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Well lads what do ye reckon ?

Babs has caused a lot of consternation around these parts by picking the same side that was due to start last Sunday leaving a fit boy wonder(and he is fit,i took a wander in to training on tuesday night and both Kellys,Fitzy,McGrath and Woodlock played a full part) kicking his heels on the bench again,personally i dont have any problem with the selection,it would be harsh on the lads who bust a gut to beat Cork for the first time since 91 to find themselves on the bench the next day out.

Its typical Babs,reputations mean nothing,if you play well then you retain your place,its a huge boon to fringe players to know that if they perform then they will be rewarded,it leads to competition within the squad which can only be a good thing in the long run plus the Championship experience gained by the new lads will be invaluable.

On the flip side have we ever taken to the field in an All-Ireland quarter final before with three All-Stars on the bench ? This epic run of games we've had this year
has provided us with options if nothing else,a lot of counties would kill for a bench containing..Eoin Kelly,Paul Kelly,Shane McGrath,Diarmuid Fitzgerald,Brendan Cummins et al !

[people aren't sure if Cork threw the game]

All-Ireland Qtr-finals or a qualifiers game in ..........well its obvious which game is going to be shown!!!!!

Tipperary v's Cork was a far better game than any of the qualifiers on that weekend!!!!

I don't disagree, but it was also a meaningless fixture, even now, people aren't sure if Cork threw the game, or if it was their over-confidence that lost it for them.

Which people,the mentally unstable ?

The hurling games take precedence this weekend because they are All-Ireland Quarter finals,the football games are qualifiers,whatever the wrongs and rights of showing the Tipp-Cork game rather than a football qualifier a couple of weeks ago Rte have no case to answer for showing All-Ireland quarter finals rather than qualifiers,how many of the football quarter finals do ye reckon will be shown live ? I think we all know the answer to that.

[It was a wild pull, i don't think it was malicious]

And Curran was busy lying on the ground in agony to have reacted, so I'm pretty sure any allegations are well wide of the mark.

It was a wild pull, i don't think it was malicious

What colour is the sky on your planet ? What in the name of Christ was Carton attempting to do ? He pulled two feet below the ball into the right side of Currans face as Curran caught the ball in his left hand,if by some freak of nature Carton had actually connected with the ball he would have sent it out over the stand on that side of the field ! It was a deliberate,malicious stroke which Carton took a step back and to the side to execute,as dirty a stroke as we are ever likely to see on a hurling field.

the fact is that there are pulls like that in club games around the country every weekend and the referee makes a decision on it and it is final

Jesus wept,are you for real,so lads around the country are having their faces rearranged and amateur dentistry performed every weekend are they ? Its a wonder we have anyone left playing the game at all.

If the 8 week ban is true then its nothing short of a disgrace.

[savaging]

Ger is playing COdy at his own game I see.. Forewarning the refs about the KK habit of making your hands and wrists pay for having the temerity to have possesion against them....

http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/galway-boss-calls-on-ref-to-curb-cats-belting-1038641.html

By Colm Keys
Tuesday July 17 2007

"These lads (Galway) are as good a bunch of players as I have worked with," he said.

"Whether we are ready for the savaging that Kilkenny will give them, I don't know," he added.

"I hope that it will be an open game and I hope that whoever is refereeing it will give us some chance, that we won't get this ferocious barracking from a Kilkenny defender when he has the ball.

"This flicking, belting across the wrists can't happen next Sunday and if it doesn't, you never know."

Christ almighty the man has lost the run of himself completely,is this the same Loughnane who was taking about waring hurleys off of the Deise selectors in 98 ?

The slasher Hickey and co are no angels but sure not every team can be as pure as the driven snow like Clare's backs were in the 90's 

Jesus,where did that come from ?

Like most Tipp supporters i headed in to Thurles saturday evening expecting a defeat,hoping for a performance but expecting a defeat nonetheless.

A few quick observations,

I think Bt was a little harsh on Gerry Kennedy,he has his faults,particularily under the dropping ball imho but i doubt Cummins would have been out as quick as Kennedy was when Deane had his goal chance,it would be very harsh on the lad now if Cummins were to replace him for the Wexford game.

Fanning was solidity personified,Declan has been a revelation at full back he still struggles to make room for himself to strike though but i made him man of the match by some way,he was ably assisted by his two corner men,Buckley is quickly becoming our find of the year,Byrne wont forget his championship debut in a hurry !

