Senior Hurling semi finals - 03/10/2010

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Killer B
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Senior Hurling semi finals - 03/10/2010

Post by Killer B »

Its great to see that the county board have fixed the semi finals as a double header in O Connor Park on Sunday

Sunday 3rd October

Aidan Bracken Building Design Senior Hurling Semi/Finals

Coolderry v Kinnitty O C P M Walsh 3.15 pm

Tullamore v Kilcormac/K O C P D Cooke 4.45 pm

Should be a good day out with all 4 teams capable of winning the Sean Robbins cup

Foreign Paddy
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Re: Hurling semi finals

Post by Foreign Paddy »

Should be right good day alright but off the point a small bit, the relegation playoff final, disappointing to see 2 teams from themore traditional football areas fighting for their senior status but thats the way it is. Any thoughts on who will stay up? Brosna have been unlucky this year and with a bit of luck I think their year could have been alot different.

1964
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Re: Hurling semi finals

Post by 1964 »

hopefully the lads can do it on sunday if they show the same fight and determination they displayed vs birr we will be there or there abouts but anything less than that and kk will win. tullamores back line is very strong and very tight i cant see a back in the kk backline who can stop dooley but i suppose they are hoping he has an off day.

in the first semi i can see coolderry winning with a few points to spare. i am sure kinnitys preparations have not been helped with fiasco with the football but maybe it could galvanise them but i feel coolderry have too much for them.

leinsterman
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Re: Hurling semi finals

Post by leinsterman »

Should be a good days hurling thank god the two are on the same day hope the weather keeps up.

Coolderry v Kinnitty will get the action under way this will be a tasty match with Coolderry out for revenge for the 08 defeat to kinnitty
and last years defeat to kilcormac/killoughey at the semil stage.

I think this Coolderry team are in the last chance saloon even doe they have a few players in from minor and under21 teams a lot of them are
there since 2003 they won it in 04 and were beat out the gate bye Birr in 05 final, they were unlucky in 06 as a Gary hanniffy goal got Birr out of jail
and lucky to win the replay, the same story in 07 stephen Brownes goal broke coolderrys hearts in the semil final in tullamore that evening.

so this will have to be the year that Brian Carroll, Kevin & Joe Brady, Damien Murray, and Barry Teehan will get to win a second sean robins title.
as for Kinnitty they are glad to get back to another semil-final and its something like Coolderry they have to go on and win a title soon but i am afraid it's
not going to be this year. i think coolderry will have to much firepower for the men from kinnitty on saturday and will win bye around 5 to 8 points.

Tullamore v Kilcormac/killoughey
The second game is a repeat of last year's county final in which tullamore proved everyone wrong as well as me and won the county title
i will have to hand it to tullamore they proved that last year was no flash in the pan bye beating my own club Birr again this year
and they were well worth their win again this year so Kilcormac/kill you have been warned .

as for Kilcormac/killoughey they have been knocking on the door since 2000 with some great underage teams from the 90s how they didn't win at least
one i will never know. maybe because Birr were so strong over the last ten years and have edge them out of a few semil-finals and two county finals
well they wouldn't have that problem now that Birr are gone so like coolderry and kinnitty this is last chance saloon to for KK to reach the holy grail.

i can see this game going to the wire and if its close near the end my money will be on tullamore to pull through they love tight hard games and have won a few over
the last two year's. Tullamore are county champions and people forget that they ran Ballyhale shamrocks close enough in last years club final and tullamores Brendan Dagg
done as good as job on king henry as anyone last year.

with Stephen Eagan, Shane Dooley, Dagg,and kerrigan they still have the team that won last years title. kilcormac/killoughey will want big games from
Ger & Peter Healion Brian Leonard in his new role as full back this year the centre pairing of Connor Mahon and Ciaran Slevin.

the forward line could be kk weak link Daniel Currams for a county man was replaced in the seir kierans game and was very poor
James Gorman and Ger Healion are big men and will be looking to win ball in the air as the tullamore full back line are not that big
and i think Cillian Bane last years full back for tullamore is still out injured. if its a tight finish i will go for tullamore but i think
killcormac/killoughey to win it they will win it bye 5 or 6 points to which i think they might just do.

