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Leinster Hurling Championship 2024

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With the League gone, now for the main event. The bookies (for what it's worth) have Galway and Kilkenny neck and neck in the betting for the Leinster, with Wexford followed by Dublin for 3rd and 4th place respectively.
My own view? I think the extra two league matches Kilkenny played (semi-final & final) will stand them in good stead. Derek Lyng's style of playing is starting to come to fruition and this year's team will be better than last years. We should be good enough to, at least, qualify for the Leinster final. But that could depend on the final group game against Wexford.

Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2482 - 15/04/2024 09:33:28    2537909

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Hard to know where we are at. Alot will depend on injuries. If we have a fully fit panel we should be a match for anyone. If we are missing key players like last year, or playing key players when they aren't fully fit, again like last year, it could be a short enough summer for us. I think our current management team is a huge positive though, more progressive tactically, used the League to give gametime to new players playing a style of hurling that suited them, have the players fitter, and, maybe, being mostly from Wexford, might be better able to motivate the lads to work hard and play hard in every minute of every game.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 12196 - 15/04/2024 09:40:11    2537913

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The bookies are probably right. I've always taken the view of if in doubt back Kilkenny.

Galway are a bit flakey but would still be fancied to be in the final and justified.

I think we'll be much better this year but for the first time in a long time I'm not a hundred percent on our best 15. Our panel is much better and I think more balanced, but would have the same concerns as Viking. My hope is that we perform consistently. If we do that we'll be in the mix and place at least third.

Dublin are odd. They have a great record against us and Galway so should compete.

Antrim will catch somebody. I really hope it's not us.

Don't want to write them off. But I think Carlow will be under pressure.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2738 - 15/04/2024 22:43:28    2538206

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Can anyone explain why, since the round-robin group format started in 2018, the final round of matches have always had Kilkenny playing Wexford, and Dublin playing Galway?

Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2482 - 16/04/2024 09:09:47    2538249

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Replying To Cockney_Cat:  "Can anyone explain why, since the round-robin group format started in 2018, the final round of matches have always had Kilkenny playing Wexford, and Dublin playing Galway?"
Partly revenue, partly so that all 3 games carry meaning. The other game is usually a relegation final so is equally important.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 12196 - 16/04/2024 09:17:56    2538255

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Replying To Cockney_Cat:  "Can anyone explain why, since the round-robin group format started in 2018, the final round of matches have always had Kilkenny playing Wexford, and Dublin playing Galway?"
Fixtures probably set by the Leinster council. If it goes down to the last day it ensures big crowds at both those games.

Afinestick96 (Wexford) - Posts: 161 - 16/04/2024 09:18:53    2538256

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Replying To Viking66:  "Partly revenue, partly so that all 3 games carry meaning. The other game is usually a relegation final so is equally important."
Amusing that we still use the term 'relegation final'. Surely 'play off' is the correct term. Only winners contest finals. We even have club teams celebrating winning 'relegation finals' ...which says everything about their level of ambition. Inevitably someone will end up contesting relegation play offs, but I would like to think that every team has to go out at the start of the season believing they can win the county, provincial title, and even an all Ireland in some cases. Otherwise, what's the point.

Sliotharyslope (Wexford) - Posts: 136 - 16/04/2024 14:55:05    2538358

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Replying To Sliotharyslope:  "Amusing that we still use the term 'relegation final'. Surely 'play off' is the correct term. Only winners contest finals. We even have club teams celebrating winning 'relegation finals' ...which says everything about their level of ambition. Inevitably someone will end up contesting relegation play offs, but I would like to think that every team has to go out at the start of the season believing they can win the county, provincial title, and even an all Ireland in some cases. Otherwise, what's the point."
Semantics really, but I'd argue that there's nothing essentially wrong with the term "relegation final", because it's the final match to determine who ends up being relegated and who avoids it.

As for celebrations, I can't help but think of the minute or two after we beat Kilkenny in the SHC last year, to avoid relegation to the Joe McDonagh Cup. Far more short-lived and far less exuberant than celebrations for actually winning something would have been, and yes, we set out on that campaign with higher hopes than just avoiding bottom spot. But were we not entitled to celebrate for at least a minute or two?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2258 - 16/04/2024 15:52:00    2538370

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Replying To Sliotharyslope:  "Amusing that we still use the term 'relegation final'. Surely 'play off' is the correct term. Only winners contest finals. We even have club teams celebrating winning 'relegation finals' ...which says everything about their level of ambition. Inevitably someone will end up contesting relegation play offs, but I would like to think that every team has to go out at the start of the season believing they can win the county, provincial title, and even an all Ireland in some cases. Otherwise, what's the point."
It's pretty final if you get relegated. You are gone for at least a year:-)

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 12196 - 16/04/2024 17:13:26    2538380

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Replying To Sliotharyslope:  "Amusing that we still use the term 'relegation final'. Surely 'play off' is the correct term. Only winners contest finals. We even have club teams celebrating winning 'relegation finals' ...which says everything about their level of ambition. Inevitably someone will end up contesting relegation play offs, but I would like to think that every team has to go out at the start of the season believing they can win the county, provincial title, and even an all Ireland in some cases. Otherwise, what's the point."
When a team is celebrating after a game like its not celebrating out of a sense of achievement, its a complete sense of relief.

