”
Reaching Croke Park at senior level was deemed even more of a natural progression again than granting Clare any huge sense of liberation when they arrived there.
“I think the whole Croke Park thing is a little overplayed,” says Colin Ryan from the 2013 team. “Most of the time, getting back to Croke Park was seen as progress. That was more our motto than this belief that Clare are going to play unbelievable hurling there. It was more a case of, ‘We’re back to where we should be, or where we feel we should be’. I never felt that Croke Park was going to improve our hurling tenfold - it was just the confidence we got from going there.” The big field and fast surface suited Clare’s expansive and flamboyant style but the whole arena brought out something different in that group.
“Our attitude always was, ‘The standard is going up, and our performance needs to go up too’,” said Pat Donnellan, who captained the 2013 team, a few years back. “Playing in Croke Park helped us because it was different surroundings.
"Everything was bigger so you needed to play it bigger, you needed to take a chance more. The margins are smaller so you needed to think outside the box more. It definitely brought out the best in us. We all just really wanted to enjoy Croke Park. We were like kids in a sweetshop.”
The players ate it all up. In the four games Ryan played in Croke Park – the 2009 All-Ireland U-21 final, the 2013 semi-final, the drawn and replayed finals – he missed just one placed ball, scoring 0-36 from 37 shots.
“There is no room for hesitation in Croke Park,” says Ryan. “You perform or you get left behind and eaten alive. There is that pressure there, but Clare have always matched up to it over the years. We may not have got there very often but we have always performed there when we have been in Croke Park in recent times.”
Their track record of being unbeaten in Croke Park in their last four games has provided huge confidence again now. “We’re back up there, we’re back at centre-stage,” says Bugler. “This is where you want to perform, where you really want to express yourself. And I think that is the type of team that we are. We play a brand of hurling where we want to express ourselves. I think the Clare supporters feed that attitude too because we always have massive support when we get to Croke Park.”
In their years of exile from the venue after 2013, the frustration grew with each passing campaign. In Bugler’s last two seasons in 2016 and 2017, Clare’s year ended at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage, one stop short of Croke Park.
“It was unbelievably frustrating,” says Bugler. “In the back of your head, with the youth and talent in the squad, you thought we’d be back there regularly after 2013. It’s very frustrating to look back on it now, to have played in Croke Park in an All-Ireland final and to have never played there again.”
Ryan had also departed by the time Clare returned to Headquarters in 2018. “It is a huge regret,” he says. “It was something that weighed down on us for a while. On the other hand, there are loads of players who have been to Croke Park plenty of times and who don’t have an All-Ireland. Having that medal helped us get over the disappointment of not being able to get back there. We had such great memories of the place too. Because we played there before 82,000 people twice, while the 2013 semi-final against Limerick was almost a full-house too, it probably felt that we were there more often. Maybe because we got there so little, the memories are more pure.”
The challenge for Clare now is to create a new and more modern successful history with Croke Park, where the signature moments are again instinctive and expressive and fearless. The visits may be irregular but Clare will again aim to flourish and be inspired in that environment.
“In Croke Park, you either express yourself or go into your shell and we have made a good habit of expressing ourselves there,” says Ryan. “Even the lads who have only played there once, in 2018, they will take huge confidence from having played so well there.
“Since we don’t get to Croke Park very often, we don’t take it for granted. I’m sure these lads are absolutely primed, not just to go to Croke Park, but to perform there. The shackles are nearly off now. It’s nearly lift-off time for the lads to go for broke. For Clare, it just feels like the right place to be.”
Now that the Croke Park gateway is open again, Clare will aim to drive straight through it.
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 1, 2022 10:28:04 GMT
By Joe Canning
Fri Jul 1 2022 - 06:00
The cliche of semi-finals being just about winning has never made a lot of sense to me. Aren’t quarter-finals just about winning too? Isn’t any knock-out game? I don’t buy the idea that you go into an All-Ireland semi-final thinking, ‘It doesn’t matter how we play here lads, we just want to win’. Playing how you want to play is the way to win – that’s the whole point of trying to build a game plan and a style in the first place.
