farelmeson: Even floodlights can't light up this Hurling League

Under Discussion: The weekend's Allianz Hurling League issues, plus college football reflections

Chatting are: Jackie Cahill, Therese O'Callaghan plus Irish Examiner staffers Tony Leen, Michael Moynihan, Diarmuid O'Flynn and Fintan O'Toole

TONY LEEN: Before we go onto hurling, hats off to UCC and Criost Ri for two big colleges wins over the weekend. Fintan, you covered both, would you say they were both against the head wins?

FINTAN O’TOOLE: UCC’s victory was certainly a surprise - 7/1 on Thursday morning, 3/1 on Friday morning and the outsiders again in Saturday’s final. But it was an outstanding title given that they defeated the holders (DCU), the hosts (UCD) and the favourites (UUJ), and they had no real marquee intercounty names.

TONY LEEN: I saw Barry O’Driscoll in last year’s Sigerson and thought he was a gem in the making. How was he this year?

FINTAN O’TOOLE: O’Driscoll did play well, grabbing key scores at crucial times and he’ll be a big figure for the Cork U21s. Conor Counihan will have noted Ken O’Halloran, Sean Kiely and Mark Collins and for Kerry defender Peter Crowley is worth a look at during the league.

TONY LEEN: Good news for Jack O’Connor because tight corner backs are a scarce commodity in the Kingdom this season — ergo, Tom O’Sullivan’s return. How was Johnny Buckley - he played injured?

FINTAN O’TOOLE: Buckley had a knee problem and then picked up a back injury in Friday’s semi-final. UCC used him shrewdly at various stages at both full-forward and midfield, and he was effective in both positions. He finished Saturday’s final with a brilliant late point.

THERESE O’CALLAGHAN: Fintan, I’d imagine Blly Morgan’s influence for UCC was probably worth a point or two as well.

FINTAN O’TOOLE: UCC were certainly well-coached and Morgan got the most out of a team with one player with senior inter-county championship experience.

TONY LEEN: Super win also for Criost Ri in the Corn Ui Mhuiri, but overshadowed by a horrible injury to Eoghan Finn in the first minute.

FINTAN O’TOOLE: The injury certainly overshadowed the game and you could see both sets of players looked visibly shaken after the long delay. The challenge was hard but mistimed and thankfully Finn is reported to be fine, with just a broken jaw. A great victory ultimately for Chríost Rí and they had the outstanding player on the pitch in full-forward Luke Connolly who kicked 0-9, eight of them in the second-half.

TONY LEEN: Am I being reasonable saying that despite some juicy Allianz hurling league pairings — Tipp-Kilkenny, Kilkenny-Cork, Waterford-Tipp, Cork-Galway - it isn’t catching fire?

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: I think Tony Considine’s point this morning is very pertinent: small crowds, ergo reduced atmosphere. The GAA must reduce prices.

JACKIE CAHILL: It’s a cliche but the League is the League, a breeding ground for the championship. I was in Thurles on Saturday evening and there was plenty of drama in the second half. Waterford had two players sent off and drew the second half against Tipp. I’ve never seen Davy Fitz smile after a defeat — until last Saturday. But less than 5,000 for the All-Ireland champions against the Munster champions is worrying. Night hurling is not catching punters’ imagination.

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: From a competition viewpoint, I don’t think it’s lost any lustre, teams are still trying to do well but there’s definitely a lack of response from the stands.

FINTAN O’TOOLE: Liam Sheedy questioned whether night hurling is as attractive to supporters as people think and advocated a return to Sunday afternoon games.
Just one interesting stat about attendances over the weekend - 4,947 at Waterford v Tipp on Saturday and 5,263 at Shamrock Rovers v Dundalk on Friday night.

JACKIE CAHILL: At the Munster GAA convention last Friday Jim Forbes, outgoing PRO, insisted that a Munster final should never again be played on a Saturday evening under lights. He’s insisting that the Munster Council should take full control of fixture-making instead of being dictated to by Croke Park and TV.

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Jim Forbes was absolutely right - it was a pleasure dealing with him in his time as Munster PRO. New man Ed Donnelly is another professional.

TONY LEEN: Have to throw in my tuppence worth on Jim Forbes. Right back to the days of the first Cork strike in 2002, he was the glue keeping all the parties talking. At often fraught moments in County Board-Examiner relations, he was also a ray of hope. I’d go as far as to say he’s been a template for many progressive PRO’s that have emerged in the meantime — Ger Lane, Ed Donnelly and Ger Ryan among them. The quality of PRO’s has improved significantly in recent times — Damien Harvey in Tyrone, Brendan Doyle in Leitrim. Jim Forbes is reverting back to local under age matters for the time being, but if right is right, he’ll be back in GAA public relations sooner rather than later. A real good ‘un.

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Hear hear.

JACKIE CAHILL: And good luck to Ed Donnelly in his new role. His contribution to Tipperary and Munster GAA in terms of web development has been massive.

