Ah lads, can ye give the bickering a rest on today of all days.
AnywaysâŚ, the feeling when Barry Murphy cut them open and and smashed the sliotar into the Tipp net - moments like that make following us all worthwhile. I ended up about three rows in front of my seat in the open stand. Oh yes.
Two ways of looking at it - maybe might have been better to keep the momentum going and be out again next week. Or rest up after a tough game, two further weeks of reintegration for the Na P lads, two more weeks for Peter Casey to recoverâŚ
Probably be tough on Cork to have a six day turn around after facing a wounded Tipp away. Of our first two games Cork was the one I was hoping to win, yesterday was a nice bonus. Only saw snippets of the match in Stade de Frank but Cork were impressive apparently. OâMahony and A Cadogan to come back too. Could have been in an A-I final last year but for Cahalane getting sent off. That Cork forward line posts up big tallies every day.
There was regularly six weeks between championship games. I doubt 13 days is a momentum killer. We can have today off and focus on cork for 12 days. Cork meanwhile will have had six days to prepare for limerick.
With that win under our belt we are well set for the cork game, definitely an advantage to us that they have only 6 days. Of course if they win they will have momentum. Itâs the best start we could have hoped for with time to plan and scope to improve for the second game.
Waterford are the unknown quantity. Had zero interest in the league. Then again Dublin were the same and are desperately unlucky not to have picked up any points from two matches so far.
Maybe if Dublin had taken the league more seriously theyâd have had two wins. Limerick when the game was in the melting pot yesterday were very confident in themselves. This comes from their tight wins v Galway and Clare imo.
Lk will need to improve on yesterday to win any of the next three games . Tipp were really off color yesterday .
The half back line was our only real outstanding area yesterday . That said I think we will improve . The full back line will , Cian Lynch was only average yesterday , half forward line needs a bit more scoring threat .
To be fair to the dubs , gilroy inherited an utter shambles and time was not his friend . Also the Cuala players were a huge loss to a new manager .
They will look at what Lk did in 1a this year and should take a similar approach . If they are smart ( and Pat Gilroy is no daw ) they could be a real force next year .
Iâm merely pointing out the league performances are crucial in the new system. The teams that are consistent in the league will be consistent in the championship format. Before weâd six weeks between games and you could create another massive once off performance.