There were only two parties rubbing their hands with pleasure after last weekend’s strange round of league action. Those were the Tipperary management team and the GAA authorities. Tipperary sent out a statement of intent with an emphatic victory over Galway at Salthill. As for the GAA they will be delighted that at least four teams are still in the hunt for a league final spot when the last round is played in a fortnight’s time.
I don't buy into the scenario that Kilkenny are in the middle of a hard training regime simply because the other counties have to do the same workload.
Kilkenny did incredibly well to come away last Saturday night with a draw. Anthony Daly's initial reaction to the last gasp equaliser was one of delight but I'm sure in the cold light of day he would have been disappointed as this was without a doubt a game they should have won. Dublin sure do make life hard on themselves, 17 wides last Saturday to go with the 19 against Galway in the previous outing, highlights their major problem. There is no question that the Dubs are heading in the right direction but to jump into the top bracket they have to be far more clinical in front of the posts. One advantage they do have over other teams is speed, we absolutely got murdered for pace last Saturday night. Time and time again they left the Kilkenny players in their wake, above anything this has to be a major worry for the Kilkenny management team ahead of the championship. We have been caught on numerous occasions for pace this spring. I don't buy into the scenario that Kilkenny are in the middle of a hard training regime simply because the other counties have to do the same workload. Anyway there is a major difference between fitness and having natural speed. I was also disappointed with some of the fresh talent, they had a perfect opportunity to lay down a marker but only Colin Fennelly and Matthew Ruth took it. Colin once again showed his class. Despite not scoring he excelled and he did all the donkey work for both of young Ruth's goals, his raw pace causes serious trouble for the opposition. Matthew Ruth may not have been on the ball too often but he certainly came away with a good return. I'm sure he'll be delighted to have contributed 2-1 on his league debut. He seems a chip off the old block as his father also had that poachers touch around goal. He may have picked up the 'man of the match' from Nickey English on Setanta Sports but I'd have to differ with the Tipp legend on that one. I'd have given it to Dublin's Paul Ryan even before he scored the equaliser. How or why did Kilkenny get a result here? It's simple— the Cats’ cuteness and ability to convert while living on scraps got them a point on this occasion. Kilkenny certainly played second fiddle in the first half but the two goals scored by Ruth and Eddie Brennan kept them in touch. Fast Eddie's goal on the stroke of halftime was a sucker punch for the Metropolitan side. Eddie seems to be regaining his touch and confidence that deserted him in last year’s championship run. The Kilkenny management team also found out that Michael Fennelly is far more at home at centrefield. In fact if I was picking this year's top league performer in any other position it would be centreback and not centre forward. It's a strange year to date for Kilkenny hurling because despite the injuries and some poor performances we should still end up in the league final. While there are still a few issues to be addressed before the championship the bottom line is that we'll still be very competitive and definitely one of the contenders when the real hurling starts. The negativity at times comes because we have been used to perfection from this incredible bunch over the last decade.
We know Tipp are a good side but this wasn't the real Galway — they are definitely not that bad.
As I touched on earlier Tipperary really cut loose against Galway in what was the performance of the league so far. John McIntyre looked baffled on the line as his charges were torn apart by a Tipp side that went into overdrive. I don't know why the Premier County cut loose — maybe the motivation arose from the media saying that Galway could have beaten them in the semi-final last year, points to prove can be very useful at times. It was just one of those days everything fell right for Tipp as for Galway well the less said the better. We know Tipp are a good side but that wasn't the real Galway — they are definitely not that bad. John McIntyre was quick to release to the media that his walking wounded — John Canning, Damian Hayes and Shane Kavanagh were close to full fitness, one can only assume he was trying to comfort the home fans.
Wexford manager Colm Bonner has hit back at those remarks but deep down maybe he is grateful to the former Wexford star for stroking the fires.
Like Kilkenny the Tribesmen’s league final spot is still in their own hands. The only problem is that they take on Waterford in Walsh Park in the final round and it's a hard venue to get a result in. If either Kilkenny or Galway slip up in their final outing Tipperary will be waiting in the wings. Dublin are also in with a shout but they also have a tough assignment against Cork in Paric Ui Caoimhe and the Rebels will be looking to bounce
back from their surprising defeat to Wexford. I just wonder did the Cork manager take Wexford for granted as he made a lot of changes ahead of that game. The Rebels seemed to be getting out battled down the stretch in a lot of their recent outings. Wexford's battling display might have come as a result of Liam Dunne's recent comments about their lack of passion. Wexford manager Colm Bonner has hit back at those remarks but deep down maybe he is grateful to the former Wexford star for stroking the fires. The remaining fixture saw Waterford gain their third league victory of the campaign when they go the better of Offaly by a goal. In Division 2 Brendan Fennelly's Laois side had a morale lifting victory over Clare. It couldn't have come at a better time as a few players had walked off the panel for one reason or another in recent weeks.
Kieran’s leave it late to clinch 18th title
St Kieran’s clinched their 18th college’s title in a dramatic fashion at Semple Stadium last Saturday. Thomas (Tucker ) O'Hanrahan's late injury time goal broke the hearts of Ard Scoil Ris for a second successive year. At times the Limerick side looked the better team but it was Kieran's willingness to hang in there and take the opportunities that won the day. St Kieran's had star performances from Tucker O'Hanrahan, John Power, Pat Carroll, Michael Brennan and a certain Willie Phelan who looks nailed on to make the transition to the Kilkenny senior set-up in the near future.
Kilkenny Senior Camogie
Kilkenny’s senior camogie league aspirations ended in Nowlan Park on Sunday afternoon when they were out hurled in the second half by a battling Galway side. Kilkenny hurled particularly well in the first half and took a four-point lead in at the break. However, Galway came out a different outfit in the new half and eventually wore down Kilkenny. A draw probably would have been a fair result but Galway threw over the winning point right on the stroke of fulltime. Katie Power's loss through injury at halftime was a major blow because the Piltown girl was the main focal point of the attack. Kilkenny must now work on holding up possession in their attack ahead of the championship.
