Is Liam Cahill from Limerick?
Galway are a fine solid team and a fresh voice was always going to give them a bounce. Donoghue did a fine job there but was a small bit too loyal to the 2017 team which is understandable but they needed a bit of freshness and depth to their panel. Given that they have won 4 of the last 5 minor titles the talent is there to fresh it up and O’Neill seems a good steady hand who would do things right.
The one thing that is becoming obvious at I/C hurling is that there is no real room for shortcuts or disorganisation if you want to be winning A/I, the standard and preparation levels are too high.
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That was what galled me about Wexford the last day. You mentioned all the work @Appendage and I have put in to provide the resources to make us organised and professional. I felt personally slighted by the display in that context.
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I would be surprised to see Limerick or Galway beaten this weekend. But it wouldn’t be the end of the world for either. I think the two week gap for winners could be very beneficial though.
The other two games have a pile of unknowns. Clare look to be really struggling, but Wexford were very disappointing against Galway and maybe Davy has gone as far as he can with them. We’ll see if he can get a bounce from them and they got better as the year went on last year so maybe if they can get a win under their belts they can kick on. No disrespect to Clare but I think Wexford have got the best possible draw. That said if the Clare lads cant rise it for Davy there isn’t much hope for them. Wexford by a five or six I reckon.
Are Tipp’s legs gone? Which is the real Cork, the team that folded meekly to Waterford with no bit of fight or the team that played Dublin? Are Dublin even any good?
I think Tipp need to and will overhaul their half forward line. Their half back line can’t be as bad again and Callinan won’t be held scoreless again. I’d expect them to have too much for Cork. But who knows.
We’ll have a much better idea of where everyone is after this weekend.
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As you should be.
Are Offaly the only county to have won a hurling all Ireland with an outside manager?
I think it is lost on people that Clare are in complete rebuild. Maybe people look at the team and see the names of Kelly, O’Donnell, David McInerney etc and think that the team should be better or has the potential to contend because there are a handful of lads who are around a while but it is a very inexperienced panel outside of a handful of lads.
This year for Lohan was all about weeding out the lads who’s hunger was gone or who’s attitude isn’t to the required level. He has blooded plenty of new lads and it takes time to find your feet at intercounty level. I’d say there are maybe four or five lads who he has blooded who have some of the attributes needed to be solid I/C hurlers. Hopefully they show well against Wexford and we have something to continue building on after the game - if we win even better but expectations quite rightly are low at the minute.
There are half a dozen or so young lads who all have the potential to be standout intercounty hurlers training with the panel currently and in fairness to Lohan he isn’t trying to rush or fasttrack them through - there will be no shortcut or giving a lad a jersey until it is earned. He knows we are a bit off and their time will come. I would rather he keep trying the lads he has given opportunities already this year and let them live and die on the field rather than just drift away not knowing if they had the ability or not which happened far too often earlier this decade.
Conlon returning will be a boost next year but I think we will struggle for consistency until we find either a dominant full or centre back. Conor Cleary is a solid stopper and can man either but we need somene to standout in one of those positions and hold things together when we are up against it. Just look at the impact De Burca has on Waterford and how poor they were the last two seasons without him.
The Galvin and Duggan may well return next year and help in terms of depth and scoring power but if i was to be a betting man I’d say all three have played their last games for Clare and I doubt the manager is planning for their returns either.
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Why did they move McInerney out of full back? he was one of the best and doesn’t contribute near enough in midfield.
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On his day he was good there but there were plenty of poor/flat performances there too. To be honest he has been struggling for form/consistently since he returned from injury in 2017.
Tipp v Cork - two auld ones obnoxious and leery steamed up off sherry and showing too much skin on dame Street around Christmas, both decades past their sell by date but still think they draw public attention.
Clare v Wexford - trump v Kim, weary broken statelets run into the ground by profligate despots who can’t be questioned.
Limerick v Waterford - the rattlesnake against the doughty mongoose. The former makes loud noise at any sign of doubt in its ability, the latter wins when you least expect it.
Galway V Kilkenny - el superclasico, aristocrats against stylists. But are either that good?
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My view at the start of the season was that new managers were at a huge disadvantage because of reduced time with their players; whereas managers who know their best team & system do have a bit of an advantage in the circumstances.
This has largely played out, I think; the big anomaly being Wexford’s performance vs Galway which was really awful after a brightish opening 15 minutes.
Clare are trying hard tbf but they’re seriously short personnel-wise. On paper, I’d fancy Wexford but I was really shocked at how bad they were against Galway. Clare were far from impressive against Laois although there was a red card to deal with. I’d probably marginally tip Clare.
