The Tipperary GAA (Club and intercounty) Discussion thread 2015

Charlie69

digzy wrote: »

Tbf I'd love to beat kk in a final. We've been beaten so many times by then. So sick of the fcukers. Obviously an all Ireland would be great but there'd be something special beating the cats.

"the fcukers", classy stuff there digzy. Although I think you meant it as a compliment of sorts

digzy

Thought 'twas interesting today looking at what the fwds were at on both sides.
Wfords were hanging back leaving shanahan an impossible task. Cats forwards esp in the 2nd half stayed up and hassled and harried so the backs had an awful job clearing their lines.

Reid blocked one lad-think twas de burca who mis hit and ball landed into hogan who drove over the point.

The general consensus was that kk were avg in the first half but got better. However, they seemed to have a better tactical response to water fords set up than we had.

Cats will be strong favourites for the all Ireland irrespective of who wins our sf.

Funnily enough I think they're beatable all the same. Colin f and Larkin while working hard ain't bangin over scores. Walsh looks a bit cumbersome.Mick f isn't the player of a few years ago and Holden can be got at too. Trouble is that outside of those lads they're very strong.

digzy

Charlie69 wrote: »

"the fcukers", classy stuff there digzy. Although I think you meant it as a compliment of sorts

I actually meant it out of respect and frustration at our multiple defeats over the last few years. Don't respect their fans mind....arrogant shower. Then again if our lads were so successful we'd have similar d1ckheads. Tbf there's a fair shower of painful hoors following tipp too.

Charlie69

digzy wrote: »

I actually meant it out of respect and frustration at our multiple defeats over the last few years. Don't respect their fans mind....arrogant shower. Then again if our lads were so successful we'd have similar d1ckheads. Tbf there's a fair shower of painful hoors following tipp too.

Fair enough. Painful hoors following every county for sure. I actually think though that as a result of so many great battles with Tipp in recent times there has fostered a fairly healthy respect between Tipp and Kilkenny fans.

There's never really much more than a puck of a ball between us and you don't really have the bitterness of years gone by. A bit like two heavyweight boxers that have bared their souls to each other and fought each other to a standstill in the ring but are able to embrace at the final bell.

Hope it's our hand being held aloft again this year though, can never bate ye shower enough.:D

Charlie69

Charlie69 wrote: »

Fair enough. Painful hoors following every county for sure. I actually think though that as a result of so many great battles with Tipp in recent times there has fostered a fairly healthy respect between Tipp and Kilkenny fans.

There's never really much more than a puck of a ball between us and you don't really have the bitterness of years gone by. A bit like two heavyweight boxers that have bared their souls to each other and fought each other to a standstill in the ring but are able to embrace at the final bell.

Hope it's our hand being held aloft again this year though, can never bate ye shower enough.:D

The boxing analogy is terrific. Same crossed my mind last year after the drawn game. We had witnessed 2 heavyweights after going the 15 round distance

Anyways focus on Galway for Sunday who will bring an almighty challenge to the table. We'll have to go to the well again and draw another huge performance from it and with their level of forward talent it may well not be enough

Charlie69

Yeah, I was surprised at some of the vitriol coming our way from the Waterford fans last week although not being from south KK I prob don't understand the rivalry between both sets of supporters on the WD-KK border.

But I really do believe that the more we as supporters are exposed to the stresses of following our Counties in the big games at the business end of the championship the higher your threshold becomes for the pressure (and potentially the pain) that comes with it , which is every bit as relevant to the supporter as it is to the player.

At least the players get to hop off each other in training and off the opposition in matches and are therefore able to channel all the pent up aggression and stress and get release from it in that way.

The supporters though can sometimes find it difficult to handle this huge source of stress and responsibility that comes with representing your County in the stands (and internet forums) for the big games and find their only means of expressing how they feel is by engaging in trash talk or swapping abuse with opposing fans.

Paddico

Xenophile wrote: »

Dublin V Mayo in the All Ireland Semi Final of Sunday 30th. August.

Tipperary V Kildare Minors in the curtain raiser

Great for our Minor Footballers, to be playing in Croke Park on the day of one full house at least and hopefully on All Ireland Final Day as well,

Looking forward to this.

I presume its on the box?

Mantis Toboggan

Paddico wrote: »

Looking forward to this.

I presume its on the box?

Tg4

Paarthurnax

Galway v KK minor replay is now on at 12, Tipp v Dublin minor 2pm Tipp v Galway now 4pm.

