All Ireland Hurling Championship 2013

[Asal Mor]

What do we think of the quarter-finals anyway?

Cork with Horgan back should be good enough to cause lots of problems for Kilkenny. They should run at the Kilkenny defence any chance they get. Also I think Paul Murphy has become Kilkenny's best defender over thelast year and he's so dominant in his corner that Cork should avoid hitting the ball in there. If Fennelly is back it would obviously be huge for Kilkenny. I think Henry is done - there's only so much a body can take. I fancy Cork to run Kilkenny really close, but the Cats will probably find a way. Hopefully not.

Galway are bizarrely, bookies favorites against Clare, even though very few people fancy them to win, especially in Galway . I didn't like to bet against my own county for the Dublin game even though I expected them to lose but I might this time. I think we'll need to get a couple of extra bodies back into defence to deal with Clare's pace and short-passing style. Some of our backs (Kavanagh, Hynes, Cooney) will get skint for pace if they're left 1-on-1.

Clare are in a much better place than Galway and are great value at 6/5. Galway are 4/5 but I'd make them realisticaly about a 5/2 shot because they've been awful all year and you can't just turn it on. I hope I'm wrong but I'd be surprised if we're not beaten.

[johnneycool]

What do we think of the quarter-finals anyway?

Cork with Horgan back should be good enough to cause lots of problems for Kilkenny. They should run at the Kilkenny defence any chance they get. Also I think Paul Murphy has become Kilkenny's best defender over thelast year and he's so dominant in his corner that Cork should avoid hitting the ball in there. If Fennelly is back it would obviously be huge for Kilkenny. I think Henry is done - there's only so much a body can take. I fancy Cork to run Kilkenny really close, but the Cats will probably find a way. Hopefully not.

Galway are bizarrely, bookies favorites against Clare, even though very few people fancy them to win, especially in Galway . I didn't like to bet against my own county for the Dublin game even though I expected them to lose but I might this time. I think we'll need to get a couple of extra bodies back into defence to deal with Clare's pace and short-passing style. Some of our backs (Kavanagh, Hynes, Cooney) will get skint for pace if they're left 1-on-1.

Clare are in a much better place than Galway and are great value at 6/5. Galway are 4/5 but I'd make them realisticaly about a 5/2 shot because they've been awful all year and you can't just turn it on. I hope I'm wrong but I'd be surprised if we're not beaten.

Cork probably do have the pace to bother the Kilkenny backs alright, but I'd be concerned with their defenses inability to deal with catching forwards and Kilkenny have a good smattering of them. If Cork don't work out how to stop these lads catching then I expect Kilkenny to find their goal scoring touch again so that'd require a huge effort from the Cork forwards to stay in the game. I think Kilkenny will come out the other side of this one as its still a year or so too early for this Cork team.

If Kilkenny are to lift the AI this year it would be some achievement as they'd have beat Offaly, Tipp, Waterford, Cork, and another two teams to do that not to mention the two games they came out the wrong end of against Dublin.

What of Galway? Who to god knows, they could win by 7 or 8 if they're right but could lose by the same margin if they're anything like they started against Dublin. They played better in the second half of that game and would need to continue that progress to get over Clare. It's really hard to see some of their players being as bad and jittery again, maybe the Dublin game is the kick in the nads they need to push on.
Clare will want it more and go at it from the word go, but may struggle to contain Joe if he gets enough ball into him. They threaten big things but are still falling short. Need another few years to mentally toughen up.

If Galway turn up then I think they'll win by 3 or 4.

[Milltown Row2]

What do we think of the quarter-finals anyway?

Cork with Horgan back should be good enough to cause lots of problems for Kilkenny. They should run at the Kilkenny defence any chance they get. Also I think Paul Murphy has become Kilkenny's best defender over thelast year and he's so dominant in his corner that Cork should avoid hitting the ball in there. If Fennelly is back it would obviously be huge for Kilkenny. I think Henry is done - there's only so much a body can take. I fancy Cork to run Kilkenny really close, but the Cats will probably find a way. Hopefully not.