Georgio1
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Re: Hurling semi finals

Post by Georgio1 »

I cant see KK beating Tullamore, Currams and Healion will need to play a lot better than they did against Clareen. However just saw forecast and tis very poor for the w/end with rain give for both Sat and Sunday. In that case I would expect the Blues to triumph, because they appear to be very strong and fit.
I would think that Coolderry will beat Kinnitty but shoud be a battle.

DOnt expect vintage hurling but for excitement should be a great couple of hours hurling!

Best of luck to Belmont in the relegation play off, where and when is that game?

Plain of the Herbs
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Re: Senior Hurling semi finals - 03/10/2010

Post by Plain of the Herbs »

The Senior hurling semi-finals will be held as a Sunday afternoon double-header for the first time in five years. There should be a big crowd too – K-K have a big support while the Tullamore faithful who didn’t show for the Birr match will be back in force too. Showers are promised though if we are spared the worst of those showers something like 4k might show up.

COOLDERRY v KINNITTY
Last meeting:- Kinnitty 1-12 Coolderry 2-7 (2008 semi-final). Last 5 meetings:- Coolderry 4 Kinnitty 1 (2008). Last 5 semi-finals: Coolderry won 2 lost 3; Kinnitty won 1 lost 4.

There won’t be much clean catching in this – not with these two pulling hard on the dropping ball. Who does best on that breaking ball will win the match. All down to hunger then.

There’s an interesting trend here. In recent weeks Ken Hogan’s teams have gone for the jugular and put the opposition away in the opening minutes. That’s the Tipperary U21s and Coolderry in their recent quarter-final win over Shinrone. That match didn’t tell us much about Coolderry, though to be fair they could only play what was put in front of them and Shinrone were a very poor side.

Coolderry’s defence as lined out in that quarter-final has a solid look about it. A full-back line of Kelly, Corcoran & Corcoran is formidable and represents their best option in that line. After much searching and experimenting, the half-back line of Brady, Brady and King is their best option here. They controlled the first half to such an extent against Shinrone that their neighbours were forced to puck out short which put them on the back foot when they needed territory and possession.

Coolderry mixed the good with the bad though, and their half-forward line struggled for possession under their own puckout in the second half as the Morkans took over. Simply put – Coolderry’s midfield and half-forward line didn’t cut the mustard that day and conceded too much possession to Shinrone. It didn’t matter on the day as they were so far ahead but that mightn’t be the case on Sunday.

There are doubts over Kinnitty too. No doubts about their back line where James Rigney always seems to be present wherever the ball breaks – some of his anticipation against ’Rynagh’s was incredible. Christopher Leonard caught the eye in defence while Brian Couglan should be well able for either of the Coolderry corner-forwards. Liam Bergin is a sound full-back too.

The Kinnitty doubts revolve around their forwards. The worry is that most of their four goals came from ’Rynagh’s inability to deal with a dropping ball. In short, there won’t be any loose ball around the Coolderry square – not with the Corcorans manning that square. If Kinnitty don’t score goals, will they be able to score enough points from distance to get them over the line? Probably not. Kinnitty’s forwards as a unit were poor in their quarter-final. They need Stephen Molloy hurling well but he is struggling for form after a long injury lay-off and was peripheral last time out.

Might be that Kinnitty will go to O’Connor Park to win the match while Coolderry will go there to qualify for the final. In other words Kinnitty will be more focussed. I’ve changed my mind about the likely outcome of this every day this week. Coolderry’s best chance of winning is to take an early lead and stay there. The longer Kinnitty stay in this tie the better their chances. I think the latter is more likely. Kinnitty won’t lack motivation – or belief. Kinnitty narrowly.