Paarthurnax

Good tickets still available on gaa.tickets.ie I picked up one for cusack upper 704 this morning. I tried the bring a friend option with Season ticket and they wanted to give us all seats in 301, I held off and got seats in 304 with the season ticket.

Charlie69

Charlie69 wrote: »

Yeah, I was surprised at some of the vitriol coming our way from the Waterford fans last week although not being from south KK I prob don't understand the rivalry between both sets of supporters on the WD-KK border.

But I really do believe that the more we as supporters are exposed to the stresses of following our Counties in the big games at the business end of the championship the higher your threshold becomes for the pressure (and potentially the pain) that comes with it , which is every bit as relevant to the supporter as it is to the player.

At least the players get to hop off each other in training and off the opposition in matches and are therefore able to channel all the pent up aggression and stress and get release from it in that way.

The supporters though can sometimes find it difficult to handle this huge source of stress and responsibility that comes with representing your County in the stands (and internet forums) for the big games and find their only means of expressing how they feel is by engaging in trash talk or swapping abuse with opposing fans.

I'll take the stress over Richie Hogan's blisters any day

Row Q in the Cusack on Sunday. Cant wait.

:);)

UP THE PREMIER !!

GerB40

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Row Q in the Cusack on Sunday. Cant wait.

:);)

UP THE PREMIER !!

Row M myself. I'll be wearing a Tipp jersey so if you spot me say hello, I can tell the lads I met the gunner

buggy beag

Richie hogan giving out about the current format on the paper today think he was on newstalk last night.hard to know which way to go dont think theres enough teams playing to change the format to much although id like to see it changed.

buggy beag

GerB40 wrote:

Row M myself. I'll be wearing a Tipp jersey so if you spot me say hello, I can tell the lads I met the gunner

Will you be the only one in row m wearing a tipp jersey?:)

Mantis Toboggan

buggy beag wrote: »

Richie hogan giving out about the current format on the paper today think he was on newstalk last night.hard to know which way to go dont think theres enough teams playing to change the format to much although id like to see it changed.

My own take would be 2 divisions, East and west!

East:
Dublin
Antrim
Waterford
Tipperary
Kilkenny
Wexford
Westmeath

West:
Cork
Clare
Limerick
Galway
Offaly
Kerry
Laois

6 championship games minimum. Top team in each division straight to semi final. 3rd and 4th place playoff for place in quater final against 2nd place team. 4 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 1 losing bonus point for losing by 4 or less.

A little bit crazy but better than the current system imo and I'd like to see it trialed.

GerB40

buggy beag wrote: »

Will you be the only one in row m wearing a tipp jersey?:)

We'll see... #Finches4Life

buggy beag

Ya interesting format never really thought of doing it that way just having 2 divisions.would you scrap the league?

buggy beag

GerB40 wrote:

We'll see... #Finches4Life

Best jersey of the lot of them.got mine from poland on ebay couldnt find it anywhere else has yo have the ol crest or else its just not a finches jersey:)

Mantis Toboggan

buggy beag wrote: »

Best jersey of the lot of them.got mine from poland on ebay couldnt find it anywhere else has yo have the ol crest or else its just not a finches jersey:)

The finches jersey is possibly the worst tipp jersey imo. They've got better over time with the skoda one being my favourite.

Mantis Toboggan

buggy beag wrote: »

Ya interesting format never really thought of doing it that way just having 2 divisions.would you scrap the league?

I'd keep the league, I think it works well. Also those 6 championship games should be played off in around 9 weeks starting the first week in may finishing middle July.

buggy beag

Dennis Reynolds wrote:

The finches jersey is possibly the worst tipp jersey imo. They've got better over time with the skoda one being my favourite.

Haha no way lad all time classic that jersey.ya like the skoda one too and im starting to like this years jersey as well

buggy beag

Dennis Reynolds wrote:

I'd keep the league, I think it works well. Also those 6 championship games should be played off in around 9 weeks starting the first week in may finishing middle July.

When would you have the semis and final then?

Mantis Toboggan

buggy beag wrote: »

When would you have the semis and final then?

Both Quarter finals played the August bank holiday weekend, with the semi finals played Saturday and Sunday 2 weeks later. This gives both teams 3 weeks into the final on the first Sunday in September.

Dennis Reynolds

Dennis Reynolds wrote: »

My own take would be 2 divisions, East and west!

