For much of the winter this looked like a coruscating start to the championship proper. Dublin v Offaly in the claustrophobic surrounds of Parnell Park. A crucial year three for the Anthony Daly project put to an early test against an Offaly side that nearly spoiled Galway's party last summer. Even shortly after Dublin's sensational league final victory the match, now transferred to Croke Park, looked exceedingly trappy for Dublin as a result of their injury travails in defence.
Sadly Offaly's own treatment room, a large reason for their spring relegation, has only become more populated in recent weeks. The absences of David Franks and Brendan Murphy were soon to become permanent in any case due to old father time. Joe Brady and Paul Cleary are stout and physical but ultimately limited yeomen. But it is the absence of James Rigney and latterly Rory Hanninfy that are truly calamitous. They are two of the more under-appreciated operators in inter-county hurling and their non appearance the Faithful half back line appears fatal. Against a battering ram of a Metropolitan half forward line Offaly seem woefully callow especially if they elect not to take David Kenny out of full back. There's also whispers that Brian Carroll isn't fully fit. Even when Offaly were bestride hurling in the 80's and 90's they struggled to have a cohort of 19/20 inter county performers.
Conversely Dublin's defence shorn Brady, Hiney and Boland doesn't look to be creaking at the hinges. The exclusion of Oisin Gough for the league final appeared curious in any case. If Boland will be missed he hasn't necessarily shown himself to be an out and out centre back at this exalted level as yet. Dublin's depth may of course be put to a certain test. Joe Bergin has the ability to sorely test Peter Kelly or John McCaffrey in the central areas if he gets out of bed on the right side. Derek Molly and Shane Dooley are also capable of pyrotechnics. But Offaly would have been tested to match Dublin's athleticism and physicality with a full hand. Cliches that they always being capable of an ambush don't quite ring true to the same extent as Cork, given that memories of prodigious feats are now becoming dimmer. Hopefully the wagons will be defiantly circled and the midlanders, closer to fuller strength, will come roaring back in the qualifiers. As it is it may only be a Dublin down day, sandwiched between the league final and Galway that may keep matters close on Sunday.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Tipp v Cork Preview
Hurling fans from the so-called weaker counties might have had a little giggle in recent days at media assessments of Cork's chances. Bizarrely there has almost been a patronising air to the previews. Old shibboleths of' 'old firm' clashes are being clasped to. We've heard that the underdogs in these matches always rise to the occasion: That Cork hurlers are to the manor born when they hit the pitch in Thurles. But it's indicative of the recent malaise in Cork underage hurling that even the comparison of rebel hurlers to fungi isn't being trotted out as of yore.
Granted some cliches enter the ether because they have a ring of truth. Tipperary and Cork do have some element of an umbilical relationship. Tipp's rivalry with their southern neighbour has rarely had the same enmity as occasionally embitters relations with Limerick and Clare. When the ghosts of Raymond Smith and Jack Lynch travel together on the Heuston train on Sunday they will do so in collegiality. The meas between the teams is such that the superior team often fails to put the other away convincingly. In the 2005 Munster final for example a terrific Cork team almost appeared to take pity on the Premier at half-time.
So why in this instance do the pundits feel there is a decent gulf between the sides. Well it's not based on recent match ups. Cork are unbeaten in three league and championship outings against their old enemy in the last 14 months. Considering it's the fashion these days to treat the league seriously it is odd that Tipp's apparent superiority isn't especially franked by recent league form either. We are of course slightly playing silly buggers in that the side's respective displays against Kilkenny last autumn does indicate a gap in class. But there are a few things to remember about Tipp tomorrow. Firstly They have something to prove at wing back where the redoubtable Declan Fanning has to be replaced. Secondly Brendan Maher comfortably ( lest it be forgotten ) Tipp's most consistent player last season is missing for a game where there has also been an injury cloud over his midfield partner Shane McGrath. The uncertainty of new management has to be factored in. Granted further forward there appears to be an abundance of Premier riches. If Shane Bourke and especially Pa Bourke had plied their wares in a Cork jersey this spring they would doubtless have been integral to a rebel challenge. As it is neither have been able to force themselves in front of Seamus Callinan's somewhat, ahem, enigmatic charms.
Being ultra rational it's hard to make a persuasive case for Cork. Pa Cronin and Cian McCarthy must now come to the fore. Debutant William Egan will need plenty of help against Noel McGrath. A last hurrah for the best out and out wing forward of the last 20 years Ben O' Connor would be exceedingly handy. But something tells us that Cork will play above themselves whilst Tipp may slip below the highest standards. Some may point to Tipp not wanting to be caught with their pants down as they were last year. But the counter argument would be that this Tipp team know the importance of pacing a season. Only one side in Thurles tomorrow is realistic All-Ireland contenders. But they may make heavy weather of it, likely in heavy weather. The import and history of the Cork Tipperary relationship expects nothing less.
Granted some cliches enter the ether because they have a ring of truth. Tipperary and Cork do have some element of an umbilical relationship. Tipp's rivalry with their southern neighbour has rarely had the same enmity as occasionally embitters relations with Limerick and Clare. When the ghosts of Raymond Smith and Jack Lynch travel together on the Heuston train on Sunday they will do so in collegiality. The meas between the teams is such that the superior team often fails to put the other away convincingly. In the 2005 Munster final for example a terrific Cork team almost appeared to take pity on the Premier at half-time.
So why in this instance do the pundits feel there is a decent gulf between the sides. Well it's not based on recent match ups. Cork are unbeaten in three league and championship outings against their old enemy in the last 14 months. Considering it's the fashion these days to treat the league seriously it is odd that Tipp's apparent superiority isn't especially franked by recent league form either. We are of course slightly playing silly buggers in that the side's respective displays against Kilkenny last autumn does indicate a gap in class. But there are a few things to remember about Tipp tomorrow. Firstly They have something to prove at wing back where the redoubtable Declan Fanning has to be replaced. Secondly Brendan Maher comfortably ( lest it be forgotten ) Tipp's most consistent player last season is missing for a game where there has also been an injury cloud over his midfield partner Shane McGrath. The uncertainty of new management has to be factored in. Granted further forward there appears to be an abundance of Premier riches. If Shane Bourke and especially Pa Bourke had plied their wares in a Cork jersey this spring they would doubtless have been integral to a rebel challenge. As it is neither have been able to force themselves in front of Seamus Callinan's somewhat, ahem, enigmatic charms.
