National Hurling League 2014

randd1

I noticed there wasn't a topic for the upcoming league so I said I'd kick off the chat on this one, as it should be a cracker of a league this year.


For those in division 1, its anyone's really such is the spread of talent as each of the sides are well capable of getting their year off to a flyer. I know some people have some hang-ups still about the NHL, but I think in recent years its become an important tool for teams to have a solid base to build for the summer (I know Cork might seem they didn't have a great league last year, but they did try out a lot of players in the league and were as good as any in the league with some good performances). Of the teams in division 1A:


Clare
As AI champions and a young team they'll be highly fancied to maintain their momentum this year. A good league would be ideal preparation for the Munster Championship for this young side, while another piece of silverware would really add to the winning mentality. It will be a tough slog though after the long year and short winter, but they are developing a serious panel, and the league could be the making of a stronger squad for the year ahead.
Key Man: David McInerney
We know how good Clare are going forward, but defensively the can be got at, as Cork showed three times in the championship, and Wexford and Waterford too to an extent. Clare need someone to be the rock that defense is built on and keeps its shape, and McInerney is the man to do it. If he doesn't, Clare are susceptible to conceding goals.
League Potential
Possible league champions, should make semi's.


Dublin
They were the team of Championship 2013 up until O'Dwyer got sent off, and are developing a fine squad. But they had a great year in 2011 too and and fell apart the year after. So for the league this year, the priority here will be for Dublin to stay up to keep last years momentum going and not fall into the good year/bad year trap. Fitness wise they're up there with anyone, and should give the league a real shot as a result. Could see them grab a second league in four seasons, should make semi's.
Key Man: Danny Sutcliffe

Dublin look to have a very stable spine to their team at the moment, especially in midfield and defense, but they still lack a little something going forward. Sutcliffe is the one player that seems to pop up and create something for them, he's always good for a few scores and has an eye for goal too.
League Potential

Could easily make it two league titles in four seasons, probably will make semi's.


Galway
Had a horrendous 2013 after a great 2012. They have some good talent, but the spine of the team is fairly weak, and a lot of their players were shown up last year when the going got tough. Expectation weighed them down last year, but that shows a mental weakness to handle the pressure. They need to hit the ground running this year, but there are doubts whether the players or the manager are capable of getting their 2012 form, and attitude, back.
Key Man: Tony Og Regan

If Galway are going to do anything at all this year, they need real strength through the spine of the team and someone to dominate between midfield and defense to compliment the forward talent. Regan isn't the greatest CB ever, but is the only one within Galway capable of doing that job.
League Potential
Tend to do ok in the league, but with Tipp, Kilkenny, Clare and Dublin in 1A, could struggle to make the semi's.


Kilkenny
Had a disaster 2013 by their standards, and looked like they were dragging themselves along by sheer force of will rather than anything else. Injuries really didn't help, but neither did tired legs. Some of the older guys will need replacement, but that's easier said than done. That said, they do have some good players coming through that will strengthen the panel, they still have some serious quality there of the right age, and even though 2013 was a disaster, they still won the league, and still were a force in the championship. Will be out to lay down a marker for the year, and a hat-trick of league titles would put 2013 to bed and get them back in the trophies again.
Key Man: Richie Power
With Shefflins decline as a CF force, Kilkenny need someone to step up to the plate. Power is the man that can do it. Has all the atributes and the quality to give any CB trouble, and on his day will beat any CB in the country. He needs to stand up as a leader though, and improve his mentality for the big games. If Kilkenny are to have a good year, Power's undoubted ability will be key.
League Potential:

With 3 home games, they should make the semi's. Have the potential, and quality, to make it three leagues in a row.


Tipperary
Tipp had a good league in 2013, but it was a disaster after that. Their league performances mixed the great with the average, while the championship showed up a lot of players as a bit mentally weak. They have some good young players coming through, but a bit like Kilkenny realy on the older heads, even moreso than Kilkenny. Cummins going is a huge loss, while defensively they are suspect. Up front they arguably have more talent than anyone, but they lack the stomach. There are questions over O'Shea as well, and bringing in McGeeney as a mental couch is either going to be a master stroke or say to the players he doesn't know what he's doing.
Key Man: Noel McGrath
Has not lived up to the hype, or the quality, of his 2010 self. Has struggled against the better sides in recent years, and doesn't exactly put himself about, but has great skill and vision, and an eye for a score. With Kelly on a serious wane, Tipp will need McGrath as a creative force up front as he's the only one who could fill that role.
League Potential
Potential league champions, as they have a good squad. Will be tested though, but should make semi's.


