Kilkenny still the team to beat imo. Munster is impossible to predict. Waterford are being wrote off but very nearly beat cork last year first day out.
I believe Clare and Limerick will be a cracker of a match and winners will gain great confidence and momentum from it.
that game could very easily be the warm up for the all ireland final.
what a spectacle that would be.
cannot wait for the fun to begin.

Southsham (Limerick) - Posts: 738 - 29/01/2015 19:59:29    1687875

Df in regards Tipps strenght in depth,together with last years starting 6 forwards in both All Ireland finals,they could call on the likes of Jason Forde,Pa Burke,Dennis Maher and Shane Bourke.Im not gone on D Maher but the other 3 are capable replacements in the forward line.Niall O Meara was looking good at half forward too before he got injured.Hopefully hes back this year.Personally i would have axed Eoin Kelly 2 years ago.I would lay some blame with Eamon O Shea in looking to Kelly as first substitute before the other lads i mentioned.He contributed little or nothing in his regular cameo appearances.In the backline i see both P Curran and C O Mahony are back fit,so Tipp have decent options at full and halfback now aswell.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 29/01/2015 21:14:09    1687910

There seems to be no mention of Laois reaching a Leinster final this year. They're becoming increasingly stronger and easily disposed of Wexford last weekend. Yes, you could say they were missing quite a few players and it's only the Walsh cup, but Laois were also missing several starters.

BuffaloBull (Laois) - Posts: 8 - 30/01/2015 09:15:08    1687954

BuffaloBull

I'm very weary of laois mate. More confident about beating limerick and Waterford tham going up to laois. Although your keeper Saved your bacon last weekend and Wexford we're actually missing 13 first team regulars. That being said I hope you give the dubs a shock

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2682 - 30/01/2015 09:37:36    1687958

Hurlingexpert

Write us off at your peril. People are jumping the gun a little but traditionaly and currently we Can hold our own with anything in munster

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2682 - 30/01/2015 10:17:51    1687979

Not sure if Laois will make a Leinster final as that would take two big performances in a row (something LAois haven't done in years).

However I believe that one of the 'bigger' teams will be beaten by Laois this campaign and I can see Laois being there or there abouts come the end of the league. 2nd spot not out of their reach this year which would be great progress. All the best hurlers in Laois have bought into Cheddars mantra and once they get that bit of confidence they will start getting the wins.

Windy Gap (Laois) - Posts: 55 - 30/01/2015 10:35:27    1687987

BuffaloBull - Its January

Loais seem to be moving in the right direction but when most people overlook them for a spot in the Leinster final there's probably a good reason for that.

Ban (Westmeath) - Posts: 1415 - 30/01/2015 11:34:31    1688012

is Zane Keenan available this year for Laois ?

stekhli (Dublin) - Posts: 3121 - 30/01/2015 11:59:29    1688025

hurlingexpert, you seem to claim some moral superiority on here and you seem to think that nobody knows anything about hurling except you. You said you were beaten fair and square and went onto give 10 excuses. Sure we could all say that Kilkenny might have beaten Clare in 2013 if they met them in the final, life is all about ifs and buts but all they are is excuses. You were beaten and are only as good as your last game. To call Wexford a terrible team is completely unfair and shows a complete lack of respect, but I suppose respect is not something Clare people are born with it any sort of quantity.

You are only as good as your last game and Clare's last game was a defeat to this terrible Wexford team - does that not imply that Clare are a terrible team also?

Why shouldnt Wexford or Laois give themseleves a chance? Clare came out of nowhere to win an All-Ireland in 2013. Nobody gave them a chance at the start of the year. Everybody who takes to the field is entitled to hope and believe that they could win an All-Ireland.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 30/01/2015 12:22:38    1688035

Wasn't there last Sunday but Zane Keenan is back this year. Seems to be his modus operandi. One year in, one year out. We are all the better for having him provided he wants to stay. He has that bit of class. Looking forward to a good test against the boys in blue on Sunday.

Windy Gap (Laois) - Posts: 55 - 30/01/2015 12:29:17    1688040

Pinkie

Well said as always. None of my initial replys made it onto the forum

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2682 - 30/01/2015 12:35:02    1688045

stekhli

Keenan was absent against Wexford last weekend, don't know what went on there. Maybe he could have an injury I'm unaware of.

My first post on Laois does seem a bit over the top. I mean, if anyone takes them for granted, they'll be in for a shock certainly.

BuffaloBull (Laois) - Posts: 8 - 30/01/2015 16:46:42    1688133

Actually now that I think of it hurlingexpert (novice in reality) if not for mossy waters horrific injury in 2013 we'd have knocked you out them and there'd have been a soft all Ireland for a different average team.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2682 - 30/01/2015 17:13:45    1688145

With the Walsh cup Semi finals and the Kehoe cup 3rd round tomorrow, what way do you think these games will go?

Walsh Cup semi-finals
Carlow v Galway
Laois v Dublin

Kehoe Cup round 3
Meath v Longford
Louth v St Pats-Mater Dei
Wicklow v Maynooth University
Fingal v Kildare

BuffaloBull (Laois) - Posts: 8 - 31/01/2015 11:44:28    1688300

yayaya doylerwex if if if its all ifs with you. if me aunt had b*lls she'd be my uncle.
soft all ireland?? haha jealous much kid?
wexford have a few good young players like mcdonald and liam ryan - then chin, guiney and mcgovern are decent.. but the rest are poor to average players at best!!

hurlingexpert (Clare) - Posts: 1941 - 05/02/2015 20:02:54    1690532

Hurlingexpert you definitely are the expert on average to poor players being from Clare aren't you? One golden generation and your acting like you haven't been anything more than an average to poor team for the vast vast majority of your county's history. Wexford will come back and it might not even be this generation of hurlers but we're finally getting our act together. We'll patiently wait for our time to come again and you can be sure when it does come around we won't crap on poor insignificant little Clare. Finally that all Ireland you won, you got past Wexford after extra time, which you got to because you scored a couple of points while one of our players was on the ground with a cruciate injury. Lucky for you we had a young inexperienced keeper who kept pucking the ball out when the ref ignored Mossy on the floor and told him to play on.

Fulgrim (Wexford) - Posts: 229 - 06/02/2015 12:24:04    1690684

Hurlingexpert

I'd love to continue this debate elsewhere. Moderators keep blocking my replies to you.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2682 - 06/02/2015 18:34:56    1690819

Now lets return to the topic,my predictions for the 1a and 1b divisions this week are

Cork v Kilkenny [Kilkenny]

Dublin v Tipp [Tipp]

Galway v clare [Galway]

Limerick v Waterford [Limerick]

Laois v Offaly [Laois]

Wexford v Antrim [wexford]

someday (Limerick) - Posts: 1104 - 09/02/2015 09:05:57    1691481

Pure guesswork someday, but would go for home wins in all of the matches you list.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 09/02/2015 09:29:38    1691495

Yes hurlingdub pure guesswork but only a bit of fun I know where you're coming from re the home wins and you maybe correct but all the 1a matches are marginal imo and either of them could win, it'll be very interesting to see how dublin get on and for me its the match of the weekend.

someday (Limerick) - Posts: 1104 - 09/02/2015 10:37:55    1691539