Cats took their goal while Tipp spurned theirs. Familiar story.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 21/02/2016 16:31:05    1826984

Apart from Dublin bouncing back in Parnell Park (which I felt they would), the most remarkable results of the weekend were Mayo beating Meath in Trim & London beating Carlow away.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 21/02/2016 18:15:18    1827010

The most remarkable results of the day were Mayo beating Meath in Trim & London beating Carlow on the road.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 21/02/2016 18:47:31    1827015

Meath are decent hurlers at Ring level. Mayo have been decent at that level as well in the past.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7871 - 21/02/2016 19:26:22    1827027

Terrible match in Pairc Ui Rinn last night. Big crowd but little or no atmosphere until 5 minutes towards the end. Stop start game, lots of frees (most were dubious), lots of rucks , stoppages , only one goal chance..quite boring really ..

Waterford were full value for the win. They look good. Cork have nice hurlers but don't swarm around players and tackle that you need to win at inter county level. We have a sweeper system but it doesn't work.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 21/02/2016 19:55:08    1827038

Im afraid Carlow are struggling to get a good team out at the moment and
it could be a bad season for us.

carlovia (None) - Posts: 1517 - 21/02/2016 20:01:16    1827041

Was at the game in Nowlan cudnt buy a win down dere. If tipp played Kilkenny minors there today we'd have been bate. I know it's only February but Tipp needed to lay down a marker today against what was really a makeshift Kilkenny team again. No half forward line again cost Tipp. With 6 mins to go I was starting to think cud we actually win but the more ball that got returned straight back down a goal was always on d cards for the cats. Jon Joe Farrell came on and straight away laid into Cathal Barett making him think twice.pity Tipp can't play like dat on the edge the cats purred all over the pitch today. Well done to them again.

WildPundit (Tipperary) - Posts: 1709 - 21/02/2016 20:47:32    1827056

Same old story for Tipp v Kilkenny.Tipp play their part in another exciting game,but gallant losers is their lot once again.Even with Tipp leading coming up to the end,i never thought they were going to win.It was eerily similiar to so many of the games v Kilkenny of recent years.It is hard to know why this is ; my theory is that Kilkenny carry no passengers while Tipp have 11/12 top hurlers to match the cats,but always have a few lads who are just not up to Kilkenny's standards.
Yesterday,Tipp's midfield and half forward line was outfought and outhurled for large periods.Another common theme in this rivalry has been Tipperary spurning numerous goal chances in quite a few of the games,going back to the 2009 final when S Callinan and E Kelly missed crucial goal oppurtunies.2014 Drawn final saw Tipp create seven good goal chances and only score one.Bonnar Maher has been a culprit of many of these.There is no doubting his ferocious workrate,but his ball striking is poor and regularly lets him down.His weak effort on goal at a vital part of yesterdays game was reminiscent of previous failings.
So Kilkenny continue their iron grip over their neighbours and sow more seeds of doubt in premier minds.Michael Ryan was a tough hurler and he seems to have Tipp going more direct.Lots of ball dropped in on top of Conor Kenny.Kilkenny are lords of the skies and this food and drink to them.Not all doom and gloom for Tipp ; T Hamill is settling in nicely to full back and B Maher,C Barry and P Maher is a formidable half back line.Barret and Cahill are quality corner backs.With J Forde and S Callinan to come back in,the forwards will improve.Midfield is definately an area of concern.Plenty food for thought,but the cats have their claws out already.Ominous for Tipp and the rest.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 22/02/2016 14:45:02    1827217

Cork were atrocious on Saturday evening.For the first 50 minutes i couldn't believe what i was watching.I expected a little bounce back from their abject performance in Salthill.From the throw-in Cork were awful,lacking any real fight or game plan.Messing around in the back line,passing to a player in a worse position and driving aimless high ball into a small forward line?Absolutely brainless carry on and Waterford backs had a field day.Waterford really should have had the game out pof sight when Cork rallied late on and made a game of it.Finally,Lehane and Horgan brought the game to the Deise,but it was far too little,too late.It would have been a travesty if Cork had sneaked a late draw.
Austin Gleeson,while undoubtedly a quality hurler,was lucky to get away with a wild strike on Aidan Walsh' head which subsequently broke his nose.He seems to have a bit of a nasty streak to him as witnessed by last years disgraceful face-pull in a county club game.I heard hes was sent off in a college game last week also.He would want to curb his enthusiasm a little.Alan Cadogan' sending off was a joke.The Waterford man didn't help things by going to ground in a "Ronaldo" fashion.Diving and feigning injury are sadly a part of our games now.The referee fell for it and evened up the playing numbers.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 22/02/2016 15:03:15    1827224