Waterford
In a tough position coming into the league. On paper, they are weakest in 1A and should be in the relegation game. The same was said last year though, and they survived handily enough. They have some quality in their ranks, but not as much as others. They are unlucky in so far as the better players are the older guys will probably be gone when the good young lads come through. With the way they got rid of Ryan last year, pressure will be one the players to deliver the results to back up their actions, and they'll have it tough this year as they will not be underestimated as they were last year.
Key Man: Maurice Shanahan
Defensively and midfield, they are fairly strong and a match for anyone, but they lack the ruthlessness, quality and efficiency up front. This where they need Shanahan, he'll need to be on top form for Waterford to do anything this year. He's capable of doing a serious job, but can go missing too. Needs to improve his free-taking percentages also, he misses too many.
League Potential
Can make semi's if they get on a run, but likely in the relegation playoff due to the quality of opposition they face.

thinkstoomuch1

randd1 wrote: »

I noticed there wasn't a topic for the upcoming league so I said I'd kick off the chat on this one, as it should be a cracker of a league this year.


For those in division 1, its anyone's really such is the spread of talent as each of the sides are well capable of getting their year off to a flyer. I know some people have some hang-ups still about the NHL, but I think in recent years its become an important tool for teams to have a solid base to build for the summer (I know Cork might seem they didn't have a great league last year, but they did try out a lot of players in the league and were as good as any in the league with some good performances). Of the teams in division 1A:


Clare
As AI champions and a young team they'll be highly fancied to maintain their momentum this year. A good league would be ideal preparation for the Munster Championship for this young side, while another piece of silverware would really add to the winning mentality. It will be a tough slog though after the long year and short winter, but they are developing a serious panel, and the league could be the making of a stronger squad for the year ahead.
Key Man: David McInerney
We know how good Clare are going forward, but defensively the can be got at, as Cork showed three times in the championship, and Wexford and Waterford too to an extent. Clare need someone to be the rock that defense is built on and keeps its shape, and McInerney is the man to do it. If he doesn't, Clare are susceptible to conceding goals.
League Potential
Possible league champions, should make semi's.


Dublin
They were the team of Championship 2013 up until O'Dwyer got sent off, and are developing a fine squad. But they had a great year in 2011 too and and fell apart the year after. So for the league this year, the priority here will be for Dublin to stay up to keep last years momentum going and not fall into the good year/bad year trap. Fitness wise they're up there with anyone, and should give the league a real shot as a result. Could see them grab a second league in four seasons, should make semi's.
Key Man: Danny Sutcliffe

Dublin look to have a very stable spine to their team at the moment, especially in midfield and defense, but they still lack a little something going forward. Sutcliffe is the one player that seems to pop up and create something for them, he's always good for a few scores and has an eye for goal too.
League Potential

Could easily make it two league titles in four seasons, probably will make semi's.


Galway
Had a horrendous 2013 after a great 2012. They have some good talent, but the spine of the team is fairly weak, and a lot of their players were shown up last year when the going got tough. Expectation weighed them down last year, but that shows a mental weakness to handle the pressure. They need to hit the ground running this year, but there are doubts whether the players or the manager are capable of getting their 2012 form, and attitude, back.
Key Man: Tony Og Regan

If Galway are going to do anything at all this year, they need real strength through the spine of the team and someone to dominate between midfield and defense to compliment the forward talent. Regan isn't the greatest CB ever, but is the only one within Galway capable of doing that job.
League Potential
Tend to do ok in the league, but with Tipp, Kilkenny, Clare and Dublin in 1A, could struggle to make the semi's.


Kilkenny
Had a disaster 2013 by their standards, and looked like they were dragging themselves along by sheer force of will rather than anything else. Injuries really didn't help, but neither did tired legs. Some of the older guys will need replacement, but that's easier said than done. That said, they do have some good players coming through that will strengthen the panel, they still have some serious quality there of the right age, and even though 2013 was a disaster, they still won the league, and still were a force in the championship. Will be out to lay down a marker for the year, and a hat-trick of league titles would put 2013 to bed and get them back in the trophies again.
Key Man: Richie Power
With Shefflins decline as a CF force, Kilkenny need someone to step up to the plate. Power is the man that can do it. Has all the atributes and the quality to give any CB trouble, and on his day will beat any CB in the country. He needs to stand up as a leader though, and improve his mentality for the big games. If Kilkenny are to have a good year, Power's undoubted ability will be key.
League Potential:

With 3 home games, they should make the semi's. Have the potential, and quality, to make it three leagues in a row.