East:
Dublin
Antrim
Waterford
Tipperary
Kilkenny
Wexford
Westmeath

West:
Cork
Clare
Limerick
Galway
Offaly
Kerry
Laois

6 championship games minimum. Top team in each division straight to semi final. 3rd and 4th place playoff for place in quater final against 2nd place team. 4 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 1 losing bonus point for losing by 4 or less.

A little bit crazy but better than the current system imo and I'd like to see it trialed.

You were in with a suggestion before lost sheep could ask 'how would you change things? ' :pac: only kidding lost sheep

The Lost Sheep

buggy beag wrote: »

Richie hogan giving out about the current format on the paper today think he was on newstalk last night.hard to know which way to go dont think theres enough teams playing to change the format to much although id like to see it changed.

He is right that changes are needed. Isnt there 12 teams or so of a top flight of a decent standard. You could run a few different things with that number

Dennis Reynolds wrote: »

My own take would be 2 divisions, East and west!

East:
Dublin
Antrim
Waterford
Tipperary
Kilkenny
Wexford
Westmeath

West:
Cork
Clare
Limerick
Galway
Offaly
Kerry
Laois

6 championship games minimum. Top team in each division straight to semi final. 3rd and 4th place playoff for place in quater final against 2nd place team. 4 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 1 losing bonus point for losing by 4 or less.

A little bit crazy but better than the current system imo and I'd like to see it trialed.

What about provincial cups? What would you do with them?

Deleted User wrote: »

You were in with a suggestion before lost sheep could ask 'how would you change things? ' :pac: only kidding lost sheep

:rolleyes:....:pac:
I like that above suggestion. Isnt bad especially top team through but playoffs for 2nd,3rd,4th to keep things interesting. Bonus points would be interesting. Why for 4 points or less? Why not 3 or less as in a goal...
Rugby's BP is for a try or under. Could also echo rugby and have a bonus points for getting a specific number of goals - 3/4 maybe?

Mantis Toboggan

Lost sheep, I'd get rid of the provincial finals if the above format was adopted. Don't get me wrong, munster final day is the best day on the hurling calendar but two systems combined wouldn't work.

The 4 or less bonus point was just a suggestion it could easily be 3 points but I think 4 points would be more attainable for the weaker counties and would give them something to play for even if they're 5 or 6 points behind at half time.

Likewise, you could give bonus point for a certain number of goals scored, ie 3, would lead to some exciting games and would hopefully get rid of the negative tactics which have entered the game. My only fear or this would be that the weaker teams would get hockeyed, and nobody wants to see that.

evolving tipperary

‘I went from drinking pretty much every weekend to maybe 7 or 8 times a year’

Intercounty hurling has provided Tipperary star Kieran Bergin with a fresh perspective on life.

