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2017/18 Club Hurling Championship Thread

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Replying To PortInFaithful:  "Yes I say Cuala will win Saturday and should be favourites to retain their Leinster title with no big hitters from Kilkenny or Wexford involved this year. Kilkenny finalists James Stephens and Dicksboro and Wexford winners St Martin's will take beating but they wouldn't have the same experience as Ballyhale or Oulart for instance. I don't see Kilcormac Killoughey making it to the final. Mount Leinster Rangers are the pick of the teams on the other side in my opinion. I heard Mattie Kenny has informed the Cuala lads that it's his last year in charge so they will only be gunning for more silverware.

Thurles Sarsfields and Ballygunner go at it again in the Munster quarter-final on Sunday. Sars just squeezed past them at this stage in Semple last year. The seven day turnaround may catch out Ballygunner again but I expect another closely fought contest at Walsh Park.

I see TG4 are showing the Kilkenny final instead with deferred coveragr of Sars and Ballygunner afterwards.

What are the thoughts on Dicksboro and James Stephens?

What a team Slaughneil are, the club that keeps on giving. Also who are the teams to watch out on the intermediate and junior stage? Could Middletown ever get back to an All-Ireland final? Kanturk maybe in Cork?"
Kilmaley from Clare are a good bet for Munster at least in the intermediate. Saw them last week against Murroe from Limerick and thought they were very impressive..

McFan88 (Limerick) - Posts: 449 - 25/10/2017 15:48:50    2057918

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Replying To preddan:  "What about castletown geoghegan...coukd they not b a dark.horse, 4 years ago could have bet MLR After holding a half time lead and look where MLR ended up the following spring..."
Castletown are missing a few players, I'm told.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 26/10/2017 01:15:42    2058041

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Brilliant first half half in Kilkenny, non stop action at both ends. Roll on the second half.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 29/10/2017 15:47:08    2058960

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Replying To clondalkindub:  "Brilliant first half half in Kilkenny, non stop action at both ends. Roll on the second half."
Unbelievable end to end old school game
some scoring and there could have been more goals

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 29/10/2017 16:01:54    2058963

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Disappointed for thurles. Thought they'd do it this year. Either the time of year doesn't suit them or they simply aren't as good as we think, which would make you wonder how good the tipp cship is
Id say Cuala are possibly the team to beat at this stage tho
Dowling is a big loss to NP

tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 30/10/2017 11:34:25    2059079

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Replying To tiobraid:  "Disappointed for thurles. Thought they'd do it this year. Either the time of year doesn't suit them or they simply aren't as good as we think, which would make you wonder how good the tipp cship is
Id say Cuala are possibly the team to beat at this stage tho
Dowling is a big loss to NP"
Thats a very good Ballygunner team wouldnt surprise me if they at least win Munster, though home advantage was a big factor yesterday. Cuala seem to be way off the mark yet judging by their display in County Final, and they are out against Kilkenny champs Dicksboro who looked excellent in winning the KK title in Nowlan Park yesterday.

clonjon (Dublin) - Posts: 665 - 30/10/2017 13:07:56    2059095

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Ah Thurles always flatter to decieve. If it's a close game and they can't put daylight between themselves and their opponents then they inevitably get beat. But Ballygunner are a very good side and will challenge for the All Ireland if they can find a way out of Munster. Sixmilebridge are well rested now and will bring a totally different challenge next week. Plus they've beaten Ballygunner in Waterford before.
With Dowlings metronomic free taking missing then that brings N.a. Piarsaigh back to the pack. Yeah Cuala are favourites now I'd say.

bloodyban (Limerick) - Posts: 1710 - 30/10/2017 13:13:05    2059097

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Replying To Cockney_Cat:  "Kilkenny Senior Hurling semi-finals this weekend Sunday 15th.

Ballyhale Shamrocks v James Stephens
O'Loughlin Gaels v Dicksboro

Up the Boro!"
Up the Boro!

Hopefully I'll still be shouting this on St Patricks Day next year. First though, there's the not so small task of beating Cuala next Sunday in Parnell Park

Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2787 - 30/10/2017 18:51:55    2059150

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Replying To Cockney_Cat:  "Up the Boro!

Hopefully I'll still be shouting this on St Patricks Day next year. First though, there's the not so small task of beating Cuala next Sunday in Parnell Park"
When was the last time a Dublin hurling team were favourites to beat a team representing Kilkenny?

