AI Hurling Championship 2024

[Saffrongael]

Was it a second yellow or straight red I couldn't pick it up.

Second yellow, can have no complaints (unless you are Buff Egan)

[Milltown Row2]

Was it a second yellow or straight red I couldn't pick it up.

Second yellow, can have no complaints (unless you are Buff Egan)

Seen Buff's post? Mans not wise

[Saffrongael]

Was it a second yellow or straight red I couldn't pick it up.

Second yellow, can have no complaints (unless you are Buff Egan)

Seen Buff's post? Mans not wise

Few years ago he was moaning that he wasn't getting commentary/analysis gigs on tv, can you imagine it ffs ?

[NAG1]

Makes more sense now, definite second yellow a moment of madness unfortunately.

Serious questions to be answered by Tipp now after that performance, no point picking big men to compete physically with Limerick as they have the physicality and the hurling to go with it.

[gallsman]

Have always found Buff to be an eejit of the highest order. I'm not his target market but felt as if he'd disappeared for a while. His take on the foul restart was the first time I'd come across him in a couple of years.

Feels like he was going out of the way to be contrary.

[square_ball]

Have always found Buff to be an eejit of the highest order. I'm not his target market but felt as if he'd disappeared for a while. His take on the foul restart was the first time I'd come across him in a couple of years.

Feels like he was going out of the way to be contrary.

I don't think Buff would have the wit to try and be contrary.

[johnnycool]

Makes more sense now, definite second yellow a moment of madness unfortunately.

Serious questions to be answered by Tipp now after that performance, no point picking big men to compete physically with Limerick as they have the physicality and the hurling to go with it.

They did go with the physicality and it lasted about 30 minutes before Limerick wore them down.

You need the hurling to keep that going, which is strange as Tipp always pride themselves on their hurling.

Liam Cahill may have to get back to a Tipp identity rather than trying to match Limerick at what they are good at.
Easier said than done though.


Cork are Cork, Clare when they got into their stride opened them up at will, but Clare being Clare also conceded a few soft scores to keep it interesting right to the end.

Cork have a fierce uphill battle to get third spot now and IMO that spot depends on Tipp and Waterford this weekend.
Waterford may well be favourites after yesterday, but surely Tipp will offer a lot more in Semple stadium in what is a knock out fixture for them.

Antrim have put the cat among the pigeons in Leinster, Wexford are in dire straits with Kilkenny and Galway yet to come.
Antrim get a result against the Dubs and they could claim that third spot, but the lollipops aren't a pushover either for these teams fighting for the third spot.

[Milltown Row2]

Teams need to stop taking the ball into contact with Limerick

They need to get past that half backline, they also need their attackers to defend like dogs and stop allowing Limerick out with the ball

Referee's need to come down on the throw ball, Limerick are flat out doing it, with Cain Lynch the worst culprit.

Lastly teams need to match Limericks fitness levels, the games last 70 plus minutes and the good teams are fading away around 60/65 minutes.

Easier said than done I know, or they will just have to wait till this teams is finished

[seafoid]

The 2 provinces are unbalanced. There is too much competition  in Munster and not enough in Leinster. Antrim beating Wexford is huge but it won't fix the problem.

[johnnycool]

The 2 provinces are unbalanced. There is too much competition  in Munster and not enough in Leinster. Antrim beating Wexford is huge but it won't fix the problem.

To an extent.

Before both campaigns kicked off you'd have put good money on a KK v Galway final in Leinster and Limerick and Clare contesting the Munster final.

After two rounds in both I think the bet would still be very safe.

The battle for third is really the only thing on offer in both provinces with Waterford and Antrim throwing a bit of a spanner in the works.

[seafoid]

The 2 provinces are unbalanced. There is too much competition  in Munster and not enough in Leinster. Antrim beating Wexford is huge but it won't fix the problem.

To an extent.

Before both campaigns kicked off you'd have put good money on a KK v Galway final in Leinster and Limerick and Clare contesting the Munster final.

After two rounds in both I think the bet would still be very safe.

The battle for third is really the only thing on offer in both provinces with Waterford and Antrim throwing a bit of a spanner in the works.

Limerick did to Tipp what they did to Galway and Kilkenny in the endgames last year. Turned on the afterburners before and after half time. https://youtu.be/sSR4MgieVb0&t=720s.

If McGuinness could find a way to beat Derry there should  be a way to beat Limerick. It will probably feature intensity.

[imtommygunn]

The comparison would be Dublin not Derry...

Cork will need to beat limerick now which if limerick have qualified is I suppose a possibility.

[seafoid]

The comparison would be Dublin not Derry...

Cork will need to beat limerick now which if limerick have qualified is I suppose a possibility.

Agree re Dublin. What McGuinness did was completely nullify Derry's tactics. Beating Limerick will require something special that is similar.

[johnnycool]

The comparison would be Dublin not Derry...

Cork will need to beat limerick now which if limerick have qualified is I suppose a possibility.

Agree re Dublin. What McGuinness did was completely nullify Derry's tactics. Beating Limerick will require something special that is similar.

McGuinness didn't beat Derry by trying to be better at what Derry excel at, he looked at their strengths and used that against them, the high press on the Donegal kick out, their keeper just booted it beyond the press and they'd runners hitting that space beyond the press once the big men flicked the ball into it.

Smart enough, but for Derry to persist in the "process" which had been worked out spoke of a team overcoached.


To beat Limerick you avoid the intensity and congested areas, have the scorers 70 metres from goals working the ball in pods to get the long range shots off and you'll need a very high percentage of scores going over for it to work.
If that doesn't pull out their deep lying half forwards then nothing will.
Then once they come out chasing the game you need to hit the spaces they leave behind

Limerick rode their luck against Clare. The goal that gave them momentum was from a mishit free aside from the square ball shouts and a bit of poor goal keeping, but Clare couldn't respond like they did against Cork.

Clare do have the physique to compete against Limerick, but they've questions to answer about their mental fortitude in Munster finals and AI semi-finals where they've probably been the better teams but lapses in concentration have been their undoing.

Galway didn't show much in Salthill to suggest they've improved this year, but Leinster doesn't heat up for another few weeks.

Tipp, Cork and Waterford need to be smarter if they want to challenge Limerick or the bottom line is they just aren't good enough no matter how you cut it.

[imtommygunn]

I'm not convinced Shefflin is cutting it with Galway.

Cork are really up against it now and will have to beat Limerick or I would say they're out. Waterford need to beat Tipp or they're likely out too and same if Tipp don't beat Waterford. Tipp beating Waterford would help Cork a bi though.