I do think that semi-finals are different in a few subtle ways. For one, it’s nearly always the biggest crowd you’ve played in front of up to that point in the year. You go from a provincial final or an All-Ireland quarter-final to Croke Park with at least 60,000 people in the stands. There’s a sense of occasion around it.
The other thing is that the refereeing tends to be slightly different. The lads who referee the semi-finals probably know at that stage that they’re unlikely to get the final, so they often relax a bit and they let things go that they wouldn’t usually. They don’t get hung up on technical fouls as much. As a result, the game opens up and the two teams play with greater freedom.
Plus the fact, the players aren’t as nervous as they would be for a final. There isn’t that all-or-nothing feel about it. In a strange kind of way, it never feels like there’s as much to lose. If you don’t win your semi-final, chances are you weren’t good enough to win the final anyway. I often found that freed guys up to have a go at it. Whereas a final can have the opposite effect.
There’s a few contradictions to the first semi-final this weekend. Clare are the better team on their day and yet this looks perfectly set up for Kilkenny. Clare have more match-winners but they probably have more potentially fatal weaknesses too. Kilkenny have lost two games already in the championship but they’re Leinster champions and they’re exactly where they want to be.
Clare have had three extremely tough matches in the championship so far but Wexford was the first time they actually got the job done and won. They have stared down the barrel against Limerick twice and once against Wexford – that experience should stand to them. They should be going in here full of confidence that what they’ve had to do to get here is a level above what Kilkenny have had to do.
You will convince yourself of anything to gain a mental edge
But those tough matches have uncovered a few cracks as well. Brian Lohan has a big call to make on Rory Hayes, for example. He has a reputation for being Clare’s most outstanding corner back but if you look at the match-ups he’s had in this championship, I don’t know if that really stands up.
Dessie Hutchinson scored 1-6 in the round-robin game with Waterford. Séamie Flanagan took him for eight points in the Munster final. Lee Chin scored one and set up another before Hayes was subbed off after eight minutes the last day. There’s a big distance between perception and reality there and Lohan can only afford to deal in reality.
Tony Kelly started the last day at full forward and spent a good portion of the game there. Would that be a good idea here? I don’t think it would. Clare need him out around the middle, coming on to breaks and getting his shots away.
The question for Kilkenny is who to get to man-mark him. I know a lot of people assume it will be Mikey Butler but personally I would see Conor Browne as being more suited to the job. The mistake some teams make with Kelly is sending a dogged, physical, touch-tight marker out after him. To me, that’s playing into his hands.
Kelly is too elusive for that. He gets his shots away quickly, regardless of how tight his marker is to him. And the longer the game goes on, the more tired the physical marker gets. The last thing you want to be when the game is in the balance down the stretch is a tired hurler whose job it is to stop Tony Kelly.
I think you have to give that job to someone who is more of a reader of the game than a touch-tight assassin type of defender. You need someone who is going to do it with his brain, who is going to pick his battles and thinks more about jumping out and making an intercept than getting into a wrestling match.
Overall, I’m just not fully convinced by Clare. Whereas Kilkenny come into this in the perfect position. They are underdogs, which they will be both delighted and annoyed by. Nobody loves being written off more than Kilkenny. They love being told they’re yesterday’s men and that they don’t have what it takes. That sort of talk suits them down to the ground.
Beyond that, the match-ups here work out quite nicely for them. Huw Lawlor on Peter Duggan, Paddy Deegan on Shane O’Donnell. At the other end, you’d have to expect either TJ Reid or Walter Walsh to go in full forward from the start and really test out that Clare full-back line. Wexford went to town on them the last day and TJ is the best fielder of the ball in the game. If he gets under three high balls and only catches one of them, at worst you’re probably looking at a penalty. If he catches two, Clare are in massive trouble.