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 30/10/2017 19:42:34    2059160

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Replying To keeper7:  "When was the last time a Dublin hurling team were favourites to beat a team representing Kilkenny?"
I don't know; but they (Cuala) are not just "a Dublin hurling team", they are the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Champions.

Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2787 - 30/10/2017 20:18:33    2059165

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Replying To keeper7:  "When was the last time a Dublin hurling team were favourites to beat a team representing Kilkenny?"
I'm pretty sure the last couple of times the Dublin champions have been favourites

tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 30/10/2017 22:06:42    2059185

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Replying To Cockney_Cat:  "I don't know; but they (Cuala) are not just "a Dublin hurling team", they are the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Champions."
That's what I meant!

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 30/10/2017 23:56:11    2059194

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Replying To tiobraid:  "I'm pretty sure the last couple of times the Dublin champions have been favourites"
Really?

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 30/10/2017 23:56:58    2059195

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Replying To keeper7:  "Really?"
http://www.gaa.ie/hurling/news/preview-aib-leinster-shc-final-cuala-loughlin-gaels/
Ya. Last year they were certainly favs. I remember going to the bookies expecting them to be slight under dogs but they were marginal favourites

tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 31/10/2017 08:39:01    2059208

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Replying To bloodyban:  "Ah Thurles always flatter to decieve. If it's a close game and they can't put daylight between themselves and their opponents then they inevitably get beat. But Ballygunner are a very good side and will challenge for the All Ireland if they can find a way out of Munster. Sixmilebridge are well rested now and will bring a totally different challenge next week. Plus they've beaten Ballygunner in Waterford before.
With Dowlings metronomic free taking missing then that brings N.a. Piarsaigh back to the pack. Yeah Cuala are favourites now I'd say."
Dowling will be missed, but Ronan Lynch is a fine free taker too, as evidenced in the 2015 Munster U21 Final and the All Ireland Final in Thurles a few months back

Oldtourman (Limerick) - Posts: 4495 - 31/10/2017 12:47:24    2059271

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Replying To keeper7:  "Castletown are missing a few players, I'm told."
Westmeath captain Aonghus Clarke and another county player Mick Heeney are out so Castletown will be very much up against it against KK

jobber (Westmeath) - Posts: 1704 - 31/10/2017 23:44:54    2059413

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Replying To Oldtourman:  "Dowling will be missed, but Ronan Lynch is a fine free taker too, as evidenced in the 2015 Munster U21 Final and the All Ireland Final in Thurles a few months back"
Peter Casey is just as good if not better than either of them. He put up huge totals with the minors a few years back.

Dowling would be a loss if you didn't already have a Conor Boylan on the bench. A different players yes but a huge talent in his own right.

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 01/11/2017 11:32:52    2059475

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Replying To mike03:  "Peter Casey is just as good if not better than either of them. He put up huge totals with the minors a few years back.

Dowling would be a loss if you didn't already have a Conor Boylan on the bench. A different players yes but a huge talent in his own right."
Dowling wont be missed too much vs Blackrock but will be a loss v Ballygunner. Ballygunner vs Nap the likely Munster final, Sixmilebridge will find it very hard to go down to Waterford and win and Blackrock looked very average in the Cork county final, NaP should account for them even without Dowling.

McFan88 (Limerick) - Posts: 449 - 01/11/2017 15:14:25    2059546

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A good move for London GAA? I think so. Should've been the case much sooner!

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 01/11/2017 15:52:57    2059560

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I agree with the above that Dowling won't be missed for Na Piarsaigh this weekend as Blackrock aren't up to much but he will surely be a big loss for them if they advance to the final as expected. Thurles Sarsfields were outfought by a brilliant Ballygunner side. That was the Gunner's eight game in as many weeks. It's hard to see Sixmilebridge going down to Waterford and beating them. Anyhow the Na Piarsaigh v Thurles Sarsfields final is out the window!

The Leinster quarter finals are difficult to predict... Cuala done it the hard way against Kilmacud Crokes and Dicksboro are something of an unknown quantity. The battle hardened Kilcormac Killoughey should have enough for Castletown who would I give a squeak if they had Aonghus Clarke and Mick Heeney available. The other game between Camross and Mount Leinster Rangers is a '50 50' game according to the bookies but MLR are favourites in my book.

There's lots happening in the intermediate and junior grades this weekend also with the Munster intermediate semi final between Ballyduff and Kanturk getting the Buff Egan treatment. Kilmaley and An Rinn meet in the other semi final while Ballinderren face Tooreen in the Connacht intermediate final.

PortInFaithful (Offaly) - Posts: 472 - 01/11/2017 15:55:31    2059561

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