Last year Dublin hurlers had three matches at home (two with the footballers at Croke Park, one stand alone at Parnell). The two double headers attracted around 35k each while the Galway game at Parnell attracted 6-7k. Crowds at the Croke Park games have been down this year - the novelty has worn off and there has been no marketing effort this year. Also the gap betwen games is almost an hour. If you want to see all of both games it means four hours in the stadium which is too long in February or March.
Wouldn’t argue too much with that. I think Cork and Galway are probably fairly even, although at this stage Cork seem more likely to end up in a quarter or semi-final this year.
Would definitely have Cork ahead of Galway.
I’d probably agree with you. Galway annihilated Cork in the championship last year though so I can understand someone giving them the nod as well. Cork only have a bit of league form to their credit and by the time July rolls around you invariably find that league form doesn’t mean much.
I feel that Cunningham has discarded several of their best players. The likes of Farragher, while often criticized was a hugely influential player and the Under 21s he has promoted are a long way short of that standard. Most of last years Under 21 team are now on the senior side and I wouldn’t say that that 21s team were exceptional.
Yeah if they get Farragher and Kavanagh back then they’ll have a very decent squad, did he get rid of Niall Hayes as well?
I was actually going to put Cork and Galway side by side but I think the latter have a good bit more squad depth and have used more players in the league. Plus Galway have won the last two meetings, and have Canning back now.
An Moltoir has an article up on the league - http://www.anmoltoir…g.blogspot.com/
NEW FORWARD TALENT THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE HURLING YEAR TO DATE
One wouldn’t normally put too much store in the National Hurling League in terms of championship prospects later in the year, but this year things are a little bit different. With three new managers in Divison IA and no less than five in Division 1B, observers will obviously be trying to detect how the counties in question are shaping up under the new regimes, in terms of squad and team selections, styles of play and overall spirit and commitment.
In addition, the new, and shorter, five-game arrangement has given an additional edge to the competition while at the same time reducing the leeway for experimentation as every point earned becomes vital.
Kilkenny, of course, have always treated the league seriously under Brian Cody, and already they stand alone at the top of the table. After cantering to victory against lack-lustre Tipperary and Waterford, they came up against much more serious opposition in the shape of Dublin. Eleven points down entering the closing stages, they still managed to pull the fat out of the fire, no doubt anxious to set a marker for inevitable confrontations later in the year.
Given that this was the All-Ireland champions against the League champions, it is almost beyond belief that there was not even one camera present for the purpose of recording highlights, of which there was an abundance. Kilkenny, of course, have been in a similar situation before. In the 1963 All-Ireland final they shipped six goals against Waterford in what was a 60-minute match, but still came out on top thanks in no small measure to a 14 point haul by a youngster named Eddie Keher.
Kilkenny orchestrated the pre-season departure of some of the old guard quite well, making the announcements one at a time over a period of weeks. Meanwhile, Brian Cody’s practice of careful and very selective nurturing of new talent continues. For the first game against Tipperary the strongest team available was put out, with Richie Doyle and Conor Fogarty coming on as late subs once the issue was decided. The next day against Waterford both of these (as well as sub goalie Eoin Murphy) started and played the entire game, while three further relatively new names (Kieran Joyce, Willie Phelan and Cillian Buckley) came on as late subs. For the much stiffer test against Dublin, it was more or less all hands on deck again, although Richie Doyle did start and play the whole game.
As for Dublin, losing two games which they probably should have won by a single point might suggest a certain flakiness. At the same time, given their injury problems, the fact that they continue to perform at a high level must be a great source of reassurance for Anthony Daly. The growing depth of their panel is indicated by the fact that, despite the long-term absence of Brady, Hiney and Keaney, they were still able to bring on substitutes of the quality of Dotsy O’Callaghan, Maurice O’Brien and Alan McCrabbe in the game against Cork.
At one stage in this game they looked as though they would win pulling up, but a couple of very good goal chances just wouldn’t go in, while at the other end Cork’s comeback goal was rather fortuitous, the Dublin defence getting unhinged by what appeared to be an accidental kick forward by Seán Óg Ó hAilpín after he was dispossessed coming through the middle. At the same time fair dues to Jimmy Barry Murphy for throwing in the late substitutes who succeeded in breaking the Dublin territorial stranglehold.