Being ultra rational it's hard to make a persuasive case for Cork. Pa Cronin and Cian McCarthy must now come to the fore. Debutant William Egan will need plenty of help against Noel McGrath. A last hurrah for the best out and out wing forward of the last 20 years Ben O' Connor would be exceedingly handy. But something tells us that Cork will play above themselves whilst Tipp may slip below the highest standards. Some may point to Tipp not wanting to be caught with their pants down as they were last year. But the counter argument would be that this Tipp team know the importance of pacing a season. Only one side in Thurles tomorrow is realistic All-Ireland contenders. But they may make heavy weather of it, likely in heavy weather. The import and history of the Cork Tipperary relationship expects nothing less.
Monday, May 9, 2011
League Finals Review
There is an exhilaration when a seismic change seems close at hand. Even more so when it appears to have come from almost nowhere. Conversely many may claim that that what happened in the league final was inevitable. That all Dublin needed to push them over the top were the probings of General Daly. This forgets the fact that the the darkest hour before the dawn was last summer's eclipse to Antrim. Plus Dublin's ascent to the top table was in no way as inevitable as it now seems: Sure there has been much incremental progress, but they have actually only been to one underage All-Ireland final in recent years, and that led to a pummelling by Galway in the 2007 under 21 final. The base for Dublin's success has been the physical athleticism that the likes of Tomas Brady, Peter Kelly, Joey Boland and Liam Rushe bring to the party. It's still perhaps slightly under-reported that in modern hurling to compete with the best you have to have the capability to bang horns with them physically as a minimum. What has seemingly put Dublin over the top was the certainty of chance: The clarion call of hurling eventually becoming too hard to resist for Conal Keaney. The general aversion to what Tipp people pejoratively call 'Mullockers' counting against Ryan O Dwyer. The timely ascent to the ranks of Daire Plunkett and Conor McCormack. The latter may yet go on to have a minor role in the Dublin hurling story. But his, ahem, grace notes from the 2011 league final should always be remembered. Like Galway's Richie Murray ten years ago in an All-Ireland semi final, McCormack, as a young player in his first big match wasn't awed by Kilkenny reputation and concentrated in getting his ( mostly legitimate ) retaliation in first. Much comment has been focused on the role McCormack played in Eoin Larkin's sending off and John Dalton's suspension, but in either half he also put Kilkenny players on the talamh with ON the ball shoulders.
Those who didn't see the game may imagine that if the cats hadn't played more than half the game with 14 men they may have been in it to the finish. But when both sides had the full complement Dublin swamped their illustrious opponents 11 scores to 3. Indeed for the rest of the match, until Dublin accelerated for the finishing tape late on, the metropolitians if anything appeared discomforted by their extra man. There has also been much gnashing of teeth in Kilkenny, led by Jackie Tyrell, at the cat's work rate dipping. However there was plenty of hooking and blocking by Tyrell's side in the early exchanges. It could be that like a work out junkie who feels he has been slacking in weight room, the former champions are leaning back on what has been an established credo of their team. But aside from their lengthy injury list Kilkenny's lamentable display can be explained other than by lack of noreside perspiration. The game was effectively decided in the first 25 minutes when the Kilkenny full back line was repeatedly torched by their opponents. This blog has pointed out for quite some time that Kilkenny's dominance throughout the field masked their vulnerability close to their own goal, especially to pace. The years are catching up on Noel Hickey and Michael Kavanagh and young pretenders did not put their hands up in League 2011. Curiously Brian Cody's response to this, in a national final, was to re-site his best full back line stalwart of recent years ( Tyrell ) to the half back line. Indeed one comfort Killkenny fans may take was the somewhat esoteric composition of the team. Up the field the siting of Matt Ruth and Cha' Fitzpatrick in the half forward line seemed more about their manager trying to test his individual charges rather than putting out a side to win a league final. Come the championship Kilkenny will have more ammunition available to them and the team will surely be more persuasively formulated. Those of us who felt the 2005 All Ireland semi final was the temporary end of an era, and likely Cody's tenure, were dead wrong.But unlike, say, Clare in the 90's they haven't made their name by hiding their light under a bushel in the spring. Surely, at the very least, if an All-Ireland is to be won it will be in the style of 2009 rather than 2008.
Limerick won the Division 2 final and thus have been spared the agonies of playing at a lower level for another year. It is instructive to point out though the main downside of playing in Division 2: That is the game at the lower level is nowhere near as physically intense and indeed suffocating as it is in Division 1. The skill level in the Division 2 final, although nothing to write home about, was not discernibly lower than the elite final. Indeed some of the traditional skills of the game like pulling on the ball in the air and the ground are now sadly anachronistic in the modern game, where much of the fare is akin to viewing over endowed rutting stags. Limerick thus can test their elbows at the crowded top table in 2012. Their callow charges certainly need fattening up. Donal O Grady cannily made sure that all the 2009 panel were asked to be involved this season. But as his team are taking shape it is interesting to note that they are just as youthful as Clare's charges. On Saturday week last O' Grady was fortunate that his decision to leave Dave Breen on John Conlon for so long, and consequently site Gavin O Mahoney in unfamiliar terrain at full back didn't explode in his face. But with one switch he was free and now can concentrate on a summer joust with Waterford. Although they are a top level side Waterford likely don't have the ammunition to provide the O' Grady project with a serious setback. Declan Hannon will likely miss that game due to his leaving cert. But it is the promise of the Adare starlet, rangy full forward Kevin Downes and the yet to ascend Shane Dowling that must excite management. Limerick fans will scarcely thank us for speculating but that trio could become this generations Carey, Houlihan and Kirby. Albeit that they are not likely to play as much ground hurling as Mike Houlihan did. Comparisons sadly are always an imprecise undertaking.