Tipperary
Tipp had a good league in 2013, but it was a disaster after that. Their league performances mixed the great with the average, while the championship showed up a lot of players as a bit mentally weak. They have some good young players coming through, but a bit like Kilkenny realy on the older heads, even moreso than Kilkenny. Cummins going is a huge loss, while defensively they are suspect. Up front they arguably have more talent than anyone, but they lack the stomach. There are questions over O'Shea as well, and bringing in McGeeney as a mental couch is either going to be a master stroke or say to the players he doesn't know what he's doing.
Key Man: Noel McGrath
Has not lived up to the hype, or the quality, of his 2010 self. Has struggled against the better sides in recent years, and doesn't exactly put himself about, but has great skill and vision, and an eye for a score. With Kelly on a serious wane, Tipp will need McGrath as a creative force up front as he's the only one who could fill that role.
League Potential
Potential league champions, as they have a good squad. Will be tested though, but should make semi's.


Waterford
In a tough position coming into the league. On paper, they are weakest in 1A and should be in the relegation game. The same was said last year though, and they survived handily enough. They have some quality in their ranks, but not as much as others. They are unlucky in so far as the better players are the older guys will probably be gone when the good young lads come through. With the way they got rid of Ryan last year, pressure will be one the players to deliver the results to back up their actions, and they'll have it tough this year as they will not be underestimated as they were last year.
Key Man: Maurice Shanahan
Defensively and midfield, they are fairly strong and a match for anyone, but they lack the ruthlessness, quality and efficiency up front. This where they need Shanahan, he'll need to be on top form for Waterford to do anything this year. He's capable of doing a serious job, but can go missing too. Needs to improve his free-taking percentages also, he misses too many.
League Potential
Can make semi's if they get on a run, but likely in the relegation playoff due to the quality of opposition they face.

Tony o reagan key man for Galway,jesus there in real trouble if he is the main man.Back in 2005,corocan destroyed him in the all ireland final,9 years on,he has not improved that much ,he could be argued has stayed the same.No way is he the key man.Canning,donnellan,moore etc,all more important than o reagan.


Lester ryan I would say is the key man for them ,a new young breed of player ,with a new drive and energy.

Clare build there game around half back dominance.Donnellan or bulger are the key men for them.


Tippereary ,i do agree noel mcgrath is key for them.
Liam rushe is the key for dublin ,as he is the rock they build from.If he doesnt win ball and lead the half back line sutcliffe gets no ball,and he is there best defender.

angelfire9

Am really looking forward to the Clare KK match in just over two weeks
Both teams have a lot to prove
KK that they still have the killer instinct
Clare that the extended holiday and lack of serious training since September hadn't hindered them, and of course that they are still hungry
2014 has the potential to be a great year for hurling and it all starts with the league

Comordha

John "Bubbles" O'Dwyer is the key man to keep an eye on for me for Tipp and seems to be on the free taking a bit at the moment which is very interesting as Tipp have not been as efficient as other teams in recent years on the free taking. They need an accurate free-taker like Larkin - Kilkenny, Horgan - Cork, Colin Ryan - Clare.

Agreed about most other key men, including Lester Ryan although I still have my doubts about some of his loose passing and hitting balls aimlessly.

PTH2009

Matchday 1
Tipp vs Waterford- Tipp
Clare vs Kilkenny- Kilkenny
Galway vs Dublin- Dublin

1 Kilkenny (2)
2 Tipperary (2)
3 Dublin (2)
4 Clare (0)
5 Galway (0)
6 Waterford (0)

Matchday 2
Waterford vs Galway- Draw
Dublin vs Clare- Clare
Kilkenny vs Tipperary-Kilkenny

1 Kilkenny (4)
2 Clare (2)
3 Tipperary (2)
4 Dublin (2)
5 Galway (1)
6 Waterford (1)

Matchday 3
Kilkenny vs Galway- Kilkenny
Waterford vs Dublin- Waterford
Tipperary vs Clare- Clare

1 Kilkenny (6)
2 Clare (4)
3 Waterford (3)
4 Dublin (2)
5 Tipperary (2)
6 Galway (1)

Matchday 4
Dublin vs Kilkenny- Kilkenny
Galway vs Tipperary- Tipperary
Clare vs Waterford- Clare

