There you have it. Limerick has taken the GAA professional. From those who know
Amusing exchange from Tuesday nightâs county board meeting in Woodlands involving K/P delegate Cllr Emmet OâBrien and CB Secretary Mike âSpikeâ OâRiordan. One of those âyou had to be thereâ moments reallyâŚâŚ
Spike: âthe long term plan is to rebuild the Mackey Standâ
EOB: âThatâs great Mike, any idea when that will be completed byâŚâŚâ
Spike: âWhenever you and your fellow councillors thrown a few hundred grand our wayâ
EOB: âThereâs a directly elected mayor on the horizon, maybe you could run for it Mikeâ
Spike: âI wouldnât want to hog your space Emmetâ
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Not saying that a gender gap is right but would a junior footballer usually expect the same funding/supports as one of the star players on the greatest team of all time? Like would it be sustainable to provide her with nearly the same level of support?
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Look at the difference in preparation the week leading upto a match. The hurlers are sleeping in oxygen tents while the ladies footballers probably play frisbee and walk the dog.
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The hurlers tried the frisbee approach last year but it didnât really work out for them.
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Well since the LGFA have absolutely nothing to do with the GAA in first place it seems a bit of a pointless argument.
If they want to come back into the fold then they can complain about equality
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No you wouldnât. Itâs more the fact that she says her partner is a professional athlete in all but name
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Aaron is an entrepreneur mate.
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I won* a 25e voucher there in a push/pull competition (and a free can of monster). Iâm practically a pro athlete myself
*everyone who competed got that
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He is, AGS is a serious enterprise.
But he is a professional athlete in all but name. She says it there.
In all but name and the fact he doesnât get paid, or go into work as an athlete every day.
So heâs a professional athlete in all but name and everything else that makes an athlete professional
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Yes, a professional athlete IN ALL BUT NAME.
Iâm not sure youâre following here.
Iâm Tom Cruise in all but name
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Youâre dumb as a rock as far as I can see. But sure. Be Tom Cruise.
Not many this year - What they had last year only one was any good. He is overseas this year. Most lads from other counties in the barracks now play back home with there clubs. One lad from KK is playing full back for GB I think , but he is settled out there.
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A quick turnaround from Round 1 into Round 2 before a break for football for a couple of weeks; it gives some teams the chance to write the wrongs of a week before, it gives others the chance to build a new cushion heading into the break. Also should be a bit easier to predict with a bit of form to base predictions off, having seen teams in action and, at the very least, having seen some teamsheets.
Senior A
Thursday August 10
Ahane (11/2) vs Kilmallock (1/10) @ 7pm in Doon
Doon (9/2) vs Patrickswell (1/8) @ 7pm in Kilmallock
Friday August 11
Kildimo/Pallaskenry (15/2) vs Na Piarsaigh (1/20) @ 7pm in Claughaun
The odds say it all really about what way these matches are predicted to go, itâs expected to be one-way traffic in all three. Tonight, the streamed game is the clash between Ahane and Kilmallock. Ahane have got a first-round win for the first time since going up to the Senior A group which puts a different outlook on their season, they now pretty much have four free hits to make a quarter-final. Kilmallock looked very very impressive as they dismantled Doon, while missing Graeme Mul, Robbie Hanley and David Woulfe. Now, how much of it was to do with how good Kilmallock or was it to do with how poor Doon were? Probably a mixture of both as the game was over in 10 minutes, but I do think they have addressed some of the issues they had last year. Ahane had a comprehensive victory over ourselves and if there is any hint of complacency in Kilmallock, Ahane could take advantage of that. Still, as good as Tom Morrissey is, impossible to go against Kilmallock after last week. Too much firepower but Ahane are unlikely to roll over. Kilmallock by 6.
Doon were so poor last week and itâs not like theyâre going to have a whole host of players back. Patrick Cummins, at least, will start but, with the greatest respect to him, he was probably the most replaceable of last yearâs backline. Still, better to have him than not, I just donât think he can be expected to seal up all the gaping holes. Patrickswell were very impressive in their victory over Na Piarsaigh, looked very structured and youâd expect them to put the foot down here. They will have John Kirby back in the mix too so should actually be stronger than last week. Again, looking at last week, there is only way I can go with my prediction here although you would presume Doon will show a bit of pride and put in a better showing and they do still have some serious quality in attack. But still, Patrickswell by 9.
