all ireland club hurling championship

[Plain of the Herbs]

Just been watching the video of Loughgiel v Na Piarsaigh. If Colderry are under any illusions about the size of the task in the Final, those illusions will be dispelled on watching this. That’s if the UPC works for them.

There’s much more to them than Liam Watson. For starters, Eddie McCloskey is one of the game’s great stylists. They’re a physically strong team and the amount of hooking they did remedied me of an old-time Offaly team. The defence is a good unit, they play a direct brand of hurling, though they tend to over-do the ground hurling from half-back.

Watson was at the centre of everything and required lengthy medical treatment for what seemed to be an off-the-ball incident. Cretainly the ball hadn’t been in the spot he lay for some time. The Irish News describes it as an ‘assault’. I suppose they would, wouldn’t they.

This is going to be one of the great Club Finals and at this stage is hard to call.

There has been some criticism of Brian Carroll’s contribution, which I feel is unwarranted. I suppose a club team is going to rely on their countyman forward to score about five times from play and Brian’s contribution to the scoring is under scrutiny. It should be noted that the Coolderry forward line is very much a unit where each man has a particular role. The half-forwards’ role is to cover ground from halfway to the ’45, to win breaks and strike the ball diagonally to the opposite corner. Note the half-forwards rarely cross the ’45, giving optimum space to Ryan, Parlon and Murray. I thought Carroll’s workrate was tremendous throughout, and his move to midfield enabled him get on the ball much more.

Finally, for a Leinster – Ulster Final, there will probably be a Munster referee. Hopefully it won’t be John Sexton, who made far too many mistakes on Saturday. Most (but not all) of those errors favoured Gort, and there were four of those in the first 12 minutes alone.

For instance, on 4:20, David King was clearly held by Paul Killilea’s right arm, yet a free-in was awarded to Gort, which Quinn pointed.

On 7:10, Andy Coen, the Gort corner-back caught his hurl in the ground and stumbled when trying to rise the ball. Damien Murray made minimal contact but was not the cause of him falling.

Yet, at 9:26, Cathal Parlon was pushed in the back when he was first to the ball at halfway. No free was awarded. Now, Martin Corcoran scored his brilliant point from the next play, so that didn’t affect the score.

Then, at 12:16, Gort’s Seán Forde throws the ball to Killilea, who feeds O’Donoghue who scores a point.

In the second-half, Stephen Corcoran was shouldered over the end line while in his own square. That should have been a free out. And I can’t see what contact Eoin Ryan made with the defender that time in the second half when he is clearly cited by the referee in front of the Coolderry bench when athal Parlon gathers the loose ball. The cameras don’t leave the scene and it can’t have happened ‘off-camera’.

[BUFFALO]

For those of you who missed the game or had 'technical difficulties' with tv recording etc.,the full game is up on the TG4 Player on their website.
Good quality streaming too.

[llkj]

As an aside here, I was pretty surprised with the situation in the Intermediate hurling championship at the weekend. Not so much by the fact that the Carlow team won but by the fact that the Armagh team were so close to winning. I would rate MLR from Carlow as an excellent club team and would say that they would be extremely competitve within the Offaly championship at worst, and capable of winning it at best, in the same way that 5 or 6 clubs within Offaly are capable of winning it.

Does anyone know much about the progress of hurling in Armagh and the club scene in particular? Would they have a few clubs of that type of level as Middletown, or are they the standout team from which the county team draws most of its talent.

Great to see some progress up that direction to lend a hand to the other counties trying to keep things going

[old yellar]

i ll field this one! hon the rangers anyway is the first thing i ll say.. great win for them and carlow hurling at the weekend. they ve been doing well in the leinster league for a few years - gave the rynaghs a trimming in it in banagher 3 years ago i think (had to get that one in!!) so this win has been on the cards. they missed out 2 years ago losing to st lachtins in leinster final on a miserable day. but anyhow, they armagh lads had 13 senior panellists from this club - the rangers will prob have 7/8 on carlow this year all going well.. yes it was great for 2 non traditional counties to have a day up there. i ve only ever been there 5 times for carlow hurling, 2 club and 3 county games - 2 senior christy ring finals and a minor leinster final. but saying that they mad thing was that these 2 non traditional counties clubs would have had 22 players between the 2 that would have had croke park experience - armagh played in final there last year. this i believe would be way more than the junior fianalists, and wouldnt be far off the coolderry/loughiel combined either.. mad! anyway, things are tipping away down here.. best of luck to coolderry in their final. i rem having brian kelly and michael ryan on one hurling development squad and eoin ryan was only a chap pucking the ball back in.. by jayus hes matured nicely!

