A bumper weekend is upon us with one of the great occasions of the year, the Munster Hurling Final, headlining along with the Leinster Senior Football Final and of course a host of Qualifiers in both Football and Hurling.
If you happen to be from Galway, Antrim or Limerick you face a decision (in the case of Galway) or a mad sprint (in the case of Limerick and Antrim). This is because, of course, the CCCC (I think that's the correct number of 'C's) have fixed the hurlers and footballers of those counties in seperate venues on the same day. As inconvenient, expensive and/or annoying as it is for the fans; spare a thought for Stephen Lucey and Mark O'Riordan. Talented and dedicated enough to be able to feature at senior intercounty level for Limerick at both hurling and football, they have had to choose one over the other this weekend. Eoin Cadogan is a notable exception to the rule, but I fear the days of the dual player seriously challenging for All Ireland honours in both codes are gone. Liam Currams and Teddy McCarthy will ne'er be seen again.
Anyway, on with the look at this upcoming weekend.
I've dispensed with the odds this week, but you can find all the betting news on Starbets.ie
(Please note I have no affiliation with Starbets)
Munster Senior Hurling Final
Sunday July 10th.
Waterford v Tipperary. 4pm. Páirc Uí Chaoimh (Ref. Brian Gavin)
As I mentioned at the opening, the Munster Hurling Final is one of those occasions every year that get marked down into all GAA fans' calendars. There's a mystique about the game that has largely remained undimmed, despite the new backdoor system, and the latest renewal sees a clash of All Ireland Champions versus Munster Champions. Last weekend the football version in Munster saw a similar clash, and it was the Munster Champions that prevailed. Will we see a similar outcome on Sunday?
One thing is for sure, Waterford will have no fear of facing the premier, despite Tipperary's position at the head of hurling's top table. Waterford could have, and in many quarters were expected to, faded away after their mauling in the All Ireland final of 2008 and it is to their credit that that has not happened. Indeed Davy Fitzgerald has managed to blood several newcomers onto the team, while dealing with the loss of great servants like Ken McGrath, Paul Flynn, Dan Shanahan, the Prendergasts and others. In fact from the starting lineup in that final, there are only 7 (by my count) on the starting 15 for Sunday. Undoubtedly Eoin Kelly will play a part at some stage but, even so, that is a big turnover for a team that has managed to stay very competitive.
The full back line, so often the achilles heel of the great Waterford team that never quite got there, is completely revamped with Darragh Fives and the impressive Noel Connors in the corners and newcomer Jerome Maher coming in at full back. Quite an occasion to make your championship debut! The half back line for Waterford may be their strongest on the field with the evergreen Tony Browne, Michael Walsh and Kevin Moran responsible for holding their ground in that pivotal area. Stephen Molumphy and Ritchie Foley provide a new midfield while Eoin McGrath comes back into an attack that is spearheaded by the deadly John Mullane.
A lot will depend on how Waterford deal with the movement of the Tipperary forwards. Men like Browne, Moran and Brick Walsh will not necessarily be happy following the likes of Noel McGrath, Seamus Callinan and co into the corners and around the field, so Davy faces an interesting conundrum which may be pivotal in this tussle overall. Does he trust his backs to be able to hurl in any position against their direct opponents, or does he prefer them to hold their position and pick up the man that comes into that area? An interesting dilemma, and one that will be keenly observed come Sunday.
Tipp are, notwithstanding Kilkenny's performance last weekend, the best team in the country. Their forward line is lethal and with finishers like Callinan, Noel McGrath, Eoin Kelly and Lar Corbett around, any hesitancy in the Waterford defence will end with the sliotar bulging Clinton Hennessy's net. As mentioned, the Tipp forwards are mobile and use that mobility to try and move their opponents around. Lar Corbett in particular loves coming out the field, and gets a lot of his scores from bursting onto the ball as an auxiliary half forward.
