All Ireland Hurling Championship 2022

[carryharry]

I wouldn’t like to see anyone miss one but I’d fear that a few cards are marked. Plus the fracas last weekend will have officials trigger happy

[balbec]

Don’t worry, We won’t be stamping on anyone.

[Locke]

@kerry1891

Kilkenny dont travel in big numbers

We’ll be there in our tens of 10’s.

[croppy_boy]

@flattythehurdler

Shows how far Wexford has fallen that they can barely field in football and expend most of their energy trying to avoid having to play Galway at minor hurling

If Galway are so concerned with minor hurling I’m sure they’ve been going to great lengths to develop their fellow Connacht counties to allow for a competition to actually take place there.

[Watchthepost]

Agreed it’s not a wasteland at all, there are some very strong sides and players coming from the West. You have a senior side, premier intermediate side, and a host of intermediate teams which isn’t bad for a “wasteland”. You could easily have another PI side there next year too in possibly C/K or Ballingarry.

[Batigol]

I’d expect a HUGE crowd from Clare Saturday, seeing as it’s their first trip to Croker since 2018. A HUGE crowd

[Watchthepost]

Indeed. And strong rugby presence as well. The strong soccer culture keeps the football strong too I’d say, the likes of AJ O Connor

[Fran]

@ScorpioLyons

This talk of Kilkenny flying in training is fairly amusing as if it means anything nowadays. Like people putting too much stock in the league. Ye should hear the stories that come out about Cork hurling training sessions. 3 in a rows and 5 in a rows were within reach based off Cork hurling training form. This forums favourite Darragh Fitz is probably the best training player in the country. Only for it all to turn to shit on the Saturday or Sunday in Championship. Now Cork have a different issue to Kilkenny but the point still stands.

Agreed, I heard they were going very poorly in training TBH. I’d expect Clare to have this wrapped up by half time

[Watchyourtoes]

Just a a quick run through to catch up this afternoon then, the forums literal premier tog shitter has thrown his lot in behind the wattle and daub merchants(only apt) and the Cork rubby boy has attempted a few half hearted(half arsed really) efforts, the goys have begun their little tour of pain against the kiwis so at least he can unplug the brain slightly more and preoccupy the mind now.

[Elvis_Brandenberg_Kr]

That was profound, sir.

[the_mixer_walsh]

@Fran

Agreed, I heard they were going very poorly in training TBH

You’ve probably heard about the story of training being cancelled last week and the fall out ?

[BeTimberin]

Cork are flying in training I heard.

[Aristotle]

The problem most of the west hurling teams have is that they wouldn’t have a massive population really. And they probably struggle with emigration more that little bit more than the suburban clubs, for example.

The rise of NCW is good as a significant population centre in West Limerick. C/K have a decent population in the hinterland but were quite weak for a while, and were losing players at underage to Adare. That seems to have been reversed.

In terms of population then: Abbeyfeale, Rathkeale & Askeaton possibly underperform hurling-wise, all having decent football teams.

[Ralphie]

They’ve been written off too quickly again

[BruidheanChaorthainn]

I’d also say where there is a good soccer club it’s likely to benefit the Gaelic football side.

So much of Limerick is a wasteland for Gaelic football too which means the west teams can get success a little easier at football.

[thedancingbaby]

Clare folk were in Croker last weekend

[Batigol]

But not in the HUGE numbers

[Fran]

@the_mixer_walsh

@Fran

Agreed, I heard they were going very poorly in training TBH

You’ve probably heard about the story of training being cancelled last week and the fall out ?

The auld fella heard something about it in the betting office in Carrick-on-Suir but he’d figured it was only the Tippos winding him up

[BeTimberin]

Cork are Cork

[Locke]

It’s a couple of days before the Clare v KK match, and I don’t mind telling ye lads, I’m worried!

I look at Clare and I can see that they are a well coached, hungry, modern collection of hurlers who fear no-one, and of course have the best hurler to have played the game this century (behind DJ, JJ and Tommy). Clare have so many good players that the options they have at their disposal means that anyone they come up against, in this case KK, will have their work cut out to beat them. They know what it takes to win a game and set up their stall accordingly. You could argue that they got over the line just about with Wexford, but lads, that is a Wexford team that gave KK a lesson in Nowlan Park not a month ago.

Clare are favourites, let there be no doubt about it. The advantage of KK being used to Croke Park just doesn’t do it for me, they’ll be found out by the strength Clare have up the middle and of course, if Tony Kelly plays off just one leg, he’ll make all the difference.

I’m going to make a prediction, that’s Clare by 4 points. But it will be a comfortable 4 point win, perhaps specials teams TJ will tag on a few frees at the end when the game is over.

Lastly, to @Big_Dan_Campbell. I have in the past written off Clare teams in the past, especially when they come up against KK. But I was wrong, Clare are much better through the lines than this current KK team and if I were you, I’d be planning around going to watch your beloved Banner in Croke Park on AI hurling final day.