KILCORMAC-KILLOUGHEY v TULLAMORE
Last meeting:- Tullamore 2-12 Kilcormac-Killoughey 0-11 (2009 final). Last 5 meetings:- Tullamore 3 K-K 2. Last 5 semi-finals : Tullamore won 1 lost 4; K-K won 2 lost 3.

Tullamore proved themselves against Birr. Any doubts about them should be put to one side after the nature of their win over Birr a fortnight ago.

Defence isTullamore’s rock. Alan Martin and Stephen Egan are back in their 2009 form and Mark Conlon’s return from injury and to the full-back line is a big boost. Conlon is a fine defender. The 5-to-9 axis of Mannion, Dagg, Treacy, Kelly & Keane came back with a bang against Birr too.

Their forward line is the most hardworking attack in the county – no soft clearances will be made with Gary Mannion, Duffy & Finnerty about, while Francis Kerrigan’s return allows them play Shane Dooley further outfield and still maintain a scoring threat close to goals. Dooley’s roving commission against Birr enabled them by-pass Rory Hanniffy, thus ending the early dominance of Offaly’s best hurler.

Logic would suggest that K-K would be out for revenge after last year’s final disappointment. But are they good enough? Certainly they were awful against Clareen who themselves offered little in a desperately poor match.

Though it was the K-K attack which let them down in the final last year, it is the defence which has borne the brunt of the fallout. Only three of last year’s defence remain in situ, John Grogan, Damien Kilmartin and Peter Healion, with only Healion retaining the same position. Brian Leonard is hardly a full-back, whatever else he is. Conor Slevin however looks to be an improvement in goals. They don’t look fit enough either, though seven of them are under 22 and unusually for a team with considerable underage success, their reserves look poor.

The one shining light has been their midfield. Ciarán Slevin is enjoying a new lease of hurling life as a midfielder where he complements Conor Mahon’s power and workrate. K-K will need this pair to send the ball in high to Ger Healion in front of goals. They can’t send careless low ball in around the ‘21’, not when Alan Martin and Stephen Egan are so adept at getting out in front. Trying to run through the Tullamore half-backs would be counter-productive too. The form of Daniel Currams (on whom Joe Dooley has placed such trust) and James Gorman) is a major concern, while Mark Leonard is a bigger attacking threat than Trevor Fletcher

Based on current form it would require a big leap of belief for K-K to bridge the gap between themselves and Tullamore, and Tullamore should win decisively. Whichever wins, at this stage, it looks to me that the eventual champions should come from this semi-final.



Far from the madding crowd Belmont and Brosna Gaels meet in the relegation final. That Belmont are there is down to a most outrageous refereeing decision which denied them a relegation semi-final win over Lusmagh. They’ll win this with something to spare – they’ve better hurlers for a start and then they’ve David Kenny. Belmont should quit the experimenting for this one and put Offaly’s best candidate for centre half-back in his best position.
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

GreatDayForTheParish
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Re: Senior Hurling semi finals - 03/10/2010

Post by GreatDayForTheParish »

Good stuff POTH.
Just to be awkward though I'll tip a K/K Coolderry final. One can never really trust K/K, a touch of the Jekyll and Hyde about them, so their game against Tullamore is hard to call. A seven point win for either team wouldn't surprise me but if K/K perform (a big if given their record) I'd expect them to pull through on the basis of them having the better all round team as opposed to Tullamore having the better individuals (Egan and Dooley). Kevin Grogan, however, remains a big loss.

In the second game, a strong Coolderry defence should have much too much for a struggling Kinnitty attack that relies too much upon Colm Coughlan. Coolderry by 5+ for me as they march towards another county title.
Plain of the Herbs wrote:Belmont should quit the experimenting for this one and put Offaly’s best candidate for centre half-back in his best position.
I agree with this. For both the player, club and county Belmont should just put him in his best position at at six and be done with it.
Neutral though I am, I sincerely hope Belmont win this one - from an inter-county point of view they have more hurlers that I'd like to see playing senior club hurling.

racecar
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Re: Senior Hurling semi finals - 03/10/2010

Post by racecar »

Great stuff lads, those games appear all the more intriguing with such previews. It's a Kinnity Tullamore final for me. Kinnity with a team that revolves around Rigney's passion and flair and a forward line that can keep the scoring clock ticking over. Tullamore with an exceptional defence to quash the efforts of a reaosnably talented team that have tasted defeat to Tullamore in last year's county final.