For Clare defeat now leaves perhaps the unpalatable prospect of a Championship entry against the All Ireland champions as the dubious rescue mission. The team's mood has arguably not been helped by manager Ger O' Loughlin's pre final claim that the summer could fall flat if they failed to get promotion. As it is the Clarecastle man has enough nettles to grasp leaving aside the mindset of his players. He may have to crawl back to Philip Brennan in goal after another high profile error by Donal Tuohy. The league campaign has failed to bring about any certainty ( if Division 2 could ever do that ) to his full back and centre back conundrums. It's interesting that there are those on the international superhighway who think that the best option for 6 is staring him in the face ( e.g U.L centre back Brendan Bugler or the coltish Patrick O' Connor ). But this only seems like a stick to beat an uncertain manager in the face with, rather than a holster of silver bullets. Unfortunately for Clare Dublin are now the side who can be compared with the great team Anthony Daly captained in the 90's. Clare have plenty of skill and x factor ability, especially when they deign to start Darach Honan. But even in a couple of years there is a danger that the phrase ' a good big un will always beat a good little un' will be thrown at them. Newcomer Liam Markham's touching notion to hit the ball occasionally without taking it into his hand was one of the highlights of the hurling weekend recently gone by. But in the spring when a prime exponent of such arts Ken McGrath retired it seems like grunt rather than grace are resolutely to the fore.
Those who didn't see the game may imagine that if the cats hadn't played more than half the game with 14 men they may have been in it to the finish. But when both sides had the full complement Dublin swamped their illustrious opponents 11 scores to 3. Indeed for the rest of the match, until Dublin accelerated for the finishing tape late on, the metropolitians if anything appeared discomforted by their extra man. There has also been much gnashing of teeth in Kilkenny, led by Jackie Tyrell, at the cat's work rate dipping. However there was plenty of hooking and blocking by Tyrell's side in the early exchanges. It could be that like a work out junkie who feels he has been slacking in weight room, the former champions are leaning back on what has been an established credo of their team. But aside from their lengthy injury list Kilkenny's lamentable display can be explained other than by lack of noreside perspiration. The game was effectively decided in the first 25 minutes when the Kilkenny full back line was repeatedly torched by their opponents. This blog has pointed out for quite some time that Kilkenny's dominance throughout the field masked their vulnerability close to their own goal, especially to pace. The years are catching up on Noel Hickey and Michael Kavanagh and young pretenders did not put their hands up in League 2011. Curiously Brian Cody's response to this, in a national final, was to re-site his best full back line stalwart of recent years ( Tyrell ) to the half back line. Indeed one comfort Killkenny fans may take was the somewhat esoteric composition of the team. Up the field the siting of Matt Ruth and Cha' Fitzpatrick in the half forward line seemed more about their manager trying to test his individual charges rather than putting out a side to win a league final. Come the championship Kilkenny will have more ammunition available to them and the team will surely be more persuasively formulated. Those of us who felt the 2005 All Ireland semi final was the temporary end of an era, and likely Cody's tenure, were dead wrong.But unlike, say, Clare in the 90's they haven't made their name by hiding their light under a bushel in the spring. Surely, at the very least, if an All-Ireland is to be won it will be in the style of 2009 rather than 2008.
Limerick won the Division 2 final and thus have been spared the agonies of playing at a lower level for another year. It is instructive to point out though the main downside of playing in Division 2: That is the game at the lower level is nowhere near as physically intense and indeed suffocating as it is in Division 1. The skill level in the Division 2 final, although nothing to write home about, was not discernibly lower than the elite final. Indeed some of the traditional skills of the game like pulling on the ball in the air and the ground are now sadly anachronistic in the modern game, where much of the fare is akin to viewing over endowed rutting stags. Limerick thus can test their elbows at the crowded top table in 2012. Their callow charges certainly need fattening up. Donal O Grady cannily made sure that all the 2009 panel were asked to be involved this season. But as his team are taking shape it is interesting to note that they are just as youthful as Clare's charges. On Saturday week last O' Grady was fortunate that his decision to leave Dave Breen on John Conlon for so long, and consequently site Gavin O Mahoney in unfamiliar terrain at full back didn't explode in his face. But with one switch he was free and now can concentrate on a summer joust with Waterford. Although they are a top level side Waterford likely don't have the ammunition to provide the O' Grady project with a serious setback. Declan Hannon will likely miss that game due to his leaving cert. But it is the promise of the Adare starlet, rangy full forward Kevin Downes and the yet to ascend Shane Dowling that must excite management. Limerick fans will scarcely thank us for speculating but that trio could become this generations Carey, Houlihan and Kirby. Albeit that they are not likely to play as much ground hurling as Mike Houlihan did. Comparisons sadly are always an imprecise undertaking.
For Clare defeat now leaves perhaps the unpalatable prospect of a Championship entry against the All Ireland champions as the dubious rescue mission. The team's mood has arguably not been helped by manager Ger O' Loughlin's pre final claim that the summer could fall flat if they failed to get promotion. As it is the Clarecastle man has enough nettles to grasp leaving aside the mindset of his players. He may have to crawl back to Philip Brennan in goal after another high profile error by Donal Tuohy. The league campaign has failed to bring about any certainty ( if Division 2 could ever do that ) to his full back and centre back conundrums. It's interesting that there are those on the international superhighway who think that the best option for 6 is staring him in the face ( e.g U.L centre back Brendan Bugler or the coltish Patrick O' Connor ). But this only seems like a stick to beat an uncertain manager in the face with, rather than a holster of silver bullets. Unfortunately for Clare Dublin are now the side who can be compared with the great team Anthony Daly captained in the 90's. Clare have plenty of skill and x factor ability, especially when they deign to start Darach Honan. But even in a couple of years there is a danger that the phrase ' a good big un will always beat a good little un' will be thrown at them. Newcomer Liam Markham's touching notion to hit the ball occasionally without taking it into his hand was one of the highlights of the hurling weekend recently gone by. But in the spring when a prime exponent of such arts Ken McGrath retired it seems like grunt rather than grace are resolutely to the fore.
