Good point Cuede, there are plenty of people who are only too happy to think all Tipp fans are like Thurles Blues.

Trust me we don't need reminding about what we have won over the last 50 years. Funnily I great reminded of it on a regular basis but by other Tipp people. We'd love to see the current crop win more because we think they would be full value for it.

Killarney.87 (Tipperary) - Posts: 2513 - 16/03/2015 13:42:59    1703365

I would love to see this current Tipp bunch win another all Ireland but would also love to see Limerick, Waterford, Dublin and Wexford win one also what a few years it would be for hurling. Who do people see winning the league now ? And who will go down and come up ?

therealtmo (Tipperary) - Posts: 1292 - 16/03/2015 14:45:41    1703410

with regards winning it is incredibly hard to pick at the minute but if I had to guess I'd say Tipp.
I have a feeling Clare will go down and I don't think it will do them any harm.
Showdown between ourselves and Waterford next week is totally 50/50. I wasn't worried about them at all when I saw the fixtures but as the league has gone on I'd say they're the most improved team in Ireland. As much as I'd love for us to come up I'm beginning to question where we'd get the points to stay there next year. are we good enough yet to maintain that level over 5 games ? There's only one way to find out I suppose.
I think Antrim will go finish bottom in 1B but will win the 1b/2a play off.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2706 - 16/03/2015 15:13:58    1703430

Wexford park is one if the hardest grounds to go and get a win so it really is 50/50. I think Clare might go down if it's KK they are playing, as for winning it this could be a huge chance for Limerick to make up for not going up, just how serious will they take the rest of the league. Any team left in it could win it now and I think if some of the other teams outside of the so called stronger teams take it serious enough they could well win it.

therealtmo (Tipperary) - Posts: 1292 - 16/03/2015 16:13:55    1703468

I would like to see Wexford beat Waterford and it would be a nice reward for Liam Dunne and his players if Wexford were to be promoted.Scoring 5 goals away to Laois is very clinical.
At the moment im favouring a Cork v Tipp league final with maybe Tipp to shade it.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 16/03/2015 17:04:05    1703497

Reattmo and Killarney
Thanks lads. Ye are fair hurling men. And ye are right when ye tell us to ignore that other dude.

Oldtourman (Limerick) - Posts: 4342 - 16/03/2015 17:07:33    1703499

The final round of games don't seem to have a lot at stake in 1A. Cork and Tipp are both qualified to the semi-finals. I hope Cork put out a completely new starting 15. Winning does not confer any real advantage. Finishing top of the group means that you get the fourth place team in Division 1B - that looks like Offaly at this stage. With respect to them, Cork and Tipp are well ahead of them and this time you are looking for tougher games.

Dublin v Galway - if this game is close then both team should qualify for the semis regardless of who wins. Will be close if Galway lose by a few and Clare win a by a few.

Kilkenny v Clare - they may have to play each other again in a relegation play off....

The big game of the week is in 1B- Waterford v Wexford - there is a massive price at stake in a winner takes all game...hopefully this will be played at championship pace..it should be..both teams should really want promotion to 1A..

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 16/03/2015 17:23:13    1703507

Points difference doesn't apply Benny. Two way tie-breaks are decided on head to head result. Three way tie-breaks on point differential, but there can't be a 3-way tie. It's KK v Clare/Dublin for relegation.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 3464 - 16/03/2015 17:36:14    1703512

Eamon O'Shea commented yesterday after the match that people should remember one thing -It's March. It has no relevance to the Summer. His words, not mine.

The league is a farce. Nobody knows who is trying and who isn't. Tj Ryan said before the league started he didnt care if Limerick went up. Starting Declan Hannon centre back Saturday night showed he was experimenting. A match we had to win if we were to go up and he is experimenting. Derek McGrath said after the first round vs Limerick he doesn't care if they go up. Eamon O'Shea is saying after every match he doesn't care if they win or lose. Cody didn't move an inch on the line yesterday. He had no interest one way or the other.

The league for all it is hyped up as mattering, it simply doesn't.

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 16/03/2015 17:44:23    1703516

Benny there are 4 1/4 finals to be played first. Nobody has qualified for a semi final.

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 16/03/2015 17:47:22    1703518

Mike, KK have always been interested in the NHL under Cody. His method of preparing teams has been very straightforward, with the clear aim to win every single game. That's why KK's NHL record since '99 is second to none, and compares quite favorably with their staggering championship record in the same spell. The only reason that Cody might look disinterested at present is because he hasn't got access to the players that he needs to win games. Missing Reid, Fennelly*2, Power, Larkin, JJ, Shefflin and maybe more, it has proven to be one or two too many even for KK in recent weeks, and this was especially emphasised v Tipp, who have proven themselves to be the second best team in the country over recent seasons. Limerick might be a bit different, rolling over in last year's NHL qf, but still producing fire and brimstone for championship. That might be Limerick's way, but it has never been Cody's way, because it has always been his ethos that you can't switch on form whenever you like, so the easiest way was to bring it every day, which is why KK never treated the league as a farce. Galway lost NHL ko games to KK in recent seasons, at least two semis, and some Galway fans cod themselves with 'it's only the league' talk, and the 'maybe we didn't want to win it' nonsense, but the very same quality gaps that prevented those league successes almost always reemerge in the championship summer.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 3464 - 16/03/2015 19:14:19    1703570

Am I right in saying that KK are certs for the relegation battle now and cannot make the league knock out??

