2012 Leinster Club Championships

[townman]

ST.Pats 1-9 Rhode 1-7 looks like Rhode will never take leinster

[kingscounty]

Take niall mc out of the rhode team and they would struggle to beat teams in offaly let alone leinster. 1-05 he scored against st.pats and one other forward got a point. Rhode a few years back had a team that should have won a leinster but for me the team now are to reliant on niall and they lack 2 or 3 more quality forwards like him that is needed to win a leinster and all ireland club.

[townman]

Take niall mc out of the rhode team and they would struggle to beat teams in offaly let alone leinster. 1-05 he scored against st.pats and one other forward got a point. Rhode a few years back had a team that should have won a leinster but for me the team now are to reliant on niall and they lack 2 or 3 more quality forwards like him that is needed to win a leinster and all ireland club.

i don't know about taking Niall out of the team and not beating other clubs in offaly, i think he has missed a lot of football in the
last few years and Rhode still bet teams well without him, i think its more to do with whats in offaly and the level of football we are at
McDonnell has a big job on his hands to get offaly football back up the ladder.

[DAF]

Take niall mc out of the rhode team and they would struggle to beat teams in offaly let alone leinster. 1-05 he scored against st.pats and one other forward got a point. Rhode a few years back had a team that should have won a leinster but for me the team now are to reliant on niall and they lack 2 or 3 more quality forwards like him that is needed to win a leinster and all ireland club.

i don't know about taking Niall out of the team and not beating other clubs in offaly, i think he has missed a lot of football in the
last few years and Rhode still bet teams well without him, i think its more to do with whats in offaly and the level of football we are at
McDonnell has a big job on his hands to get offaly football back up the ladder.

Although I would have thought the quality of football in Offaly is poor having seen the Mayo county final I would feel a bit more optimistic as their county finals in recent years have been terrible and the standard of football has been poor in them yet they are perennial contenders.

[kingscounty]

Take niall mc out of the rhode team and they would struggle to beat teams in offaly let alone leinster. 1-05 he scored against st.pats and one other forward got a point. Rhode a few years back had a team that should have won a leinster but for me the team now are to reliant on niall and they lack 2 or 3 more quality forwards like him that is needed to win a leinster and all ireland club.

i don't know about taking Niall out of the team and not beating other clubs in offaly, i think he has missed a lot of football in the
last few years and Rhode still bet teams well without him, i think its more to do with whats in offaly and the level of football we are at
McDonnell has a big job on his hands to get offaly football back up the ladder.

I meant to say struggle to beat the top 3 or 4 teams in offaly. Any update on how McDonnell is getting on with training and players?

[Plain of the Herbs]

Thomastown beat Bennettsbridge 3-13 to 0-10 in the Kilkenny Junior Final today. The winners will visit Lusmagh next Sunday in the Leinster championship.

In the Leinster Junior hurling championship there were wins for Naomh Éanna (Gorey) over Maynooth 1-14 to 1-11, for Rathmolyon over Crookedwood 3-13 to 2-4 and for Colt over Pearse Óg 1-14 to 2-8. The winners of Lusmagh and Thomastown travel to Gorey for the semi-final.

Speaking of which, is it that difficult for media to spell ‘Rathmolyon’ the way God intended? On that subject, attempts in the Tribune to spell ‘Inistioge’ were lamentable.

[lusmagh]

Just for anyone who hasn't seen the fixture, we are hosting Thomastown in the Leinster Club JHC Quarter Final on Sunday at 2:30pm. Despite the recent inclement weather, conditions are perfect in Lusmagh and we're looking forward to a big day. Come along for a look if you get a chance.

[Plain of the Herbs]

I must say, I got a little buzz every time I saw the name 'Lusmagh' on the fixtures on the Leinster GAA site this week. I click on it several times a day.

A big big ask for the lads, as the Kilkenny Junior champions win this grade every year. Ballyragget were quite superb last year when I saw them beat Brosna Gaels. Still, best wishes to the lads.

Sunday is promised fine. Cone one; come all.

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Sorry POTH, I live in the North of the county and cant be doin with a trip as far as Lusmagh! Joke!!

All the best to the lads and would be great to see a win over a Kilkenny team, hope a good crowd turns up for them.

[fifitrixiebelle]

lusmagh hammered today, same old for offaly teams v kilkenny. we have forgotten how to beat them

[townman]

lusmagh hammered today, same old for offaly teams v kilkenny. we have forgotten how to beat them

so to has the rest of the country fifitrix

[fifitrixiebelle]

lusmagh hammered today, same old for offaly teams v kilkenny. we have forgotten how to beat them

so to has the rest of the country fifitrix

oulart bet them in senior club, clare bet them in u21, dubs bet them in minor, tipp bet them in intermediate, mount leinster rangers bet them in intermediate club, galway bet them in leinster final so the rest of the country hasnt done too badly against them

[timber]

Did not make it to the game but I heard Lusmagh were short a few players? Anyone confirm this?

Well done to Lusmagh on a good year. They bounced back well from relegation and are getting the max out of the resources available to them. Would not read too much into that game yesterday. At this time of the year and after winning a championship some teams (particularly clubs that have not won anything in a long time) find it difficult to refocus or get up for these competitions. The Kilkenny champions are always going to be strong. I' d say a mixture of both played its part in yesterdays defeat. 0.17 to 0.8 the result I was given.

[Plain of the Herbs]

And Kilkenny won everything else, right?

oulart bet them in senior club, clare bet them in u21, dubs bet them in minor, tipp bet them in intermediate, mount leinster rangers bet them in intermediate club, galway bet them in leinster final so the rest of the country hasnt done too badly against them

[Plain of the Herbs]

As regards personnel, Lusmagh lost two lads (Brendan Larkin & David Kelly (brother of Aoife, son of Joachim etc.)) to emigration since the county Final (that to go along with the four Birminghams who have been abroad for over a year now) On top of that, a number of lads carried injuries into the game so preparations were not ideal.

0-17 to 0-7 was the final score, and Thomastown led 0-8 to 0-6 at the end of a mighty first half where the Lusmagh lads gave it absolutely everything. Lusmagh had plenty of possession in the first half and won the battle of the rucks and scrums in that period. A goal would have been a mighty boost and David Moran had a great chance after 20 minutes but somehow Dylan Walsh smothered the shot at the expense of a ’65.

Thomastown did clean up in the second half. Their half-back line completely dominated and they created a steady stream of chances. The trend of the game spoke volumes really about the differences that Kilkenny and Offaly play the game. Not surprisingly, Thomastown’s catching was superb. I feel Offaly clubs would be better served travelling to Kilkenny for challenge matches against Kilkenny teams, even Junior clubs, to get a feel for the physicality and the shorter length of time a hurler gets on the ball.

I don't want this to sound like sour grapes (because it isn't), but I wouldn't have Thomastown as nailed-on certs to win the Leinster title just yet. There's something doesn't add up about them and they face a tricky journey to Gorey next Sunday.

Brosna Gaels folk will note that Ballyragget (who beat them in this competition last year) reached the Kilkenny Intermediate Final yesterday following a replayed win over The Rower - Inistioge yesterday.

Still, yesterday was one of the great days in the parish, a big crowd of locals and visitors from Noreside. I don’t speak for the club per sebut I want to acknowledge those who came from Town and beyond to support the lads. The pitch was in excellent condition, there was tea and coffee being served and the ‘Thomastown’ painted for the scoreboard for the day was a decent gesture. It is something every parish should experience once in a generation.

There’s a more detailed analysis on lusmagh.com presently.