Monday, April 18, 2011
National Hurling League Round 7
Cork v Dublin The Dubs ( why does that expression grate ) will be even more the talk of the town in the coming weeks. This blog won't detain too long on the subject as we've given it plenty of encouraging and favourable comment. When many Dublin fans were expecting the team to run before they could walk stealthily, and Dotsie O Callaghan was having his career obituary written a year or so ago by excitable types on-line we urged the holding of nerve. One year further on, with notable additions to the panel, they are a sleek physical fighting machine. Crucially, athletic enough to bang with the likes of Kilkenny and Tipp, the first prerequisite to be invited to, say, an All-Ireland semi final party. Plus Daire Plunkett has x-factor potential and Paul Ryan appears to be adding work rate to his undoubted talent. It is a long season though, and what seems promising for Dublin now may appear clouded after the Offaly match. Plus many Championship hands aren't fully played in the modern era till the autumn. So Cork won't panic. But they look to be in uncertain transition. Supporters are probably slow to notice when old certainties can't be relied upon. As recently as two summers ago the rebels could still blitz sides with their pace: Searing runs could set up simple scores and be an invaluable pressure valve for the team. That, due to old father time, and the lack of favour the current management have with Cathal Naughton, appears almost completely denuded. Lar na pairce now seems an laboratory for Pat Cronin to show, that, despite his impressive physique, he has an inter-county future other than at half-forward. At least Niall McCarthy appears to be continuing his rejuvenation and Luke O 'Farrell evinced ball winning potential at corner forward. McCarthy and John Gardiner look to be the only All-Ireland winners from 6 years ago that are approximately at the same height of power. Even the extent to which Dublin's two man full forward line exposed shortcomings was disquieting, albeit Shane O Neill will presumably improve with game time. Still Tipp's respect for Cork's imposing tradition appears almost boundless. If the legend that Cork hurlers grow like mushrooms is being sorely tested, perhaps the red hand will still fit comfortably into the Thurles-glove as per tried and tested history. But even the slightly freakish Aisake is being missed: Not to mind Setanta; he of the last Cork winning All-Ireland underage side ten years ago. Waterford v Galway The events in Walsh Park might even be taken with a larger pinch of salt. Despite expressing disappointment one has a hunch that John McIntyre had little use for a league final. ( Declan Ryan hinted the same ) There's a suspicion that game time for Joe Canning, Damien Hayes and Shane Kavanagh trumped the notion of progressing to a league decider, albeit an opposite opinion could validly be put : That being that management wanted to get their best players into the fray after the reverse to Tipperary. If so this backfired with the very long leash which Kavanagh dealt with Waterford full forward Shane Walsh. Although Kavanagh is estimable and athletic, and was undercooked, this blog has frequently pointed out that his method of playing from behind is fraught with danger. There's not a huge amount left to be said about the Galway's panel. Two-thirds of them could be accused of inconsistency,and those perhaps in the lead position for Championship places will be aware that there is an operator of similarish quality on the bench. For Fergal Moore to have an injury free summer would be a fervent if perhaps forlorn wish. There have been enough springs west of the Shannon where hope has been eternal so maybe a league kick in the ass isn't the worst treatment for what ails Galway hurling. It may be ironic coming from a source which has delighted to plunge the knife into Galway, but we have a hunch that the best Galway team since 1990 could still emerge. And if that seems fanciful, remember it's not saying all that much. Davy Fitzgerald on the other hand is outwardly contented with his league lot. Nothing as coarse in Davy's grand plan as qualifying for the league final. He and many on the information superhighway are excited about the growing surfeit of options. Certainly Darragh Fives and Padraig Mahoney's assurance has been marked for a duo just out of minor. But to these eyes at least the other auditioning forwards Brian O'Sullivan, Gavin Crotty and Shane Casey didn't look quite up to this level, at least yet. But there were plenty of other positives. When he's not having to face Noel McGrath Brick Walsh is a commanding presence. Twice on Sunday he also emerged in the nick of time close to his own square to thwart Galway's goal chances. The likes of Shane O Sullivan, Richie Foley and Kevin Moran join the Stradbally man in an impressive phalanx of athletic talent in the middle third of the field. Although they are all versatile players in some respect this can be a curse as well as a boon. Like his former team-mate Anthony Daly Fitzgerald has a tendency to move and crowd his forward line too much. In that regard Sunday provided ample evidence that the closer Shane Walsh is left to goal the better for the team formulation. That said there still isn't the evidence yet that there is enough ammunition to take the weight of John Mullane when he's finished honeymooning.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Dublin v Kilkenny & Galway v Tipperary
It's very much in vogue to discuss the woes of hurling. But much of this talk is quite simplistic. If for example Kilkenny had fallen prey to food poisoning, a la the All Blacks in '95, prior to either the 2007 or 2008 finals, resulting in liberation days for either Limerick or Waterford, it's likely that there wouldn't be anything like the waling and gnashing of teeth. Yet the fundamental landscape wouldn't be a jot changed. Those who may want to point to the disquieting aspects of the game currently though may use as an exhibit Kilkenny's 2011 league: That they are on the verge of getting to the final of a competition that they have put so little into: Or perhaps more accurately, that they have shone so dimly in, by comparison to recent years. Granted, as they displayed last year, it's possible for the cats to stutter through the league and still preform at a high level in August and September. But it is instructive for the summer ahead that the spring hidings that Brian Cody's charges have handed out to their main rivals in previous times appear to be a thing of the past. They have showed this year that physical strength and a deep panel can get you a long way in the shallow pool of hurling's top division. They benefited from a Tipperary hangover in the opening game and came through in desultory arm wrestles in Nowlan Park versus Cork and Waterford. But strange and unprecedented things have been happened to Kilkenny this spring that don't show up in as blunt an instrument as a league table. From the fifth to the 51st minute in the league game in Salthill they were outscored by 4-11 to 0-5. Dublin should have gone in at half time last Saturday evening in Croke Park having scored in the region of 3-16. If this may seem like nit-picking to Kilkenny supporters it's only fair to point out that we are dealing with a side that gave a display in the 2008 All-Ireland final the likes of which we'll never see again. It may seem risible to point out tiny chinks in hurling's version of the Three Gorges Dam, when the likes of Shefflin, Delaney, Walsh, Power, Tyrell and Rice are sitting games out. But recall that in previous seasons that Cody's response to winning All-Irelands was to do it all again with 3/4 changes in the starting line up. Bar the introduction of the effervescent Colin Fennelly there doesn't appear to be the same scope in 2011. Conor Fogerty