1 Kilkenny (8)
2 Clare (6)
3 Tipperary (4)
4 Waterford (3)
5 Dublin (2)
6 Galway (1)

Matchday 5

Kilkenny vs Waterford- Kilkenny
Tipperary vs Dublin- Dublin
Clare vs Galway- Galway

1 Kilkenny (10)
2 Clare (6)
3 Tipperary (4)
4 Dublin (4)
5 Galway (3)
6 Waterford (3)

Cork, Limerick, Wexford and Offaly will come through Div 1B

QF
Kilkenny vs Offaly- Kilkenny
Clare vs Wexford- Clare
Tipperary vs Limerick- Limerick
Dublin vs Cork- Cork

SF
Kilkenny vs Limerick-Kilkenny
Clare vs Cork- Clare

F
Clare vs Kilkenny- Clare

Relagation
Galway vs Waterford- Galway

angelfire9

PTH2009 wrote: »

Matchday 1
Tipp vs Waterford- Tipp
Clare vs Kilkenny- Kilkenny
Galway vs Dublin- Dublin

1 Kilkenny (2)
2 Tipperary (2)
3 Dublin (2)
4 Clare (0)
5 Galway (0)
6 Waterford (0)

Matchday 2
Waterford vs Galway- Draw
Dublin vs Clare- Clare
Kilkenny vs Tipperary-Kilkenny

1 Kilkenny (4)
2 Clare (2)
3 Tipperary (2)
4 Dublin (2)
5 Galway (1)
6 Waterford (1)

Matchday 3
Kilkenny vs Galway- Kilkenny
Waterford vs Dublin- Waterford
Tipperary vs Clare- Clare

1 Kilkenny (6)
2 Clare (4)
3 Waterford (3)
4 Dublin (2)
5 Tipperary (2)
6 Galway (1)

Matchday 4
Dublin vs Kilkenny- Kilkenny
Galway vs Tipperary- Tipperary
Clare vs Waterford- Clare

1 Kilkenny (8)
2 Clare (6)
3 Tipperary (4)
4 Waterford (3)
5 Dublin (2)
6 Galway (1)

Matchday 5

Kilkenny vs Waterford- Kilkenny
Tipperary vs Dublin- Dublin
Clare vs Galway- Galway

1 Kilkenny (10)
2 Clare (6)
3 Tipperary (4)
4 Dublin (4)
5 Galway (3)
6 Waterford (3)

Cork, Limerick, Wexford and Offaly will come through Div 1B

QF
Kilkenny vs Offaly- Kilkenny
Clare vs Wexford- Clare
Tipperary vs Limerick- Limerick
Dublin vs Cork- Cork

SF
Kilkenny vs Limerick-Kilkenny
Clare vs Cork- Clare

F
Clare vs Kilkenny- Clare

Relagation
Galway vs Waterford- Galway

So Galway will beat Clare and still get relegated

Will get on a PC later & do my predictions
They don't differ substantially from yours

Hammer Archer

PTH2009 wrote: »

Cork, Limerick, Wexford and Offaly will come through Div 1B

So am I right in saying the top 4 teams from 1B go into quarter finals between 1A teams? What's the story with promotion from 1B?

Hoping it's third time lucky for Meath in 2B. Won all 5 in 2B last season only to come a cropper against London during a near hurricane in the final in Newbridge. I think we have some fantastic hurlers in the county who really deserve to play at a higher level than 2B. No offence, but playing the likes of Fingal and Armagh is absolutely no good to them. Think it's very harsh that only one team gets promoted.

Fireball07

Hammer Archer wrote: »

So am I right in saying the top 4 teams from 1B go into quarter finals between 1A teams? What's the story with promotion from 1B?

Hoping it's third time lucky for Meath in 2B. Won all 5 in 2B last season only to come a cropper against London during a near hurricane in the final in Newbridge. I think we have some fantastic hurlers in the county who really deserve to play at a higher level than 2B. No offence, but playing the likes of Fingal and Armagh is absolutely no good to them. Think it's very harsh that only one team gets promoted.

Top team only afaik

thinkstoomuch1

Hammer Archer wrote: »

So am I right in saying the top 4 teams from 1B go into quarter finals between 1A teams? What's the story with promotion from 1B?

