All Ireland S.H.C Semi-Finals

[heffo]

I remember them Reillers and missed very few games in the period up to 2006. However I think that rebuilding will be easier if a few more retire. Unfirtunately I do no not share your view that the last 2 years has seen progress - seems to be a confusing period in terms of team selection and tactics.  Backroom still have to show that they have a clear idea of what they are trying to achieve e.g. select a tall FF and then do not send any ball in to him. Also skill levels seem to have gone back.

The team lost 2 years, 2 years given the right situation and right manager and right players, we could have spent up with Kilkenny

We lost precious time competing with Kilkenny on the pitch

How many more AI's would Cork have won if it weren't for the strike?

PPS - you've previously claimed that KK were good but not great/were helped by not playing in a competitive province - I assume you've done a 100% U-turn on that position?

[Bud Wiser]

As for our skill levels, ya it hasn't been great, but the Kilkenny f**kers are crazy, and will make anyone look average next to them, they look like they practice a full belt with the entire squad in the ball alley, their sharpness and ability to win the ball in heavy traffic is ridiculous.

Reillers, I don't want to get into an argument again but jaysus I am tiring of people referring to the Kilkenny training methods and in one paper on Sunday it was suggested that the fact that two Cats players were out because of broken bones that they received in training was an indication of the intensity of their training.   If you want to win at hurling you have to do ball work, a player won't win an All-Ireland sitting in a book shop signing autographs or holding hurleys up with phone numbers written on them for photoshoots.  Even today Cappello says he has to get the England Soccer teams heads right, that is a huge thing as well but you can't have your head right if you have set yourself up for advertising agencies to be calling you every other day of the week.  Comerford came on as a sub on Sunday and his head was right when he got to the Naas By-Pass because if that was most other subs they would have spent the first five minutes finding their position and acting the bollix shouldering their opponent to make an impression where as the only impression Comerford wanted to make was on the scoreboard which he did - on his way onto the field.

There is no point complaining about Kilkenny's hard training sessions because if you want to compete that is what you have to do in Cork.  Daly, regardless of what anyone says about him has put a bit of steel into the Dublin hurlers which is why even they are better than Cork today which might be a bit hard to swallow.

[johnneycool]

Cork need to bring youngsters into the team who can stand up and develop as leaders and with the likes of Donal O'g in particular in the changing room that might mitigate against that happening.

In 97 JBM started filtering young men he'd mentored as minors into the senior team who were allowed time to grow into their positions before they were the real deal in 99. Will Walsh be given the same grace period if he decides to go down the same route?


The team itself does need a good bit of work ,but I'd keep Curran and Gardiner with Tom Kenny possibly dropping back into the half back line to replace Sean O'g who no matter how fit he is has lost a yard or two of pace. It's the key midfield and no's 11 and 14 where they need to find lads able to win their own ball and be dangerous in possession. If they can find lads for there then you can work around them.

[heffo]

In 97 JBM started filtering young men he'd mentored as minors into the senior team who were allowed time to grow into their positions before they were the real deal in 99. Will Walsh be given the same grace period if he decides to go down the same route?

Hopefully he will be given time to rebuild - it's going to take a few years

[Reillers]

As for our skill levels, ya it hasn't been great, but the Kilkenny f**kers are crazy, and will make anyone look average next to them, they look like they practice a full belt with the entire squad in the ball alley, their sharpness and ability to win the ball in heavy traffic is ridiculous.

Reillers, I don't want to get into an argument again but jaysus I am tiring of people referring to the Kilkenny training methods and in one paper on Sunday it was suggested that the fact that two Cats players were out because of broken bones that they received in training was an indication of the intensity of their training.   If you want to win at hurling you have to do ball work, a player won't win an All-Ireland sitting in a book shop signing autographs or holding hurleys up with phone numbers written on them for photoshoots.  Even today Cappello says he has to get the England Soccer teams heads right, that is a huge thing as well but you can't have your head right if you have set yourself up for advertising agencies to be calling you every other day of the week.  Comerford came on as a sub on Sunday and his head was right when he got to the Naas By-Pass because if that was most other subs they would have spent the first five minutes finding their position and acting the bollix shouldering their opponent to make an impression where as the only impression Comerford wanted to make was on the scoreboard which he did - on his way onto the field.