and Paul Murphy had a trying day in Galway a few weeks ago, and being shifted outfield on Saturday didn't really lead to them making a better impression. PJ Delaney has also struggled to turn ample opportunity into productivity. And if Matthew Ruth took his goals well he may have to slot chances he has created himself before he makes a decent move up the pecking order. This blog is very far from saying the end is nigh: Kilkenny may after all be descending into an incredibly unsuccessful era where they win 2/3 of the next ten All-Irelands say. But it would only bear testament to their very recent greatness to point out that they are winning league games plying such utilitarian fare. It was pleasing indeed that until the last ten minutes Saturday's curtain raiser had the openness of a challenge match. Too often league games this season have been very decent advertisements for a 13 a side game. Naturally there are two ways to look at Dublin's progress. There is the rueful issue that they should have beaten both Galway and Kilkenny yet garnered only one point. On the other hand as recently as last summer most Dublin fans wouldn't have expected them to be,flat out, the best preforming side in the league. If some may feel that won't carry on to the summer then it's best to observe that the league table doesn't appear to lie in regard to other counties apparent worth: Kilkenny and Wexford are where you would expect them to be for example. Stephen Hiney will doubtless be missed but Shane Durkin may yet be a reasonable replacement in a less physical, more ball-playing way. Joey Boland will be welcomed back though. Not because Thomas Brady wasn't a barnstorming replacement but as Brady was consequently missed at full back. It will be fascinating to gather how Anthony Daly's team will line out in the summer from 8-15 if Alan McCrabbe and David Tracey force their way back in. Liam Rushe is currently plying his trade fairly well in unfamiliar midfield terrain. Indeed it's a feature of the league at present that there seems to be a partial reversion to tall wingforward types ( Pat Cronin and Conor Mahon ) plying their trade i lar na pairce. Also without much fan fare Daire Plunkett and Conor McCormack have pushed themselves into contention. The latter is a mobile tyro and the former could leave even the likes of Cathal Naughton in his wake in the spring heeled stakes. Plus Paul Ryan teased on Saturday that the undoubted ability he possess might begin to bare fruit at the highest level. If McCrabbe and Tracey aren't ready for starting duty by late May the Dublin management will be comforted that the forward cupboard, also augmented by Keaney and O'Dwyer, seems decently stocked. Galway v Tipperary Galway people have held great store for 2010 on the basis that they were only bested by a point by the eventual All-Ireland champions. A way of pricking that winter balloon was to point out the consequent improvement in the Premier County through August and September. The true worth of Galway thus in the close season was likely 6 or 7 points adrift of Tipp. That gap hasn't necessarily changed now just because they were the recipients of an 18 point caning last Sunday in Pearse Stadium. After a stop start league Declan Ryan had probably made his side aware that a performance was due. Galway on the other hand have, as is their league wont, been at full tilt since the slaughter of the innocents ( Wexford and Offaly ) in February. John McIntyre can at least console himself that he may soon have Collins, Kavanagh and Moore back to replenish the defensive troops. Actually, although the scoreboard wouldn't bear it out, his defenders battled manfully in the 2nd half against a gale force wind and a tails up Tipp. In some respects the complete lack of shape to the attacking play would be just as big a worry. Galway's depth is in some regards a curse, and one is never sure from one day to the next what to expect from Gerry Farraghar, Iarla Tannion Cyril Donnellan and Aengus Callinan. On a more jocose level the days of Galway trading with flighty skillful corner forwards seems a thing of the past. Indeed if one was to be slightly cruel it could be imagined that the aforementioned Tannion, young Joe Cooney and Joe Canning could form their own little mini sumo squad. For Tipperary the plethora of choice upfront still looks dazzling for them and daunting to others. Some may have taken succour from the relative spring struggles of Brian O'Meara and Sean Carey in making the seamless step up to senior. ( that's enough words starting with s-ed ) This has now been counterbalanced by the addition of Shane Bourke to the quiver of arrows; with the likes of John O'Neill also waiting around in the wings. Plus John Coghlan and John O'Keeffe have been more persuasive than the second string defenders tried out earlier in the league. The established players equally shone in what was the dictionary definition of a team performance. When the game was a game in the first half Padraig Maher bestrode like a colossus. If Lar Corbett was slightly at the fringes of proceedings, his contribututions were carried off with an insouciant class: He treaded softly but carried a very big and potent stick. Shane McGrath and especially Patrick ( we'll leave the 'Bonner' stuff to his brethren ) Maher showed there is plenty of brawn to go with the brain. Stapleton, Noel McGrath, Brendan Maher and Eoin Kelly are yet to return and the message seems clear. Other sides better hope Tipperary aren't as focused this year as last.
Monday, March 7, 2011
National Hurling League Week Three
Tipperary v Waterford
There have been too many games in this year's league decided long before the finish. But despite Tipp's victory being certain half an hour before the finish, the second half was strangely compelling. Waterford reacted to the bizarre actions of Shane O' Sullivan and Clinton Hennessy by keeping their cool and finishing the game with a controlled fury that ensured they kept the score line respectable. What will be particularly pleasing was the performances of the greenhorn fullback line, especially corner back Darragh Fives. Fives, indeed was one of three 2010 minors who saw action on Saturday night. Also, even though he was bested by Padraig Maher in the first half, Richie Foley again adorned a league match with beautiful striking from frees and play. On the negative side there wasn't any tangible signs that the gap between the two teams would close come the summer. Brick Walsh has had an uncertain start to the league albeit that he's had to operate in the orbits of Conal Keaney and Noel McGrath to date. Davy Fitz, and indeed other managers, might have to consider a man marker for the Loughmore prodigy come the summer. The traditionalists may feel it's a bridge too far, but the alternative of letting McGrath ( who scarily looks physically much bigger this spring ) and Lar Corbett to drift around with alchemy in tow is even less appetising a prospect.
Tipp stopped the rot and likely will have forgotten in a few days their torpor against 13 men. Paddy Stapleton was back to his best at corner back, albeit that's a state of affairs that sorely tests the referees patience when it comes to professional fouls. It is indeed one of the vexing issues in the modern game that fouling by the rulebook is so rife that referees feel compelled to let so much go, and also to play advantage when a forward clearly hasn't accrued any. Upfront the contrasting fortunes of ex- underage stars proceeded apace. Pa Bourke continued his renaissance, whilst at the other end of the spectrum 2010 under 21 starlets Brian O'Meara and Sean Carey found the going exacting. This is particularly surprising in the case of the former who would have the physique to handle the slings and arrows of League hurling. But then not every young player will come to senior as fully formed as Noel McGrath.