Hoping it's third time lucky for Meath in 2B. Won all 5 in 2B last season only to come a cropper against London during a near hurricane in the final in Newbridge. I think we have some fantastic hurlers in the county who really deserve to play at a higher level than 2B. No offence, but playing the likes of Fingal and Armagh is absolutely no good to them. Think it's very harsh that only one team gets promoted.

Only one team ,all likelyhood it is the league final 8th feb cork v limerick,setanta doing it live.

You could win the hurling league yet be div 2 next year.

Mal-Adjusted

angelfire9 wrote: »

So Galway will beat Clare and still get relegated

Will get on a PC later & do my predictions
They don't differ substantially from yours

I thought he was saying Galway to win the relegation decider?

toxicity234

I think that Division 1B will be a cracked this year.
With Cork. Limerick. Wexford, Offaly Antrim and Laois.

Cork and Limerick you would think that they would be too strong for that division

But Offaly have Push Limerick all the way over the last two years. Draw with then in Limerick and Losing last year. But Offaly were missing Coolderry player two years ago and Kilcormac Killoughey players just back last year, 6 days after losing an all ireland Club final.

Wexford won the U21 Lenister this year and have some great young hurlers.
They took Clare to extra in the championship last year. they love a crack at Cork.

Antrim beat Wexford u21 last year and will have no fear of Wexford or Offaly.

Laois are coming out of 2a and we saw how good Carlow were last year coming from out of 2a.

Over the last few years this division has munster and lenister champions and clare were in this division two years ago.


On a Side note It must be great to be from Cork. They get relegated and some how you get 3 home games against Offaly, Wexford and Limerick.
If they had taking over the Dublin fixture they would have had Offaly and limerick away.

davehedgehog

Is tony Og even with galway this year, i would agree that the CB will be a key position but doubt it will be Tony og

Galway will be missing Portumna lads for next few weeks so i'd predict a slow start from them.
Would also predict a slow start for clare but id be surprised if they are as much off the pace as davy would have people believe.
Waterford are an unknown quantitiy until we see them with new manager, maybe waterford people on here will know how they're going
Kilkenny are still Kilkenny, will be interesting to see how henry gets on towards the end of the league when games heaten up and players get fitter.
I would think that daly would like to get Dublin safe as early as possible and take the pressure off the players.
Tipp have a point to prove so expect all guns blazing from them, my favourites to win league

Fireball07

I've done my own previews of the top two tiers of the hurling league... it's good to have it back.

http://www.livegaelic.com/news/allianz-hurling-league-divison-1a-season-preview/

In 1A... it is very hard to call, like last year, there was almost nothing between top and bottom and it continued into the Championship, was such an exciting year. I think Tipp and KK will both have good leagues, Clare may struggle a bit at the start but could still end up winning it with the new format.

Players like Noel McGrath, Colin Fennelly, Kevin Moran and Iarla Tannion are all players who need to have big league campaigns imo, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the likes of Padraig Walsh, Jonjo Farrell, Brian Kennedy, Jason Forde, Denis Maher, Daithi Burke, Cathal McInerney, Paul Flanagan, Jamie Barron, Martin Quilty maybe Stephen Bennett.



http://www.livegaelic.com/news/allianz-hurling-league-divison-1b-season-preview/


And while Division 1B mightn't be as close... I hope it is. Obviously I hope Limerick play really well and get promoted, but for the overall good of hurling, I would like the likes of Wexford and Offaly to really step it up and show that they are capable Cork/Limerick (preferably Cork :P). I do think Wexford are a bit further ahead, have had some good young teams in recent years and while Ger Loughnane's comments about Offaly are over the top- I do think he has a point in some respects... Offaly aren't producing the same natural hurlers that they were 10-15 years ago. Obviously they've a small population but they've been woeful at underage level.


Anyway, it will be interesting to see how this division goes anyway... and the new format does mean that 4 of these teams will get to test themselves against the top tier and see how big the gap really is in league terms.

rockonollie

randd1 wrote: »

With 3 home games, they should make the semi's. Have the potential, and quality, to make it three leagues in a row.

It seems likely after damage to the roof in Nowlan park this week, that the Tipp game may be played in Semple........still think that KK are a semi-final bound team, but they may have to do it with just 2 home games.

Mountainlad

Kilkenny may have no home games as their roof was made with aspestos tiles and thus heal and safety may force the closure of the ground for some time. Though it's possible the games could be move to another venue or some sort of compromise, hard to see that they'd fore-go home advantage unless there was no alternative.