They are on -17 points so they would need to beat clare by a fair whack and hope that Dublin beat Galway by something similar in order to qualify, one team on 4 points will go through to the knock outs but it will hardly be KK.

So it will probably be - Cork, Tipp, Dublin, Galway, Offaly, Limerick, Waterford and Wexford. That would be interesting 1/4s.

It's not beyond possibility that KK could be mixing it in 1B next year and going down to Carlow or Kerry for a league match. Just shows how cut throat 1A is.

hurlinspuds (Cork) - Posts: 1494 - 16/03/2015 19:26:39    1703575

Pope_Benedict
County: Galway
Posts: 1203

1703512
Points difference doesn't apply Benny. Two way tie-breaks are decided on head to head result. Three way tie-breaks on point differential, but there can't be a 3-way tie. It's KK v Clare/Dublin for relegation.

Thank you. I can never keep up. Kilkenny have nothing to play for next Sunday then. So Clare have to win and then hope that Dublin lose to Galway and that way Dublin will play Kilkenny in the relegation playoff.

When was the last time that Kilkenny did not qualify for league knock out stages? They have won 8 under Brian Cody and been in 10 finals (including the last 4).

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 16/03/2015 19:30:38    1703576

Mike 03
County: Limerick
Posts: 1016

1703518
Benny there are 4 1/4 finals to be played first. Nobody has qualified for a semi final.

Sorry Mike. You are right. I meant to say that Cork have qualified for quarter finals.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 16/03/2015 19:32:56    1703579

Good post pope,Tipperary with the record 19 National leagues always treat the league with respect.As do Kilkenny under Cody.It is our second trophy and a winners medal is a valued achievement.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 16/03/2015 19:44:20    1703585

Some joke that antrim play carlow or Kerry now to stay up. Just when Carlow threatened to become a force to be reckoned with, the GAA come up with a system to keep them mediocre. Shocking.

hurlinspuds (Cork) - Posts: 1494 - 16/03/2015 19:52:20    1703587

As voted in congrees 2015, the winners of division 2A will gain automatic promotion and the bottom of 1B will be relegated from 2016 on. Aside from this, I think the league format is as good as it could be.

gaafarmer (Wexford) - Posts: 280 - 16/03/2015 20:55:56    1703613

hurlinspuds
County: Cork
Posts: 1283

1703587
Some joke that antrim play carlow or Kerry now to stay up. Just when Carlow threatened to become a force to be reckoned with, the GAA come up with a system to keep them mediocre. Shocking.

Agreed but it is not really new. Kerry played Offaly last year too. I think there should be two groups of 7 with bottom team of both groups going to 2A and two up.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 16/03/2015 21:16:32    1703626

To be clear, does the fact that both Dublin and Galway beat Kilkenny mean that Kilkenny can't qualify for the quarter-finals, or could Kilkenny still qualify if they beat Clare by a wide enough margin, and Galway or Dublin lose by a wide enough margin?

I think the real value of the league for the top teams is from the quarter-final stage on. That's where the games start to approach championship level, and teams can start to move up through the gears so they hit the championship at full throttle. With that in mind, I think its better to be in 1B than 1A. Its so easy to finish in the bottom two in 1A, Kilkenny could end up on 4 points and still miss the quarter-finals. But if your a top team in 1b, you just have to avoid finishing bottom or second from bottom, and you're in the quarter-finals. If Kilkenny or Clare had been in 1b this year, they'd be preparing for a league quarter-final. And they still would have gotten hard games against top sides (such as Limerick, Waterford, Wexford) in the actual league games, and decent games from good sides (Offaly, Laois, Antrim etc).
So when it comes to Limerick missing out on promotion, I think they're better off where they are.

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 16/03/2015 21:22:09    1703630

Hurlingspuds its mot beyond the bounds possibility for Kilkenny to be playing in Div 1B, in the early 1980s they were in the div 1b for two years they came back up won two leagues, two all Irelands back to back they were down for a year in the late eightys came up won the league Offaly hammered them in croke park but the seeds were set for contesting three all Irelands in a row.

johnwhite12 (Kilkenny) - Posts: 306 - 16/03/2015 21:29:41    1703635