Cork v Galway
Nothing like the same fervour on show at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, which given the red mist that descended on a couple of Waterford stalwarts is perhaps just as well. A notion has entered hurling thinking in recent years that counties 'target' certain league games, according to the opposition and their place on the table. With four points safely in the bag and still nagged by an onerous injury list, one suspected that Galway didn't prioritise this match quite as much as their opponents. That said the tribesmen could still have stolen the spoils if their shooting has been more considered in the first half. One of the culprits was Iarla Tannion and in some respects his display at full forward was his inter county career in microcosm, with real flashes of potential not ending in much of substance. Tannion's full forward line colleague Aengus Callinan has often been in the same frustrating boat, but he at least thieved 1-2 in a match where Galway's midfield and forwards, score happy until now in the league, huffed and puffed. The central planks of Galway's defence also creaked. If Tony Og Regan's slight off day was forgivable, John Lee's struggles were more perplexing. After captaining an All-Ireland winning minor team from centre back in 2004 Lee was the next big thing in a county which often is teased by underage achievement. Almost to the weekend a year ago Lee was imperious at no 3 for NUIG on Fitzgibbon weekend. In 2011 however he looked a little out of condition and slightly frayed at the edges. When injured players return Lee may struggle to find a niche in Galway's defence. Even more so if Adrian Cullinane gives tidy wing back displays, like Sunday's, that were redolent of his fine summer's hurling in 2009.
Cork's manager Denis Walsh made no bones about the fact that his side needed a win. He will also be pleased that, unlike in the 2nd half comback against Kilkenny, it was his younger players that were to the fore. Cian McCarthy brought a very decent amalgam of work rate, catching and score taking to the party, and was decidedly unlucky that tg4 plumped for Pat Horgan as man of the match. Paudie O' Sullivan also recovered from early wides to have a productive afternoon, whilst Pat Cronin put in a decent shift in the slightly unfamiliar position of midfield. In a sense the league won't tell us much more about the aforementioned players, it being crucial from a Cork point of view that they preform in the summer. At wing back Ray Ryan was capable before his day was ended prematurely by injury but his distribution was not up to that of a previous incumbent of the number 7 shirt. Speaking of the O'Halpin's it's only fair to point out that for sheer awkwardness alone Aisake will be missed at some point during the season.
Offaly v Dublin
This missive will strive to mostly be a Conal Keaney free zone. Although this was likely his least stellar display of the spring he looks so fully formed at this level with that we can now only await the summer with impatience. Perhaps better to concentrate on the other 'big money signing' Ryan O' Dwyer. Along with his other aggressive virtues O' Dwyer ( or Dwyer as some elements of the media have curiously began to call him ) took both his goals adroitly. There will be greater tests ahead doubtless. Derek Morkan is a stylish young wing back, but is at best Offaly's fourth choice full back after David Kenny, Pat Cleary and James Rigney. What was most apparent on Sunday was the gulf between the sides depth wise. The sending off of Brian Mulrooney ( referee Alan Kelly had a quixotic afternoon to put it mildly, Mulrooney was unlucky, Ger Healion and Peter Kelly fortunate to stay on the field for other incidents ) almost certainly affected the scoreline rather than the result. Most managers will want to add a couple of players to a seasoned line up every summer but one wonders if Joe Dooley will readily accept at this point being able to field on May 29th the same xv that competed so well against Galway last season.
Anthony Daly played down the relevance of the gulf between the sides given Offaly's list of absentees. But since he'll gladly welcome back the likes of Alan McCrabbe, David O' Callaghan and David Tracey he'll have been encouraged by the younger forwards especially the fleet footed Daire Plunkett. Elsewhere John McCaffrey is in confident early season form and Peter Kelly has showcased his athletic versatility by slotting in at corner back. One position he likely won't fill will be goal keeper, where, as we come towards the end of a golden era for net minders, Gary Maguire is becoming a gold standard for quiet excellence. And how about that Conal Keaney.....
There have been too many games in this year's league decided long before the finish. But despite Tipp's victory being certain half an hour before the finish, the second half was strangely compelling. Waterford reacted to the bizarre actions of Shane O' Sullivan and Clinton Hennessy by keeping their cool and finishing the game with a controlled fury that ensured they kept the score line respectable. What will be particularly pleasing was the performances of the greenhorn fullback line, especially corner back Darragh Fives. Fives, indeed was one of three 2010 minors who saw action on Saturday night. Also, even though he was bested by Padraig Maher in the first half, Richie Foley again adorned a league match with beautiful striking from frees and play. On the negative side there wasn't any tangible signs that the gap between the two teams would close come the summer. Brick Walsh has had an uncertain start to the league albeit that he's had to operate in the orbits of Conal Keaney and Noel McGrath to date. Davy Fitz, and indeed other managers, might have to consider a man marker for the Loughmore prodigy come the summer. The traditionalists may feel it's a bridge too far, but the alternative of letting McGrath ( who scarily looks physically much bigger this spring ) and Lar Corbett to drift around with alchemy in tow is even less appetising a prospect.
Tipp stopped the rot and likely will have forgotten in a few days their torpor against 13 men. Paddy Stapleton was back to his best at corner back, albeit that's a state of affairs that sorely tests the referees patience when it comes to professional fouls. It is indeed one of the vexing issues in the modern game that fouling by the rulebook is so rife that referees feel compelled to let so much go, and also to play advantage when a forward clearly hasn't accrued any. Upfront the contrasting fortunes of ex- underage stars proceeded apace. Pa Bourke continued his renaissance, whilst at the other end of the spectrum 2010 under 21 starlets Brian O'Meara and Sean Carey found the going exacting. This is particularly surprising in the case of the former who would have the physique to handle the slings and arrows of League hurling. But then not every young player will come to senior as fully formed as Noel McGrath.