At midfield and the back, Tipp were shaky against Clare for a period. Conor O'Mahoney took his time to settle, having missed out on the start against Cork, but when he did settle he helped to steady the ship around him. O'Mahoney is a solid, unspectacular centre back, but picks up a lot of loose ball, and is good under a high ball. If he can manage to hold the centre, Tipp will be on their way. Padraic Maher is having a fine season so far, and is probably the pick of the bunch back there, while Michael Cahill comes out to man the number 5 spot instead of David Young, who loses his spot on the team to Paddy Stapleton, the only change Tipp have made.
Gearoid Ryan will want to have a big game on Sunday as his spot is under a little pressure with the likes of James Woodlock and Brendan Maher getting close to being ready for 70 minutes, and Shane McGrath's all energy style will be important against Molumphy and Foley in the middle of the park.
Waterford are most people's 'second' team, and no one would begrudge them winning an All Ireland, but I feel they may have to do so via the quarter final, as I'll pick Tipp's goals to make the difference.
Verdict Tipp by 4 points.
Leinster Senior Football Final
Sunday July 10th.
Dublin v Wexford. 2 pm. Croke Park. (Ref. Joe McQuillan)
Sunday's appetiser for the TV masses is the intruiging Leinster Senior Football final clash between perennial Leinster powerhouses, Dublin, and the steadily improving Wexford. Many people felt that when Wexford lost their main talisman, the great Matty Forde, they would struggle to replace him; in fact that would be true of any county in Ireland. However, instead of replacing him with one man, several of their forwards have stepped up to the plate and taken on the scoring responsibility. Ciaran Lyng, Ben Brosnan and Shane Roche have all scored heavily in games thus far in the championship while the likes of Redmond Barry and PJ Banville are well equipped to contribute white and green flags also.
Wexford have been impressive, to a point, in their games so far and on the scoreboard they look extremely powerful. Returns of 2-16, 1-24 and 4-12 do not indicate a shot shy attack. However, it is undeniable that the Slaneysiders have come through the weaker side of the draw and Offaly, Westmeath and Carlow is a far less daunting proposition than dealing with the likes of Meath, Kildare, Laois and Dublin who were all on the other side of the draw.
Even so, Offaly were really only put to the sword in the closing stages after the midlanders missed a penalty and several other goal chances with the game a real contest while Carlow got off to a great start in the semi final before being hauled back and then well beaten. Wexford cannot afford such a start again as Dublin, despite letting leads slip against Kildare and Cork in the NFL final, are unlikely to be as accomodating.
As is often the case in big games the area between the 45s will be key and Wexford have big men in the middle of the field in Daithi Waters and Rory Quinlivan, with the likes of Barry, Colm Morris and Adrian Flynn helping on the breaking ball. Eamonn Fennell and Denis Bastick are the latest Dublin duo to partner in the middle of the field, and the onus is on them to make sure Dublin are competitive in this area. Bryan Cullen, Paul Flynn and Ger Brennan will also be important in setting the tone in this zone, and thus influencing the whole battle. The key for both teams will be to cut off supply to the danger men on the opposition, and feed their own scoring forwards. Alan Brogan is a fine conductor of the Dublin forward orchestra, and with the brother Bernard and Diarmuid Connolly the scorers in chief, they have the players to cause havoc themselves. Eoghan O'Gara gets another outing in the full forward line, and while he has the potential to be extremely effective, he needs to appreciate the fact that he cannot just throw himself around and expect to survive at this level. He is a good ball winner, and if he learns to use the ball well, he will be a great addition to Dublin. It's up to himself now.
Overall, I think the Dubs will have too much for Wexford in the end, but I will be very, very surprised if Wexford allow it to pan out like the 2008 final did, when they were blown away by Dublin. That Dublin team was much more likely to go to town on you when they got their tails up, whereas this Dublin side seems more workmanlike and this Wexford team has more scoring promise than the 2008 version. I expect Wexford to win enough ball to get the scores, but I expect Dublin to shade the battle around the middle and translate that into a 3-5 point victory.
Verdict. Dublin by 3.