O'Mahoney was excellent again,what was McCarthy thinking placing Ben O'Connor at centre forward ?

I would agree with bt about Eamonn Corcoran,he was very loose early on,Cronin was giving him a hiding,he had a storming second half though but he certainly wasnt man of the match imho,i've been saying for a couple of years now that he is too loose,if you look at his stats over the last three years he concedes a lot of scores to his direct opponents,he is an outstanding hurler though,the little flick to Hickey for his point was pure class,i personally think he would be better in centrefield now,hopefully Tom Stapelton will develop into a viable option for wing back next year.

Shane Maher had a fine game on the wing,his swing is a little on the agricultural side at times but he is a solid option to have,a better option at left half back than the looser Maloney imho.

Our centrefield pairing were over run for the first 15 minutes,Babs had Shane McGrath warming up after 10 minutes but Maloney and Butler started to get on top eventually and both went on to have fine games,especially Maloney imho,Butlers radar was a little off at times and he needs to lift the head a bit more and look at other options rather than shooting on sight but he is developing into the hurler that his club performances over the last couple of years suggested he could be.

Benny Dunne was a revelation,he didnt give Curran a minutes rest,i've never seen our captain so fired up for a game,he was very animated in the warm up and was noticeably vocal throughout the game but just like one poor game doesnt make Curran a bad player one good game doesnt make Benny our saviour,he isnt a centre forward and never will be as long as i have a hole in my arse but credit where its due he had a stormer on Saturday(thats just for bt !)

I was very impressed with Hickey,he was by a country mile our best forward on Tuesday night in the u-21 and had a fine game on saturday night also,he is an infinitely better sticksman than Ryan O'Dwyer and is very competent under the dropping ball,a rarity for a Tipp half forward these days.

Devanney and Webster were the least impressive of our forwards,Webster is custom made for the rock and struggled to make any impression,i would suspect that saturday night will be the last time he starts for Tipp,Egan made a big difference when he came on,his point was an absolute peach,Devanney just doesnt have the hurling for this level,he's a game lad but thats not enough.

Lar was Lar,a mixture of the sublime and the ridiculous as we have come to expect,he scored three cracking points but did his usual fumbling,foostering and one handed rising routine at various times,his pace over the first ten yards is electric and he is a good finisher,is he finally on the cusp of becoming our new Fox to Kelly's Nicky God ?,its a question we've been asking for six years now.

Im not sure what to make of Willie Ryan,he is as slow as a funeral but thats two fine games for Tipp in his last two outings,he took both goals with aplomb on saturday night and is an excellent freetaker but something is missing and im not sure what it is,a bit of Toome devilment perchance?

It looks like the three wise men will have some selectorial headaches over the next few days ahead of the Wexford game,we've had some horribly bad luck with injuries this year,i reckon a fully fit panel would be a force to be reckoned with,something along the lines of..

Kennedy

Buckley Fanning Curran

Stapelton/Maher O'Mahoney Fitzgerald

Corcoran McGrath

Butler Eoin Kelly John O'Brien

Paul kelly Daragh Egan Lar Corbett

Subs..Cummins,Carroll,Hickey,Benny Dunne,Maloney,Woodlock,Willie Ryan,Pa Burke etc..not bad eh ?

I would guess that with the injuries Babs will start on Sunday with..

Kennedy

Buckley Fanning Fitzgerald/Byrne

Corcoran O'Mahoney Maher

McGrath Maloney

Carroll Dunne Corbett

Butler Kelly Ryan.

I would start Hickey instead of  Ryan with Corbett moving in to the corner but i doubt Babs will.

Yeah thats the chap Bt,he has been lumbered with the "next Eoin Kelly" tag for quite a while now,he's not as precocious as the boy wonder was at his age but i must admit he does look a bit special.

Tipp team as follows

M Ryan(Templederry)

B Maher(Borris-Ileigh)
S Murphy(Kilruane McDonaghs)
M Gleeson(Thurles Sarsfields)

J McLoughney(Toomevara)
J B McCarthy(Golden-Kilfeacle)
T Stapelton(Templederry)

J Woodlock(Drom & Inch)
S Lillis(Thurles Sarsfields)

R O'Dwyer(Cashel King Cormacs)
T McGrath(Mujhas)
D Egan(Kildangan-capt)

P Burke(Thurles Sarsfields)
D O'Hanlon(Carrick Swans)
D Hickey(Boherlan-Dualla)

Anyone heading to the Pairc tonight ? Should be a cracker,that looks like a strong Tipp team on paper,lots of senior experience dotted around anyway.

