all ireland club hurling championship

[townman]

hard luck Coolderry but heads up you done great this year they say you have to lose one to win one look Birr lose to kiltormer in 1991
last word goes to Joe Brady i thought he was outstanding and i might have put him on Liam Watson as i don't think he would have brush aside Brady
as he done many times to the Coolderry fullback line.

[bracknaghboy]

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.

It was actually 1-5 from frees. I could be wrong but are you trying to belittle his other 2 goals by saying they came from "balls not being dealth with"? Sure if you want to go that route then doesn't 90% of all scores come from balls not being dealth with correctly by the opposition at some stage in the build up! His 3rd goal was great control as it dropped on top of him so close to goal. No excuses, Coolderry were well beaten all over the park. Lets hope 2 or 3 of them can blend into the Offaly squad over the next few weeks. Does anybody know when they might be joining up with the county team or will they be taking 3-4 weeks off? The sooner the county team begins to take the shape of what it will be like come championship the better surely.

[backofthenet]

realy gutted we were on the wrong side of the result on Saturday. On the day the best team won and hats off to loughgiel. They had a gameplan and it worked a treat. The goals just before half time realy rocked the team and realy were more mistakes than skill if im honest. On top of this we missed at least 2 great chances for goals. The team are devastated understandably but no matter what it has been a great year for the club. Were under no illusions it will be extremely tough to try and win offaly again. Thanks to all the clubs who wished us well and helped out with pitches etc and came to support us. Hopefully even though we didnt go the whole way that offaly as a whole can build on that. Our clubs and our county team are good enough to compete for honours.

[Lone Shark]

My heart goes out to Coolderry after that, Liam Watson is a mercurial performer who can be unstoppable and Coolderry just caught him on the wrong day. There was plenty of things you could look back on - Stephen Corcoran's save that happened to bounce into Watson's path, or even the first goal. Watson took a ball on the 45 and miscontrolled it - normally he'd have it snapped up and over the bar. Instead he hurled it along the ground and into Shay Casey, and suddenly one point became three. Little things that change games. If Coolderry had conceded 0-1 there instead of 2-0, they were still in the game at half time. As it was they dragged themselves back into it, but

There's not really a lot you can say when it isn't your day but Coolderry still become part of a very elite group of clubs in Leinster who have won a provincial title, they remain at the top of the roll of honour in Offaly and there are plenty of those hurlers who have huge, huge futures in front of them still. My heart goes out to Joe Brady in particular who again hurled an incredible game for his club, couldn't have done more, but it just wasn't to be.

Still, as an Offaly man, it was great to feel involved and invested in an All Ireland final again, and for that, thank you and well done.

[Plain of the Herbs]

I only became aware of this today. It's an interview with Damien Martin that appeared in last Saturday's Irish Independent and outlines St Rynaghs' Club All-Ireland defeat to Loughgiel in 1983, as well as the fall-out from their semi-final battle with Kiltormer (no inverted commas on the word battle). Worth a read.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling ... 53363.html

[Long John]

Hard luck to Coolderry on a spirited display. I really feel the bit of luck on the day was with Lougheil. Watson sniped in for 3 goals but Eoin Ryan had 3 great chances as well that on another day would have been buried. I thought he looked really dangerous all day and so easily could have been the headline maker if the breaks had gone his way. I think for two of the chances in the first half he was inside and was probably thinking about his next move and dropped the sliothar. Hes a good prospect.

Lougheil are deserving champions and their attack caused alot of problems. In fact both attacks were on top. To be fair to Coolderry, Brian Carroll got 3 points and dropped another 3 short. He was finding spaces and showing some good hurling. Parlon, Ryan and Connolly when introduced also looked like scoring everytime the ball went near them. I think Parlon was well watched and you could see lougheil filltering into the centre any time he got on the ball and as a result ended up heading for sideline instead of bearing down on goal. I thought they handled him quiet well as team. He was unlucky to hit the side netting when he burst through early in first half. Connolly cut through on a few exciting runs and only for a tame finish could have rattled the net as well.

It really was a strange game. Coolderry should of had 4 goals but yet conceded 4 and yet never gave up but could not reign lougheil in.

In think I mentioned after the Gort game that I felt the Coolderry full back line seemed shakey. Now they hurled well against Gort but any time a ball went in I wasnt confident. Lougheil spotted this as well and got the breaks that Gort probably didnt. The two midfielders and two wing forwards for Lougheil also won alot of breaking ball which was a big factor.
Coolderry should be proud of themselves. They never gave up. Even when things clearly were not happening for some players they still stuck at it and you never know if they even got one of those goal chances it might have been a very different result. Goals can do wonders for confidence.
Finally have to say I thought Joe Brady gave an exhibition again. Outstanding performance. Great hand.

[manfromdelmonte]

Finally have to say I thought Joe Brady gave an exhibition again. Outstanding performance. Great hand.

Really?
I thought his lack of mobility was exposed in the first half. Yes, he came into it in the second half but the damage had been done by then and Loughiel had stopped dragging him around the place
Loughiel's use of the switch and off the hurleys handpass was very good. they always seemed to pick out a man in a better position and more space

and I have to commend both teams on the standard of the hooking and blocking. it would put most county teams to shame.