[Plain of the Herbs]

The Antrim County Board's Twitter machine reads

@loughgielgac players won't hook up with Antrim hurling squad until after they win all Ireland club title on St Patrick's day.

http://twitter.com/#!/ClubAontroma

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

No surprise there! Who would expect them to play with Antrim between now and then? Oh yeh, the win bit, great to be confident!

[Bord na Mona man]

If Coolderry was located a few miles further down the road in Tipperary, chances are Lougheil would be trudging down to Croke Park with a more deferential attitude

Lougheil are the only club from Ulster to win an All Ireland club title. That alone should make them a different animal.
They also beat St Rynaghs in that 1983 final. So there is already a mental association with breakthroughs and Offaly sides facilitating them.
Remember all the bluster in 2010 about Offaly “never fearing Galway”? This has its genesis from Offaly claiming their first All Irelands against them 30 years ago.

This fixture has all the makings of a real live wire. If Coolderry lose, there is no way they could possibly claim of being caught on the hop or complacent. All the warnings are there.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Danny McMullan, who trained Loughgiel to win the 1983 Club All-Ireland is quoted in Jack Mahon's brilliant book on the club Championships For Love of Town and Village "Rynagh's were very sporting and generous to come to Belfast for the replay but county Offaly in general has always been generous".

[My Left Foot]

Hope to see lots of Offaly people in Croke Park next Sunday - hopefully not for the last time this year either.

I may not have forgiven you yet for the 2010 county final defeat but the very best of luck to Coolderry from this Tullamore man.

[kingscounty]

the very best of luck to coolderry from this edenderry man who will be in croke park cheering them on. it has the making of a great game two good teams with some fine hurlers. il go for coolderry 1-16 loughiel 1-12. good luck and enjoy its not everyday a club gets to play on a big stage like croke park.

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Based in the North of the county, will be up with the kids supporting Coolderry, all the best lads, enjoy the whole day and experience!
It must be one of the great feelings, to walk out to play an All Ireland in Croker with your friends and family, (even better to win!!)

[Lean Times]

The very best of luck to the Coolderry team on Saturday! Hope ye finish the job! I hope it proves to be a memorable and enjoyable occasion for players, management, the Coolderry community and indeed the wider Offaly community aswell. Best of luck

[kingscounty]

coolderry 4/9 loughiel 9/4 boylesports

[Plain of the Herbs]

A pity Coolderry were unable to go all the way, but there should be no shame losing to a superb team.

Loughgiel proved themselves to be a fine side, and they were dominant on all lines of the field. Naturally they were driven by the ridiculous bookmakers’ odds (wouldn’t anyone?) when even-money the pair would have been more apt. And that's not with the benifit of hindsight.

Coolderry struggled under their own puckout (as they very often do) and Loughgiel drove on from there. Loughgiel’s movement in the half-forward line also caused Coolderry much bother, and Joe Brady was not as influential as previously.

Loughgiel had the upper hand even before they scored their third and fourth goals before half-time, something no-one has done to Coolderry in 30 months. Coolderry’s revival after half-time was built on heart rather than control of the game, and a single Loughgiel point was always going to break that momentum.

Brendan O’Meara did a good job on Liam Watson in the second half, but by then it was too late. It’s hindsight now but, being a natural full-back, would O’Meara have fared better on the edge of the square had he started there?

Much is made of Watson’s 3-7 with talk of All-stars and the like, but 1-6 came from frees and both other goals came from balls not being dealt with. His point at the Canal End was sublime. As was Kevin Brady’s point off the hurl, on the run in the first half.

[llkj]

Strange one from a defensive point of view with the goals. It is not as if 1 defender was getting skint and that everyone could see that a change needed to be made. It all came so quick, that it was a freak.
First goal - ball in to the scorer was a result of a half-hook, when they were shooting for a score. In fairness, the turn, run-in and finish was first class.
obviously, you don't want someone running through the entire full back line, but he took it very well.
2nd goal - not much the full back could have done. keeper made a save, ball rebounded directly to Watson. His strike was not exactly brilliant and somehow sneaked in under the hurl/leg/body of defender... you could see that he could hardly believe that it had gone under his body
3rd goal - bad positioning by full back. definite free, as you can't jump blind into a player. Brilliant strike to the top corner
4th goal - Coolderry needed someone to hit the deck here, fake an injury, win a free, something to help them get their composure back. Shamrocks were on a complete high at this stage and everything was going for them. Again, Watson was able to drift in, but it wasn't like he was left in 5 yards of space. What a touch and finish though.

2nd half was always going to be a tough ask. They desperately needed a goal or 2 in the game but spurned their 2 main chances in the game.

Hard luck to Coolderry. Represented offaly very well and they will be the team to beat in offaly next year, as they seek their 3 in a row.