All Ireland Football Qualifiers - Round 2
Round 2 of the football qualifiers gets underway on Saturday, and there are some intruiging ties to look forward to, as the summer really begins to take shape. The 8 winners of these matches will advance to the next round, where they will be reduced to 4, before bringing the Provincial beaten finalists into the picture.
Saturday July 9th
Limerick v Offaly. 2pm. Gaelic Grounds, Limerick. (Ref. Maurice Condon)
By all appearances this is set up for Offaly to reach the next round of the qualifiers as Limerick are dealing with several issues. Already shorn of John Galvin through a season ending knee injury, they have lost Jim O'Donovan and Eoin Joy through injury before this game. Added to that the GAA have placed a horrible dilemma on the plates of Stephen Lucey and Mark O'Riordan and their decisions to go with the hurlers is something Maurice Horan could have done without.
Nonetheless, there are reasons for Limerick to be positive. In Stephen Kelly, Seanie Buckley, Ian Ryan and Ger Collins they have players that can trouble any back line in the country. The fact that Offaly are the opponent must give rise to hope as well. The league meeting was a narrow win for the Faithful, but such are the inconsistencies that have plagued this team over the past few years, one cannot be sure whether the performance against Monaghan was a blip or a genuine indicator of form.
It was certainly an indicator of potential. As I have become tired of saying, there is huge football ability in a lot of these Offaly players. Lads like Niall Smyth, Karol Slattery, Ciaran McManus, Ken Casey, Niall McNamee and others can hold their own in any company. Smyth and Ritchie Dalton gave Offaly a huge advantage around the middle of the field against Monaghan, and if the trick can be repeated against a depleted Limerick midfield Offaly should march on.
Verdict. Offaly by 4.
Down v. Leitrim. Pairc Esler, Newry. 3.00 pm (Ref. Martin Sludden).
It's been well documented that Down barely escaped with their championship lives against Clare the last day out in Ennis, and had they drawn an away date with a division 2 team, you'd be beginning to question their continued involvement in this year's chase for Sam. However, they were handed a home tie against a Leitrim side which saw their early delight following the win against Sligo being ruthlessly crushed by Roscommon in the Connacht Semi Final.
Leitrim make 5 changes from the side that received that trimming from Roscommon, and Mickey Moran will be hoping to see a renewed vigour as they face the stiff task ahead. Among those changes is the introduction of Daniel Beck for Wayne McKeon, who was dropped from the panel this week along with a couple of others apparently. Emlyn Mulligan at centre forward is the man most fans will know from the Leitrim side but, while he is certainly good enough for this company, a lot will depend on how well he can lead this Leitrim attack.
Down are still struggling with their midfield, and ideally they need to have Martin Clarke directing things from the half forward line, so don't be surprised if Dan Gordon makes a return to the middle of the park at some stage this year, unless Ambrose Rogers can regain fitness. Liam Doyle should return on Sunday, and that will help settle a strong looking forward line which includes Coulter, Poland, McComiskey and the hero of Ennis, Conor Laverty.
All in all, Down to have too much, and to have received enough of a fright in Ennis.
Verdit. Down by 7.
Antrim v. Carlow. Casement Park. 3pm. Eddie Kinsella.
Antrim's victory over Westmeath in the last round has been rewarded with another home tie, this time against Carlow. Carlow were delighted by their victory over Louth in the Leinster quarter final but, similar to Leitrim, they were brought crashing down to earth against Wexford in their semi final appearance.
Carlow make only one change from the team that started that day, as Willie Minchin replaces Sean Gannon, but as always they will be looking for their big players Tommy Walsh, Brendan Murphy, Brian Murphy and Daniel St. Ledger to come through for them.
Antrim must plan without goalkeeper Sean O'Neill, who must fulfill his duties with Crusadors in their European soccer tie, but sailed through the game with Westmeath fairly comfortably. Players like Herron, McCann, Niblock, and Paddy Cunningham will be difficult for Carlow to handle, and home advantage might just swing this Antrim's way.
Verdict. Antrim by 3.
London v Waterford. Ruislip. 6.30pm. (Ref. Syl Doyle)
London have had a very good year so far in the championship with their near miss against Mayo being followed by a comfortable win over Fermanagh in the qualifiers first round. When their name came out of the hat first again, against Waterford, they must have been delighted with their chances of making the next round.
