Under Discussion: Round 5 of the Allianz Hurling League
Chatting are: The Irish Examiner's John Fogarty, Michael Moynihan and Diarmuid O'Flynn, and hurling columnist Enda McEvoy
JOHN FOGARTY: Start with the Páirc — shadow-boxing between Cork and Tipperary?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: I’d agree, shadow-boxing, neither side going all-out.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: What positions are up for grabs on the Cork team at this point?
JOHN FOGARTY: Full-forward, anyway. Horgan’s a cert in the inside line and Paudie O’Sullivan has come on in leaps and bounds. Denis Walsh sure has exercised his panel in the league, hasn’t he?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Perhaps corner-back, with Shane O’Neill to come back, but he’ll earn it; likewise wing-back James Nagle, who impressed yesterday. Jerry O’Connor should start in midfield, Pa Cronin looking likely now, but up front, plenty of places for grabs yet.
Cian Mac looks likely for 11, Niall Mac strong also, Cathal Naughton in contention, as is Ben, while up front, could have three youngsters in Paudie, Patrick and Luke.
JOHN FOGARTY: Pa Cronin looks up to it in midfield. I wonder about Jerry, Diarmuid. A majestic hurler but there’s a reliance on speed there and it’s been going a bit away from him.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Reliance on speed? Reliance on stamina and hurling intelligence I’d say, and few better to read the game; still has his stamina too.
ENDA MCEVOY: I’d have thought it was a better draw for Cork than it was for Tipp. Anyone agree? Disagree? Is that too easy a remark to make?
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: I agree on the basis that you’d rank Cork below Tipp, but given who Tipp were missing it’s not a great augury for May for Denis Walsh.
And by the way, we’re all about making the easy remarks . . .
ENDA MCEVOY: Ha ha!
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: I agree - Eoin Kelly worth two on his own.
JOHN FOGARTY: Looked the better draw for Cork in the highlights, anyway.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Odd thing is, they’re both still in with a chance, albeit slim - if Dublin beat Kilkenny next week, then lose to Cork in the final round, etc. etc.
JOHN FOGARTY: Eoin Cadogan is in sparkling form. Another player sent off against him yesterday. John O’Brien joins the list of Galvin (in football), Watson and O’Meara who have been either sent off or suspended getting involved with him. When I say sparkling form, I mean it. He is playing out of his skin in both codes at the minute.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Are we nitpicking in pointing out O’Meara was suspended for banjoing Shane O’Neill?
JOHN FOGARTY: Hold the hand up, but there’s a trend.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: You’re right though — he’s a one-man argument at the moment for the dual player.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: He’s a good one, but definitely gets ‘involved’ with his opponent, and with the referee.
JOHN FOGARTY: No need for a lip-reader after the referee pulled himself and O’Brien together following the dusting.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Back to hurling, and a worrying trend — anyone notice the number of unpunished fouls, fellas grabbing around the body with the hurley, preventing the man with the ball from releasing?
JOHN FOGARTY: See the amount of helmet straps that become loose yesterday? Lost count.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Every team is at it, tying up an opponent is one thing, tying them up illegally another, and it’s leading to all the rucks and mauls, slowing up the game.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Move it on to Tipp — they’re lacking some big hitters but should we be expecting a bit more from them?
ENDA MCEVOY: Two contradictory points on that one... Nobody will remember Tipp’s League campaign if they win the All Ireland, yet — and this is something we said after they lost to Kk in the opener — they probably SHOULD be doing a bit better as MacCarthy Cup holders.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: On Tipp I would say they are still the team to beat, but Galway looking ominous.
JOHN FOGARTY: Believe it or not, that was probably Tipp’s best performance of the league yesterday. They know when to peak but the injury list is getting to alarming proportions. Paddy Stapleton is only out for a couple of weeks, at least.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Is Declan Ryan just casting an eye over the contenders?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Think so, the league is not where it’s at for Tipp this year. Galway though . . .
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Before we move on to Galway-Dublin, has anyone definitively put his hand up for Tipp in the league so far?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Gearoid Ryan for midfield, John O’Keeffe at wing-back.
JOHN FOGARTY: I agree, Diarmuid. Pa Bourke will have to face some competition from Seamus Callanan. I did a bit of studying yesterday and from start of 2010 (including Waterford Crystal) up to yesterday, Tipp have the worst record of the so-called big teams, playing 19 and only winning 10 (losing seven). Galway have the best with 16 wins from 22 and Waterford are next with 14 wins and four draws from 23.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Ok, Dublin-Galway: it’s been well signposted here, anyway, but has the effective backloading of Dublin’s opponents given a false glow to their displays?
JOHN FOGARTY: I’d have to say yes - Galway and Dublin had both played Wexford and Offaly in their early games. Irrespective of them being home or away, they were gentler introductions. Dublin are getting somewhere but I can’t see them getting to the final now.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Two big games left for the Dubs, Kilkenny at home in Croke Park double-header with the footballers this Saturday, then Cork away — the league is finishing nicely, I think, regardless of the final.
ENDA MCEVOY: Re Galway, they’ve now got themselves into a position where they HAVE to win the league. Or, at worst, lose a highscoring shootout of a final - anyone disagree with that?
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: No, though maybe we could have said the same last year — then again, they got closer to Tipp than anyone else.