Galway are bizarrely, bookies favorites against Clare, even though very few people fancy them to win, especially in Galway . I didn't like to bet against my own county for the Dublin game even though I expected them to lose but I might this time. I think we'll need to get a couple of extra bodies back into defence to deal with Clare's pace and short-passing style. Some of our backs (Kavanagh, Hynes, Cooney) will get skint for pace if they're left 1-on-1.

Clare are in a much better place than Galway and are great value at 6/5. Galway are 4/5 but I'd make them realisticaly about a 5/2 shot because they've been awful all year and you can't just turn it on. I hope I'm wrong but I'd be surprised if we're not beaten.

Cork probably do have the pace to bother the Kilkenny backs alright, but I'd be concerned with their defenses inability to deal with catching forwards and Kilkenny have a good smattering of them. If Cork don't work out how to stop these lads catching then I expect Kilkenny to find their goal scoring touch again so that'd require a huge effort from the Cork forwards to stay in the game. I think Kilkenny will come out the other side of this one as its still a year or so too early for this Cork team.

If Kilkenny are to lift the AI this year it would be some achievement as they'd have beat Offaly, Tipp, Waterford, Cork, and another two teams to do that not to mention the two games they came out the wrong end of against Dublin.

What of Galway? Who to god knows, they could win by 7 or 8 if they're right but could lose by the same margin if they're anything like they started against Dublin. They played better in the second half of that game and would need to continue that progress to get over Clare. It's really hard to see some of their players being as bad and jittery again, maybe the Dublin game is the kick in the nads they need to push on.
Clare will want it more and go at it from the word go, but may struggle to contain Joe if he gets enough ball into him. They threaten big things but are still falling short. Need another few years to mentally toughen up.

If Galway turn up then I think they'll win by 3 or 4.

I'm going for Clare -2, I really like Galway and would love to see them lift Liam but they are relying way too much on Joe, they have plenty of great players but they struggle to play as a team. Get that sorted then they can certainly beat any team

[The Biff]

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/hurling/2013/0720/463644-horgan-eligible-to-play-against-kilkenny/

Patrick Horgan is available next week now after the red card was rescinded. I thought myself it was a harsh call but didn't think it would be overturned either. Cork will be happy with that.

Were any grounds given for the Appeal and/or the ultimate overturning of the Red card?  Don't give me this "it was a harsh decision" crap; the ref was absolutely 100% correct in applying the letter of the rule-book.  Horgan did hit with his hurley on the back of the head and the rule book even specifies that only minimal force justifies the red card.

So was it some stupid technicality, some Irish spelling mistake on the Ref's report, did Frank Murphy cough three times as the duck quacked and the whole CCCC bowed down to his beck-and-call, .....

If no appropriate explanation for this acquittal is published, then all Referees should quit and tell the GAA Hierarchy to basically "back me or sack me".  Once again, the GAA's rule book is an embarrassing joke.

[deiseach]

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/hurling/2013/0720/463644-horgan-eligible-to-play-against-kilkenny/

Patrick Horgan is available next week now after the red card was rescinded. I thought myself it was a harsh call but didn't think it would be overturned either. Cork will be happy with that.

Were any grounds given for the Appeal and/or the ultimate overturning of the Red card?  Don't give me this "it was a harsh decision" crap; the ref was absolutely 100% correct in applying the letter of the rule-book.  Horgan did hit with his hurley on the back of the head and the rule book even specifies that only minimal force justifies the red card.

So was it some stupid technicality, some Irish spelling mistake on the Ref's report, did Frank Murphy cough three times as the duck quacked and the whole CCCC bowed down to his beck-and-call, .....

If no appropriate explanation for this acquittal is published, then all Referees should quit and tell the GAA Hierarchy to basically "back me or sack me".  Once again, the GAA's rule book is an embarrassing joke.

+1

[Milltown Row2]

Referees write the report and CCCC do their thing. Has ( appeals) nothing to do with the referee what really happens afterwards.

[Farrandeelin]

There's alot I don't understand about Munster hurling meself.