After losing to Ahane, I suppose we canât really complain about being such large outsiders. And, while people would have said Na Piarsaigh were poor last week, they still only lost by two points. And generally when they have lost their opening round match, they have come back with a vengeance the following week and hammered the shit out of some poor cunts. So, our first goal will be to ensure that doesnât happen early on and then go out and try and cause an upset. Our one consolation, if you can call it that, is that we know we have much higher levels of performance within us and we have shown it against better sides than Ahane. The flip side is that was the most winnable match and we didnât perform, never a good look. Even without Will, Long, Boylan and Dempsey; Na Piarsaigh carry a huge amount of threat, with pretty much every player having played underage for Limerick at least. If we thought last week was a step up in intensity and quality, this week will be another level altogether but if we can match that, weâll give it an oul go anyway.
Senior B
Friday August 11
Garryspillane (3/1) vs Mungret/St. Paulâs (1/4) @ 7pm in Cappamore
Saturday August 12
Monaleen (1/4) vs South Liberties (3/1) @ 2pm in Caherconlish
Sunday August 13
Adare (evens) vs Ballybrown (10/11) @ 2.30pm in Askeaton
An impressive opening round win, with four goals on the board, with a similarly disappointing defeat for Garryspillane, who conceded four goals. That formline probably only points in one direction but Garryspillane did beat Mungret last year and are the type of physical, dogged team that Mungret have, at times, struggled with. I was surprised, however, at the margin of Garryspillaneâs defeat and while Willie Griffin may be a more dangerous forward than anything Mungret have, that inside line of Mulcahy, OâBrien and Lynch are a threat and have already shown they can get goals. Wouldnât be surprised if it was very tight but because I was disappointed in Garryspillane last week, Iâll go with Mungret to edge this one. Mungret by 4.
Two very disappointing opening weekends for these two. Monaleen, on the back of promotion and an All-Ireland victory, back up at Senior A were expected to really compete this year but they didnât even lay a glove on Ballybrown. Just hurled off the pitch and thatâs got to be a disappointment, they surely needed to at least compete. And it was even worse for Liberties; again, down lots of bodies and they were just utterly blown away. Whoever loses could be in real bother for relegation when both would presumably have had eyes on a quarter-final spot. While Liberties do have Nash, the other missing bodies do make them weaker overall and Iâm presuming Monaleen have some sort of bounce in them. They have no other real excuses, this is a must-win for them, I think they are justifiable favourites, but they need to perform. Iâll tip them because I donât see how Liberties pull it out; Monaleen by 5.
As @Watchyourtoes so eloquently put it, the big cunt-off is being streamed on Sunday. Thereâll be no winners here, no matter who wins, we lose. Hard to decide who are the bigger cunts⌠Anyway, hurling-wise, it should be a decent game. Both sides had disastrous years in 2022 but both opened their accounts fairly impressively last weekend. Willie Griffin led a Declan Hannon-less Adare to a fairly comprehensive victory over Garryspillane while Aidan OâConnor was the inspiration for Ballybrown taking Monaleen apart. The bookies make Ballybrown slight favourites and Iâd have to go with that. I just think Hannon is a major loss for Adare, although Mikey Mackey is a good fella to have back and between himself and Sam Hickey, that will have done something to address the lack of legs in attack they had last year. Ronan Connolly will presumably try to nullify Aidan OâConnor and that should be a good battle, and if he can keep him quiet, that would be a huge boost for Adare. Still, Iâm not sure that they have another player to halt Coughlan in full flight and they do have a few other tidy forwards too. Obviously Ballybrown will have to keep tabs on Willie aswell, but Iâll give them a slight edge in this one. Ballybrown by 3.
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Premier Intermediate
Thursday August 10
Dromin/Athlacca vs Newcastlewest @ 7pm in Askeaton
Friday August 11
Cappamore vs Glenroe @ 7pm in Hospital
Saturday August 12
Blackrock vs Effin @ 6pm in Kilmallock
Sunday August 13
Bruff vs Na Piarsaigh 2 @ 1pm in Fedamore
Round 3 in the Premier Intermediate and I actually think the hardest game to pick this weekend is the one tonight at this grade. Newastlewest were many peopleâs favourites, including mine for this grade, and they are currently winless. Another defeat would seriously dent their chances of making a semi-final and make relegation a real possibility. I think they are probably too good for that but there is no guarantee they win here. Perhaps a little unlucky last weekend but Dromin/Athlacca will also feel they were unlucky against Blackrock (missing Mike Reidy & Cian Scully from the start) and they bounced back in impressive fashion last weekend to beat an Effin side, who comfortably beat NCW. So the formlines now point to a D/A win. I wouldnât put money on it, I think itâll be very tight but NCWâs confidence may be a little low, maybe they need the break and they have really struggled for scores in both games so far. D/A, on the other hand, seem to have got more from their other attackers, apparently David Mullins was impressive the last day, young Daniel Scully goaled the first day and Breen & Fitzgibbon are always lively. Thatâs not to mention David Reidy in the middle of the field, capable of getting 4 or 5 points from play any day. Iâm not sure of the status of Mike Reidy, Cian Scully and Sean OâLeary; with those involved, I would definitely back D/A. Without them, NCW should have enough on paper but paper hasnât delivered wins for them so far. So Iâll go with D/A to win by 1 but wouldnât be surprised with any result here tbh.
