All quiet Fitzy, not much word out of kk. Theyâre giving Fennelly Og every chance but heâll have to do a couple of training sessions first to prove his fitness. My guess is that he wonât make it.
Tickets is the next thing. Have two upper canal at present but hope to get better before the week is out.
I fully expect KK to romp home in this one.
Why do you think that?
they have being working on a system designed by fagan of playing two sweepers behind the full back line.
I just do. I can feel it in me waters. [quote=âWatch The Break, post: 593473â]
Why do you think that?
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I still think it is Tippâs to lose as the Kilkenny backs are seriosly lacking pace and their forwards donât look half as potent as they did a few years ago, but I have my doubts about Declan Ryan after the semi final when he was very slow to make changes to a forward line that were struggling to make an impact. He has a huge call to make with regards to Brendan Maher, does he start him and if he does who does he drop? How far from last years form is he? If he is to leave out the likes of Callinan for him then you may as well forget about Callinan making an impact as a sub as his confidence will be shot, granted he made an impact last September but he had a serious point to prove that day after the Cork and Galway games and it was fast and loose at that stage. If Eoin Kelly and John OâBrien perform and get 5 or 6 points from play between them then Tipp wonât be beaten but if they fail to perform then their will be far too much emphasis on Corbett and McGrath to get scores, Kilkenny wonât be cut open as easily as they were this time 12 months ago. Tipp have some nice forwards on the bench but I would have little faith in the likes of Brian OâMeara, Pa Bourke, Benny Dunne and Shane Bourke coming on and making a difference if Kilkenny are 4 or 5 points up midway through the second half, the likes of Dunne, and Bourke x2 would be fine lads to come on if Tipp are winning and Kilkenny have to chase the game, same way if Stapleton or OâKeefe are struggling there isnât really anyone to improve the situation. Not that Kilkenny have the depth of old but you would fancy someone like Paddy Hogan to add impetus around midfield and the likes of John Dalton to do a solid job in the backs if the likes of Hickey or Murphy is in trouble
Tipp will need to be in front with 15 or 20 to go as I canât see them out battling Kilkenny but I still think that the pace of Corbett and the class of McGrath will cause them too many problems
As said earlier the first 10 mins of this will be savage. Gavin is usually content to let the game flow so it could be hell for leather early on. I can see Kilkenny approaching this like Dublin did (and like they did themselves in 2006). Each line drops back one for puck outs and crowds the space. As Chewy has pointed out this Tipp team are not great ball winners and thrive instead on a loose game where their pace and movement can be best utilised. Iâm not sure that that Kilkenny can keep the intensity up for 70 mins though and Iâm not convinced that their bench has adaquete quality of replacements. On that basis Iâd give a tentative nod to Tipp but wouldnât be surprised if Kilkenny win by a small margin.
People seem to be tipping Kilkenny on the basis that theyâll deliver a savage intensity in their game that will overwhelm Tipp. Itâs very possible that they will, itâs certainly within their power to do it. My inclination towards Tipp is based on the upper limit of their forward play and the fact that their backs still havenât been given a rough day out by any opposition. Kilkenny donât seem to have the shock troops in their attack that they once had either. Is Shefflin the player he once was? I know people say Larkin is faring alright at FF but to me heâs nothing near the animal that won HOTY in the half-forward line. Richie Power still hasnât become the awesome player heâs expected to be, and his record from play over the last three years isnât at all impressive by Kilkenny standards.
Where Kilkenny hold the aces is in the middle of the field and around the breaks. Brendan Maherâs importance last year doesnât need re-stating and without him youâd have to ask how are Tipp going to contain Fennelly? Heâs capable of turning the game on his own. With Tommy Walsh very unlikely to be as quiet as last year itâs there and around the breaks Tipp could lose the game. Big questions will be asked of Shane McGrath and his partner along with the wing-forwards. If Tipp compete there I think theyâll score enough to win.
