Leinster Hurling Thread *

[Mac]

@flattythehurdler

I haven’t asked Bandage for at least two years. I’ve been very good.
As an aside, is it a small pitch relatively?

It’s wider than Croke Park but shorter than Cusack Park (I think)

[Bandage]

I think the Wexford starting team is quite a bit stronger and better balanced than last year’s Leinster Final team so looking forward to seeing how we get on tomorrow. That said, it’s still the round robin so it’s not decisive for overall championship prospects.

There’s been a quiet evolution since last summer. Damien Reck missed the championship last year after a brilliant debut league campaign and he’s back. Rory O’Connor only started the Waterford quarter final following his Leaving Cert. Paudie Foley was on a year out and Kevin Foley was a bit part player. They’re all key players now.

Reck v Conor Whelan was shaping up to be a great battle in the league quarter final in March before Reck was forced off injured in the first half. I’d say they’ll go at it again. We’ll need Liam Ryan to reverse the tables after Conor Cooney’s Tour de France on him last year and I’d say Donohoe will pick up Concannon.

P Foley adds much needed height in defence. Donohoe at wing back last year was giving away around 6 inches on Joseph Cooney and couldn’t cope as the game progressed. Murphy, O’Hanlon and O’Keeffe will be performing similar roles as last year. Murphy’s form has taken an upturn in the championship after an average league.

I think K Foley and Aidan Nolan is a better midfield combination than Chin and J O’Connor. An abrasive, hard working, strong chap with a clever, creative, scoring threat. Both mobile and cover a lot of ground.

Who will Galway want as their spare defender if Wexford play 5 forwards as usual? Presumably Harte? They had Harte marking J O’Connor in the league (can’t recall who was spare) and he was destroyed in the air, but he was good against us last year when spare. The other forwards will probably rotate a bit, but I think

J O’Connor, R O’Connor, Chin
Morris, McDonald

is stronger than

Morris, Nolan, H Kehoe
Guiney, McDonald

There’s a bit of a myth in the media about Wexford being a physically imposing team. It’s a team littered with small chaps - Fanning, Reck, Donohoe, Murphy, O’Keeffe, K Foley, R O’Connor and Morris.

I’ll stop now as some posters don’t like long posts.

[flattythehurdler]

I’m really looking forward to it. The impression I had from the league games is that the pitch seemed very crowded. Hope there are no injuries on either side. It’ll be very close. Strange to think that if galway lose, as they may well, they’ll be a game away from going out, despite having dismantled Kilkenny. We will see what cornelius is made of today. By the way @fran, what did you make of him last week? You rudely ignored my polite enquiry, which doesn’t quite come close to the time galway played (and lost to) kk in an I televised league game,and I asked midshipman asha how galway looked, and she replied that she didn’t know as she was watching Kilkenny. :-/ It did nothing for my rosy tinted view of kk hurling.

[flattythehurdler]

I hope bandage doesn’t sulk for the whole year again if Wexford lose like last year.

[anon7035031]

He’ll never recover if the HOTY and GOAT shoves it up his bollox.

[Bandage]

I was in great form last year.

[Horsebox]

@Bandage

I was in great form last year.

You’re a great guy, kid. Don’t let these bastards get you down.

[tazdedub]

Dublins team to play Offaly. Been unlucky the first 2 games.

Gilroy makes one change as Dublin look to get off the mark in Leinster http://the42.ie/4048934

[iron_mike]

@anon7035031

He’ll never recover if the HOTY and GOAT shoves it up his bollox.

He’ll be all right. He has his N plate now. He can make a quick getaway

[Fran]

@flattythehurdler

I’m really looking forward to it. The impression I had from the league games is that the pitch seemed very crowded. Hope there are no injuries on either side. It’ll be very close. Strange to think that if galway lose, as they may well, they’ll be a game away from going out, despite having dismantled Kilkenny. We will see what cornelius is made of today. By the way @fran, what did you make of him last week? You rudely ignored my polite enquiry, which doesn’t quite come close to the time galway played (and lost to) kk in an I televised league game,and I asked midshipman asha how galway looked, and she replied that she didn’t know as she was watching Kilkenny. :-/ It did nothing for my rosy tinted view of kk hurling.

Apologies flatty, in truth I was more concerned with how weak KK looked. Cornelius reminded me of Mannion when he came on the scene first, probably a little bit bigger. I remember him getting on to a decent bit of ball and more than held his own

[glasagusban]

It was your best year yet.

[flattythehurdler]

Thanks Fran. He seemed to arrive out of nowhere, and it’s very hard to tell sometimes. Kk were odd I thought. They seemed far better in the league. I haven’t seen Cody looking as despondent in an interview in a long time, and it wasn’t at simply losing I don’t think. Speaking as a galway man however, you can’t stamp on kk enough. Fuckers are like dandelions.

[wexico14]

I’m hoping for a huge game from the Foley brothers.

[Bandage]

Unreal tailbacks on the way through Ferns and Enniscorthy - I should have gone the coast road. But I’m in Wexford now thank goodness, even though it took 2hrs 40 minutes instead of the usual 1hr 50 minutes. I drove all the way.

[Brimmer_Bradley]

Well there’ll be no match traffic on the coast road you big eejit. Why would anyone go by Foynes or Glin ffs.

[Bandage]

Attractive curtain raiser underway for early arrivals. Avondale (Wicklow) v Kevin’s (Dublin) in Leinster league.

[glasagusban]

Another milestone, well done @Bandage

[Joe_Player]

Should be a good

[Big_Dan_Campbell]

Any streams for the Wexford match?

[alf_stewart]

Which sky sports channell is it on gents!