Im not a fan of Jim Bob but he has two good ones alongside him,surely Stapelton should be at 6 though,Brendan Maher must be dizzy,wing forward Sunday,corner back Tuesday !

One incident should be mentioned and thats the disgraceful pull by Peadar Carton on Paul Curran's head. I'm glad they caught this on camera because its the dirtiest blow I've seen in a hurling match since Joe Rabbitte was knocked out cold by Paraic Feeney. I'm not sure what Domo Connolly was at giving a yellow card. If he did nothing at all, at least he could have been properly punished by the authorities. As it is, he can't be punished any further. He should never be let play for the county again after a disgraceful pull like that.

Spot on Bt,it was an absolutely disgraceful belt,one of the worst i've ever seen on a hurling field,Paul lost four teeth and was in a right state,what in the name of Christ was the ref at only booking Carton ? Carton shouldnt be let near a Dublin team for a long,long time,there is no place for that sort of shite on a hurling field,.Babs was literally shaking with rage afterwards when talking to the press about it.

Im finding this a hard game to call,as a betting man i've filed it under "no bet",a rarity for me.

Limerick arent as bad as people seem to think,they could,some would say should,have beaten Cork in last years All Ireland quarter final,eventually going down by a point,the same margin that the rebels went on to beat the Deise by in the semi final,the Tipp trilogy will have done the treaty men the world of good and they go into Sunday with a live chance but so much depends on the Waterford forward sextet as always,if they click they have the ability to destroy any and every team in the country.

The new Brian Geary is completely unrecognisable from the error prone,hesitant,slow of foot and hand Geary of old but he will be facing a proper centre forward in Prender/Shanahan on Sunday who wont allow him to dictate as he did in two and a half games against Tipp,the only time Geary looked in any trouble was against the extremely combatitive O'Dwyer,the Deise forwards have a patent on combatitive,big Dan,Prender,Mullane,Kelly,McGrath jnr etc..

At the other end Ken McGrath plays more of a sweeping role behind his wingbacks as opposed to a stand up stopper type of centreback,this allows his direct opponent quite a bit of freedom,Ollie Moran could well do a bit of damage there,of course the flip side of that arguement is that Ken will hit a lot of ball on Sunday and when it comes to quality delivery into the forwards he has no peer in modern hurling.Its a dilemna that every team facing this Deise side have,do you "mark" McGrath with your centre forward negating your own players influence but limiting the quality of ball in to big Dan and co or do you allow your centre forward the freedom ?

Shaughs was quiet enough in the Tipp games i thought apart from when he went to right half forward in the third game where he dominated Maloney for the 15 or so minutes he was there,scoring a couple of points from play and winning a free,Limerick will be loathe to move him away from the inside line on Sunday though as Cork showed there are goals for the taking in the Waterford full back line,Barry Foley would be more of a poacher than say Sean O'Connor or the two Tobins so i assume thats why he gets a start on Sunday.

Begley was invisible against Tipp the last day,in fairness to him he would be one of the last names to come to mind when thinking of forwards who would be effective in a two man full forward line,Bennis missed a trick there,its unlikely Limerick will have a third midfielder on Sunday,highly unlikely now that Barry Foley has replaced Tobin in the starting line up imho,Begley against Prendergast will be no place for the faint hearted on the edge of the square,given the right type of ball,ie with snow on it,the big Limerick man can be effective.

Niall Moran is an enigma,more of a natural forward than the brother but less reliable,who knows which Niall will turn up,if the same Niall that took Eamonn Corcoran for five points from play the last day turns up,well,we'll see,Browne is a hard man to get the better of though,John O'Brien took him for a couple of scores in last years quarter final by outfielding him,Moran is good in the air,better than O'Brien,this may well be an avenue that Limerick hit with their puckouts.

Mike Fitz was excellent in patches against Tipp but his shoot on sight policy usually results in a large wide tally as well as a few scores,when he learns to link play a little better he will be a fine addition to the Limerick half forward line.