And can I just ask how do Galway get consistently rated above Waterford? They showed absolutely nothing last year. Does anyone ever watch them play?

randd1

Mountainlad wrote: »

Kilkenny may have no home games as their roof was made with aspestos tiles and thus heal and safety may force the closure of the ground for some time. Though it's possible the games could be move to another venue or some sort of compromise, hard to see that they'd fore-go home advantage unless there was no alternative.

And can I just ask how do Galway get consistently rated above Waterford? They showed absolutely nothing last year. Does anyone ever watch them play?

The Kilkenny games will be played at home in Nowlan Park.

The level of asbestos in the air is very low and holds no real health risk (unless you're literally sitting in it), and the old stand being closed means that there the capacity is being reduced to around 17000, which is more than enough for the league.

adrian522

Good to hear. I'm guessing the new stand will fill up quicker than usual.

Hope they take the hint from the man above and redevelop that side of the park, which should have been done instead of the stand behind the goal which very rarely even used.

If games have to be moved from Nowlan park where would they be played?

rockonollie

randd1 wrote: »

The Kilkenny games will be played at home in Nowlan Park.

The level of asbestos in the air is very low and holds no real health risk (unless you're literally sitting in it), and the old stand being closed means that there the capacity is being reduced to around 17000, which is more than enough for the league.

Yes....the long term outlook is quite good......after initial inspections, and the fact that the asbestos was wet (thus not airborn) when the damage occurred, the health experts have already said that the stadium will be able to re-open as soon as the damaged portion of the roof is removed.

As I had said, the only game that is in jeopardy is the Tipp clash.....depending on how quickly they can get the cleanup done.

Simply closing the stand before the damaged portion is cleared will not allow a game to be played.....that will keep fans away, but that roof extends right up to the pitch perimeter and player safety would still be a concern.

KevIRL

was reported on the Indo today (back page) that KK's home league games have been cleared to be played in Nowlan Park

KevIRL

Fireball07 wrote: »

I've done my own previews of the top two tiers of the hurling league... it's good to have it back.

http://www.livegaelic.com/news/allianz-hurling-league-divison-1a-season-preview/

In 1A... it is very hard to call, like last year, there was almost nothing between top and bottom and it continued into the Championship, was such an exciting year. I think Tipp and KK will both have good leagues, Clare may struggle a bit at the start but could still end up winning it with the new format.

Players like Noel McGrath, Colin Fennelly, Kevin Moran and Iarla Tannion are all players who need to have big league campaigns imo, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the likes of Padraig Walsh, Jonjo Farrell, Brian Kennedy, Jason Forde, Denis Maher, Daithi Burke, Cathal McInerney, Paul Flanagan, Jamie Barron, Martin Quilty maybe Stephen Bennett.



http://www.livegaelic.com/news/allianz-hurling-league-divison-1b-season-preview/


And while Division 1B mightn't be as close... I hope it is. Obviously I hope Limerick play really well and get promoted, but for the overall good of hurling, I would like the likes of Wexford and Offaly to really step it up and show that they are capable Cork/Limerick (preferably Cork :P). I do think Wexford are a bit further ahead, have had some good young teams in recent years and while Ger Loughnane's comments about Offaly are over the top- I do think he has a point in some respects... Offaly aren't producing the same natural hurlers that they were 10-15 years ago. Obviously they've a small population but they've been woeful at underage level.


Anyway, it will be interesting to see how this division goes anyway... and the new format does mean that 4 of these teams will get to test themselves against the top tier and see how big the gap really is in league terms.

Nice write up Fireball, fair play. Enjoyed reading it

Realt Dearg Sec

adrian522 wrote: »

Hope they take the hint from the man above and redevelop that side of the park, which should have been done instead of the stand behind the goal which very rarely even used.

I think there's a planning permission issue with the old stand because it's right on top of the houses behind it.