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Agree about the night-time games in Thurles not grabbing the imagination of the crowd but I think it all comes back to pricing — lower those costs and people will travel.

JACKIE CAHILL: I think it’s sheer apathy — full stop.

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Call a spade a spade — the quality has been terrible. The first quarter of Cork-Galway yesterday was wicked, and Waterford-Tipp was a snorefest as well. You can talk about prices and night-time etc, but the standard has been poor. Not to mention the fact that if a game is half-decent it’s on TV. Why would you bother driving for an hour, or two hours, if you can just sit at home and watch it on the box?

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: I agree with Michael, the standard has been poor. Kilkenny are not the force they were, Tipp not yet back to full force, Galway without players, Cork team-building, Waterford still with half a team to come back - it’s been almost like a B league. No Henry, no Joe.

JACKIE CAHILL: Next Sunday in Nenagh, tighter pitch in a good catchment area, you’ll have a big crowd for Tipp v Offaly. In their fourth game of the League season, it’s Tipp’s first day time fixture.

THERESE O’CALLAGHAN: We’re almost at halfway now, are Dublin in with a shout to get to the final?

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Still hopeful that the Cork win will throw the cat back among the pigeons, a few teams are now in the running again. If Galway had won, it was almost league over, already. I think Dublin are in with a shout of reaching the final, but there are still a few tests to come - not just for them.

JACKIE CAHILL: Dublin have been doing savage strength and conditioning work and early season training sessions geared around taking the big hits and making sure that if a player gets bottled up by three or four defenders, he’s still able to get the ball away.

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Okay, we’ve touched on Dublin so we’ll stick to the games, etc, for a while. Seeing as you mentioned Tipp, Jack . . . how would anyone here mark Noel McGrath, based on Saturday night?

JACKIE CAHILL: Ah, he was superb, Michael. Brick was content to hold his position but Noel did exactly what he did last August in the All-Ireland semi-final, he roamed and found pockets of space. And his striking is superb, so accurate. He took four points off Brick in the first half and when Pa Bourke went to centre forward, he got three from play.

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Noel has really bulked up, looking very physically strong.

JACKIE CAHILL: Speaking afterwards, Davy admitted that Brick will have that in his head if the sides meet further down the road.

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Didn’t he have that already in his head on Saturday night, given that Noel did the same thing to him in the All-Ireland semi-final last year?

FINTAN O’TOOLE: Will Pa Bourke pin down a senior place this year? Star of the show for Tipperary minors in 2006 All-Ireland win, taken him a while to step up.

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Pa will make it, and with Eoin Kelly back starting, Paul Kelly, John O’Neill now in the frame, Lar to return, John O’Brien — that’s firepower!

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: The obvious move for Waterford is Moran to centre-back, using Brick elsewhere.

FINTAN O’TOOLE: Agree, particularly after seeing Moran for De La Salle and UCC recently. He’s been excelling at no. 6

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Spot on Michael, Kevin has been immense this year.

JACKIE CAHILL: For Waterford at least it’s a weakness exposed early in the season so they can work on it.

THERESE O’CALLAGHAN: They need John Mullane too. Will he be back for Cork next weekend?

JACKIE CAHILL: The De La Salle contingent are back in training tonight, Therese, and may be used as subs next weekend, I suspect.

THERESE O’CALLAGHAN: How did Maurice Shanahan do for Waterford?

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Got a couple of points but needs to up the contribution around the field — that’s according to his brother. Move it on to Cork-Galway. Are Cork still reliant on the old stagers for influential interventions?

THERESE O’CALLAGHAN: I don’t think so, Michael. I thought Pa Cronin did really well for Cork at midfield, as did Cian McCarthy in attack.

FINTAN O’TOOLE: How did the full-forward line of Horgan-O’Sullivan-Farrell go? Along with Cian McCarthy, Cork’s attack had a youthful look to it.

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Horgan accurate from placed balls and Paudie O’Sullivan contributed from play but Farrell found it tough going. He got a nice point, though. That full-forward line looks very light.

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Where is Conor Lehane?

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: A sub.

JACKIE CAHILL: I’ve seen Conor hurling Harty this year. Great talent but is it a little early for him?

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: I don’t think so - good enough, old enough.

JACKIE CAHILL: But even Noel McGrath wasn’t hurling senior for Tipperary as a Harty player.

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Eoin Kelly hurled with Tipp as a minor, Joe Canning was wanted by Galway as a minor but chose not to play, and Noel was certainly good enough as a minor, had he been chosen.

JACKIE CAHILL: True but Conor, and I stress again that he’s a serious talent, had two players marking him in the Harty replay against Templemore and struggled to make an impact. Give him another year or two in development and then make a call on it. It’s a bit early to put that sort of pressure on him.

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Wrapping it up . . . who’ll face Kilkenny in the league final?

JACKIE CAHILL: Dublin.

DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Dublin could do to Kilkenny what they did to them in the Walsh Cup final. Don’t write off Cork.

THERESE O’CALLAGHAN: Looks like Dublin or Galway.