Fuckin can’t wait for this. Hopeful more than confident, but it’s winnable for us. I don’t think the pre-match hype re KK injuries has helped their build up, while Tipp have prepared nice and quietly. Tipp are on an upward curve, and I expect a big performance next Sunday, whether it’s good enough only time will tell. I don’t understand poster’s reservations re Tipp midfield, Brendan Maher is comfortably our hurler of the year so far, while McGrath was serious v Waterford and 2nd half v Galway. Eoin Kelly’s 2-01 from play in the semi, when not fully fit, also augers well. Some of our backs are not hurling as well as last year, but their support play v Waterford was miles ahead of where it had been v Galway. Our half forward line is a concern, Gearoid and Bonnar may not be up to this, while Johnno has traditionally ended his inter county year with a stinker. However, Henry and Tennyson cannot be fully fit, and while they got away with losing those plus Hogan against an all time poor Cork team, they may not next Sunday. Kilkenny got the breaks last year, we might get them on Sunday. History is very hard to create.
Hon Tipp ta fuck, wire into them stripey cunts…
Shefflin is starting, Richie Hogan is definately not starting. Don’t know yet about Brennan
Good man Mick Jones and your comments/analysis. Hard to argue with that only I think the KK midfield is very very good… Jaysus Fennelly in the semi final was excellent and Cha is Cha, he shouldn’t leave anyone down, covers off well and can chip in with a score or two.
Don’t know why I didn’t include Rice in my team, my new revised forward line is:
TJ - Rice - Larkin
The King - Power - Taggy
It’s revving up nicely
'MON D’LOCKES BOUY… 'MON D’CATS T’FUCK!!!
From what I heard this is the starting 6 forwards
Larkin Shefflin Rice
Reid Power Fogarty
Tennyson at CHB
Time will tell…
Locke me ould mucker, enjoy the fare, tis indeed revving up very nicely. Your Cork neighbours must be feeling a bit left out, big ball no substitute for what we’ll witness on Sunday.
Kilkenny have had an easier ride to the final than last year, that’s for sure. In '09 they had tighter games against Galway, Dublin, Waterford and then of course Tipp. This year, all of their opponents have been dispatched with ease and the trend may well continue this Sunday.
There’s a lot being made about Eddie Brennan getting the chop and I can see where people are coming from alright-he certainly hasn’t been as troublesome on the ball as previous years. In saying that, he still has 2-3 in the bag, the same amount as he had going into last year’s final. Cody loves him and your almost guaranteed a goal from fast Eddie so I reckon Cody may stay faithful to the Graigue Ballycallan man.
Not to be too cliched about it but the midfield is definitely the key battle area. So much of the game relies on ball won here. Puck outs will drop in behind them usually and it’s up to them to pick the scraps from balls that run loose or to make a decisive run for their team mate to lay ball off to. Michael Fennelly won so much ball and set up so many scores in the semi against Cork that it looked like he had the run of the field. Then again, Cathal Naughton was one of his midfield opponents and you won’t get as easy a game against the Tipp pair as you would against him and Kenny. Cha and Fennelly will find their equal in Maher and McGrath.
One of the main reasons why Kilkenny have found it way easier against teams this year is JJ Delaney at wing back and Hickey back at full. You can rain all the balls you want down on JJ, in low to him, cross field to him but 9 times out of 10 he wins them all. Gearóid Ryan has had an excellent year but he won’t get change out of JJ. O’Brien on the other side (or whichever side they start on) won’t have it much easier against Walsh either. It may be the centre forward that will have to do the ball winning and going by the last game, it could be Noel McGrath that will come into play here. He looked far more effective out on the 40 than he has done all year and whether it be Tennyson or Ryall that starts at centre back it will probably be the place that Tipp will start to target the most due to the game rustiness of either player.
I think it’s great that Shefflin will start-how effective he will be remains to be seen. Surely there’s a chance he may damage the knee again. He’s not a man for taking it easy that’s for sure and may want to make up for the quiet (by his standards) game he had in last year’s final.