Cork were a bit better against Dublin but again, Dublin were brainless. Tipp are a different kettle of fish. Cork do have huge pace and if they can actually get those runners going, there probably is the potential to expose Tipp’s defence. This is one I wouldn’t really like to call without seeing the teams but if Tipp bring Dan & maybe Breen back in; I think they’ll have too much.
I think Waterfod vs Limerick will be a tough battle; I think we might just have a little too much firepower at the moment but it wouldn’t be a massive surprise if Waterford won; they’re well set up.
I fancy Galway against Kilkenny but these games have tended to be close in the past couple of years. Hard to read into Kilkenny’s performance against Dublin but Galway were hugely impressive. This will be very interesting, and we’ll see where both teams are really at after.
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What’s the story with his appeal. Is pat o Connor injured
He was playing very very well the last day before the sending off.
Appeal was last night, no word yet but doubt he will get off. Supposedly there was another dunt off camera which is why he was sent off.
O’Connor’s out of form. I don’t know if Lohan has the tactical accum to be a success at intercounty but he is very much a man who picks his team on current form and not reputations. Whether it works out for him or not it is a culture which I would be very much in favour of. A few lads who showed very well in the league who looked to be in the mix for starting spots for championship pre covid are struggling to make the 26 now so there doesn’t appear to be much favourtism with him.
But are reputations not built on performances on the biggest stage. Higher ceilings in other words. How many lads do you see going well in training or maybe club but who struggle under the frantic pace of intercounty. The danger is not recognising when they’ve gone stale that takes acumen. In fairness to Cody I can’t think of too many who were left there when past it.
Like I say it is year one of a rebuild. It’s a clean slate and a new team being built. If this was a team not far off contending I would agree that you can pick lads and let them potentially play themselves into form to an extent.
Unfortunately that is what last years management banked on happening and when push came to shove the experienced hands were miles off the form of the previous year and the subs bench was full of callow and inexperienced chaps who weren’t ready to be thrust straight into intercounty hurling which meant we took two hammerings in a week as we hadn’t the depth or options to change it up.
And nobody wants to talk about the asterisk that will be beside this one
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Hurl or hurley? 22 of 32 counties say hurl
Public vote of over 25,000 shows little support for Hurley outside of Munster
35 minutes ago Updated: 20 minutes ago
Hurl or hurley? File photograph: Inpho
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Is it a Hurley or a Hurl? Following a week of campaigning by All-Stars Lee Chin and Séamus Callanan and over 25,000 votes, we have some clarity. If not universal agreement.
While Hurley edged Hurl by 52 per cent to 48 per cent, outside of Munster, only Sligo, Donegal, Louth and Monaghan voted in favour of it. Meaning 22 of the country’s 32 counties are to be recognised as Hurl counties.
The public vote was hosted by HurlvHurley.com, set up by NOW TV as part of their coverage of the 2020 hurling championship.
Cork proved to be the biggest “Hurley” stronghold with 97 per cent of the 4,371 votes from the Rebel County voting in its favour. On the other side, Wexford was to be the biggest “Hurl” county with 98 per cent of 1,926 voters choosing it.
When only counting counties who compete for the Liam McCarthy Cup “Hurley” had an even bigger edge, winning by 56 per cent to 44 per cent in the hurling heartlands.
Results
Antrim 53 per cent hurl
Armagh 60 per cent hurl
Carlow 93 per cent hurl
Cavan 51 per cent hurl
Clare 93 per cent hurley
Cork 97 per cent hurley
Derry 89 per cent hurl
Donegal 56 per cent hurley
Down 76 per cent hurl
Dublin 81 per cent hurl
Fermanagh 55 per cent hurl
Galway 92 per cent hurl
Kerry 89 per cent hurley
Kildare 77 per cent hurl
Kilkenny 94 per cent hurl
Laois 95 per cent hurl
Leitrim 60 per cent hurl
Limerick 95 per cent hurley
Longford 63 per cent hurl
Louth 73 per cent hurley
Mayo 54 per cent hurl
Meath 69 per cent hurl
Monaghan 57 per cent hurley
Offaly 94 per cent hurl
Roscommon 75 per cent hurl
Sligo 62 per cent hurley
Tipperary 91 per cent hurley
Tyrone 63 per cent hurl
Waterford 94 per cent hurley
Westmeath 87 per cent hurl
Wexford 98 per cent hurl
Wicklow 89 per cent hurl
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I’ll be seriously laughing my bollix off if Tipp and Kilkenny end up in another final this year
Cc @locke 
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