Amprodude

Matchday 1
Tipp vs Waterford- Tipp
Clare vs Kilkenny- Kilkenny
Galway vs Dublin- Dublin



Matchday 2
Waterford vs Galway- Draw
Dublin vs Clare- Clare
Kilkenny vs Tipperary-Kilkenny



Matchday 3
Kilkenny vs Galway- Kilkenny
Waterford vs Dublin- Waterford
Tipperary vs Clare- Clare


Matchday 4
Dublin vs Kilkenny- Kilkenny
Galway vs Tipperary- Tipperary
Clare vs Waterford- Clare


Matchday 5

Kilkenny vs Waterford- Kilkenny
Tipperary vs Dublin- Dublin
Clare vs Galway- Galway



Cork, Limerick, Wexford and Offaly will come through Div 1B

QF
Kilkenny vs Offaly- Kilkenny
Clare vs Wexford- Clare
Tipperary vs Limerick- Limerick
Dublin vs Cork- Cork

SF
Kilkenny vs Limerick-Kilkenny
Clare vs Cork- Cork

Cork vs Kilkenny- Cork

Relagation
Galway vs Waterford- Galway[/quote]

Hammer Archer

Guys, unfortunately stream requests, even by PM, are no longer allowed on Boards.

randd1

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

I think there's a planning permission issue with the old stand because it's right on top of the houses behind it.

Yeah, that's one of the reasons it hasn't been redeveloped over the years.

However, In light of what has happened, I think the stand can be rebuilt without too much fuss to be honest, but so long as the stand does not increase in height on the previous one. Which is fine as the apex of the old stand was fairly high when you look at it.

I think it would be a great opportunity for the county board really, they could really rebuild the stand and have it go the whole length to either end.

TouchingVirus

Galway embarrassing Dublin, leading 0-23 to 0-9 with 25 minutes left. Dublin reduced to 14 following two bookables by Conal Keaney. This is one of those days I wish I stayed at home, and I bet some of the team do too

niallo27

Time for Kilkenny to move over I think.

Mountainlad

Kiljkenny should have scored about 4 goals in that game, and have plenty of players to come back.

dirkmeister

niallo27 wrote: »

Time for Kilkenny to move over I think.

Won't panic yet.

Richie Hogan, Richie Power, TJ Reid, Mick Fennelly, Mick Rice, JJ Delaney, Brian Hogan still to come back.

Red Crow

niallo27 wrote: »

Time for Kilkenny to move over I think.

What a load of rubbish. That could of gone either way today. Clare at near full strength and Kilkenny with half a team out there.

niallo27

Red Crow wrote: »

What a load of rubbish. That could of gone either way today. Clare at near full strength and Kilkenny with half a team out there.

I'm only joking man relax.

niallo27

Mountainlad wrote: »

Kiljkenny should have scored about 4 goals in that game, and have plenty of players to come back.

Clare should have had 3 or 4 themselves.

Red Crow

niallo27 wrote: »

I'm only joking man relax.

You'd make a poor comedian so.

niallo27

Red Crow wrote: »

You'd make a poor comedian so.

Pitch was shocking today. It didn't suit Clare's game but they still ground out a win.

Mountainlad

niallo27 wrote: »

Clare should have had 3 or 4 themselves.

Should they? When? Conor McGrath had a chance and maybe Shane O'Donnell's ball across the goal. That said, a decent keeper would have saved the first one.

niallo27

Mountainlad wrote: »

Should they? When? Conor McGrath had a chance and maybe Shane O'Donnell's ball across the goal. That said, a decent keeper would have saved the first one.

Yes them two chances anyway. Clare were totally on top for the last 15 and should have won by more really.

GrandSoftDay

Clare kk game very scrappy I thought. The pitch wasnt great but I didnt think that the Clare lads touch was up to speed at all. A handy two points to have for them but I think the conditions suited kk a lot more and they were the better team on the day. Great point from tots near the end, dont know how he managed to get the shot away.

KevIRL

Well done Laois, a fantastic win over Offaly today

Professey Chin

GrandSoftDay wrote: »

Clare kk game very scrappy I thought. The pitch wasnt great but I didnt think that the Clare lads touch was up to speed at all. A handy two points to have for them but I think the conditions suited kk a lot more and they were the better team on the day. Great point from tots near the end, dont know how he managed to get the shot away.

Very true. Ball seem to just get buried in divots half the time and players were just falling over it when attempting to get it up

Fireball07

KevIRL wrote: »

Well done Laois, a fantastic win over Offaly today

Excellent result- with no Keenan, Healy, Hyland?

Plunkett has done some great work with them.

Mountainlad

Professey Chin wrote: »

Very true. Ball seem to just get buried in divots half the time and players were just falling over it when attempting to get it up

Looked in better shape than Thurles and far better than that swamp up in Salthill today.

laoisman11

Fireball07 wrote: »

Excellent result- with no Keenan, Healy, Hyland?

Plunkett has done some great work with them.

Keenan couldn't commit, Healy is travelling and Hyland, although carrying a broken finger, came on for the last 20 odd minutes.