There is no point complaining about Kilkenny's hard training sessions because if you want to compete that is what you have to do in Cork.  Daly, regardless of what anyone says about him has put a bit of steel into the Dublin hurlers which is why even they are better than Cork today which might be a bit hard to swallow.

It was a joke, God, but their ability to win the ball in tight areas is outstanding. Their skills levles are on another level. I wish we did whatever they did, but that's a mystery. I know one or two lads from Kilkenny who go to some sessions and say that it's not 100 miles an hour breaking hurleys off each other stuff like everyone says.
I guess you're right a player wont win AI doing ads for drinks like Shefflin, but that's in their extra time and he seems to train well and clearly he's no problem winning AIs. It's a wonder how he gets his head right.

If you want to stirr go join the obsessive ones like Heffo and co in the strike topic. 

[heffo]

As for our skill levels, ya it hasn't been great, but the Kilkenny f**kers are crazy, and will make anyone look average next to them, they look like they practice a full belt with the entire squad in the ball alley, their sharpness and ability to win the ball in heavy traffic is ridiculous.

Reillers, I don't want to get into an argument again but jaysus I am tiring of people referring to the Kilkenny training methods and in one paper on Sunday it was suggested that the fact that two Cats players were out because of broken bones that they received in training was an indication of the intensity of their training.   If you want to win at hurling you have to do ball work, a player won't win an All-Ireland sitting in a book shop signing autographs or holding hurleys up with phone numbers written on them for photoshoots.  Even today Cappello says he has to get the England Soccer teams heads right, that is a huge thing as well but you can't have your head right if you have set yourself up for advertising agencies to be calling you every other day of the week.  Comerford came on as a sub on Sunday and his head was right when he got to the Naas By-Pass because if that was most other subs they would have spent the first five minutes finding their position and acting the bollix shouldering their opponent to make an impression where as the only impression Comerford wanted to make was on the scoreboard which he did - on his way onto the field.

There is no point complaining about Kilkenny's hard training sessions because if you want to compete that is what you have to do in Cork.  Daly, regardless of what anyone says about him has put a bit of steel into the Dublin hurlers which is why even they are better than Cork today which might be a bit hard to swallow.

I guess you're right a player wont win AI doing ads for drinks like Shefflin, but that's in their extra time and he seems to train well and clearly he's no problem winning AIs. It's a wonder how he gets his head right.

Henry Shefflin is blessed with humility. Self-promotion is alien to him.

Are those qualities abundant in the Cork dressing room?

[gallsman]

As for our skill levels, ya it hasn't been great, but the Kilkenny f**kers are crazy, and will make anyone look average next to them, they look like they practice a full belt with the entire squad in the ball alley, their sharpness and ability to win the ball in heavy traffic is ridiculous.

Reillers, I don't want to get into an argument again but jaysus I am tiring of people referring to the Kilkenny training methods and in one paper on Sunday it was suggested that the fact that two Cats players were out because of broken bones that they received in training was an indication of the intensity of their training.   If you want to win at hurling you have to do ball work, a player won't win an All-Ireland sitting in a book shop signing autographs or holding hurleys up with phone numbers written on them for photoshoots.  Even today Cappello says he has to get the England Soccer teams heads right, that is a huge thing as well but you can't have your head right if you have set yourself up for advertising agencies to be calling you every other day of the week.  Comerford came on as a sub on Sunday and his head was right when he got to the Naas By-Pass because if that was most other subs they would have spent the first five minutes finding their position and acting the bollix shouldering their opponent to make an impression where as the only impression Comerford wanted to make was on the scoreboard which he did - on his way onto the field.

