Kilkenny's bid for their 15th league title was halted in spectacular fashion by Dublin; a lot of post-mortems took place around the county. Everyone has their own version of what happened and what should be done going forward.
I think it's the nature of the beast that everyone fancies themselves as the manager from time to time. I do think Jackie Tyrrell's comment ‘that the standards they've set themselves have slipped’ is worth a lot more to the panel than anything written or said elsewhere.
The four time All-star defender who captained Kilkenny to victory over Cork in '06 is in a perfect position to judge the form of the team. His honest assessment will surely focus everyone on their preparation for the upcoming Leinster championship fixture on June 11 against the winners of either Antrim/Laois or Wexford. Over the past decade it was nearly taken for granted that we would land the Bob O'Keeffe Cup but this year’s Leinster championship will be a huge challenge. Dublin's impressive league victory over Kilkenny has added much needed spice to a competition that has been losing its appeal for some time — mainly due to Kilkenny’s runaway victories. The GAA quietly got their wish last year when Galway and Kilkenny met for the first time in the final, this year their dream final would have to be a re-match between the Cats and the newly crowned league champions Dublin. However, one or two teams will have something to say about that first!
Laois and Antrim have the honour of being the first teams in action in this year’s championship when they meet at Portlaoise on Saturday evening. So much for championship promotions as you'd hardly know it was starting. Laois, trained by Kilkenny man Brendan Fennelly will be hoping that home advantage will aid their cause. They have already conquered Antrim in the league this year but I'm sure that Fennelly will be quick to point out to his charges that the Saffrons were able to dispose of Dublin's challenge in last year’s qualifiers. There won't be much between these sides but I'm siding with the Laois men to join Wexford in the next round.
Obviously and rightly so he has Tipp on top but I'm amused by the fact that he has elevated both Dublin and Waterford to two and three respectively.
With the action just around the corner some pundits have been giving their pre-championship thoughts. I got a quick look at Cyril Farrell's preview in the Irish Independent last Monday. I gave a quick chuckle to myself when I saw he only ranks us as number four. I can't remember whether he ranked us one or two last year. If I'm not mistaken I think he had Kilkenny at the top of the pile. Obviously and rightly so he has Tipp on top but I'm amused by the fact that he has elevated both Dublin and Waterford to numbers two and three respectively. I thought Cyril was shrewder than that. Kilkenny may have lost the league title, however until either of the aforementioned outfits topple the Cats in a championship outing I don't think they deserve to be ranked above them. In my opinion this does give the Kilkenny players something to mull over.
The local scene
The second round of the local league took place last weekend and without a doubt the highlight for many was the return of Henry Shefflin. It's a credit to Henry that he is able to return to action so soon. The whole county knew he was back training and fit looking, but I'd say the gate money at Hugginstown would have been far greater last Saturday night if it had been known he had a chance of playing.
Henry being the man he is always does things nice and quietly. The probabilities are if the Shamrocks had been winning comfortably Henry wouldn't have appeared until the next round but with the game tightly poised he made his return. By all accounts, and I wasn't at the game, he seemed to have no ill effects.
The Boro can also take plenty of positives out of this game however they lack a leader upfront. For the Boro it’s all about consolidating their position in the senior ranks this year.
Despite scoring a couple of points there was no fairytale return for him as the hard working Dunnamaggin side snatched victory with a late goal. Graigue-Ballycallan are the early pace setters in this group, they have maximum points after beating Johnstown last Thursday evening at Nowlan Park. New manager Declan Roche seems to be getting a good response out of his charges, with two early victories under their belt there should be no relegation worries this year. In the other game in this group St Martins had eight points to spare over Clara. A goal from the old reliable John Maher set St Martins on their way at the Gowran venue from which they never looked back. Clara who have now lost two on the bounce need to get their act together especially in front of the posts. If my stats are right I believe that they have scored just one goal in their last eight competitive outings. Surely anyone worth their salt in a full forward line would bag one goal a year! James Stephens and Dicksboro played out a cracking game last Saturday evening in Nowlan Park. The opening quarter was a stop-start affair mainly due to a happy whistle ref. I'm not biased either way but some of the decisions were baffling. Once he relaxed on the blower we had a smashing game full of end to end hurling. James Stephens deserved their six point victory; their ability to win the 50-50 ball was the main difference. The Boro can also take plenty of positives out of this game, however they lack a leader upfront. For the Boro it’s all about consolidating their position in the senior ranks this year. The usual protagonists hurled well for the Village side namely Tyrrell, Larkin, Ruth (brilliant first half ), and the McCormack brothers were all to the fore. David Glynn, Kieran Cuddihy, Michael Fagan (brilliant second half marking Ruth ) and Eddie O'Donohue were the pick of the Boro men.
Worrying times for the proud Tullaroan club, maybe an SOS call might get them all back later in the year.
O'Loughlin’s joined James Stephens on top after toppling Erin’s Own by four points at a windswept Ballyragget on Friday night. It was a great response by the county champions after their All-Ireland defeat. I'm aware that a good few of the O'Loughlin’s players are heading away for summer work so it will be comforting for them to have picked up back to back victories before they depart. Carrickshock’s victory over Tullaroan leaves the men with the green sash rooted to the bottom of the table. Tullaroan also have players emigrating. Some are gone for a year while more for the summer. Worrying times for the proud Tullaroan club, maybe an SOS call might get them all back later in the year.
The intermediate grade is every bit as competitive. Last year's finalists Mullinavat are once again setting the pace; they beat another fancied side Danesfort by seven points without the services of top marksmen Willie O'Dwyer and Michael Murphy. The Emeralds had a good victory over Mooncoin while Tullogher Rosbercon totally outclassed Graiguenamanagh. Group B couldn't be more open with all six teams on two points. It was a case of anyone who won the first day lost the second day. It may be early days yet but some teams and management will be happier than others.