Cappamore and Glenroe have both fucked away big leads against Na Piarsaigh and both may seriously live to regret it. They have also both lost to Bruff. Cappamoreâs defeat last week must be particularly galling, conceding 2-1 in injury time, including the softest of all goals to lose it. This could very well end up deciding which team comes bottom while semi-final hopes would still be alive for the winner. Another almost impossible one to call, both have very similar formlines, neither have been able to see out matches. Iâm probably going to just give the edge to Cappamore on the basis that apparently they hurled very well against Na Piarsaigh the last day and should have won comfortably (should have doesnât get the points on the board, however). Cappamore by 1.
Blackrock have fought hard and dug out two narrow victories. Effin started in style with a 10-point victory but then fell to D/A last weekend. This should be a serious contest in Kilmallock on Saturday evening, I imagine the neighbours will bring out a big crowd and thereâs a bit on the line too. A Blackrock win and theyâd have one foot in the semi-finals already while an Effin men would make it very very tight. I think Iâve backed against Blackrock twice now but a team that can win tight games⌠thatâs probably the best trait of all. I do think Effin have a lot of quality and if they are allowed hurl, they will do damage. For example, I donât think Blackrock have a back that can hold Paddy OâDonovan⌠but if he doesnât get the ball, thereâs not much he can do. Iâm looking at the teams now and while Blackrock do have a lot of dog in them, I think Effin have that bit more quality and it means Iâm backing against Blackrock again. Effin by 4.
Na Piarsaigh and Bruff are both topping this table with four points, both having played the same days. NaP need a strong dose of luck to win last week with a long free dropping into the net in the 10th minute of injury time, but should good spirit to fight back yet again. The loss of Evan Condon may dent their chances having already lost three of the team from the first day to their seniors. There is a rumour of one further injury so maybe they will be down another. You always expect second teams to get weaker as the year progresses and this may work in Bruffâs favour. Bruff are without their own talisman but have ground out wins so far, with Chris & David Browne prominent on the scoresheet. I expect a side like them to be able to take advantage where Cappamore were unable to. Bruff by 6.
Intermediate Group 1
Friday August 11
Bruree vs Kilmallock 2 @ 7pm in Glenroe
Croagh/Kilfinny vs Knockaderry @ 7pm in the Bog Garden
Hospital/Herbertstown vs Pallasgreen @ 7pm in Kilteely
All three of these on tomorrow night, not good for the spies. Kilmallock another side who threw away a massive lead and ended up getting hammered by Knockaderry. Bruree had a big win over H/H and Iâd make them one of the favourites to win this grade. Hard to see them not having enough to win here. Bruree by 10.
While Knockaderry did have a big win against Kilmallock, a different test altogether against a Croagh/Kilfinny side with their eyes on the title. The confidence of last weekâs win should help but I just donât think they have the quality to take on C/K. C/K by 9.
Probably the most interesting game in this group is the one in Kilteely, between two sides who lost on the opening weekend. H/H didnât lay a glove on Bruree while Pallasgreen may have literally laid gloves on C/K, they werenât close on the scoreboard in the end. Now, C/K only really pulled away from Pallasgreen towards the end and neither Malachy nor Pudgie are suspended for this. They will probably need to get support in attack in order to rack up enough scores to win, but I think Pallasgreen have that bit more about them, worried about H/Hâs chance of staying alive this year. Pallasgreen by 5.
Intermediate Group 2
Thursday August 10
Croom vs Knockainey @ 7pm in Ballybricken
Friday August 11
Feohanagh vs Granagh/Ballingarry @ 7pm in Newcastlewest
Murroe/Boher vs St. Kieranâs @ 7pm in Mungret
While the average margin of victory wasnât as high in group 2, there were still three fairly comfortable wins which makes the second round quite interesting. Knockainey came up way short of G/B when I would have had them as one of the favourites for the competition. Croom arguably had an even more disappointing defeat, falling by 7 to newly-promoted and relegation favourites St. Kieranâs. So that immediately puts them as favourites to come bottom of this group, while Knockainey have to win if they have ambitions of making it out of the group. Knockainey sounded very disappointing last week but I do think they have enough quality to turn it around and I expect them to get the job done this week. Knockainey by 5.