Early forecast is for a good bit of rain from Thursday through the end of the weekend for what itâs worth.
Btw the unders here at 47.5 is a great bet. I made a killing on the overs last year at 42.5 but this will be a much less open game and in two semi finals against fairly inferior opposition these teams managed a total of 47 points.
I would definitely have Larkin back at HF. Offers far more there than at FF and will drop back better than Power would. Agree with you on Power, huge talent but doesnât always deliver. The middle thrd is where the game will be decided, Dublin did an excellent job of cutting the supply to the Tipp forwards off at source. KK need to emulate this, i think their forwards are better than Dublins so they should post a higher score but again Iâm not sure they can keep it going for the full 70 mins.
:lol:
I suppose itâs possible that the placement of Larkin at FF is a direct response to Powerâs ineffectiveness on Curran last year. He has the strength for the job but overall Kilkenny will need to be a lot more precise in their own distribution than they were last year. I suppose they got so used to winning 50/50 duels that they became a bit complacent in the type of ball they fed each other. If theyâre moving in support a bit better this year it will make a big difference in opening Tipp up.
Can they really bully Tipp around the middle though? Looking back at last yearâs final itâs hard to see it, but maybe Tipp wonât bring that same hunger this year?
Personally I think Tipp will win this and could win it comfortably. I just donât think Kilkenny, while they have admirably come back from what could have been a team ending final last year, have the same level of ruthlessness that they had in the four in a row. Their forwards are spluttering in comparison to the normal standard and I still donât understand playing Larkin at FF. In saying that, Michael Fennelly has been fantastic in fairness and would be my HOTY.
But the Dublin game will have done Tipp a lot of good. Granted Padraic Maher seemed to get a hell of a lot of time and space, and at times Dublin seemed content to allow him to drop those long balls in as they were well able to deal with them. He wonât get that time on Sunday. But all over the park Tipp have far too much for mine in comparison to KK. Shane McGrath will be pivotal, Lar could have a torrid day, but they have so many options in their forwards, it shouldnât be a problem. Iâd expect Noel McGrath to have a huge game, and if John OâBrien and Eoin Kelly (Tipp) can pick up the slack, theyâll be on their way. Iâd expect Ryan to start Callinan, but not Brendan Maher, who could be a major impact when he does eventually come on.
The first ten mins will be mental as everyone expects, but Tipp can weather this and the quality they have all over the park and expecially up front should win out.
It should be a terrific final, because both teams have so many skillful players who have a decent forst touch, once it settles down, it will be interesting.
Tipp to win by 3-4 points.
Lets leave the speculation about Cody until after the gameâŚ
Kilkenny did so much wrong in last yearâs final they have the upper hand this year in terms of focusing on what they must do right. For their part, Tipp will know that they have to bring the same relentless effort into their tackling and scrapping for broken ball that they delivered last year. They didnât bring anything approaching that in the Dublin game and they will have to hope they have that energy in reserve.
But thats why I think the Dub game will stand to Tipp, they were a bit taken aback by them I thought, even though it was well sign posted that Dublin would bring that intensity. The whole thing about KK not preparing properly last year is a bit overdone really.
Iâm not saying Kilkenny didnât prepare right at all, Iâm sure they prepared as well as they always did. However, looking back at that game there are 4 or 5 glaring problems that ultimately cost them the game, things that were in their control and had nothing to do with Tippâs forward play. The point Iâm making is that there are loads of lessons there that should stand to them this year, and must do if they are to win. I reckon the closed doors sessions means they have learned a few things that theyâre itching to throw at Tipp on Sunday.
Yeah, fair enough, youâre right there. Iâm sure they canât actually wait for it to start, but Tipp will be well prepared too. I canât wait for it, should be a cracker of a match.
Looks as though Brendan Maher will not start the A/I final
Hope you get the tickets you want Locke. Do you reckon Colin will even make the bench? Its a pity as he would have been a decent contender for YHOTY?