All in all, Clare are rightly favourites for the game. But a four-week break has never been a problem for Kilkenny in the past and they’ll be coming into this one hopping and bouncing. I wouldn’t be in any way surprised if they pulled out a performance and got a result.
In the other game, there’s no point sugar-coating things just because I’m from Galway. The reality of the game is that Galway need to do everything right and they need Limerick to have an off-day. Otherwise, there’s really only one outcome possible.
What I mean by an off-day for Limerick is one of those games where the stick-passes don’t go to hand, where the ball gets spilt a lot and they don’t get into the rhythm we’ve become used to from them. It’s a long time since we’ve seen that happen so I won’t be holding my breath.
Galway have to do everything they can to try to force that sort of off-day in Limerick. To me, they have to go man-on-man, match up 15 against 15 all across the pitch. The Limerick defenders have to spend the afternoon under ferocious pressure so that they’re unable to build from the back and get their angles and passing lanes moving.
Barry Nash has had an excellent championship for Limerick and he’s in the running for Hurler of the Year. But a big part of that is down to teams not matching up 15-on-15 against Limerick and leaving him free to come out with the ball. It doesn’t have to be that way.
When you’re looking at an opposition, a good place to start is to identify what they like doing and focus on not letting them do it. We played Cork in the 2015 All-Ireland quarter-final and they had brought back Brian Murphy that year to play as an extra defender occupying the D. I decided during that game that I was going to go over and stand beside him.
I wasn’t marking him. I wasn’t engaging with him physically or anything like that. I was more so just in his eyeline and in and around his company. In all honesty, it was more about being in his head than anything else. Eoin Cadogan was marking me and he came with me so effectively, it meant that the guy who was supposed to be their free man was suddenly feeling crowded in his area.
I actually had a terrible day shooting in that game – seven or eight wides in the end up. But because I was keeping Murphy occupied and because Cadogan was there as well, it opened up the space for the rest of our lads.
The point is, you don’t have to go along with how the other team wants to set up. Limerick always want to get Nash free to let him be the link man. There was a moment in the Munster final where Seán Finn found himself in a bit of space and went forward and left Nash doing the marking in the full-back line – you could see Nash calling for him to come back to free him up.
There’s no reason for Galway to give Nash that leeway. If they go 15-on-15, they can pressure him every time he comes out with the ball. Defend from the front, make every possession a contested one, don’t allow Limerick that space and time to construct their attacks. Nash is down in the programme as a corner back after all – make him defend, get him on the back foot. Galway have to ask the question at least.
It’s the kind of game where they will probably need a couple of early goals to build up a cushion. If they’re not five or six points up going into the last five minutes, it’s hard to imagine them seeing it out. I’d love to see young Gavin Lee sprung from the bench with the game in the balance because has that bit of fizz about him that Limerick might not be expecting.
I do think that Galway will be physically capable of going the distance with Limerick. We were actually level with them in the 70th minute in the 2020 semi-final. I didn’t know a lot about it – I was in the back of an ambulance as injury-time was getting played out. But the point I’m making is that Galway won’t be blown out of it in the physical stakes.
Do I see Galway being good enough to pull it off? I’m more hopeful than confident. But we have a chance and that’s all you need. A chance and who knows what might happen!
Joe Canning
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 1, 2022 12:05:18 GMT
By Joe Canning The other thing is that the refereeing tends to be slightly different. The lads who referee the semi-finals probably know at that stage that they’re unlikely to get the final, so they often relax a bit and they let things go that they wouldn’t usually. They don’t get hung up on technical fouls as much. As a result, the game opens up and the two teams play with greater freedom. Joe Canning I think this is a great point by Joe. I am going to both hurling semi finals and i want to see hurling matches and not free taking competitions. In the Leinster Final the ref seemed intent on showing that he was aware of every conceivable reason to blow the whistle. Was he auditioning for the final? |
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Post by thehermit on Jul 1, 2022 13:16:22 GMT
Predictions for this weekend, can't see Galway stopping Limerick esp after watching them in the flesh during the Leinster final. It would be one of the great upsets of recent hurling history if Limerick were not in another All Ireland final by 6pm Sunday.