19 hours ago 18,254 Views 2 Comments Share290 Tweet52 Email12
Kieran Bergin lived it up in the US but is now making waves with Tipperary. Kieran Bergin lived it up in the US but is now making waves with Tipperary.
Image: Morgan Treacy/INPHO
KIERAN BERGIN HAS come a long way in a short space of time.
In 2013, we brought you the story of how the Killenaule man made the transition from couch potato to intercounty hurling star.
At the recent launch of the All-Ireland series in Dicksboro, 29-year-old Bergin opened up about his stint in America (five years in New York and two in San Francisco).
For a young Irish guy living it up in the States, they were good times but Tipperary’s powerful right-half-back admits now that his life lacked real direction.
He remembers watching the 2010 All-Ireland final in a bar in Chicago, with his mates insisting that he was good enough to make it at the top level.
Kieran Bergin Kieran Bergin pictured at the All-Ireland senior hurling championship launch in Dicksboro.
Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO
But it was another three years before Bergin made his mark, when he was parachuted in from virtually nowhere to start against Kilkenny in the Allianz League final at Nowlan Park.
He made his senior championship debut later that summer, at the age of 27, and has been busy making up for lost time ever since.
Now a model of consistency, Bergin was ultra-efficient in Tipperary’s march to Munster championship glory this summer, barely putting a foot wrong in a rock-solid half-back division.
“I’ve completely transformed as a person since I came home,” Bergin says.
“I would have been a big messer in America, enjoyed the good life and going out and the whole social scene in the bars.
Cillian Buckley and Kieran Bergin Kieran Bergin chases Kilkenny's Cillian Buckley during the 2013 Allianz Hurling League final.
Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO
“I would never have really given up drink when you don’t have anything to give up for.
“When I came home I became more focused, went to college (Dublin IT).
“Maybe I was just maturing but I changed. I went from drinking pretty much every weekend and socialising to drinking maybe seven or eight times a year.
“It was a massive transformation for me and I never thought it would happen.
“Look, the cards have been dealt to me and I’m just happy to be here. I never thought I would be sitting around and signings autographs for kids. The only time I ever signed an autograph was writing a cheque out to someone!
“There are two sides of the coin. You have players saying they’d love to go to America for the summer. I know at the time when I left (in 2005) my parents were very upset.
“They didn’t want me to go because I suppose they thought I had some bit of a career in front of me. But I chased the good life and I probably got it all out of my system.
“I’m just fortunate I came home. I was 26 when I came home after being away for seven years. I’m just lucky to be honest.”
The life he led is the envy of some of his Tipperary teammates, Bergin reveals.
“Even talking to some of the younger lads, they would say ‘I’d love to have done what you done’.
Kieran Bergin celebrates Kieran Bergin celebrates Munster final glory.
Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO
“I couldn’t say ‘go’ but the likes of Cathal Barrett and these lads, they’re U21 now and by the time he’s 31, 32 or 33 even he’s not going to have travelled.
“Instead, he’ll have a wife and kids and commitments here and the whole travelling and socialising part of your life is gone.
“But at the end of the day it could be worse. You could win a couple of Liam MacCarthys and they are the moments you remember.
“When I look back at the seven years (in the US), there is no one stand-out night that makes me say, ‘Wow, I remember that night down in San Francisco when we were singing in the street’.
“You’re going to remember every single minute of an All-Ireland final if you win it.
“The Munster final was surreal. You’re thinking ‘this will stand in my mind forever’ whereas the brain cells will just be killed from a night out.”
Kieran Bergin Kieran Bergin in action against Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds.
Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO
After losing to Limerick in last year’s Munster semi-final, the Tipperary players came in for a barrage of criticism in local media for socialising on Sunday night and again on Monday.
But Bergin insists that a blow-out now and again is a necessary release for a player living in a bubble of scrutiny.
“I know (manager) Eamon (O’Shea) and (coach) Paudie (O’Neill) don’t drink so they don’t really understand it but I think when players train at that intense level all of the time and they’re committing so much of their time and effort you just need that release.
“It’s not like lads are going on a five-day bender. Some probably would if they could!
“Ah look, certain lads do need it because they don’t have anything else.
“That’s why team holidays are a vital part of the GAA.
“We didn’t go on one in 2013 and there was a lot of tension. We had a drink ban in 2013 and sure we lost our two championship matches. We were gone in June. Maybe it doesn’t work a little bit.”
Kieran Bergin with Paul Killeen Kieran Bergin on Fitzgibbon Cup duty with Dublin IT.
Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO
Whatever Tipperary are doing right now certainly seems to be working as the first piece of silverware of the O’Shea era was collected with last month’s Munster final victory over Waterford.
And for players who suffered the heartbreak of All-Ireland final defeat last year, Bergin believes that lifting the provincial title was hugely important.
“We had a lot of hunger coming into this year’s championship. We had a lot of hurt from last year’s championship.
“We were the hard luck story and nobody wants to be the hard luck story.
“You’d rather be on the Kilkenny side of the border and taking home Liam MacCarthy.
“Like, you haven’t won anything in three years. There was a lot of pressure coming into it and a lot of expected from the hurlers. I suppose we don’t always deliver.
“The last 10 or 15 years, we don’t have as much Liam MacCarthys won as we should have.
“There was always added pressure with that and all you can do is cope with it.
Kieran Bergin dejected Kieran Bergin is dejected after last year's All-Ireland final replay defeat.
Source: Donall Farmer/INPHO
“It was tough last year. It was such a long year and such a draining process going all the way. There were three weeks between the All-Irelands and it did take its toll.
“It would have been some cushion had we won Munster but we won nothing. We were training for 10 months at a high intensity level and you had nothing to show for it.”
This time, they have. And Kieran Bergin hopes there’s more to come.
Who knows? Perhaps the beer on the first Sunday night in September could taste extra sweet. Now that would be a night to remember.

evolving tipperary

evolving tipperary wrote: »

‘I went from drinking pretty much every weekend to maybe 7 or 8 times a year’.

Very candid interview from Kieran. His story is similar to Jason Robinson the former Rugby player funnily enough