Not sure about Gleeson's tackle on Walsh being "dirty" as he got the ball which he was entitled to go for. Why was Jason Forde missing for Tipp after being so devasting last week against Dublin?

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 22/02/2016 15:16:35    1827229

Why was Jason Forde missing for Tipp after being so devasting last week against Dublin?

they said he was out due to 'illness' on the TV.

CroiGorm (Dublin) - Posts: 1547 - 22/02/2016 15:18:13    1827230

Just while on topic of Jason Forde he was sorely missed yesterday in that half forward line. His always good for a few points once on song and tipp cud have been couple of points ahead at half time with that wind advantage. Instead Kilkenny finished the half stronger and put Tipp under pressure for the second half. Big game vs Waterford next up a Tipp win throws open the group again a Waterford win puts them in the Quarter Finals no doubt.

WildPundit (Tipperary) - Posts: 1709 - 22/02/2016 15:35:31    1827242

Went to Dublin Galway game on Saturday and Dublin were full value for their win be much the better and hungrier team in the second half.

some of their passing from the full back line the whole way up was a joy to watch.

I then traveled to Tullamore yesterday to see old Rivals Offaly and Laois square up.

Laois were unlucky not to get something from the game and showed great spirit after such a damaging home defeat to Kerry...

I think if they had brought on Willie Hyland earlier it could have been different his point in the second half was a thing of beauty.

The match was played on a swamp that is O'Connor park and Offaly will be happy to get two points after hurling with 14 men for a lot of the encounter!

BigJohn.6_8 (Galway) - Posts: 704 - 22/02/2016 15:57:35    1827256

That's a pretty good assessment Cuederocket. I thought Padraic Maher was very poor and should have been taken off sooner. I thought Breen did ok in midfield and fought manfully. Quinn looks good but nervous and you could say that about a lot of the under performers yesterday.

The game definitely reminded me of the 2009 final.

Killarney.87 (Tipperary) - Posts: 2513 - 22/02/2016 16:09:11    1827260

You'd wonder would the KK v Tipp result have been the same had Callanan and Forde been playing.

CroiGorm (Dublin) - Posts: 1547 - 22/02/2016 16:18:11    1827262

O'Connor Park pitch looked brutal! Could it not have been played in Birr?

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 22/02/2016 16:25:54    1827265

Croigorm,you could ask the same if J Tyrell,M Fennelly,E Larkin and R Hogan were playing.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 22/02/2016 16:30:10    1827268

O'Connor Park pitch looked brutal! Could it not have been played in Birr?

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts:2660 - 22/02/2016 16:25:54 1827265

The Birr pitch would have been twice as bad. Great sod when its dry, cant take rain. To be fair to O'Connor Park pitch there has been at least one game a week played on that since xmas and with the weather we've been having there hasn't been a chance to get it dried out

tonorio (Offaly) - Posts: 608 - 22/02/2016 16:42:50    1827275

What is it with some of these intercounty hurling managers?

We now have a proper competitive league structure where every game is fought over tooth and nail (except the excuse me hurlers on Leeside) and Davy Fitz and Derek McGrath (IIRC TJ Ryan wanted changes as well) want an expanded league, so that they can trial out peripheral players as its far too competitive.

If you want what we had previously, glorified friendlies where no one turned up to watch them and the big teams knew all they had to do was string two wins together to avoid relegation then thats just silly. If you want to blood players do what Cody does with Kilkenny, he throws them in the heat of battle, Lennon, Jamers Maher and so forth. That's when you know a players true worth, not some pitch opening in the springtime somewhere or other.

bricktop (Down) - Posts: 2503 - 23/02/2016 13:05:18    1827455

I agree bricktop.I like the current league format.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 23/02/2016 14:15:07    1827488