As for tomorrow's game, come on the Banner! That old fox Cody will have something up his sleeve for sure, but in truth this Kilkenny team are a bit behind the top sides in Munster and all things being equal Clare should have too much for them.
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Jul 2, 2022 18:06:49 GMT
Well that was a crock of excrement.
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Post by thehermit on Jul 2, 2022 19:03:12 GMT
Well that was a crock of excrement. As usual my hurling knowledge shown up for what it is. That wily old fox Cody, he still has the mojo. Wouldn't it just be typical of him and he's teams if they found a way around the Shannon men! |
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Jul 2, 2022 19:04:59 GMT
Well that was a crock of excrement. As usual my hurling knowledge shown up for what it is. That wily old fox Cody, he still has the mojo. Wouldn't it just be typical of him and he's teams if they found a way around the Shannon men! I don't see it. Clare wides and insistent ball to Peter Duggan the story of the match. Limerick could hit some wides but they push and pull KK FB line with ball into space. |
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 3, 2022 6:54:57 GMT
Its hard to recall a better team performance than KK gave yesterday.
They had lost to Galway away and to Wexford at home. The Leinster final win was workmanlike.
This was off the charts. Perfect first touch, scoring efficiency somewhere in the 90s i imagine and add to that a ferocious work ethic.
Clare hit 23 wides but a lot of the a shots were not on but there was no point in playing it through the lines as about 12 KK players had the beating of his man.
Damien Lawlor is a great GAA journalist and managers tend to engage with him. Cody did after this game. Cody said that the round robin games came thick and fast and there was no time to train properly or fix much....i am paraphrasing here.....whereas the month long break since the Leinster final was ideal as they could train properly and get all the panel tuned up properly. Cody said a settled team doesnt interest him. A settled panel is what he is after.
On this basis Limerick should be tuned to a perfect pitch for today.
It will be interesting if that plays out.
We thought Clare were flat v Wexford after that epic Munster final. Its obvious now that they left everything on the pitch in Thurles and the performance v Wexford was just an indicator that they were on a downward slope.
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Post by veteran on Jul 3, 2022 9:07:26 GMT
Its hard to recall a better team performance than KK gave yesterday. They had lost to Galway away and to Wexford at home. The Leinster final win was workmanlike. This was off the charts. Perfect first touch, scoring efficiency somewhere in the 90s i imagine and add to that a ferocious work ethic. Clare hit 23 wides but a lot of the a shots were not on but there was no point in playing it through the lines as about 12 KK players had the beating of his man. Damien Lawlor is a great GAA journalist and managers tend to engage with him. Cody did after this game. Cody said that the round robin games came thick and fast and there was no time to train properly or fix much....i am paraphrasing here.....whereas the month long break since the Leinster final was ideal as they could train properly and get all the panel tuned up properly. Cody said a settled team doesnt interest him. A settled panel is what he is after. On this basis Limerick should be tuned to a perfect pitch for today. It will be interesting if that plays out. We thought Clare were flat v Wexford after that epic Munster final. Its obvious now that they left everything on the pitch in Thurles and the performance v Wexford was just an indicator that they were on a downward slope. It was an amazing performance by Kilkenny. Typical of that county, they can patch a team together to perform to that level when least expected. This was typified by the unheralded Mikey Butler negating Tony Kelly . That is tradition I guess. There was a time when Kerry could do that too, rise from the ashes to perform miracles. Tradition again. Of course we will know the true worth of Kilkenny only when they confront Limerick, I am assuming it will be Limerick. John Conlon was a major loss . He would surely have curtailed the influence of TJ to some extent. Speaking of TJ,, the referee will be embarrassed when he sees a rerun of the free he gave against him for “fouling “ the ball as he clearly played it against his hurley. However, it was an understandable error. I feel sorry for Clare but when they reflect on it they will know they have had a great year. |
