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Just had a look at the Ballyhale team sheet for the game against Kilmacud and I have to feel KK don't have a hope. I have been saying the last few years that if you want to beat KK you have to hit low fast ball at the full back and run hard at heart of their half back line every chance you get. Ballyhale should do this very well with TJ, Cha and C. Fennelly leading the way and Henry orchestrating everything. If KK can do as much damage as I anticipate Ballyhale will do then it will be a cracker, but otherwise I am not as optimistic as other posters. Having said that, hon KK!

Birr were very lucky that such a great bunch of hurlers came together and near the end of the 90's
had another bunch who came on the scene like Claffey, JP O'Meara, Hayden, Brown, Rory Hanniffy, i know they won 7 leinsters and 4 all irelands, but i still think they missed out on leinsters in 95, 96, and maybe all irelands to.

On paper Ballyhale look a great team....but the achievements ddon't support this. 2 county championships in the last 5 years and 3 leinster club titles in the last 25 years. For a team as allegedly gifted a as they are thiswoukd appear tto be a serious under - achievement. I have no doubt KK will turn up on Sunday and I believe the KK front 8 will make it difficult for Ballyhale to get quality ball into their marquee players. KK will have to hurl and so will Ballyhale......i think the big match ups could well decide the outcome of the game and would be confident KK can come out on top in most of these key battles.....Ger Healion/Shefflin, Kevin Grogan/TJ Reid, Brian Leonard/Cha, Peter Healion/ Colin Fennelly, Conor Mahon/Michael Fennelly, Dan Currams/Joey Holden.......can't wait for Sunday, and I think Ballyhale hhaveas much ro worry about as KK have

Chris wrote:On paper Ballyhale look a great team....but the achievements ddon't support this. 2 county championships in the last 5 years and 3 leinster club titles in the last 25 years. For a team as allegedly gifted a as they are thiswoukd appear tto be a serious under - achievement. I have no doubt KK will turn up on Sunday and I believe the KK front 8 will make it difficult for Ballyhale to get quality ball into their marquee players. KK will have to hurl and so will Ballyhale......i think the big match ups could well decide the outcome of the game and would be confident KK can come out on top in most of these key battles.....Ger Healion/Shefflin, Kevin Grogan/TJ Reid, Brian Leonard/Cha, Peter Healion/ Colin Fennelly, Conor Mahon/Michael Fennelly, Dan Currams/Joey Holden.......can't wait for Sunday, and I think Ballyhale hhaveas much ro worry about as KK have

Whatever about the first stat you use, you could hardly blame the current generation of players for their failure to win a Leinster club between 1990 and 2005. Barring Henry and Cha, I'd say only another one or two were even hurling during that phase. KK only have 3 Offaly SHC titles in a century of hurling if you want to think like that.

According to Wikipedia, they have this game on Sunday won already actually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leinster_S ... ampionship

Lone shark......i was making the point that, while Ballyhale are a fine team, they are not unbeatable....nor do they have the same presence as, say, the Birr team of the late 90s early 00s who won 3 out of 4.....and I believe KK are mote than capable of holding their own.

chris i agree with u i think ballyhale defence will have a lot to worry about especially in kk get a foot hold at midfield and in the half back line .
bally hale have two guys 36 year olds and a 34 year old .
c kiely p geraghty and t geraghty should have the legs on them .
i think m fennelly and c mahon will be some battle but d currams can do damage on j holden .
i think kk forwards work rate on sunday will have ballyhale in trouble .
i expect kk forward to pin ballyhale back and get turnovers .
should be some battle .

agree with most that is said here, but k/k will have to hurl way better than they have done so far this year the last two displays if there is a 3rd one they will be well beaten. Ballyhale will have their home work done and you can bet your bottom dollor they won't be sending hight balls down on the Healions and they also won't let Currams get to many one on ones with Holden, k/k will have to be on them like dogs as if they give them room like Raharney did they will score anything around 19 or 20 points, i have seen Ballyhale this year and a few games last year, and they can score for any distance or angle on the field, yes Shefflian is getting on but he still is good for 1-2 or more in most games, i hope k/k don't double mark him or make him the man to watch as the other 5 will go totown on them.

i know one thing Ballyhale will do sunday they will put Shefflian and Colin Fennelly in on Con Mahon and Alan MConville and will look to beat them in the air maybe TJ Reid will go in during times in the game to
the winning of this game is k/k half back line if they come out on top here they can win, and hope Currams keeps up his record of playing well in finals. its hard to call who starts O'Gorman or Thomas Geraghty i'd go for James Gorman and i think Geraghty would be better coming off the bench as he seems to lift the side when he comes in, and they will need a lift during some part of next sundays game. heart says k/k head Shamrocks.

ballyhale have won 7 leinster titles ,5 of them were against offaly teams . birr twice coolderry kinnity and tullamore.
birr are the only offaly club to beat ballyhale in a leinster final back in 91/92 the score was 2 goal 14 points to 3 points .
a one point win will do kk this time .

Kinnitty (1979) and St Rynagh's (1982) have also beaten Ballyhale in Leinster.

sam88885a wrote:ballyhale have won 7 leinster titles ,5 of them were against offaly teams . birr twice coolderry kinnity and tullamore.
birr are the only offaly club to beat ballyhale in a leinster final back in 91/92 the score was 2 goal 14 points to 3 points .
a one point win will do kk this time .

that good to hear poth .i never knew that . thanks

poth both wins for rynagh and kinnity were not in the leinster final .
what i was saying is birr are the only offaly club in 6 attempts to beat ballyhale in the final so kk task wont be easy

Chris wrote:Lone shark......i was making the point that, while Ballyhale are a fine team, they are not unbeatable....nor do they have the same presence as, say, the Birr team of the late 90s early 00s who won 3 out of 4.....and I believe KK are mote than capable of holding their own.

Ah - certainly couldn't disagree with any of that.

KK will win Sunday if they hurl the way they can and don't admire some of the Kilkenny hurlers.
They are a better team 1-15 than Ballyhale. I expect them to win.

How are Ballyhale set for the match on Sunday??

Off the drink since Tuesday.

but sure its only a matter of turning up

Just a few of the comment from the Kilkenny fourm.

That is exactly the way ilije to hhear the Kilkenny boys talking