All Ireland Club Hurling Championship

[Declan]

Portumna are an awesome club side and the best I've ever seen. Joe Canning was quiet enough today but produced two moments of pure genius - the handpass for the goal and a sublime pick up in his own half - genius.
Felt sorry for DLS - absolutely outgunned and outclassed

[GalwayBayBoy]

Portumna are an awesome club side and the best I've ever seen. Joe Canning was quiet enough today but produced two moments of pure genius - the handpass for the goal and a sublime pick up in his own half - genius.
Felt sorry for DLS - absolutely outgunned and outclassed

Yeah Joe had a good game but he almost took a back seat to some of his teammates today. It's funny with him but the bigger the challenge the better he tends to play and today Portumna were so comfortable that I think he just coasted along really for the most part. Took his frees and a couple sublime touches here and there but not the usual fireworks from him.

[orangeman]

Portumna are an awesome club side and the best I've ever seen. Joe Canning was quiet enough today but produced two moments of pure genius - the handpass for the goal and a sublime pick up in his own half - genius.
Felt sorry for DLS - absolutely outgunned and outclassed

I know this is pure speculation - but what inter county division one sides would Portumna have a chance of beating ??

[GalwayBayBoy]

Portumna are an awesome club side and the best I've ever seen. Joe Canning was quiet enough today but produced two moments of pure genius - the handpass for the goal and a sublime pick up in his own half - genius.
Felt sorry for DLS - absolutely outgunned and outclassed

I know this is pure speculation - but what inter county division one sides would Portumna have a chance of beating ??

Galway.

[INDIANA]

The standard of munster club hurling surely has to be asked today. hopefully while throwing that thought out- I'll get some reasoned debate rather than the bullshit I have to listen to on some of the nOrthern threads. I know De La Salle had a bad day- but they weren't a very good team anyway in all honesty bar a couple of players.

[NAG]

It has to be said now it makes Dunloy's result against them (portumna) in Clones look even better now looking back!

[youbetterbelieveit]

Munster Club hurling is very much in transition, have a look around the counties

Waterford - De La Salle's first county title in ages if not ever, the domination of Ballygunner and Mount Sion is a reflection on waterford hurling really Tony Browne (M/Sion), Paul Flynn (Ballygunner) etc those players are at the end of their careers.

Cork -  Same again to some extent, Newtownshandrum, Cloyne and Na Piarsaigh the winners in recent years, is backboned by O'Sullivan, Donal og Cusack (both Cloyne), the twins ben and gerry for newtown and O'hAilpin for Na Piarsaigh.

Clare - the local championship has been very open with numerous teams winning it, Clarecastle, sixmilebridge (Davey Fitz & Gilligan) and Wolfe tones (Lohans) were the dominant forces, but they have gone back abit.

Limerick - Adare were winners for two previous years and should have won the provincial title over DLS,

Tipperary - poor again, with Toomevara coming out and being beat by Adare. I believe Adare would have gave a better account of themselves on tuesday.


Overall I think the transition will be for another few years until another dominance is built up like in Leinster or Connacht.

You must remember, dominance comes in cycles, Portumna wont be able to sustain the level they are at,
down through the years, the Birr's or Ballyhale's of this world only stay on top for a number of years.

[longrunsthefox]

jeez i feel sorry for John Mullane-that is two awful hammerings he has experienced in Croke Park in two All Ireland finals in less than six months

I feel nothing for him, he was acting the bollox again today, after appearing to have matured somewhat last year. When it became clear the match was long over he resorted to throwing the hurl and screaming at the ref instead of trying to restore some pride for his team.

Fair enough I didn't see the game as was out and about but I thought he played to the last drop when getting hammered by Kilkenny. Also admired how he took his punishment a few years ago without running to the DRA. Whatever-I still feel sorry for him       

[maxpower]

another dissapointing club final.  was athenry v graigue ballycallan the last really competitive one.

DLS just weren't at the races and probaly needed to hurl the game of their lives but instead were poor.  Portumna hurled well but DLS made many basic errors and certainly played at a level below what they showed in the semi

take nothing from portumna, they were awesome attimes

[GalwayBayBoy]

another dissapointing club final.  was athenry v graigue ballycallan the last really competitive one.

Portumna v Newtownshandrum was fairly competitive but it wasn't a great game either it has to be said.

[awfulynice]

The standard of munster club hurling surely has to be asked today. hopefully while throwing that thought out- I'll get some reasoned debate rather than the bullshit I have to listen to on some of the nOrthern threads. I know De La Salle had a bad day- but they weren't a very good team anyway in all honesty bar a couple of players.

Munster club hurling has been below par for the last number of years, munster teams have won 3 out of the last 20 club all irelands, in that time 9 all irelands were won by galway, 4 by kilkenny and 4 by offaly. And looking at the teams coming out of munster at the moment, it will be a while before there is another winner from there.

On the all ireland county championship munster teams have won 7 of the last 20, with the rest going to leinster teams. So there seems to have been an overall decline in munster hurling in the modern era, with leinster hurling being more prominent overall.

There was a lot of talk about how bad leinster hurling had become last year and galway have since been introduced into the province. But with Dublin becoming more competitive, Offaly were resurgent last year and wexford will always be fairly competitive, was there really a need to put a galway team into the mix.

For Example people speak about how competitive munster hurling is. How come only three teams out of the province have won an all ireland in the last 20 years?? The exact amount as leinster.

[seafoid]

Who is going to win tomorrow? Are Ballyhale an improvement on last year or will it be the three in a row for big Joe agus a comhluadar?   

[Asal Mor]

I'm feeling a bit pessimistic about this one. Portumna were brilliant in last year's semi against Ballyhale but they scored five goals and needed every one of them. Ballyhale would probably believe if they can stop Portumna from getting in for a few goals that they can outpoint them, with Shefflin, the Reids, Aylward, Cha and Fennelly easily capable of racking up 20 points. I'm also a bit concerned about Joe - for a guy with a burn-out injury he's been doing an awful lot of hurling between club and college. He was the difference between the sides last year. As well as scoring his usual 2-10 or whatever, he set up the other goals and just pulled the strings all day. I can't see him playing as well again. Of course there's a lot more to Portumna who have quality in every position. I'm hoping that this turns out to be a George Hook prediction, but I fancy Ballyhale to do it.

[johnneycool]

I'm feeling a bit pessimistic about this one. Portumna were brilliant in last year's semi against Ballyhale but they scored five goals and needed every one of them. Ballyhale would probably believe if they can stop Portumna from getting in for a few goals that they can outpoint them, with Shefflin, the Reids, Aylward, Cha and Fennelly easily capable of racking up 20 points. I'm also a bit concerned about Joe - for a guy with a burn-out injury he's been doing an awful lot of hurling between club and college. He was the difference between the sides last year. As well as scoring his usual 2-10 or whatever, he set up the other goals and just pulled the strings all day. I can't see him playing as well again. Of course there's a lot more to Portumna who have quality in every position. I'm hoping that this turns out to be a George Hook prediction, but I fancy Ballyhale to do it.

Can this game be watched online anywhere?

[cicfada]

Tg4 have a player:

http://beo.tg4.ie/

can you not get it anywhere up there in that bleak part of the world you call home?? You always liked misery though if memory serves me right!!