They donât have to do that. They just have to have one player who is willing to incapacitate him with a filthy pull inside the first two minutes.
Can Cuala hold Downes, Dowling, Casey, Breen?
A lot of âholdingâ needed on one of those lads 
.
I think itâll be a cracker. You could definitely make a very strong case that these are the two best clubs in the country, the last two All-Ireland winners.
Club hurling finals are almost universally disappointing, when was the last time there was a good one?
We could afford to lose two players off the pitch altogether and win so I donât see why not.
You got it there, Foley or Kennedy to come in as a straight swap most likely I think. Lynch could move back half back too. We havenât had a full panel to choose from yet this year. Boylan could well have kept his place even with Dowling back, heâs had a great year.
Grimes is a huge loss. I think Na P are the better team overall but the cuala forwards have the potential to do massive damage if we donât get to grips with them immediately and Grimes is a loss in defence.
Na P have a maddening habit of leaving it late in the game to start hurling, if we donât bother to turn up for the first half like in the slaughtneil or ballygunner games itâll be over.
But I think the scare will improve us and weâll be switched on from the start. We will win.
Against a crowd of Ulster footballers
Dublin, Ulster, same thing.
Iâm pretty sure they were playing hurling, mate.
Na Piarsaig are a dirty cynical team (according to this article)
To be fair they can be cynical . Most good teams have that . They are not dirty though .
1 Like
Youâd imagine another month would bring on Casey, Dempsey and Dowling anyways who had all been injured. Grimes will be a loss, Boylan less so in that Dowling started on the bench the last day anyways. @glasagusban alludes to NaPâs struggle to get motoring sometimes in these games - if they do that against Cuala they wonât be able to rely on superior fitness to catch up as they usually do.
For some reason David Dempey was brought back to fill that gap. Couldnât see him starting there though in fairness.
The last paragraph sums up the accuracy of that piece.
Toomevara v sarsfields last good club final in my opinion. 1992 I think.
Ballyhale v Portumna in 2010 was daycent.
2 Likes
2001 was a good final, Athenry/Graigue Ballycallan
1 Like
St Brigids vs Ballymun was a great game. Around 2012 or 2013 Iâd say
Portumna and Newtown in 2006 was fascinating tactically but an average game.
I donât think itâs superior fitness, theyâve been superior hurlers to all the teams theyâve played so far. Theyâve just been slow getting going to make that tell.