Waterford have been idle since Cork took care of them in Munster, and will not be relishing this trip to Ruislip. However, in their favour, they spent the spring in Division 3 and, while they only won 1 game, they were very close against the likes of Westmeath, Offaly and Louth, so they will be used to competing with better teams than London.
London are probably stronger than they were in the league, as their defeat of Fermanagh showed, and are backboned by good footballers from Kerry and Galway, amongst others, and are deservedly favourites going into this game. I think, however, that Waterford have been putting in work over the past couple of years and they should be good enough to upset the hosts in this tie.
Verdict. Waterford by 2.
Laois v Kildare. O'Moore Park Portlaoise. 7pm. (Ref. David Coldrick)
In contrast to some of the draws handed to teams who needed a bounce back, Kildare have been given an extremely tricky tie away to neighbours Laois. Laois were impressive in dismissing a poor Tipperary side in the last round, and with Quigly, Clancy, Munnelly, Kingston and MJ Tierney all back in harness together, they are more formidable outfit than that which bowed out against Dublin in Leinster.
Kildare, notwithstanding the Dublin defeat, are still one of the top 6 or so counties in the country and despite popular opinion I believe they do possess scoring power. It's unfortunate for them that Darryl Flynn is still not fit enough to make the starting 15, but I believe he is nearing that level, and may make an appearance. That would free up Johnny Doyle to bolster a forward division that has quality, but may need direction. Smith, Kelly, O'Flaherty, Callaghan and Kavanagh can all score at different times, and if Kildare can get them scoring at the same time, they would be a serious contender. They are close. Emmet Bolton is a doubt at wing back for this weekend, but I feel the Kildare overall strength and organisation should be enough to see them home in a tricky tie, but they will need to avoid their traditional slow start giving them too big of a mountain to climb.
Verdict. Kildare by 5.
Longford v Tyrone. 7pm. Pearse Park, Longford. (Ref. Pat McEnaney)
I would have loved to see Galway and Cork on the TV on Saturday in the hurling, as I think that should be a great game (more anon) but if the powers that be were chosing a football game I'd have loved this to have been the one selected. No offence to Kildare or Laois, which I'm sure will be a good game itself, but this one has all the traditional ingredients for an upset.
Longford are at home, going well, and have history in giving 'big' teams the horrors in this venue. Just last year Mayo fell, while Derry have also bitten the dust here. Dublin and Kerry have been blessed to escape with their dignaty intact in the recent past as well. And make no mistake about it, Longford, under Glenn Ryan are a serious championship outfit, who seem to scoot along under the radar when it comes to the type of recognition that the likes of a Louth, Wexford or Wicklow get in Leinster. That probably suits them to a certain extent, and players like the Bardens, Brian Kavanagh and Seanie McCormack are well capable of doing a job on Tyrone. Diarmuid Masterson continues at #11 for the Larries, with Kevin Diffley holding the centre back position. Shane Mulligan is a seasoned campaigner at wing back while Bernard McElvaney and Mark Brady form a solid midfield partnership.
The question being asked of Mickey Harte is one that the great Mick O'Dwyer faced back in the mid 80s. 'Are you being too loyal to players who delivered All Irelands'. The answer in Micko's case was probably yes, and when the O'Sheas, O'Sés, Spillanes, Sheehys and Egans of the world walked away from the intercounty stage, Kerry entered an 11 year wilderness until 1997. It's doubtful that such a fate awaits Tyrone, as their conveyor belt of talent seems to be continuous, but at some point that talent needs to be wedded into the senior team. If you leave it too long, then you introduce too many, too quickly, and defeats and loss of confidence are certain bedfellows at that stage. Mickey decided to play a huge number of his old warhorses against Donegal, and it's probably telling that Stephen O'Neill (albeit with injury) Owen Mulligan, Brian McGuigan and Brian Dooher were taken off, while Kevin 'Hub' Hughes received two yellow cards in the same game.