ENDA MCEVOY: That’s why I make the point — that it’s strange they’re in the same situation again this year! And again with the long-range stuff, is it fair to say that nothing short of reaching the All Ireland final will suffice for Galway now, at this stage of their progress under John McIntyre?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Odd thing to say Enda, but pertinent, definitely.
JOHN FOGARTY: They’ll be well up to facing Tipp too after the All-Ireland quarter-final last year. What impressed me about them yesterday was the depth they have in the panel. No Canning, Hayes, Tannian or Kavanagh and they still come away with the win.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Just before we jump to the Cats — how is John Mcintyre going to fit in all the lads who are due to come back, as John just said?
JOHN FOGARTY: Skin, bone and shrapnel will be flying in Galway training session, you’d imagine - David Collins’ injury is a concern and don’t forget Fergal Moore is still to come back. Tidy defender.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Joe Canning will have to play, but on form before he was injured you’d say the same of Fergal Moore — what now? Still, isn’t it some problem to have?
ENDA MCEVOY: If they were to win Leinster or an All Ireland quarter-final, they’d have a better chance of getting to September than they would have had last year, no?
JOHN FOGARTY: Being beaten at the death in the championship two years running points at something — a lack of killer instinct.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Enda is right, they’re better off going baldheaded for a provincial title — apart from anything else I’d like to hear the speech — and my feeling is that in an All-Ireland final they’d win.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: I think Leinster is a huge target for them this year - it’d be a massive psychological boost.
JOHN FOGARTY: Bob O’Keeffe across the Shannon — they’ll be some pictures in Athlone, alright.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Nowlan Park?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: While we’re all typing away about Cork, Tipp, Dubs, Cats and Galway, Waterford sneaking up on the inside.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Waterford don’t have Joe Canning waiting to come in but there’s a very strong panel there.
ENDA MCEVOY: There IS a decent panel, but who’s going to make a difference for them up front? That’d be my worry for them on yesterday’s evidence.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Bad result for them yesterday, they were wasteful in the final minutes.
JOHN FOGARTY: Waterford were a lot sneakier, so to speak, last year. Few gave them a chance of winning Munster. Saying the Tipp-Cork was the de facto Munster final set them right off. They’re in a more obvious position this time round but again they are another county showing they have depth in the panel.
ENDA MCEVOY: You could say that a fresh Mullane would help. But they were in a winning position with ten mintues to go in Nowlan Park and they failed to kick on. Okay, not the end of the world. But there wasn’t anyone there to really push the cart when push came to, ahem, push . . .
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Young Jake Dillon, O’Halloran, Tomás Ryan — new blood?
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: I’d say they’re a bit young and light yet.
JOHN FOGARTY: Jake Dillon might be a bit too young this year, Diarmuid, but definitely one for the future. Richie Foley has shown a lot of leadership in the absence of Eoin Kelly.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: For me the one to watch in Waterford in terms of kids is Eamonn Murphy.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Forgot about him, yes, very impressive.
JOHN FOGARTY: Was excellent for their minors last year. Will have to bulk up a bit but has the skills.
ENDA MCEVOY: If they’re to be there in September they must offer something fresh on the menu up front. And that wasn’t apparent yesterday.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: How did the Kilkenny old guard look at the back, Mick Kavanagh and Noel Hickey?
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Hickey wasn’t really tested - though Shane Walsh got a good goal - but to me doesn’t have the force he had; Kavanagh was tidy. Hogan good at centre-back and up front Colin Fennelly was very busy . . .but they miss Shefflin. Then again, who wouldn’t?
ENDA MCEVOY: Bottom line on Nowlan Park yesterday is that our eyes didn’t deceive us — this is where both teams are right now.
JOHN FOGARTY: Have been hearing Kilkenny have been doing a lot of weights work at the minute with only one training session a week. Very Mickey Harte. I wouldn’t be overly concerned about how “bad” their wins are, as some people are saying.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: A thought — Limerick and Clare are putting up big scores in Division 2 — they’re going to find some difference when they come up against Division 1 defences.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: . . . which brings us nicely to the point which had Mr Fogarty tweeting last night, about Divisions one and two. Should we have one big division to make everyone feel good about themselves?
ENDA MCEVOY: It’s the burning question of the day, isn’t it? Apart from how bad attendances have been... I thought Tomas Mulcahy made a good case for Wexford on TV last Sunday night. And at the same time, Michael Lyster was quite right to ask where you draw the line.
JOHN FOGARTY: No, Mike. Division 1 as it stands is promoting the game of hurling. The best are playing the best week-in, week-out. Divide it into groups of six and the attractiveness is diluted.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: I disagree with the huge Division 1 notion — keep it as it is, make it so that relegation is just that, relegation, but that teams who DO go down will still have some meaningful competition.
ENDA MCEVOY: Also, if you’re a Division 2 team with aspirations, you don’t want to see Division 1 teams being cosseted.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Any time I hear someone saying ‘and that’s no disrespect to the other teams in Division 2’ I can’t help asking — what else is it, if not disrespect?
ENDA McEVOY: It’s a pretty strong Division 2 this year!
JOHN FOGARTY: Two up, two down might work but you might have the same two exchanging places year on year.
ENDA McEVOY: One up and down is definitely enough!
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/fBhcmqBz7Vo/post.aspx
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