Like - let's have a mad pitch invasion so we can try poke the eye out of one of the players.
Like - who's gonna be the first to shout like a mad hoor halfway through Amhrán na bhFíann.
Like - let's bump and bate and swing and slash before the ball is threw in at all.

Ah,well, I suppose it's the greatest show on Earth. The Munster hurling champions always go on to win the All-Ireland.  Dont they?  Don't they? 

I see that Clare floot Considine slated the ref in the Cork Examiner saying among other things that he shouldn't have been picked to ref the game as "he doesn't understand Munster hurling". 
Talk about "hurlingman" snobbishness - "ya can't have a man from bloody Westmeath reffin a hurling game"
As far as I know the oul T.O. has only one set of playing rules for hurling.

Munster hurling is one of the glorious mysteries. At least in Munster.

I've a soft spot for the Munster championship after being shipped down to Munster finals since I was 14 or so in the back of a car for 5 or 6 hours. I'd never witnessed anything like them in my young life and its stayed with me ever since, however some of the bullshit that comes with it from Considine and the likes who I think is has a very astute hurling mind but gets clouded with this mystical stuff that you almost don't need a referee at all as its all manly, fair stuff until those hallions from Galway or Kilkenny get involved later on in the championship does irk me. His old buddy Ger lock is another proponent of this mindset as well.

There are thousands of hurling games played every year.
There are FOUR !!!! games in the Munster SHC.
You'd think it was the other way round  seeing how those gang go on about it.
Sure you could play the whole fcukin thing in 3 weeks and get it out of the way - preferably in January 

[GalwayBayBoy]

What do we think of the quarter-finals anyway?

Cork with Horgan back should be good enough to cause lots of problems for Kilkenny. They should run at the Kilkenny defence any chance they get. Also I think Paul Murphy has become Kilkenny's best defender over thelast year and he's so dominant in his corner that Cork should avoid hitting the ball in there. If Fennelly is back it would obviously be huge for Kilkenny. I think Henry is done - there's only so much a body can take. I fancy Cork to run Kilkenny really close, but the Cats will probably find a way. Hopefully not.

Galway are bizarrely, bookies favorites against Clare, even though very few people fancy them to win, especially in Galway . I didn't like to bet against my own county for the Dublin game even though I expected them to lose but I might this time. I think we'll need to get a couple of extra bodies back into defence to deal with Clare's pace and short-passing style. Some of our backs (Kavanagh, Hynes, Cooney) will get skint for pace if they're left 1-on-1.

Clare are in a much better place than Galway and are great value at 6/5. Galway are 4/5 but I'd make them realisticaly about a 5/2 shot because they've been awful all year and you can't just turn it on. I hope I'm wrong but I'd be surprised if we're not beaten.

Don't know about Clare. Granted they are young and they are putting up some big scores but they completely folded in the 2nd half of the Munster semi-final against a IMO fairly average Cork side. Plus their full-back line is very shaky if Galway can get any amount of decent ball in there they will get goals. I expect Davy may try and double mark Joe though. The Galway side of last year would eat them alive especially physically. However we haven't seen that Galway side at all so far this year and lads that were in flying form last year look a bit heavy legged this year. A certain leap of faith has to be taken that they will finally show up next weekend knowing that if they lose their Summer is over.

[Asal Mor]

Yeah Clare aren't great and I heard Tony Kelly might be an injury doubt after bursting a blood vessel in his eye in the u-21 game against Waterford. He's the Clare player I'd fear most.

I hope ye're right GBB and Johnny and that Galway come good to some degree. If they do they will beat Clare. We'll know a bit more when the team is named. Hynes has to go from full-back though I'd like to see him given a chance in the half-back or half-forward line. J Cooney, James Regan, Conor Cooney, Niall Burke and David Burke are struggling and I'd like to see them replaced. Obviously the two Burkes are good enough for this level but not the way they're playing right now. There's a lot more players out of form too but I'd start with those. I'm hoping Donoghue, Hayes, Smith, Glynn and maybe Tony Og or Aidan Harte come in.

