My point is Laz that being a good hurler is simply no longer enough. Cork have plenty of good hurlers but thats not sufficient anymore. Galway have adapted to the more intense physical way of playing and hence they were by far the beter team on Sat.
The same is true of Galways dominance over Cork but you suggested otherwise in that instance.
but not enough of the right type of players.
I get your point but to say that Cork hurlers are as good as Galways is misguided. Only Donal Ăłg, POSullivan,and Cronin would get anywhere near the Galway 1st team. The rest would be rejected for not having the requisite skill or talent or on the basis of being past it.
Rumour has it Davy has left Waterford, donât know if there is truth in it
In fairness laz, Pat Horgan and niall mccarthy would make it.
Cork also had a game and were without potentially their 2 best players, Walsh and Sheehan. If Cork hurling was as organised as the football Sheehan would be playing hurling IMO as his primary sport. The fact it went to extra time shows Tipp werenât able to up the gears in normal time. They were clearly a more powerful and fitter team, and deserved their win. I said at the time while being proud of the Cork performance, the size difference in the players was frightening. It confirmed alot of my fears about how the players were being brought true. Corks âhurlingâ was every bit as good and possibly better, but thats not enough.
The underage development squads in Cork are now on very good physical development programs in the football, but still the hurling is haphazard. I have a couple of family members involved at various levels and the differences are stark. The advice given is completely different or non existent in hurling in some cases, which is flabbergasting as these teams work so closely in other ways.
They are, but Cork should be as well, thats the point.
:rolleyes: You have basically agreed with everything we have said in some way or another fenners, your a gas man. :lol:
A good few of that Cork team had Al medals, yes they are from a good few years ago now but the point again is that hurling has changed but that Cork team havenât adapted. Once again Laz, its not a criticism of Galway but lads like Gantley, Tannion, Andy Smyth are not the best hurlers youâll ever see but they were integral to how Galway played on Sat. Smyth in particular was outstanding. Waterford were dire yesterday, no idea of how to counter Tipp in any department.
Horgan.
Traditionally the best dual players would always choose hurling as its the âglamourâ team. Understandably these lads are choosing football and you cant blame them but they were potentially two of the type of players i referred to.
Kev, i agree with lots of what you are saying, but just dont believe we have the personnel to be competitive anytime soon regardless of set up etc.
True but thats as much that the players have not been forced to adapt to more modern methods. Yes players like the O Connors should have been dispensed with but Niall McCarthy, Gardiner, Paudie O Sullivan, Horgan and Cronin would fit in perfectly with current methods if they were properly coached.
Right that some wouldnât make it, most perhaps but all those named above would bring something to most teams.
Puke must be disappointed no-one is biting
Horgan would be doing well to oust Alan Kerins from the no 15. Iâll give you Niall McArthy as heâs a hurler Iâve personally always admired and could never understand a lot of the criticism that came his way particularly fro his fellow County men. Might be able to make room for him at Joe Gantleyâs expense but Gants been doing fookall wrong this year in fairness to him.
Laz Horgan is a superior player to Kerins. There is no contest there.
Nobody is saying Galway are not better than Cork right now, and are indeed a 12 point better team, its just Cork should not be in that position.
Kerins led his club to an All Ireland this year and seems to bring a real balance to the Galway attack since his return. Scored a great goal v Clare and can do damage from down the field when he goes roaming. Better hurler by a distance
Kerins is a better player then Horgan by a distance? Stop trolling, thats a good chap.
A few words I threw together on Galway v Waterford
Confirmed for Thurles 24 July 4pm.
This game brings up a number of interesting questions
1 Is two weeks sufficient to get over a defeat like Waterford suffered at the hands of Tipp?
I am thinking yes. In fact itâs probably ideal.Mentally they should be alright on the day in fact it might well spur them on. The first week itâs hard to have the stomach for hurling but by the Monday before the game, once theyâve realized the world is still turning despite what happened in Pair ui Caoimh, the players appetite will have returned and if anything theyâll be greatful to have an opportunity of redeeming themselves so soon. Whether itâs sufficient time to address, let alone fix their problems at the back is a different story altogether. Redemption might well have to wait a year. Which brings us to question 2
2 What will it take for Waterford to redeem themselves and is this team capable of it?
Hard to know what it will take really. A win obviously but restoring some pride is just as important at this point. If they can get a foothold in the game this Waterford side are capable of really testing Galway. A championship record of 8 games and 8 victories over the Tribes suggests quite emphatically just where the balance of power lies in this rivalry. They will take solace from that record but Galway will be using it as motivation themselves. If Waterford are to find redemption then any discontent thatâs rumoured to exist within the camp wont be doing them any favours.
3 Whats the story with John Mullane?
Did not look right at all in the Munster Final. Looked slow and unfocused. Thereâs talk of him not having been taking training seriously this year which is criminal in the modern inter-county game. Did Davy allow this? Are they cooperating with each other fully? And is there really 6 better forwards in Waterford than Eoin Kelly? I know his form has dipped but surely such a prolific scorer has to be on the starting 15.
4 Are Galway flattering to decieve us yet again?
Would the real Galway please stand up the Tullamore version or the Limerick version. The team does look transformed from the Dublin game and the key difference is that they are playing as a team now. There was too much individualism going on in Tullamore but now they are playing with their heads up, making runs and looking for the man in space. Their still not completely there as Damien Hayes proved when he wouldnt pass the ball to Kerins who was clean in on goal the last day but the turnaround has been impressive nonetheless. Ultimately it will be hard to measure where Galway are really at unless they come up against the likes of Tipp or Kilkenny but no one is counting their chickens yet in that regard. Retaining their current rate of consistency and progress is paramount for Galway right now and remaining injury free is crucial for this to be maintained.
5 Who will win?
Galway will win. They are hurling out of their skins since Tullamore and improving each time. Waterford will offer a backlash and hopefully it will be enough to restore some pride but their fundamental problems in defense are sure to be targeted by John Mcyntires outfit who have scored 12 goals in 4 Championship games so far. Galways midfield has evolved to a real solid partnership and their defense, bar a shaky few moments early on against Cork look to have found their mojo. Waterford may well be looking for redemption but they will not find it in Thurles.
i like most of this, but canât help feeling ye lads are getting a tiny bit carried away.
(irony of that statement coming fom a limerick man is not lost on me)
ref. your 12 goals in 4 games comment.
westmeath were relegated from div 2, losing every game.
that dublin team are somewhere between the leinster and league finals and very much still unsure of themselves. they lost their 2nd choice full back to injury and threw in kelly to put out a fire.
clare canât stop conceding goals regardless of opposition. let in 10 gaols in 7 games in div 2. only 2 of the 12 forwards that started against them for tipp and galway didnât score a goal.
that cork team is the worst since the replacements were getting routed under gerald and clearly cadogan, amongst others, is nowhere near his best form.
May have been mentioned already but Brendan Fennelly has stepped down as Laois senior hurling manager tonight.
In the context of Waterford having conceded 10 goals in 2 games I think Galways goal record of 12 in 4 this year is worthy of mention in relation to the upcoming fixture. I did say that Galways true worth cannot be measured until they face either Tipp or Kilkenny so dont think anyone is getting too carried away but do certainly expect Galway to have too much for Waterford in Thurles.
Iâd be more worried about the flaky Galway players getting carried away than the supporters after Mcyntires Carlsberg comments on them being consistent now. Two games in a row playing well is hardly the cornerstone of consistency. Come back to me after 5 games John.