Chatting were: Michael Moynihan, John Fogarty, Diarmuid O’Flynn and Fintan O’Toole.
Under Discussion: Round 2 of the Allianz Hurling League.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN, Irish Examiner sportswriter: We might as well start with Saturday and De La Salle-Clarinbridge. The greatest club game of all time?
FINTAN O'TOOLE, Irish Examiner sportswriter: Yeah, for me it's the best club game of all time. I know it's easy to hype up high-scoring matches, but the quality of the scoretaking was exceptional and you couldn't have asked for more dramatic finales to both normal time and extra-time
JOHN FOGARTY, Irish Examiner GAA correspondent: Saturday's game had it all. Clarinbridge rise from the ashes twice, poor John Mullane denied . . . each side knew they could win it, unlike previous years when club teams went out hoping against hope.
FINTAN O'TOOLE: Of course, it's all subjective and nobody can be authoritative on the debate. But in the lifetime of the All-Ireland club SHC, I can't think of a better game.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN, Irish Examiner hurling writer: Would go with you on that one, Fintan.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Will Clarinbridge beat O'Loughlin Gaels?
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: Gaels are tough, very solid defensively, Brian Hogan a commanding figure - they'll earn it, that's for sure.
JOHN FOGARTY: O'Loughlin Gaels had their own battle against Ballyboden before Christmas but this will have Clarinbridge's confidence soaring.
FINTAN O'TOOLE: Great mix to the Clarinbridge team. The older heads like the Kerins brothers and David Forde are obvious standouts, but I was really impressed with Eoin Forde and Barry Daly.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: Tony Considine was raving about young Forde, reckons he's one to watch - is he related to David?
FINTAN O'TOOLE: Both were part of the Galway U21 team that were destroyed last September by Tipperary, they fared much better on this occasion in Semple Stadium. I think Eoin is a cousin - he got a few runouts with the Galway seniors in 2009, when he was just out of minor, didn't feature in 2010 but should come into the frame this season.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: The way Galway are going in the league, they mightn't need him!
JOHN FOGARTY: Galway have had the easiest start to the league all the same.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: Granted, but they’ve still impressed.
FINTAN O'TOOLE: That was a heavy beating they handed out to Offaly yesterday but Cathal Parlon's dismissal and the chronic injury list Joe Dooley has to contend with were mitigating factors.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: Well, we'll know more about them after their visit to the Park next Sunday, we’ll know more about Cork also.
FINTAN O'TOOLE: The win did come at a cost for John McIntyre, both Ger Mahon and Tony Og Regan came off with injuries. Iarla Tannian seems to have been really impressive.
JOHN FOGARTY: Interesting to see Ger Farragher back in the forwards. He started like a man on a mission last year when he was in midfield. A real confidence player, while Tannian has been promising to set the world alight for some time now.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: At least Wexford rallied yesterday against Waterford to some extent. Is there any light at the end of that tunnel?
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: Keith Rossiter did promise a Wexford bounce-back, now that the senior players are back in the fold - the Oulart lads, especially.
JOHN FOGARTY: It was all about pride for Wexford yesterday. Plenty of that in them but they're going to have a real fight on their hands to hold onto the Division 1 status they won back last season after two years of trying.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: Good to get three tight games in the league at the weekend though, and decent crowds also. Nowlan Park was hopping yesterday, nearly 6,000 but looked and sounded like more.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Cork and Kilkenny was competitive yesterday, but two points in one half isn't very encouraging for Denis Walsh.
FINTAN O'TOOLE: A mixed bag of a performance for Cork. The fight they showed in the second-half revival will give them heart going forward but the scoring difficulties up front remain on the evidence of the first-half.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: Tipp showed the way to beat Kilkenny last year, pace and skill, are now the benchmark; Cork should have learned from that but went back to the twin tower experiment, Cronin for Aisake, failed again. Hopefully Denis has now learned the right lesson - the guys who finished are close to what should be Cork's starting team.
JOHN FOGARTY: If Pat Horgan is kept quiet, what do Cork have? We saw how Waterford - or rather Noel Connors - took him out of it in the Munster finals last year and look what happened.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: The Cork management has to stop trying to reinvent the wheel and play the best players in the best positions; Curran at 6 or nowhere, Tom and Jerry in midfield, two McCarthys in the half-forward line, with Lehane, leave Paudie and Patrick to grow up front, Ben with a license to roam.
JOHN FOGARTY: Ben with a licence to roam from corner-forward, Diarmuid? That's what I'd like to see.
