Watercooler: The final round of hurling

Under Discussion: The final round of the National Hurling League where Dublin and Wexford were the big winners on a dramatic day.

 

Chatting were: The Irish Examiner’s Fintan O’Toole, John Fogarty, Diarmuid O’Flynn, Michael Moynihan and our hurling columnist Enda McEvoy.

 

FINTAN O’TOOLE: First order of business, the Dublin hurler’s qualification for a first league final since 1946. A major boost for the game on a national level?

 

ENDA MCEVOY: It'll be a major boost if the league final is marketed properly. No use Dublin being in it if the GAA don't make the most of it from a promotional point of view.

 

JOHN FOGARTY: Great news for the county and hurling as a whole. Really believed they had blown their chance when taking just two points from the Waterford, Galway and Kilkenny games.

 

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: It's a pity they're playing it in Croker. Thurles would have been a place for a great double-header.

 

ENDA MCEVOY: They had to bring the match to Croke Park but they also have to target 40,000 people to bet there or they'll have failed.

 

FINTAN O’TOOLE: The talk in Ennis yesterday was that if they bring the game to Croke Park, that they won't attract a Limerick and Clare crowd for the curtain-raiser.That's probably why they picked Ennis.

 

JOHN FOGARTY: Dotsy O'Callaghan weighed in with a good few scores yesterday, which Anthony Daly will be happy to see after a relatively mediocre league campaign up to the Cork game.

 

FINTAN O’TOOLE: The team seemed to cope with Keaney having an off-day as well yesterday.

 

ENDA MCEVOY: That was a very important development.

 

FINTAN O’TOOLE: Michael, you were in Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday, thoughts on Dublin's win?

 

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Dubs were well worth their win and probably shouldn't have been hanging on at the end. They had a few rushes of blood in the second half and racked up a dozen wides but were stronger than Cork physically all through. The only caveat is that Cork were disappointing, but that only counts for yesterday, Dublin have come up to the mark with all the teams in the league.

 

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Enda, what of Kilkenny? I actually have them as my team of the league, to top the table even with all the injuries they've had.

 

ENDA MCEVOY: I know what you're saying but in terms of consistency of performance Dublin have been the market leaders. The really interesting bit now will be to see if Dublin can produce a third good performance against Killkenny in a short space of time, having beaten them in the Walsh Cup final and drawn with them in the league.

 

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: I'd certainly back them to give a performance Enda - interesting that Daly was strong on that yesterday, the performance rather than the result,

 

FINTAN O’TOOLE: What of the other big winners yesterday, Wexford?

 

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: They deserved something for the Cork and Tipp performances, but could they have really complained if they went down? I don't think so

 

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Fantastic finish to the league for them. Two Munster powers in their last two games and they got three points. Hats off to Colm Bonnar and the Wexford lads.

 

JOHN FOGARTY: Were Tipperary all that focused on the game? I was impressed with Joe Dooley's calmness after the Kilkenny game yesterday. I imagine he fancied Tipperary would have given Wexford a beating but there are now real signs of Wexford coming out of their torpor.

 

ENDA MCEVOY: The reason Wexford deserved to stay up is that they learned and improved as they went along. Wretched start against Galway but should've beaten Waterford next time out, rallied well against Kilkenny and should at very worst have drawn in Tullamore. Colm Bonnar has certainly done his job as Wexford manager. Got them promoted, then kept them up.

  

FINTAN O’TOOLE:  Disaster for Offaly, they now face games against the likes of Kerry, Wicklow and Carlow next year.

 

JOHN FOGARTY: Will Joe Dooley be there next year? It's a valid question.

 

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: I would reckon so, John, he was dealt a very weak hand this year, but Offaly were still competitive at least. 

 

FINTAN O’TOOLE:  Ger O'Loughlin very strong after Clare match in Ennis yesterday on the need to revert to Division 1A and 1B. No one learning from games like their 32-point demolition job of Carlow yesterday.