Cork v Galway
Nothing like the same fervour on show at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, which given the red mist that descended on a couple of Waterford stalwarts is perhaps just as well. A notion has entered hurling thinking in recent years that counties 'target' certain league games, according to the opposition and their place on the table. With four points safely in the bag and still nagged by an onerous injury list, one suspected that Galway didn't prioritise this match quite as much as their opponents. That said the tribesmen could still have stolen the spoils if their shooting has been more considered in the first half. One of the culprits was Iarla Tannion and in some respects his display at full forward was his inter county career in microcosm, with real flashes of potential not ending in much of substance. Tannion's full forward line colleague Aengus Callinan has often been in the same frustrating boat, but he at least thieved 1-2 in a match where Galway's midfield and forwards, score happy until now in the league, huffed and puffed. The central planks of Galway's defence also creaked. If Tony Og Regan's slight off day was forgivable, John Lee's struggles were more perplexing. After captaining an All-Ireland winning minor team from centre back in 2004 Lee was the next big thing in a county which often is teased by underage achievement. Almost to the weekend a year ago Lee was imperious at no 3 for NUIG on Fitzgibbon weekend. In 2011 however he looked a little out of condition and slightly frayed at the edges. When injured players return Lee may struggle to find a niche in Galway's defence. Even more so if Adrian Cullinane gives tidy wing back displays, like Sunday's, that were redolent of his fine summer's hurling in 2009.
Cork's manager Denis Walsh made no bones about the fact that his side needed a win. He will also be pleased that, unlike in the 2nd half comback against Kilkenny, it was his younger players that were to the fore. Cian McCarthy brought a very decent amalgam of work rate, catching and score taking to the party, and was decidedly unlucky that tg4 plumped for Pat Horgan as man of the match. Paudie O' Sullivan also recovered from early wides to have a productive afternoon, whilst Pat Cronin put in a decent shift in the slightly unfamiliar position of midfield. In a sense the league won't tell us much more about the aforementioned players, it being crucial from a Cork point of view that they preform in the summer. At wing back Ray Ryan was capable before his day was ended prematurely by injury but his distribution was not up to that of a previous incumbent of the number 7 shirt. Speaking of the O'Halpin's it's only fair to point out that for sheer awkwardness alone Aisake will be missed at some point during the season.
Offaly v Dublin
This missive will strive to mostly be a Conal Keaney free zone. Although this was likely his least stellar display of the spring he looks so fully formed at this level with that we can now only await the summer with impatience. Perhaps better to concentrate on the other 'big money signing' Ryan O' Dwyer. Along with his other aggressive virtues O' Dwyer ( or Dwyer as some elements of the media have curiously began to call him ) took both his goals adroitly. There will be greater tests ahead doubtless. Derek Morkan is a stylish young wing back, but is at best Offaly's fourth choice full back after David Kenny, Pat Cleary and James Rigney. What was most apparent on Sunday was the gulf between the sides depth wise. The sending off of Brian Mulrooney ( referee Alan Kelly had a quixotic afternoon to put it mildly, Mulrooney was unlucky, Ger Healion and Peter Kelly fortunate to stay on the field for other incidents ) almost certainly affected the scoreline rather than the result. Most managers will want to add a couple of players to a seasoned line up every summer but one wonders if Joe Dooley will readily accept at this point being able to field on May 29th the same xv that competed so well against Galway last season.
Anthony Daly played down the relevance of the gulf between the sides given Offaly's list of absentees. But since he'll gladly welcome back the likes of Alan McCrabbe, David O' Callaghan and David Tracey he'll have been encouraged by the younger forwards especially the fleet footed Daire Plunkett. Elsewhere John McCaffrey is in confident early season form and Peter Kelly has showcased his athletic versatility by slotting in at corner back. One position he likely won't fill will be goal keeper, where, as we come towards the end of a golden era for net minders, Gary Maguire is becoming a gold standard for quiet excellence. And how about that Conal Keaney.....
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Hurling League Week 2
Dublin v Tipperary:
A couple of weeks ago this blogger muttered out of the side of its mouth that Conal Keaney's return to hurling would get plenty of attention: Perhaps we were being a tad bitchy. He is being exposed to journalists waiting for the main event at Croke Park, what with the 'spring series' mopping up most of the paltry media coverage GAA gets in early spring. Plus he has a larger profile with the fourth estate than the likes of Tomas Brady and Liam Rushe because of his footballing exploits . Yet after two rounds of the league one is tempted to declare that if you can't beat them join them. On this winter evening at least ( we can always try to backslide by saying the fog clouded our judgement ) his performance was Shefflinesque. An intriguing concoction of muscularity, long range point taking and astute teamwork. To this, perhaps untutored eye, his free taking has been especially eye catching. Of course the Ballyboden man does bring a physique seasoned by years for inter-county football. But he is only augmenting a Dublin panel that, in the physical stakes at least, is well able to mix it with Kilkenny and Tipperary. To compete with the All-Ireland finalists you must first match them physically, an actuality that is still perhaps underplayed. With the likes of the aforementioned Brady and Rushe, Peter Kelly, Stephen Hiney, and Joey Boland, Dublin will fail only if their hurling lets them down. Presumably a lack of craft was the reason why Ryan O' Dwyer didn't make it in these competitive times in the premier county. But his re-location means that Dublin have another combative presence in the mix. Also Ruairi Treanor showed flashes that he can shadow inter-county corner forwards, although his clearances could do with work, whilst Joey Boland and John McCaffrey teased that they could still raise their games up a notch.
Tipp won't press any panic buttons about losing a game where four of their All-Ireland forwards didn't start. Plus they will trust that the rust will soon fall from their first choice fill back line. Though their sonambulance did at least let goalkeeper Darren Gleeson ply his wares convincingly. Declan Ryan will also take comfort that Pa Bourke and John O'Neill are continuing to tap on his door persistently. Yet is was odd that the Tipp management last week dropped from the panel four players who started in their first two league games. Albeit that this blog did point out that their defender depth was perilous if ( the now dispatched ) Conor O' Brien and Hugh Molony were on the fringes of the first xv.