Nobody deserves the right to do what he feels is correct more than Mickey Harte in Tyrone, given all his success there, and it's not a real surprise that Mickey has only made one change to that side, with Martin Penrose returning at the expense of Owen Mulligan. Mulligan may well feature however, as Stephen O'Neill is struggling with a hamstring injury.
As I mentioned at the start of this preview, if you were writing a script for an upset, the main ingredients are all present. An aging, disappointed side facing a hungry, keen, underdog away from home in a provincial ground on a Saturday night. It's far from Croker on a September Sunday, and if Tyrone are not mentally right Longford will take them.
However, to borrow from a man who knew little about championship football
"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Verdict. Tyrone by 2.
Armagh v Wicklow. 7pm. Morgan Athletic Grounds, Armagh. (Ref. Patrick Fox).
Wicklow managed to stave off the probable end of Micko's reign in the Garden County with a fine performance and victory over Sligo, but this may be a step too far. Armagh were disappointing against a fine Derry side in the Ulster semi final, but before that, in this same venue, they accounted for Down in an exciting Ulster Championship opener.
It's unlikely that Armagh will be contending for honours at the end of the season, but a favourable draw could well see them reach a quarter final at least and this draw would certainly fall into the favourable category.
That's not to say that Wicklow will be any pushover, and Micko would love to see his men go into Armagh and come away with a surprise result. He relies on Leighton Glynn, Tony Hannon and Seanie Furlong to lead the team, but I just feel in this instance they may struggle with the Armagh side who will be keen to bounce back. Stevie McDonnell is not the player he once was, but he is still a good scoring inter county forward, while in Jamie Clarke the famous Crossmaglen Rangers club have unearthed another future star.
Armagh have made 4 changes from that defeat to Derry, with Paul Duffy and Finian Moriarty coming into defence, James Lavery coming in to partner Charlie Vernon in the middle of the field and Brian Mallon coming into centre forward. Kevin Dyas also moves from defence into the reshuffled attack.
Wicklow will be game, but I feel Armagh will be too strong for them, and I fancy it to be comfortable, if not easy, for the home side.
Verdict. Armagh by 5.
Meath v Galway. 7pm. Páirc Tailteann,Navan. (ref. Michael Collins).
Galways chance for redemption comes in very difficult circumstances, as I'm sure a trip to Navan would have been close to the bottom of the list of preferred draws for them. Tomás O'Flaharta has taken a cleaver to his starting lineup (figuratively of course) and made sweeping changes to the team that disappointed so much on that awful day in Castlebar against Mayo.
Chief amongst these changes is the welcome return of Michael Meehean to the forward line, although his cameo against Mayo hardly convinced the world that he is back to full fitness. Diarmuid Blake comes into the side at centre back, while Finian Hanley goes back to the edge of the square as Fintan O'Curraoin comes in to partner Joe Bergin in midfield. Thomas Flynn and Matthew Clancy come in to join Mark Hehir in the half forward line while Padraig Joyce moves to full forward with Meehan and Cormac Bane in the corners.
Such radical changes are hardly the ideal scenario for Galway, but something had to be done after the debacle of Castlebar, and you would have to expect a better performance, and hopefully better weather, on Saturday.
Meath, for their part, must be on a high following their emphatic defeat of neighbours Louth in the rematch of last years controversial Leinster Final, and the performance of Cian Ward banished thoughts of the Bray brothers' absence on the day. However, it's hard to catch lightning in a bottle twice, and Cian will be well aware that he will be a marked man on Saturday evening. As such it will be vital for the other Meath forwards to step up to the mark and make sure the burden of scoring does not fall on Ward's shoulders, but I don't think that will be an issue. Graham Reilly, Joe Sheridan, and Paddy Gilsenan can all score, and Paddy O'Rourke has proven to be a useful focal point for the attack. Shane O'Rourke slotted in well at midfield against Louth, and helped himself to 3 points from there as well, while Seamus Kenny's workrate ensures a good supply of ball goes into those forwards.
Verdict. Meath by 3.