 

JOHN FOGARTY: No one learned from it, Fintan, but they had to come out with a response after their shock in the previous round. You've still got to fancy Limerick to win the final. A second year in Division 2 for Clare would be a right pain.

 

FINTAN O’TOOLE:  A bad end to the league for Galway, losing their final two games that cost them a final placing?

 

ENDA MCEVOY: Not sure if reaching or winning the final would've meant that much to Galway. But not reaching it the way they did - dear God!

 

JOHN FOGARTY: And they weren't all that good in their win over Dublin either. I find it extraordinary people rank Galway third behind Kilkenny and Tipperary. Two one-point defeats in All-Ireland quarter-finals in as many years is not enough to justify that talk. For me, it's Waterford in third.

 

 MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: True but it's the old rankings v performances debate. Galway have the hurlers to win an All-Ireland but not the consistency. Waterford have the consistency but not the hurlers.

 

ENDA MCEVOY: You'd have to say that now alright. And also, after Anthony Daly saying last week that Cork were serious dark horses, that Waterford are demonstrably ahead of Cork.

 

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: One worry for Waterford is full-back. Other than that they were very tight again yesterday and that attack - the Shane's at centre-forward (O'Sullivan) and full-forward (Walsh) looked really good.

 

ENDA MCEVOY: Well, could we now say that Waterford might win the All-Ireland in a weak season?

 

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Now that's a good one. Can we actually have weak seasons when there's a backdoor and a minimum physical preparation level?

 

ENDA MCEVOY: Put it this way, Kilkenny won't be the force they were in recent years. Can't be. Now just suppose Tipp slide a bit this year or next. Surely in that context there'd be a great chance for someone else to "sneak in" for an All Ireland.

 

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Don't agree with that Michael. Waterford have the hurlers, great skill on display yesterday from a plethora of youngsters, and with the likes of Noel Connors, Stephen Molumphy, John Mullane and Eoin Kelly to come back.

 

JOHN FOGARTY: I'd rank consistency above hurlers, Michael.

 

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: It'll get you into the top-four when it comes to the rankings - but can it get you over the line in a one-off, which is what the championship still comes down to?

 

FINTAN O’TOOLE:  On a general point, what are people's thoughts on the re-introduction of semi-finals for the hurling league?.

 

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Agree with it - anything to give us a couple more top games before the championship!

 

ENDA MCEVOY: just as long as people aren't under the impression that semi-finals would be the panacea to solve all the ills of the league...

 

 MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Sorry Fintan, I see league structures mentioned and go into a coma forthwith

 

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: One more thing, can we all congratulate the hurlers of Wicklow, Roscommon and Tyrone on their great wins at the weekend, and their subsequent promotions.

 

FINTAN O’TOOLE: Finally John, your views on U21 semi results on Sat night?

 

JOHN FOGARTY: Kudos to Galway for pulling off an almighty shock, Fintan. Didn't see that coming at all although you had mentioned how well-drilled they were. Cavan's win was not as surprising even if they had just a three-day turnaround. The word was Wexford had enjoyed that Leinster final. Losing Aidan Walsh with a good bit still on the clock was a set-back to Cork as well, I would imagine.

 

FINTAN O’TOOLE:  Tomas Flynn one to watch for Galway, only 19 but the type of big powerful midfielder they've lacked over the last few years. One snag is that he's from Athenry and has county hurling squad vying for his services. Walsh a loss, simply because they could have done with his strength and experience in last few minutes. But Cork never sparkled to the extent that they had in Munster.

 

JOHN FOGARTY: No contest there, then. It'll be hurling for him. Funny how the Cork U21s have replicated Nemo's Munster and All-Ireland run.

 

FINTAN O’TOOLE:  Absolutely. But it'd been a strange season at U21 level. Highly-rated Mayo, Tyrone and Cork teams all suffered surprising defeats, while Leinster was full of upsets.

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/2OD0UjQFcjs/post.aspx

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