One of the features of this year’s League so far has been the emergence of some very promising young forward talent, including Dublin’s Danny Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe got on the ball a lot in impressive fashion in their first game against Galway, but nothing seemed to go right for him thereafter. Against Cork he gave John Gardiner a torrid time when he moved to the left wing, shooting five excellent points from both left and right. He followed this up with no less than 2-3 against Tommy Walsh and Kilkenny, and with a total of 2-9 is now in joint first position (with Cork’s Conor Lehane) as the leading scorer from play in Division 1A of the league. If he can continue this form, if Dublin can manage to get David Treacy in any kind of functional order, and if Eamon Dillon can realise some of his potential (a lot of ifs there, admittedly), then they will go a long way to solving the firepower problem which has hindered their development in the last three years.
There has been a lot of hype about Cork’s resurgence under JBM, but their performance against Galway at home last Sunday should help put things in perspective. They looked good at times in their first game against Waterford, but the subequent showings by the Déise means that they provide a poor benchmark against which to make judgement. Even then, were it not for some woeful Waterford shooting and a Seamus Prendergast effort which went the wrong side of the post, that game could have been much closer than it actually was at the end.
Against Waterford, the Leesiders went missing for a while in the second half, but Waterford were unable to take advantage. They did the same against Dublin, but were able to reverse things late on with telling substitutions. It happened a third time against Galway, but even though, as against Dublin, they appeared to have salvaged the game with Lorcan McLoughlin’s excellent goal, they still had no answer to the Westerners’ late winning surge.
Galway, of course, have a long history of flattering to deceive in the league. However, there are some aspects of the “new” Galway under Anthony Cunningham which give them grounds for hope. Placing David Collins at full back and Fergal Moore at No. 6 has given the team a feeling of solidity and stability, while behind them James Skehill seems to be a really top-class goalie (a position where they have been weak down through the years). They seem to have followed the example of Tipperary in bringing in two small but skillful, tight and quick corner backs (Declan Connolly and Ger O’Halloran). Up front Niall Burke has the look of another emerging gem (apart from being a good freetaker). Joe Canning would have been proud of his wonder strike which put paid to Cork last Sunday.
Thus far, Cunningham’s Galway have been playing with commitment and organisation, while they brought to the Cork game an element of physicality which we haven’t seen from them in a long time. In the second half last Sunday they seemed to win every 50:50 ball. While the Cork veterans were able to withstand the physical challenges, their problem was keeping up with the pace of the game, and there was further evidence of the terminal decline of the remnants of what was once a great troupe of hurlers. On that note we wish to pay tribute to Ben O’Connor for his marvellous contribution to hurling over the last 15 years. He and his brother Gerry were key members of a great Cork team which would undoubtedly have achieved a lot more in any other era bar that of Brian Cody’s Kilkenny.
We would make an exception of Seán Óg Ó hAilpín who has been performing his midfield duties admirably with his reading of the game and intelligent use of the ball. One imagines that his presence in the dressing room and on the field is also invaluable in terms of helping the new kids on the block to make the transition to the top level. His exclusion from the panel last year had the appearance of vindictiveness about it; it was undeserved based on his performances of the previous year and had the effect of disposing of what should have been a valuable asset in terms of bringing Cork hurling forward to a new era.
And certainly a new era beckons if Cork can continue to produce new players as gifted as Conor Lehane, whose hurling so far this year has been sensational. His ability to score at will from any position in the opposition half of the field once he gains possession is extraordinary. Even more amazing is his ability, for a relatively small man, to get possession in the air through a combination of timing, springs in his legs and sheer skill. Of the other Rebel newcomers, we have been most impressed by William Egan who appears to have that element of leadership which every successful team requires.
The most disquieting feature of this year’s league has been the sad and rapid decline of Waterford. Last year they came very close to qualifying for the league final and, once again, got to an All-Ireland semi-final where they gave a good account of themselves. In their three games to date they have been listless and aimless, to the point of being toyed with by better prepared and more committed opponents. Being short so many injured or otherwise absent players is no excuse. They have still been able to put out teams which, on paper and past performance, should have been able to put up a better fight, especially given the stakes involved.
Last Sunday they simply provided target practice for a Tipperary team that was virtually lining up to have a shot at the Waterford posts. And this with a team only one of whose forwards started in last year’s All-Ireland final. Two key features of their game last Sunday were particularly noticeable – their use of short and directed puckouts in order to retain possession of the ball, and their very constructive use of the stick pass to put their forwards in possession. It was easy, of course, against a team lacking alertness and an appetite for hard work.