Kilkenny v Cork
Viewing this tape wasn't even a labour of love. We took one for the team in the interests of keeping a blog updated. Granted the weather was vile, with wind, rain and pitch all discommoding the players. And the modern inter-county player can't be blamed if he's now a seriously dedicated athlete. But it truly was an impressive advertisement for a change to a 13 a side game. Combatants frequently got immersed in skirmishes around an ill-fated sliotar; akin to a schoolyard or a World War One battlefield. Still Kilkenny are an equal opportunities vanquisher. After all, in horse racing parlance they are more of a Denman than a Shergar. Even if the best Henry Shefflin impression thus far this season has been pulled off by a Dublin man, Brian Cody will be quietly satisfied with his forwards at this point. Adrian Fogarty and Colin Fennelly have relished the challenge of unfamiliar positions and Eddie Brennan has started 2011 better than he ended 2010 in his new role as semi permanent target man. The Kilkenny plan for this season will presumably be to get more pace and movement into their forward division. To overcome the loss of Ballyhale's finest is an onerous task. But Cody would surely have been a smidgin' disappointed that his attackers, to quote a famous philosopher, slightly resembled sheep in a heap in the All-Ireland. They will definitely upgrade if Richie Hogan forages and snipes all season like he did at Nowlan Park agaisnt Cork.
Hogan was comfortably the best forward on the puddin' pitch, but Pat Horgan's second half work rate would also have brought some warmth to Cork hearts. ( bovril could only do so much in the conditions ) The rebels desperately need last spring's sensation to develop a capacity to win his own ball in summer. For if he gets the sloitar in his hands he likely will trouble the scoreboard. The disquieting thing for Cork is that, Cian McCarthy's resilience apart, there is little sign of new forwards to freshen the menu. Cork's second half comeback involved the O' Connor twins and Tom Kenny hurling bravely at Kilkenny's ramparts, but none of that trio looked the same players as of yore when it counted last summer. In defence Stephen Mc Donnell and William Egan showed promise, ( where as an aside John Gardiner was characteristically belligerent ) but it is upfront where Cork need fresh blood if they are going to trouble 'the big two'. The game appeared to have swayed towards the rebels when they levelled matters against fourteen men, with the wind at their backs and a couple of minutes to play. Yet it was the cats who emerged with the victory. it would be stretching things to say they won playing within themselves there was little evidence on show that a summer encounter would be as tight.
A couple of weeks ago this blogger muttered out of the side of its mouth that Conal Keaney's return to hurling would get plenty of attention: Perhaps we were being a tad bitchy. He is being exposed to journalists waiting for the main event at Croke Park, what with the 'spring series' mopping up most of the paltry media coverage GAA gets in early spring. Plus he has a larger profile with the fourth estate than the likes of Tomas Brady and Liam Rushe because of his footballing exploits . Yet after two rounds of the league one is tempted to declare that if you can't beat them join them. On this winter evening at least ( we can always try to backslide by saying the fog clouded our judgement ) his performance was Shefflinesque. An intriguing concoction of muscularity, long range point taking and astute teamwork. To this, perhaps untutored eye, his free taking has been especially eye catching. Of course the Ballyboden man does bring a physique seasoned by years for inter-county football. But he is only augmenting a Dublin panel that, in the physical stakes at least, is well able to mix it with Kilkenny and Tipperary. To compete with the All-Ireland finalists you must first match them physically, an actuality that is still perhaps underplayed. With the likes of the aforementioned Brady and Rushe, Peter Kelly, Stephen Hiney, and Joey Boland, Dublin will fail only if their hurling lets them down. Presumably a lack of craft was the reason why Ryan O' Dwyer didn't make it in these competitive times in the premier county. But his re-location means that Dublin have another combative presence in the mix. Also Ruairi Treanor showed flashes that he can shadow inter-county corner forwards, although his clearances could do with work, whilst Joey Boland and John McCaffrey teased that they could still raise their games up a notch.
Tipp won't press any panic buttons about losing a game where four of their All-Ireland forwards didn't start. Plus they will trust that the rust will soon fall from their first choice fill back line. Though their sonambulance did at least let goalkeeper Darren Gleeson ply his wares convincingly. Declan Ryan will also take comfort that Pa Bourke and John O'Neill are continuing to tap on his door persistently. Yet is was odd that the Tipp management last week dropped from the panel four players who started in their first two league games. Albeit that this blog did point out that their defender depth was perilous if ( the now dispatched ) Conor O' Brien and Hugh Molony were on the fringes of the first xv.
Kilkenny v Cork
Viewing this tape wasn't even a labour of love. We took one for the team in the interests of keeping a blog updated. Granted the weather was vile, with wind, rain and pitch all discommoding the players. And the modern inter-county player can't be blamed if he's now a seriously dedicated athlete. But it truly was an impressive advertisement for a change to a 13 a side game. Combatants frequently got immersed in skirmishes around an ill-fated sliotar; akin to a schoolyard or a World War One battlefield. Still Kilkenny are an equal opportunities vanquisher. After all, in horse racing parlance they are more of a Denman than a Shergar. Even if the best Henry Shefflin impression thus far this season has been pulled off by a Dublin man, Brian Cody will be quietly satisfied with his forwards at this point. Adrian Fogarty and Colin Fennelly have relished the challenge of unfamiliar positions and Eddie Brennan has started 2011 better than he ended 2010 in his new role as semi permanent target man. The Kilkenny plan for this season will presumably be to get more pace and movement into their forward division. To overcome the loss of Ballyhale's finest is an onerous task. But Cody would surely have been a smidgin' disappointed that his attackers, to quote a famous philosopher, slightly resembled sheep in a heap in the All-Ireland. They will definitely upgrade if Richie Hogan forages and snipes all season like he did at Nowlan Park agaisnt Cork.
Hogan was comfortably the best forward on the puddin' pitch, but Pat Horgan's second half work rate would also have brought some warmth to Cork hearts. ( bovril could only do so much in the conditions ) The rebels desperately need last spring's sensation to develop a capacity to win his own ball in summer. For if he gets the sloitar in his hands he likely will trouble the scoreboard. The disquieting thing for Cork is that, Cian McCarthy's resilience apart, there is little sign of new forwards to freshen the menu. Cork's second half comeback involved the O' Connor twins and Tom Kenny hurling bravely at Kilkenny's ramparts, but none of that trio looked the same players as of yore when it counted last summer. In defence Stephen Mc Donnell and William Egan showed promise, ( where as an aside John Gardiner was characteristically belligerent ) but it is upfront where Cork need fresh blood if they are going to trouble 'the big two'. The game appeared to have swayed towards the rebels when they levelled matters against fourteen men, with the wind at their backs and a couple of minutes to play. Yet it was the cats who emerged with the victory. it would be stretching things to say they won playing within themselves there was little evidence on show that a summer encounter would be as tight.
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