P.S. Leinsterman, I have always found your posts to be insightful, with your recent addtion of paragrahs and capital letters they are much easier to read and your points come across much better, a really good contributor to this site.

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townman
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Re: Senior Hurling semi finals - 03/10/2010

Post by townman »

racecar wrote:Great stuff lads, those games appear all the more intriguing with such previews. It's a Kinnity Tullamore final for me. Kinnity with a team that revolves around Rigney's passion and flair and a forward line that can keep the scoring clock ticking over. Tullamore with an exceptional defence to quash the efforts of a reaosnably talented team that have tasted defeat to Tullamore in last year's county final.

P.S. Leinsterman, I have always found your posts to be insightful, with your recent addtion of paragrahs and capital letters they are much easier to read and your points come across much better, a really good contributor to this site.
p.s. racecar its Kinnitty not kinnity so don't be to hard on some people posting on here like your comment about leinsterman
Kinnitty for the final i think Leinsterman was right there Coolderry would have to much scoring power for them.

GreatDayForTheParish
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Re: Senior Hurling semi finals - 03/10/2010

Post by GreatDayForTheParish »

So many aspects of that second game today were an absolute disgrace. The utter confusion between the linesman and the referee for the first sending off (they still got the wrong player), the mass brawl, the playing of 3 minutes extra time when 10 were warranted and finally the ugly scenes at the end as the referee left the pitch.

By my reckoning K/K were denied 7 minutes out there today along with having a player wrongly sent off. Is a reply warranted? It certainly would be fair, Offaly got one in 1998 for less. I await aghast retorts from Tullamore fans (probably those who sat on the pitch in 1998).

There'll have to be repercussions for this - upon all who were at fault. That includes both clubs along with the referee and his linesmen. These kind of shameful, embarrassing days are too common in the GAA, a firm stance against them must be taken.

An embarrassing day for Offaly GAA.

Laoisman
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Re: Senior Hurling semi finals - 03/10/2010

Post by Laoisman »

Not a hope of a replay once the mandatory 60 minutes were played. The 60 minutes weren't played when Offaly got the replay. Who was the gorilla from KK who ran onto the field to join the row? was walked off then by the stewards with the logo on his shirt 'REMEMBER MY NAME'. Say pics of that will make the papers. If the bans handed out in a Clonaslee game yesterday are anything to go by this clown will get a couple of years.

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townman
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Re: Senior Hurling semi finals - 03/10/2010

Post by townman »

GreatDayForTheParish wrote:So many aspects of that second game today were an absolute disgrace. The utter confusion between the linesman and the referee for the first sending off (they still got the wrong player), the mass brawl, the playing of 3 minutes extra time when 10 were warranted and finally the ugly scenes at the end as the referee left the pitch.

By my reckoning K/K were denied 7 minutes out there today along with having a player wrongly sent off. Is a reply warranted? It certainly would be fair, Offaly got one in 1998 for less. I await aghast retorts from Tullamore fans (probably those who sat on the pitch in 1998).

There'll have to be repercussions for this - upon all who were at fault. That includes both clubs along with the referee and his linesmen. These kind of shameful, embarrassing days are too common in the GAA, a firm stance against them must be taken.