Looking briefly at Division 1B, it looks as though the promotion spot will be between Clare and either Limerick or Offaly. A notable thing about Clare is that they are playing a brand of short-passing, hard-running hurling which is totally unlike the kind of hurling Waterford played when Davy Fitzgerald was in charge there. Maybe it has something to do with the kind of players available, but it could have something more to do with Davy’s fellow mentors, Louis Mulqueen and Mike Deegan, who one would expect to have a greater involvement than the rather anonymouse pairing which acted as Davy’s fellow selectors in Waterford.
After a very poor start against Clare, Limerick have managed to steady the ship with wins over Laois and Wexford, the latter achieved in Wexford without the services of Declan Hannon, Shane Dowling and Kevin Downes, three further outstanding forward prospects around whom Limerick will be hoping to build a bright future. However, it has to be recognised that Wexford have fallen to a very low ebb in the hurling standings, and Offaly will be kicking themselves for losing both a big lead and the match when they also played the Model County men a fortnight ago.
Offaly have come pretty close to the top level in the championship in the last two years, only losing a replay to Galway in 2010 and being squeezed out in the closing minutes by Dublin last year. They have been considerably strengthened by the return of Diarmuid Horan, a development which doesn’t appear to have received any media coverage. It is sad that whatever problem he had with Joe Dooley could not be patched up, as his presence could have made the difference in the aforementioned games against Galway and Dublin.
Offaly will be further strengthened by the return of the Coolderry contingent, whose size will undoubtedly be expanded as a result of their club championship exploits. The same, of course, could be said of Antrim and Loughgiel, to whom we extend our congratulations on their great club final victory. It is probably too late now for the men from the Glens to retrieve their league position after two defeats, but if they can get the Loughgiel players to transfer the commitment and ability displayed in the club championship to the county team, then nobody will want to encounter them come championship time. Liam Watson has probably already secured his All-Star for the year, but hopefully he will choose not to rest on his laurels, as in his current form he is worth going a long way to see.
Overall, therefore, on the basis of what we have seen so far, we would expect this year’s championship to be much more competitive than it has been for some time. We expect Galway, Cork, Clare, Limerick, Offaly and Antrim to be significantly stronger, while Kilkenny, Tipperary and Dublin will continue to comprise the Top Three. On the negative side, it is hard at this stage to see Waterford retrieving their hurling year, which is a pity considering the great progress made at under-age level in the county in recent years and the flow of good new players being generated as a result. Nevertheless, given the number of highly talented forwards who have come to prominence this spring, it should be a summer well worth looking forward to.
‘Sad and rapid decline’ of Waterford is taking the piss really.
That’s fair stupid! They did a good job promoting them last yr. kind of beggars belief they didn’t go again, assumed SAM would do the marketing for em I suppose!
He’s from Waterford it seems so I’m sure that colours his opinion. He may be proved right this year. Over the last ten years I think Waterford have made the semi-final or better eight times. And they made the quarters in one of those other two years. If they lose to Clare this year I wouldn’t fancy them to get to the quarter-finals this year. Even if they win I don’t think they’ll get past that stage. There has obviously been a gradual decline over the last five years, which Davy Fitz temporarily arrested, but it’s very possible that they’ll plummet this year if the evidence to date is anything to go by. One bad management team can do more damage in six months than age can in five years.
Ridiculous taking an article that’s three weeks old seriously. Waterford have new manager and two months to prepare for Clare. They’ll beat the shit out of Clare.
Is he from Waterford? Doubt Waterford will beat Clare this year, wheel is turning
Yes Waterford have a new manager and he is from Waterford.
But sure if he’s from Waterford he’ll probably just be another gobshite like the last fella. Don’t see how that will help them.
Could you elaborate on that Fagan if you don’t mind?
That U21 winning side was one of the poorest in a long while. Crazy to build a senior panel around it.
Someone explain how Shane Kavanagh is not even on the Galway panel despite being Galway’s best fullback since Conor Hayes?Presumably the madness of playing David Collins in there is over after the KK experience.
[quote=“Mac, post: 662818”]
Could you elaborate on that Fagan if you don’t mind?[/quote]
He’s Ken McGrath.
Ah I get what you’re at now.
How many senior championship games have Waterford won under a Waterford manager in the last 20 years? The last 30?
Equally baffling are some of the names that survived the purge.