TerribleFootwork (Wexford) - Posts: 1760 - 16/04/2024 21:42:40    2538440

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Not much excitement in Galway for the championship. Partly because of a pretty static panel, partly because most years the Leinster round-robin is almost irrelevant

But everyone is looking forward to Johnny Glynn continuing his remarkable almost more goals than points championship record!

Kinvara (Galway) - Posts: 138 - 17/04/2024 09:59:51    2538514

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Kilkenny, Galway and Wexford to win out.
Dublin might spring a shock or two but won't have enough.

ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1141 - 17/04/2024 11:42:28    2538551

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Dublin's great escape has blown it right open.

Wexford/Dublin will now have to do something against kk and Galway assuming they win when they're expected to which isn't a given by any means.

There's plenty of hurling to be done yet.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2738 - 22/04/2024 11:51:22    2539798

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Replying To ExiledInWex:  "Kilkenny, Galway and Wexford to win out.
Dublin might spring a shock or two but won't have enough."
We can't all win out! We all still have to play eachother!

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 12196 - 22/04/2024 12:18:03    2539825

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Replying To Doylerwex:  "The bookies are probably right. I've always taken the view of if in doubt back Kilkenny.

Galway are a bit flakey but would still be fancied to be in the final and justified.

I think we'll be much better this year but for the first time in a long time I'm not a hundred percent on our best 15. Our panel is much better and I think more balanced, but would have the same concerns as Viking. My hope is that we perform consistently. If we do that we'll be in the mix and place at least third.

Dublin are odd. They have a great record against us and Galway so should compete.

Antrim will catch somebody. I really hope it's not us.

Don't want to write them off. But I think Carlow will be under pressure."
What do you mean by flakey? Would you give us a few examples of this flakiness, please? A good few of this Galway team have an All Ireland medal and some of them have won an All Ireland with both club and county.

baire (Galway) - Posts: 1840 - 22/04/2024 12:51:28    2539837

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Replying To baire:  "What do you mean by flakey? Would you give us a few examples of this flakiness, please? A good few of this Galway team have an All Ireland medal and some of them have won an All Ireland with both club and county."
Should have held on for last year's Leinster final for starters .

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 1925 - 22/04/2024 13:41:46    2539858

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Replying To Bon:  "Should have held on for last year's Leinster final for starters ."
If conceding a goal in the dying minutes of a tight hurling game is an example of flakiness, well then there are lots of flaky teams in the country. Kildare wouldn't be one of them, unfortunately.

baire (Galway) - Posts: 1840 - 22/04/2024 16:15:33    2539913

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Replying To baire:  "If conceding a goal in the dying minutes of a tight hurling game is an example of flakiness, well then there are lots of flaky teams in the country. Kildare wouldn't be one of them, unfortunately."
We would! From Jonny Dooley in 1998 to Conor Bleahane in 2018 to just last weekend. Although the shoe has been on the other foot also, Rory McCarthy in 03 against Cork, Mick Jacob in 04 against Kilkenny.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 12196 - 22/04/2024 16:59:08    2539930

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Replying To baire:  "If conceding a goal in the dying minutes of a tight hurling game is an example of flakiness, well then there are lots of flaky teams in the country. Kildare wouldn't be one of them, unfortunately."
Dont see what Kildare have to do with a comment about Galway, but how and ever.
As anyone who knows me on this forum knows that I have no interest in Kildare whatsoever ;-)

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 1925 - 22/04/2024 19:01:12    2539963

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Replying To baire:  "What do you mean by flakey? Would you give us a few examples of this flakiness, please? A good few of this Galway team have an All Ireland medal and some of them have won an All Ireland with both club and county."
In fairness galway conceded two last minute goals in consecutive years against kilkenny, albeit in 22 we managed to salvage the game via a last second point.
We also wilted in the 22 leinster final against kilkenny once they got stuck in.
I've been following galway hurling since 1999 and tbh 2017 was the only season we played consistently well throughout. Every other year we could play brilliantly one day and poor the next.

Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1748 - 22/04/2024 20:02:45    2539970

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