An embarrassing day for Offaly GAA.
Don't think you can blame tullamore for everything that went on today , it all came from a late tackle on shane kelly near the side line martin walsh the linesman called the ref
in which he called over Eammon lee and sent him off then martin walsh told the ref he put off the wrong man so he went to Ciaran Slevin and put him off which he was right to
do it was his second yellow card as he nearly took the head off Stephen Egan in the first half near the stand.

k/k have only themself's to blame they had the winning of the match but they got to involve in wanting to fight tullamore held their head's and won.
as for sitting on the pitch i would say there was a good few K/K fans on it as well K/K have no one else to blame only themselfs for losing that match.

Trevor Fletcher was one of the best forwards they had today and they took him off they got frees near the end with no one to take them
its always the same story with K/K same sh.t different year.

ballinamereman1
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Re: Senior Hurling semi finals - 03/10/2010

Post by ballinamereman1 »

greatdayfortheparish there is not a chance of a replay.. tullamore won fair and square today,,. it was kk who tryed to rough them up and it ultimately backed fired on them.. kk havent got the head to win the county out.. and never well.. and quite frankly i love it that way as i cant stand them shower.. il tell ya this there was no "kk" chants or kilcormac drums beating at the end..

as for tullamore back in the final i think its time the south of the county started looking at this tullamore team and giving them credit... the have bet birr the last 3 years and kk the last 2 but yet ye still hear lads saying it was a fluck..

GreatDayForTheParish
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Re: Senior Hurling semi finals - 03/10/2010

Post by GreatDayForTheParish »

A few issues:

1: I'm not from either Tullamore or K/K.

2: Are ye all sure Slevin was the man to send off? Because all around me, including myself, couldn't work out what he had done. The K/K'ers around me all thought it was their number 7, Coyne, who was deserving of the yellow in that incident and not Slevin. The utter and abject confusion of the linseman and the referee in their efforts to identify the culprit don't exactly inspire confidence that their eventual decision was correct. Pathetic.

3:
townman wrote:Don't think you can blame tullamore for everything that went on today ,
Nowhere did I say that. Clearly you did not read this:
GreatDayForTheParish wrote:There'll have to be repercussions for this - upon all who were at fault. That includes both clubs along with the referee and his linesmen.
4:
Laoisman wrote:Not a hope of a replay once the mandatory 60 minutes were played.
I'm aware that this is the case and quite frankly it's pathetic. Consider the following hypothetical situation: A club game is played during which an injury occurs at the start of the second half in the 32nd minute. The player requires on field treatment for 25 minutes. No play occurs during this time. The match is restarted on the 57th minute and is blown up on the 61st minute, one minute injury time having being played. The sixty minutes have been played and so no replay is deemed necessary. Is that fair?

My point is is that to say the '60 minutes have been played' is complete rubbish, utterly false and quite frankly stupid. The 60 minutes quite clearly can't be played if numerous stoppages have occured during that time. There is no real difference between what happened between Offaly in 1998 and K/K today, on both occasions a match was not played to it's full, fair and proper conclusion. As the end result is the same (reduced playing time), the manner in which this occurs is irrelevant - be it Jimmy Cooney playing only a 30 minute half or Declan Cooke not playing enough extra time. Today's match was ended approximately seven minutes short - attempts to suggest otherwise or to justify it mark that person as a fool.

The issue of extra time and how it is tracked is one of the biggest and most glaring inconsistencies in the GAA today. No matter how much should be added rarely does one see anything beyond three, or at a stretch four minutes added. Something has to be done.

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townman
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Re: Senior Hurling semi finals - 03/10/2010

Post by townman »

I'm not from tullamore or K/K either but once the 60 minutes was played there can't be a replay it doesn't matter if he only played 2 seconds
of injured time. as i said before if K/K had to stick to playing hurling instead of acting the mick they could of won today.

but in all fairness greatdayfortheparish how did you know there was 7 minutes left to play i know the row went on but thats their own fault
looking to blame the ref for K/K short comings is a laugh. as i said i am not tullamore and i was sitting beside two K/K men and they
agreed with me that Ger Healion was lucky to stay on the pitch for a late pull across the tullamore full back Mark Conlon in which the umpires
call in the ref cooke about it and he should of sent him off.

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