A good win, although we almost left it behind us at the end.

Fireball07

laoisman11 wrote: »

Keenan couldn't commit, Healy is travelling and Hyland, although carrying a broken finger, came on for the last 20 odd minutes.

A good win, although we almost left it behind us at the end.

That's extremely good, considering they'd be 3 of the best players in Laois. A stronger Laois can only be good for hurling.

Although, a stronger Offaly would also be very welcome.

Borders no.2

Well done to Laois. Great result. You'd think today's conditions would suit the fat legs, bellies and arses of the Offaly lads!! (Bad) joke before anyone gets upset. Division 1B is a bit of a graveyard at the moment. Offaly's league campaign is as good as over already. Laois playing Cork next Saturday will be interesting to see how they fare. I'm sure it'll be a lot tighter than the 9-21 or whatever it was Cork put past them a couple of years back.

Fireball07

Borders no.2 wrote: »

Well done to Laois. Great result. You'd think today's conditions would suit the fat legs, bellies and arses of the Offaly lads!! (Bad) joke before anyone gets upset. Division 1B is a bit of a graveyard at the moment. Offaly's league campaign is as good as over already. Laois playing Cork next Saturday will be interesting to see how they fare. I'm sure it'll be a lot tighter than the 9-21 or whatever it was Cork put past them a couple of years back.

I wouldn't say it's over... Offaly now have a big fight to stay out of the relegation places, they still have a place in the quarters to fight for. Whether they want that or not... I don't know. But they'll need to improve.

It wasn't very competitive last year, but I'm hoping Wexford and Laois improve at least, and make it a challenge... there were some challenges last year but in very low intensity games. I'm one person who actually the 6-team format is good.



Anyway, I might be a bit late in getting this up but I've done teams of the weekend for both of the top divisions, for those who are interested.

Laois and Limerick most represented in Division 1B, with 5 of the 6 teams having players included (Sorry Offaly, but I couldn't justify including anyone).

http://www.livegaelic.com/news/allianz-hurling-league-division-1b-team-weekend-round-1/

There were some very close calls; it was literally a toss-up at corner-forward, full-forward, midfield, wing-back, centre-back, corner-back..... there were about 4 or 5 absolute certainties and there was about 20-25 candidates for the other 10 places.


Similarly for 1A, 5 of the 6 teams have representatives... Dublin simply had no player good enough to make it. They might have been really bad, but Galway were impressive, and so, they have the most. And again, they could have had a lot more- couple of players in the inside forward line who would feel they could have made it. I think Colin Ryan was the official GAA player of the week, but I thought Pat O'Connor was better on the day; but Michael Cahill would have been my pick. Phenomenal player.

http://www.livegaelic.com/news/allianz-hurling-league-division-1a-team-weekend-round-1/

Mountainlad

A good team named their for 1A. Think Conor McGrath was Clare's standout performer myself and that having had a pre season this year and finishing the way he did against Cork last year that he could be the hurler of the year this year. Obviously, a lot of hurling to do and will depend where Clare end up but expect him to star for them at any rate.

Fireball07

Mountainlad wrote: »

A good team named their for 1A. Think Conor McGrath was Clare's standout performer myself and that having had a pre season this year and finishing the way he did against Cork last year that he could be the hurler of the year this year. Obviously, a lot of hurling to do and will depend where Clare end up but expect him to star for them at any rate.

He's a class player in fairness... thought he was very quiet last year bar the final, but looks to have brought that end-of-season form in 2014.

Mountainlad

Fireball07 wrote: »

He's a class player in fairness... thought he was very quiet last year bar the final, but looks to have brought that end-of-season form in 2014.

Think the injuries at the start of the year held him up to be fair. That said, he still got big goals against Waterford and Galway.

ShamoBuc

KK 5-20 v Tip 5-14

If ever there was an advertisement for hurling this was it.
A great start for Tip....banged in 4 first half goals...but Kilkenny being Kilkenny brought themselves back with Fennelly scoring 3-5...all from play I think.

No better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than watching that - super stuff.

Connorzee

Having been at Laois last night, and then in Nowlan park today, you couldnt find two polar opposites of hurling games. Cork wouldnt get within an ass' roar of either team had they played today.

copacetic

Crazy turn around from last weeks results all round. Looks like it could be a toss up each week again this year on who favourites are in each game...

ShamoBuc

Dublin starting very well indeed....1-06 v 0-02