The standout display was G/Bâs win over Knockainey and while Feohanagh avenged last yearâs hammering at the ends of M/B, it is hard to back against G/B given the impressive nature of their display. Now, they will have to get a handle on Seamie Flanagan and Mike Fitzgibbon but G/B just seem to have that strength all over the pitch that only a few other sides at this grade have. Iâll go with G/B by 4.
A huge opening round win for St. Kieranâs. Maybe the league hadnât gone so well for them and a lot of people were tipping them to go straight back down, getting that win doesnât mean they are safe but it definitely puts a different perspective on their season. Murroe/Boher, on the other hand, are in a very precarious position. They are now desperate to win this weekend, all the pressure is on them. They were outfought last weekend and youâd imagine thatâs one area that Kieranâs will never fall short in. You might outhurl them but they work their socks off. Will that pressure and desperation tell in a positive manner for M/B who do have some good hurlers? A defeat here and they can pretty much say goodbye to any chances of reaching the knockout stages, and will be fighting for their lives again. A win and they are back in the mix. Should be a really interesting contest in Mungret, Iâll go with M/B to deliver and win by 5.
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Junior A Group 1
Friday August 11
Monagea vs Staker Wallace @ 7pm in Ballingarry
Sunday August 13
Askeaton vs Patrickswell 2 @ 1pm in Adare
Monday August 14
Ballybricken/Bohermore vs Kilteely/Dromkeen @ 7pm in Hospital
Monagea perhaps needed a bit of luck to see off Askeaton but they did so and will be confident of backing that up this weekend. The Stakers have such a small pick, it is difficult for them, and they werenât disgraced last week against B/B. But, at the same time, do they have enough up front outside of McCarthy to get the scores they need? In Baynham, Herlihy, Brouder and OâCallaghan, Monagea do have fellas who can take scores and that will probably be the difference. Monagea by 6.
I really did not expect the one hammering at this grade to be taken by Patrickswell. They usually are there or thereabouts but apparently were just blown away by a very impressive K/D. How impressive are K/D we probably wonât know for sure until we see them again, but the Well are down a few that they would have counted on previously. John Kirby did play last weekend and will now be gone aswell, in addition to Carrig, Fitzgerald and McMahon. So this opens it up for Askeaton who surely canât contrive to give up goals as easily as last week, nor hit as many wides. It may be a purely confidence thing with Askeaton; they hurled well for large periods of the game but just threw it away. If they bring the positives; against a weakened Patrickswell side, they should again create enough chances to win the game, but will they be able to take them? The Well may still be a better side than Monagea, however, so itâs going to be close either way. Iâll go for Askeaton by 2 (which I probably wouldnât have predicted a week ago, the margin of Patrickswellâs loss has swayed me).
As mentioned, K/D had arguably the most impressive display of any team last weekend, even without Brian OâGrady. B/B beat the Stakers by 6 but didnât blow them away either. So I canât go against K/D here, even with knowing how unpredictable this grade is. K/D by 7.
Junior A Group 2
Saturday August 12
Caherline vs Tournafulla @ 7pm in Ballybrown
Claughaun vs Crecora/Manister @ 7pm in Rathbane
Garryspillane 2 vs Templeglantine @ 7pm in Ballyagran
Both Caherline & Tour won by three points in games that were always expected to be tight. Perfect starts for both and now must be the two favourites to progress from this group. Saying that, whoever wins this one would be expected to have one foot in the quarter-final, so a huge game. Tour had huge success under Shaughs previously and did rack up a lot more on the scoreboard than Caherline did against C/M. But games take a life of their own and I donât know if there is much less firepower in the Wixteds, Brennan, Carroll and Hourigan versus Cian OâSullivan, Moroney, Dore and Harnett. Maybe Tour have that bit more pace in attack, although it appears as if neither Power are available for Caherline this year. Hard to call, should be very tight, Iâll go with Tour by 2.
Claughaun were one of the biggest underperformers at this grade, in losing to the Bouncersâ second team, that would have been seen as a shock. C/M had a chance to equalise late on against Caherline but were denied and probably didnât get as much out of CON as they would have hoped, although presumably getting a lot of âspecialâ attention. I canât back Claughaun after they lost to the Bouncers tbh and, after all, I did predict C/M to win this outright although a paltry tally of 1-10 in their first game doesnât give huge encouragement. Nevertheless, C/M by 7.