Banger and Dodge in centrefield are a decent partnership,O'Brien should be told in no uncertain terms not to shoot under any circumstances,just win ball and distribute it to the lads who have radars that work

Foley will be under pressure as im sure Justin will put big Dan/prender on him to win the puckouts,Lawlor is back in his best position,he aint a centrefielder,he needs to be facing the ball.

Reale is a loss as im sure he would have been detailed to pick up Mullane but Seamus Hickey will probably get the job now,Reale is stronger than Hickey but not as quick so it may actually work in Limericks favour,O'Riordan doesnt convince me at all,he is a weak link imho.

Lucey is a good,solid,full back,nothing spectacular,doesnt take risks,the musical chairs in Waterfords forwards wont faze him,he will be as comfortable facing Mullane as big Dan.

Murray had been excellent up to the error that gifted Willie Ryan a goal in extra time of the third Tipp game.

As for the Deise,well we know all about the power of their forward line,Shanahan,Mullane,Prendergast and Kelly would start for every county in Ireland,including Kilkenny and Cork,Flynn is probably in the dying throes of his career at this stage and Molumphy isnt at the same level as the rest of them but its a hugely impressive forward sextet nonetheless plus Jack Kennedy,Brick and Eoin McGrath could come in to the forwards without weakening them appreciably,scary !

Waterfords problems lie further back the field and between their ears,Murphy,Prendergast and Kearney are decent hurlers individually,as is Hennessy in the goal but collectively they leak more scores than they should,a case of the whole being lesser than the sum of its parts,Corks full forward line scored 2-11 off them in the Munster semi,that is some serious scoring for a full forward line,Waterford cant always rely on their forwards to post larger totals than they concede until they tighten up that elusive victory against Cork or Kilkenny in Croke park will always be tantalisingly close but still out of reach but having said that Limerick are not Cork or Kilkenny and Thurles aint Croke park !

Anyone heading to Thurles on Sunday should forego those last four pints in the square and head in for what should be a cracking minor final between Tipp and Cork as we attempt to return the favour and halt the Rebels four in a row attempt,this is a serious Tipp outfit considered far superior to last years All -Ireland winning side,watch out for the captain, left half forward Brendan Maher,the boy is a bit special.

Tipp team named last night,

G Kennedy

E Buckley
D Fanning
P Curran

E Corcoran
C O'Mahoney
Shane Maher(Burgess)

B Dunne(C)
H Maloney

F Devanney
R O'Dwyer
L Corbett

S Butler
E Kelly
W Ryan

Curran returning in place of Diarmiud Fitz who picked up an injury in the Offaly game,Maloney moving to midfield with Shane Maher making his championship debut replacing him at left half back,Willie Ryan back in the full forward line.

Shane Maher is an interesting selection,I assume Stapelton would have started but for the upcoming u-21 game with Cork as he seems to be ahead of Maher in the pecking order thus far.

Benny and Maloney at centrefield isnt a bad combination at all,they are both too loose for wing back imho,there could well be a centrefield spot up for grabs against Cork as Woodlock was poor against Offaly.

Devanney and O'Dwyer on the same line wont work.

Willie Ryan is an infinitely better option than Liam Cahill.

Tipp should have too much for a game Dublin side.

I would beg to differ quite categorically in fact - i found him extremely condescending and quite arrogant-in keeping with tipperary hurling in general- apologies if that offends you but that's my opinion.

An opinion you expressed to his face ?

Well done on the Tipperary hurling-arrogant thing,no hoary old cliches there then.

That's exactly how i would describe him- sorry if it offends you- i have had the misfortune to encounter him.
[/quote

I assume you had the balls to call him names to his face when you "encountered" him or are you just another keyboard warrior ?

I would wager i've "encountered" the man on far more occasions than your good self and i can vouch for the fact that the man is a gent.

[A complete ****** of the highest order]

i have no time for babs- it would make my day next saturday if the unthinkable happened. He's lived in dublin for 20 years berated dublin hurling from ahigh and the only time he managed a clubteam was to manage the UCD mercenaries which i believe says everyting about him. A complete ****** of the highest order. An outdated manager who if tipp have any ambitions in the years ahead should eject with immediate effect because he's past it.

Know him well do you ? All these personal attacks on Babs are out of order,by all means criticise his methods and decisions but keep the personal rubbish out of it.