I'm with you on that too, Bricktop. I don't know if the current format arrived by accident or design but it's surely great preparation for championship. The fact that Waterford won the league from 1B just shows that teams can make the step up incrementally as opposed to being thrown in at the deep end.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 23/02/2016 15:03:13    1827513

Dublin v Cork - Cork
Kilkenny v Galway - KK
Tipperary v Waterford - Tipp

Laois v Clare - Clare
Kerry v Wexford - Wex
Offaly v Limerick - Limerick

Carlow v Derry - Derry
Westmeath v Antrim - Antrim
London v Kildare - London

hurlinspuds (Cork) - Posts: 1494 - 04/03/2016 12:32:22    1830731

NHL 1A
Dublin v Cork Dublin
Tipperary v Wateford Tipperary
Kilkenny v Galway Kilkenny

NHL 1 B
Laois v Clare
Kerry v Wexford Wexford
Offaly v Limerick Limerick

thelongridge (Offaly) - Posts: 1746 - 04/03/2016 12:53:43    1830744

Wins for Dublin, Tipp and KK.

Condorman (Dublin) - Posts: 983 - 04/03/2016 13:13:28    1830754

Div 1
Dublin v Cork - draw
Kilkenny v Galway - Kilkenny
Tipperary v Waterford - Waterford

Div 2
Laois v Clare - Laois
Kerry v Wexford - Wexford
Offaly v Limerick - Limerick.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 04/03/2016 13:30:38    1830761

Dublin v Cork Dublin
Kilkenny v Galway KK
Tipp v Waterford Tipp
Laois v Clare Clare
Kerry v Wex Kerry
Offaly V Limerick Lim

clonjon (Dublin) - Posts: 665 - 04/03/2016 16:50:04    1830827

you can be sure of one thing,if cork are relegated the league will 100% be restructured.which looks extremely likely.

perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 06/03/2016 14:46:07    1831134

100%? They were relegated in 2013 and it wasn't restructured and it won't be this time.

CroiGorm (Dublin) - Posts: 1547 - 06/03/2016 15:34:07    1831154

Well I got this weekend fairly ar8eways.

hurlinspuds (Cork) - Posts: 1494 - 06/03/2016 17:09:56    1831244

So after 3 rounds what do people think? Waterford, Kilkenny & Dublin the most impressive so far. Tipp will be there or thereabouts when they get, Callinan, Forde & Barry back. Galway a work in progress & what's happening to Cork??? In 1B, it looks like a shootout between Clare & Limerick. Wexford seem to have recovered somewhat from a poor start against Limerick. The others are fairly mediocre, I'd say. In 2A, Westmeath are going well. Who'll join them in the final - Carlow, Antrim or maybe London (who seem to be performing better on the road than at home!). Mayo are flying in 2B. It's between Down, Meath & Armagh as to who makes the final. In 3A, it's up to Fingal or Tyrone to match Roscommon. Most of the divisions are tight, which is great for competition & preparation for championship.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 08/03/2016 13:44:24    1832300

Just checked my predictions there again.Lads i made a mistake tipping Laois to beat Clare.Not in a milliin years did i think that would happen.Sure haven't i tipped Clare to win the All Ireland.I must be more careful (:

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 08/03/2016 14:18:14    1832316

Go way outta that, Cheddarocket! :P

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 08/03/2016 16:25:51    1832421

The rise and rise of Waterford over the past three seasons (including this one) has been phenomenal. Last sunday shows what belief can do for a team. To respond to a late goal in the manner they did takes some belief. They're highly organised and adapt their game plan to the circumstances. Their panel is now much much thicker than it was. They're looking stronger and stronger and will take some stopping this year. I would absolutely love to see them do it. Every team to break a massive length of time of being bridesmaids for the Liam McCarthy need superstars and in Austin Gleeson they probably have the best hurler in the country. Hats off to their management team and also to the players for not only working so hard (which is obvious) but for being brave enough to stop the reappointment of a mgt team that they didn't think would bring them on to the next level. No offence to Ryan who is doing great with Westmeath, just the way it is sometimes and could happen to anyone.

Otherwise, Limerick are basically the exact opposite to Waterford as far as I can see. Lacking belief and badly organised and unwilling to try new things. Pity because they have had the underage success to match waterford. I would say more or less the same for Wexford.
Can't judge Clare yet really.
Cork are going backward at a rate of knots and while we build a fancy new stadium down at home, there hasn't been a serious schools team or minor team in ages. Another county lacking belief. There are some green shoots at underage so hopefully we will come right. We were similarly despondent around 1996 and were league and AI champs soon afterward.
Dublin look good but I don't think they have it in them to win the AI this year.
Galway are a disappointment with a sprinkling of class here and there. I would put my house on them not winning the AI.
KK are the same as ever. 2nd year of transition. Only they can be in transition and still be AI champs.
Tipp are less in transition than people say and will threaten everyone except KK I think.
The leinster league looks weaker this year than previous years.

hurlinspuds (Cork) - Posts: 1494 - 08/03/2016 18:21:48    1832472

I don't understand where the likes of Richie Foley & Jamie Nagle have gone in Waterford. Class hurlers, surely they'd strengthen the squad even more?

Supposedly Cork's U17s were the best in the land last year. Be interesting to see how they go at minor this year.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 08/03/2016 19:46:23    1832515

The Wexford result at the weekend didn't surprise me. I've seen them do it years ago as well when Kerry were doing reasonably well. I can only describe it as Wexford being streetwise. It's a lesson the Kerry hurlers need to learn.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7871 - 08/03/2016 21:04:37    1832559

Kerry hurlers were caught time & time again taking too much out of the ball in the first half. I thought their first man being sent off was a joke. Wexford were impressive, however.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 09/03/2016 11:07:33    1832699

Lessons the Kerry hurlers simply have to learn. A game like that against Wexford is far better for them than winning 2A two years in-a-row.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7871 - 09/03/2016 20:24:47    1833056

True. After playing Limerick I thought the lessons would've been learned.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 10/03/2016 11:30:20    1833201

takes more than two weeks to learn how to ply your trade at the top tier of hurling (well sort off!).

Kerry are doing ok, just need to expose enough young lads to this level and it'll stand by them. Beating Laois could save them from the relegation/promotion playoff with Antrim/Westmeath/London!!

bricktop (Down) - Posts: 2503 - 10/03/2016 15:48:40    1833352

bricktop
Beating Laois could save them from the relegation/promotion playoff with Antrim/Westmeath/London!!

Not necessarily. If they finish in the bottom 2, they'll still have to play a Division 1B Relegation Play-off, with Laois most likely. If they lose that, then they'll be in the relegation/promotion playoff. Promotion/relegation between all tiers is a bit of a mess. There's often a huge difference between how the bottom team in the table performed overall in the league, and how the 2nd from last performed.
I think Kerry's only hope of avoiding the bottom 2, is to beat Offaly in their last round match.

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 10/03/2016 19:32:59    1833443