A lot of Kilkenny people are worrying about Brennan’s performance but also Eoin Larkin’s. He’s only scored 2 points so far, which means non-regulars Rice and Comerford have actually scored more than him. To be fair to him he does win a lot of ball and sets up others around him, usually one of his midfield pair. Also he’s reported to have been the stand out in training over the last few weeks. The Tipp half back line have been doing ok enough though and Fanning has been impressive to me at wing back. It’s their full back line where the worry lies though. It seems to be the year that Richie Power has finally stepped up to the plate and Tipperary could be sick of the sight of him come the end of the game.
Down the other end, Lar Corbett is the man to cause Kilkenny the headaches but he seriously needs help form others around him. Kelly looked good against Waterford but anyone would have looked good against the Déise that day. He did turn it on against Kilkenny last year and wherever he found that performance he will need to go looking for it again.
If Kilkenny’s centre back, Tennyson or Ryall, isn’t over run it could be a very easy 5-in-a-row for the Cats, anything up to a 10 point win I reckon.
If Tipp do get something of a foothold against Kilkenny’s backs we could be in for another cracker.
How much is Lar Corbett getting for signing the lidl sliothars?
As much as Brian Corcoran for promoting the dodgy helmets??
Ah jaysus they’re gutted down here that they are nowhere near where they should be when it comes to the hurling. They look upon the success in the Football with distain 
Sunday is going to be great, can’t fuckin wait for it now at this stage. Won’t know what the tickets are until tomorrow morning but as it stands I have 2 up in the upper hogan, don’t know the number yet, but hoping for better.
Either way it goes I just hope that we’re handed up a good game of hurling because if ye win it, the Tipp fans will raise the roof. But if we complete the D45, good God almighty, Plan B will be on the cards!!!
Eddie Brennan is looking forward to being let off the leash next week I’d say, likes his pints perhaps?
http://www.leinsterexpress.ie/2010-laois-shc-and-ihc/The-Big-If-Quiz-with.6506577.jp
Fast Eddie is an alright sort in fairness. That interview only copperfastens that view.
+1
6 k allegedly
If Shefflin starts I would be shocked if he lined out anywhere but corner forward with his knee trouble
I genuinely can’t see how Shefflin can be up to the necessary fitness - how is he going to to turn or bend down to lift the ball in a match of such intensity, seeing as he apparently couldn’t bend down to take frees in that training match? If I was a Tipp back I would go straight for his knee, try and cripple the fucker. Same with Tennyson.
A five in a row bid is no place for charity cases - Pat Spillane was brought on at half time of the 1982 football final despite having an injured cruciate and wasn’t worth a fuck. Kerry would probably have won if somebody who was actually fit came on instead.
I was speaking to the great man a few hours ago and hes 100% fit in his own words,hes going to do the 70 minutes no bother.He was moving well,very welll.
[quote=“THE LINK WALSH, post: 505893”]
I was speaking to the great man a few hours ago and hes 100% fit in his own words,hes going to do the 70 minutes no bother.He was moving well,very welll.
[/quote]That’s a spot!
I was speaking to Henry Shefflin an hour ago. He told me the Link Walsh is a spanner.
He may very well have,when i met him by chance at around half ten this morning we talked hurling for a few minutes,during this converstion he told me hes 100% fit and rearing to go,hes as fit as flea so he is.
In short,we’ve this one in the bag.
Necessary fitness to beat tipp? Whats that about 15% for Shefflin?
He better be, cause he wont be long found out if he isn’t.
Fair play to him, you’d have to admire such desire.
Rice bothers me in the HF line, all other KK forwards (including the cover) can switch FF/HF lines and he cant. He does not fit in.
Shefflin will go corner on Tipp’s rawest player.
Fully agree on the solidity that comes from Hickey at 3 and Delaney at 7 this year.
Is John Dalton the target for Tipp?
Where will Tipp play Patrick Maher? He seems to be a hard-working half-forward but where is his place again if they put McGrath at 11?