As mentioned above, Garryspillane had a great win while Templeglantine fell by a goal to Tour. They definitely need more from Adam Fitz but I expect them to have too much here, as good as last weekâs win for the Bouncers was. I understand that Peter Morrissey was burned in the senior game so didnât even play last week, with Shane & Ben Ryan carrying most of the scoring burden. Templeglantine by 7.
Junior A Group 3
Sunday August 13
Ahane 2 vs Old Christians @ 12pm in Monaleen
Feenagh/Kilmeedy vs Killeedy @ 1pm in Newcastlewest
Castletown/Ballyagran vs St. Patrickâs @ 7pm in Fedamore
Arguably, the shock of the weekend was Old Christians beating St. Patâs. I wasnât totally surprised and was perhaps even more surprised by Ahane only losing by 4 to F/K but, at the start of the year, these two would have been seen as the two weakest teams in the group. While Ahaneâs weakest player might be stronger than Old Christiansâ weakest player, their strongest player would be nowhere near the calibre of Kevin Howard & Conor Madden. As @slimjim mentioned, Madden was hugely influential in their victory over Patâs, while Howard scored the two crucial goals. Iâm to go with the Rathbane boys to make it two wins from two. Old Christians by 7.
F/K beat Ahane as expected in the first round but only by a margin of four points, while Killeedy fell in a big clash against C/B. This all-West clash is probably the standout Junior fixture of Round 2 (along with Caherline & Tour) with qualification potentially on the line already, at this early stage. While winning wonât guarantee qualification, losing could mean you definitely wonât get there. Killeedy would have a huge amount of ground to make up and negative head-to-head against two of the favourites were they to lose. They only hit 0-13 and I look at their forwards and struggle to see where Cian Magnier Flynn and Jack Ahern are getting their support from. F/K have more options in the likes of Luke Ryan, Maurice Fitzgibbon and RuairĂ OâConnor but probably donât have anyone as good as the Killeedy duo either. Likely to be very tight, very hard to call, Iâm going to go with Killeedy with the additional experience they have at doing the job and actually getting to the knockout stages. Killeedy by 2.
C/B got the job done against Killeedy while Patâs fell to Old Christians. Therefore, on paper, this is only going one way. Patâs do have the Hegarty brothers and, in attack, a bit of youthful exuberance in the likes of Shane Cross and Kyle Mullins but I do think C/B have a nice balance to their team, with Harry Dore holding it together at centre-back and a wide range of options in attack. Even their bench just looks stronger than most junior teams and having got an opening round win, I expect them to back that up this week. C/B by 5.
Junior A Group 4
Saturday August 12
Bruff 2 vs Mungret/St. Paulâs @ 2pm in Croom
Dromcollogher/Broadford vs Rathkeale @ 7pm in Coolyroe
Sunday August 13
Blackrock 2 vs Doon 2 @ 1pm in Kilteely
Both Bruff and Mungretâs second teams opened their campaigns with a victory, against Blackrock and Rathkeale respectively. I see that Cian OâBrien has been named at 11 for Mungret this week, with Colin Madden named at 7 for Bruff. Both would be huge assets at junior level. I do like the look of that Bruff team with a lot of talented young players in attack but while Mungret may not be as strong as they were a couple of years ago, they have a few players who have experience at higher levels and I think they may just edge this one. Mungret by 3.
D/B came up with a late winner from Damien Burke against Doon in the opening round while Rathkeale fell to Mungret. When you have forwards like Burke at this level, you will have a chance and they do have a lot of pace elsewhere. I like the look of D/Bâs attack, even without Derry McCarthy. Rathkeale have loads of pace too, a lot of directness, but I donât know if they have the same capabilities to take scores from outside and I would expect D/B to take this one. D/B by 4.
Very easy to just write Doon off after hearing the amount of junior players that had to be burned. But, to be fair, they did have another influx of youth, a lot of whom were the ones thrown in to the deep end of senior hurling. Which means they were still able to retain the core of players who were defeated by Patrickswellâs last-second goal in last yearâs quarter-final, having done most of the hurling in that game. They fell to a late score last week too but will have taken some heart from going toe-to-toe with last yearâs county finalists. Blackrock lost to Bruff and while it wasnât a huge margin, they probably didnât have enough to get the job done. Therefore, youâd have to make Doon favourites here; hard to see many more being burned as they will presumably have players returning at senior level from here. Doon by 6.
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