All Ireland Hurling Qualifiers - Phase 3
The last round of the hurling qualifiers takes place this Saturday also, rounding off the menu for a busy day, as the Phase 2 winners, Cork and Antrim, face the Phase 3 winners, Galway and Limerick, with a place in the All Ireland Quarter Final at stake.
Galway v Cork. 4pm. Gaelic Grounds, Limerick. (Ref. James McGrath)
Any football fans heading to Limerick for the qualifer between Offaly and the host county would be well advised to stay on for the main event afterwards, as the hugely intriguing clash between Galway and Cork gets underway at 4pm in the second of a tasty looking double header.
Galway showed what they are capable of against Clare in the last round, and that rout showed that when the other Galway forwards stand up and be counted, Joe Canning suddenly becomes the player we all know he is. Too often he is left to soldier alone, and that is far too daunting a task for any man in inter county hurling at this level. It's not surprising at all that john McIntyre has left well enough alone and names the same side which started against the banner, and he will be hoping that Ger Farragher, Iarla Tannian, Alan Kerins and Damien Hayes reproduce the form they showed in that game. Tony Og Regan and Shane Kavanagh anchor the defence and in James Skehill they have a fine big goalkeeper with a big puck out.
Speaking of the Galway puckouts, a big indicator of how this game will go will be the battle between the Galway half forward line and the Cork Half Back line. Ronan Curran comes back into the Cork side at centre back, and he is flanked by John Gardiner and Shane O'Neill, in what can be a very strong line for the Rebels. Pa Cronin is a big loss following suspension for Cork, and William Egan comes into the centre of the field to partner Jerry O'Connor. Cian McCarthy continues at centre forwards, flanked by Ben O'Connor and Niall McCarthy, while Pat Horgan will figure to be the big threat inside.
While such an exercise is fraught with danger whenever Galway are concerned, a look through both teams would leave you to believe that Galway are the better side, and if they can win the battle in their own half forward line, I expect them to continue their rehabilitation from the Dublin defeat.
Verdict. Galway by 4.
Antrim v Limerick. 7pm. Parnell Park, Dublin. (Ref. James Owens)
Limerick are unhappy with the timing of this fixture, and unhappy that two of their players were forced to choose whether or not to play with them, but now they must get on with it and not overlook the challenge posed by Antrim.
I ventured into the Gaelic Grounds last Saturday evening for the comfortable win over Wexford and came away suitably impressed with the work that Donal O'Grady is doing with this Limerick team. He has instilled a gameplan based on possession hurling, support runs and optimising opportunities if possible. It is still bedding in, but at times in Limerick it looked very good. At other times it looked over done and forced, and led to turnovers but you would expect that, especially as they spent their spring in Division 2. One thing is for sure, they have unearthed a fine bunch of forwards, led by youngsters Declan Hannon, Kevin Downes and Graham Mulcahy. Mulcahy is an injury loss for Saturday, but there are alternatives on the bench in the same mould, such as Pat Tobin and Ritchie McCarthy. Niall Moran continues to soldier on there, in a much changed forward line, and his experience was very important in bringing the other lads into the game. Donal O'Grady, the player, is having a good year in the middle of the field, and Mark O'Riordan is rewarded for his commitment to the hurlers with a starting berth there as well. Seamus Hickey continues at full back alongside the impressive Tom Condon, who has recovered from an ankle injury he suffered against Wexford.
Antrim have had a busy and productive year so far. Beating Laois before losing to Wexford in Leinster, followed by victories over Westmeath and Carlow in the qualifiers, and Armagh in the Ulster final means that this is their 6th game in this year's championship already. They will have no fear of Limerick, and a couple of incidents in the league meeting in the Spring (won by Limerick) has whetted the apetite of both teams for this clash.
Neil McManus is a big player for Antrim and he will have to be at his best for Antrim to prosper, as will the likes of Karl Stewart, Paul Shields and Conor McCann.
Limerick seem to be riding a rising tide at the moment, however, and I suspect they will be the ones marching on to the quarter final.
Verdict. Limerick by 8.
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