Jesus some guilt trip for the lads . Nasty stuff for an amateur game .
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The semi finals of the Dublin hurling championship take place at the weekend with two attractive games on paper. Crokes and Na Fianna go in as favourites in both games but I think there will be a shock in one of the games, but I don’t know which one.
Lucan and Crokes already played out a draw in the group stages this year. Lucan salvaged a draw despite being 5 points down at the 60min mark. Lucan are a team that play to the level of their opposition, they initially struggled vs Whitehall in their QF before finishing strongly. Before that they had a good win vs Na Fianna in the group. Johnny Bellew, Ben Coffey and Ciaran Dowling have all added a level to their games and Lucan are the better for it. Crokes haven’t had a game in four weeks by virtue of a bye to the semis after topping their group. @peddlerscross informed us they were on the BOICMC vs Ballygunner. In the group game vs Lucan they operated a sweeper system which blunted their attack. I felt in that game if they played six forwards, that they would have won comfortably. They have without a doubt the best panel of players left in the competition but putting all the jigsaw pieces in the right places remains the challenge. If they can fall on their best team, then they will take beating.
Na Fianna vs St Vincent’s in the other semi is a local derby. Vincents are coming in off a 6 week break. They had a bye in their last group game and had already secured a SF spot at that stage by topping the group. They now also have Rian McBride back who has returned from his travels and will bolster their attack. Conor Burke has probably the best player in Dublin for club and county this year and operates as a very effective deep lying 6/sweeper who can clip 3/4 long range points a game. Vincents enjoyed a good win when they played in the group stages last year. This game this year pitches the meanest defence in the championship vs the most proglific attack. Na Fianna are getting around three goals a game and no longer rely on Donal Burke to carry the attacking threat. He didn’t score in their win over Ballyboden in the QF. However they will need him on song if they are to win on Sunday. Vincents will also need to be more accurate than their round robin games. Poor shot selection/execution in those games made their group games more diffucult than they should have been.
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How did this challenge game go do you know?
PM sent.
Very hush hush
Any bit of preview in the Senior B hurling in Dublin appreciated @Fat_Pox @peddlerscross very little results on the Dublin Gaa website but at a glance at table’s Faughs and Kilmacud 2’s to come through?
I will in a bit.
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There’s a real skill involved in a Referee knowing when to blow for HT/FT.
At HT I love when there’s just been a score and the official walks towards the keeper at pace and with purpose, sticks his hand out and calls for the ball. Johnny Murphy is the best in the business at this.
At FT though, you need to engineer a situation where the losing team is trying to launch one last desparate attack only for it to breakdown and a defender to come out with the ball leading to a crescendo of noise on the final whistle.
The referee has tried that here but has got it wrong.
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Kilmacud B vs Naomh Barrog.
The strength in depth that Kilmacud have is in evidence here that they are one game away from having two Senior A teams. They will have lads on this team who will have played minor and under 20/21 for Dublin who for other teams who be mainstays of their 1st team. Barrog though will have the better individuals on display here in Dublin senior panelists Paddy Doyle, Sean Gallagher and Joe Flanagan. Cillian Costello is a loss though. I fancy Barrog to come through here. They are a young team who should be a solid senior A club in time. Crokes I think are unbeaten so far, but were most definately in the easier group at the round robin stage.
Faughs vs Oliver Plunketts
This semi final pitches the teams who were relegated from Sen A last year. I would fancy both teams to beat the teams in the other semi. Faughs have arrived here unbeaten. Ryan O’ Dwyer is in charge here. They are a steady even outfit. James O Brien is their star man and a good display here could push him towards a Dublin panel. Conor O Shea (Son of Eamon) and Liam Mostyn are other good forwards. Shiner Brennan of KK/Dublin fame has a son involved as well. Plunkets are hard to get a read of. They have a lot of lads who played minor/21 for Dublin but never kicked on. They could hammer Faughs or end up being hammered. I’ll give @Declan_Moffat men the nod here due to consistency.
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A la Tom Condon 2018. Engineered to a tee
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Barrog’s style of hurling and team structure is an issue this year. Playing a sweeper and then putting Paddy Doyle at 11 to be crowded out is a suboptimal approach.
Plunketts looked excellent the one time I saw them in the championship this year, great movement off the ball creating space and the ball being peppered into it. Looked a very slick outfit.
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That one sprung to mind alright but no way was I mentioning it.
John Tennyson in 2006 was another great one.
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A difference to this one as the team were up 4 or 5 but I always vividly remember Clare coming out with the ball from a puck out in 2013, after Honan buried the late goal.
Paddy Doyle at 6 at this level would be as good as a sweeper.
Plunketts were very lucky to get over Raheny the last day out. They are very inconsistent.
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Referee in blowing for full time shocker. Not sure there is a rule entitling the attacking team to close out the attack.
The rule of fair play needs applying here
Not really. It’s fair on the defending team to blow it up on time.
But they’re just kids!
Up Pal!
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