We could still win this All-Ireland and we can certainly beat Clare who are only decent if we can get it together. There's a lot of talk about in-fighting, Cunningham favoring St. Thomas players, and more bitching, whinging, excuses etc. in the Galway camp but 1 win would go a long way to sorting those things out. I'd expect Clare to try to stop Joe by any means possible so the other players will have to stand up and do it if they really are good enough.

[Asal Mor]

A knowledgable Galway poster on the Hoganstand forum says that Cunningham is going to make 6 or 7 changes from the Leinster Final. This guy is usually right about these things. He says Hayes, Donoghue, Smith, Glynn, Callanan and Harte will start against Clare. I'd be a lot more hopeful about our chances if that's true.

[Asal Mor]

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/hurling/2013/0720/463644-horgan-eligible-to-play-against-kilkenny/

Patrick Horgan is available next week now after the red card was rescinded. I thought myself it was a harsh call but didn't think it would be overturned either. Cork will be happy with that.

Were any grounds given for the Appeal and/or the ultimate overturning of the Red card?  Don't give me this "it was a harsh decision" crap; the ref was absolutely 100% correct in applying the letter of the rule-book.  Horgan did hit with his hurley on the back of the head and the rule book even specifies that only minimal force justifies the red card.

So was it some stupid technicality, some Irish spelling mistake on the Ref's report, did Frank Murphy cough three times as the duck quacked and the whole CCCC bowed down to his beck-and-call, .....

If no appropriate explanation for this acquittal is published, then all Referees should quit and tell the GAA Hierarchy to basically "back me or sack me".  Once again, the GAA's rule book is an embarrassing joke.

Biff, you're right that if they went by the letter of the law there's no way Horgan's card should have been overturned, and they should issue a brief statement explaining their decision but maybe the members of the committee felt (like most hurling fans) that Horgan's strike just wasn't tha bad and certainly not malicious. There were a few mitigating factors as they say.

1. The sun was in his eyes.
2. The ball hit the Limerick player on the head causing him to go down. If he hadn't gone down, Horgan probably would only have gotten a yellow.
3. Horgan is a good lad and a very fair player. They probably didn't want to end his summer for something that was accidental and not even dangereous.

If that was their thought process then I'd say that was fair enough but they should come out and say that and also say that James McGrath was correct in the decision he made on the day.
McGrath has been treated badly in all of this.

I don't think we need a rule book that has to be followed to the letter and isn't open to applying a bit of common sense.

[neilthemac]

maybe

but the referee has been hung out to dry for this decision with no support from the head of the referees.

[Roashter]

maybe

but the referee has been hung out to dry for this decision with no support from the head of the referees.

Totally agree. Pat McEnaney made a big deal about the lack of red cards in last years hurling championship, and pretty much intimated that the referees were being too leniant.
Haven't heard any comment from him about the Horgan sending off or the red card being rescinded (-or maybe I haven't been reading the right papers)

[Rossfan]

And then they wonder why people are so reluctant to take up refereeing 
or why hurling refs ignore loads of fouls so everyone will praise them for "letting the game flow" 

So from now on is it all right for hurlers to whack other hurlers on the head once -
1- it's a sunny day
2- the ball might hit yer man anyway
3- I was never sent off before
4- I'm from Cork
5 - I didn't hit him too hard
6- Th'oul ref was stickin to the rule book which as we all know only applies to those lesser breeds who play football
7 - I'm a nice clean player

[Asal Mor]

Rossfan, I think that if a strike is 1. deliberate or 2. reckless and dangerous then the player deserves a suspension. I didn't think Horgan's strike was either. If you think it deserved a red card and a suspension, then fair enough.

The Limerick player, Paudie O' Brien helped Horgan get off. He offered to travel to the hearing to speak for Horgan and he wrote a letter to the disciplinary committee saying that the sliotar was what caused him to go down. Well done Paudie. It's great to see that because diving is becoming a problem in hurling. The Sunday Game could help to stamp it out by drawing attention to it like they do with striking or off-the-ball stuff. Danny Sutcliffe rolled around like an Italian footballer in the Leinster Final, in an attemt to get David Burke sent off and a blind eye was turned by the analysts.