FINTAN O'TOOLE: Is Conor Lehane going to be a viable option for the Munster championship, though? He's doing his Leaving Cert a week after the Tipperary game. I think there's too much being expected of him.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: Richie Hogan was outstanding for Kilkenny yesterday, but we all missed the three catches for the second-last point! He came of age yesterday. TJ Reid also looked hungry when he came on. Add Henry Shefflin, Richie Power, Eoin Larkin, Brian Hogan, Martin Comerford et al, to that mix...
Noel McGrath starred for Tipp at a similar age to Conor Lehane, in similar conditions!
JOHN FOGARTY: Lehane was the real stand-out guy for Cork in the Waterford Crystal final. Good point about the Leaving Cert but still an option.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: What was the point of playing him through the Waterford Crystal, if not to blood him for bigger things this year? He's ready.
FINTAN O'TOOLE: He's definitely going to feature as the season progresses, it's just that May 29th clash in Semple Stadium. where he could be a doubt for.
JOHN FOGARTY: The fact is Cork need finishers.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Okay, talking of Semple Stadium . . . Dublin-Tipperary in Croke Park. Keaney scoring too much? Tipperary celebrating too much?
FINTAN O'TOOLE: Big win for Dublin. Given their bright start along with the travails of Wexford and Offaly, it looks like they've preserved their Division 1 status already.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: Keaney was truly outstanding, but ten points from placed balls, most of those earned by others - Dotsie fouled for at least three of them. So no, Conal contributing but so are those around him. A great find though, not just for Dublin but for hurling generally - we need more marquee names. Tipp, though, were very close, and still have Lar, Noel and John O'Brien to return up front. They're getting there, much improved over the full 70 from last week.
JOHN FOGARTY: Tipperary are conceding too many frees, a common factor in the defeats to Kilkenny and Dublin. They'll come good. Eoin Kelly came off the bench on Saturday just eight days after his wedding. His wife might think otherwise but that's leadership right there!
FINTAN O'TOOLE: Dublin should be set up better in attack this year with Keaney, Rushe and Ryan O'Dwyer the ball winning forwards, allowing McCrabbe and David O'Callaghan to concentrate as being the finishers.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: Fintan, when you put it like that, isn't Leinster going to be interesting this year?
JOHN FOGARTY: Was talking about Keaney with a friend yesterday evening and he made an interesting point - does Keaney now regret not having made the switch back to hurling earlier? I know it's still early days but it's almost as if he never left.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: Definitely, John - imagine where he'd be now?
FINTAN O'TOOLE: John O'Neill looked sharp on Saturday night for Tipperary, he’s recovered well from his long-term injury. Pa Bourke has also impressed over the last two weekends.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: Johnno and Pa will rattle that Tipp starting 15.
JOHN FOGARTY: They’ll compete for championship places. Aside from possibly pushing Padraic Maher into a more central position, can't see much happening to the defence.
FINTAN O'TOOLE: David Young will probably fill Declan Fanning's place, but otherwise the same rearguard, I imagine, for Tipperary.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Declan Ryan doesn't have the goodwill to draw on that Liam Sheedy would have had after two league defeats. Is he under pressure?
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: I wouldn't say Declan is under pressure yet, but he's not entirely comfortable either, and shouldn't be.
JOHN FOGARTY: He’s been handed a stick to slap his players with. They'll know themselves what has to be done and the word is training has been hard going (what inter-county hurling session isn't right now?) but performances should improve as league develops and cobwebs are blown.
DIARMUID O'FLYNN: Before we finish with the league, I think we should mention Clare - great win in Antrim - and Limerick, still on course. All heating up nicely.
And Waterford of course, three points from four also in the top division.
JOHN FOGARTY: Tipperary v Waterford on Saturday week will be a good one. The two Eoin Kellys will be back. It was an exciting draw in Thurles last year and should be just as tight again this time round.
FINTAN O'TOOLE: Fine win for Carlow away to Laois yesterday as well. Paudie Kehoe is posting good scoring totals for them.
**NOW THAT'S OUR VIEW. WE'D LOVE TO GET YOUR VIEW ON THE WEEKEND'S HURLING ACTION. POST YOUR COMMENTS ON THE SPORTSBLOG AND WE'LL PUBLISH THE PICK OF THEM IN TOMORROW'S IRISH EXAMINER NEWSPAPER
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/C9bktiNH-Y4/post.aspx
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