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Post by clarinman on Jul 3, 2022 9:22:34 GMT
Its hard to recall a better team performance than KK gave yesterday. They had lost to Galway away and to Wexford at home. The Leinster final win was workmanlike. This was off the charts. Perfect first touch, scoring efficiency somewhere in the 90s i imagine and add to that a ferocious work ethic. Clare hit 23 wides but a lot of the a shots were not on but there was no point in playing it through the lines as about 12 KK players had the beating of his man. Damien Lawlor is a great GAA journalist and managers tend to engage with him. Cody did after this game. Cody said that the round robin games came thick and fast and there was no time to train properly or fix much....i am paraphrasing here.....whereas the month long break since the Leinster final was ideal as they could train properly and get all the panel tuned up properly. Cody said a settled team doesnt interest him. A settled panel is what he is after. On this basis Limerick should be tuned to a perfect pitch for today. It will be interesting if that plays out. We thought Clare were flat v Wexford after that epic Munster final. Its obvious now that they left everything on the pitch in Thurles and the performance v Wexford was just an indicator that they were on a downward slope. Surprisingly Kilkenny's scoring efficiency from play was only 65% (21/32). Clare's was a very poor 37% (15/40). |
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Jul 3, 2022 9:41:27 GMT
Its hard to recall a better team performance than KK gave yesterday. They had lost to Galway away and to Wexford at home. The Leinster final win was workmanlike. This was off the charts. Perfect first touch, scoring efficiency somewhere in the 90s i imagine and add to that a ferocious work ethic. Clare hit 23 wides but a lot of the a shots were not on but there was no point in playing it through the lines as about 12 KK players had the beating of his man. Damien Lawlor is a great GAA journalist and managers tend to engage with him. Cody did after this game. Cody said that the round robin games came thick and fast and there was no time to train properly or fix much....i am paraphrasing here.....whereas the month long break since the Leinster final was ideal as they could train properly and get all the panel tuned up properly. Cody said a settled team doesnt interest him. A settled panel is what he is after. On this basis Limerick should be tuned to a perfect pitch for today. It will be interesting if that plays out. We thought Clare were flat v Wexford after that epic Munster final. Its obvious now that they left everything on the pitch in Thurles and the performance v Wexford was just an indicator that they were on a downward slope. Surprisingly Kilkenny's scoring efficiency from play was only 65% (21/32). Clare's was a very poor 37% (15/40). What is scoring efficiency? Kilkenny had 28 scores Clare had 20... so what are 21, 32, 15, and 40? I didn't think KK had many wides. One in the first half? |
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Post by clarinman on Jul 3, 2022 10:15:26 GMT
Surprisingly Kilkenny's scoring efficiency from play was only 65% (21/32). Clare's was a very poor 37% (15/40). What is scoring efficiency? Kilkenny had 28 scores Clare had 20... so what are 21, 32, 15, and 40? I didn't think KK had many wides. One in the first half? Scoring efficiency is the conversion rate from score attempts from play. Kilkenny had 32 attempts from play and scored 21. Kilkenny had 9 wides in total. A scoring attempt that drops short, a shot hitting the post, a goalie save and wides are all counted in scoring efficiency. |
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Post by Mickmack on Jul 3, 2022 10:26:18 GMT
Fergal Horgan is a great low key ref. He might have missed that incident with TJ but not much else. He ran up to one lad, noted his number, flashed a yellow and ran off. All in 7 seconds with no drama or attention seeking.
His son is in goals for Tipp minors v Offaly today in the All Ireland final.
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Post by veteran on Jul 3, 2022 15:13:07 GMT
I wish RTE would show everything once rather somethings twice.
At the time Jason Flynn got a yellow card Galway had a line ball. I assumed Limerick would get a free then on the basis of the yellow card but referee continued with the line ball?
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