There is no point complaining about Kilkenny's hard training sessions because if you want to compete that is what you have to do in Cork.  Daly, regardless of what anyone says about him has put a bit of steel into the Dublin hurlers which is why even they are better than Cork today which might be a bit hard to swallow.

It was a joke, God, but their ability to win the ball in tight areas is outstanding. Their skills levles are on another level. I wish we did whatever they did, but that's a mystery. I know one or two lads from Kilkenny who go to some sessions and say that it's not 100 miles an hour breaking hurleys off each other stuff like everyone says.
I guess you're right a player wont win AI doing ads for drinks like Shefflin, but that's in their extra time and he seems to train well and clearly he's no problem winning AIs. It's a wonder how he gets his head right.

If you want to stirr go join the obsessive ones like Heffo and co in the strike topic.

God, you're pathetic. I'm sure you wouldn't have a word to say if it was Club Energise.

[Reillers]

As for our skill levels, ya it hasn't been great, but the Kilkenny f**kers are crazy, and will make anyone look average next to them, they look like they practice a full belt with the entire squad in the ball alley, their sharpness and ability to win the ball in heavy traffic is ridiculous.

Reillers, I don't want to get into an argument again but jaysus I am tiring of people referring to the Kilkenny training methods and in one paper on Sunday it was suggested that the fact that two Cats players were out because of broken bones that they received in training was an indication of the intensity of their training.   If you want to win at hurling you have to do ball work, a player won't win an All-Ireland sitting in a book shop signing autographs or holding hurleys up with phone numbers written on them for photoshoots.  Even today Cappello says he has to get the England Soccer teams heads right, that is a huge thing as well but you can't have your head right if you have set yourself up for advertising agencies to be calling you every other day of the week.  Comerford came on as a sub on Sunday and his head was right when he got to the Naas By-Pass because if that was most other subs they would have spent the first five minutes finding their position and acting the bollix shouldering their opponent to make an impression where as the only impression Comerford wanted to make was on the scoreboard which he did - on his way onto the field.

There is no point complaining about Kilkenny's hard training sessions because if you want to compete that is what you have to do in Cork.  Daly, regardless of what anyone says about him has put a bit of steel into the Dublin hurlers which is why even they are better than Cork today which might be a bit hard to swallow.

It was a joke, God, but their ability to win the ball in tight areas is outstanding. Their skills levles are on another level. I wish we did whatever they did, but that's a mystery. I know one or two lads from Kilkenny who go to some sessions and say that it's not 100 miles an hour breaking hurleys off each other stuff like everyone says.
I guess you're right a player wont win AI doing ads for drinks like Shefflin, but that's in their extra time and he seems to train well and clearly he's no problem winning AIs. It's a wonder how he gets his head right.

If you want to stirr go join the obsessive ones like Heffo and co in the strike topic.

God, you're pathetic. I'm sure you wouldn't have a word to say if it was Club Energise.

So Bud can go on talking about how you wont win AI by sitting in book stores signing autographs or do ads, I simply pointed out that Shefflin has done just fine. I mean it is him in the lucozade ad isn't it? It's pathetic for me to mention it, but not for Bud because it puts a KK player in the light as say other players ye talk down.
I don't have a problem with it at all, I've always said that you do what you gotta do, it's the likes of Bud and Heffo who seem to have a problem with it.

Just not when it's a Kilkenny player I guess. Double standards as usual.

[orangeman]

As for our skill levels, ya it hasn't been great, but the Kilkenny f**kers are crazy, and will make anyone look average next to them, they look like they practice a full belt with the entire squad in the ball alley, their sharpness and ability to win the ball in heavy traffic is ridiculous.

Reillers, I don't want to get into an argument again but jaysus I am tiring of people referring to the Kilkenny training methods and in one paper on Sunday it was suggested that the fact that two Cats players were out because of broken bones that they received in training was an indication of the intensity of their training.   If you want to win at hurling you have to do ball work, a player won't win an All-Ireland sitting in a book shop signing autographs or holding hurleys up with phone numbers written on them for photoshoots.  Even today Cappello says he has to get the England Soccer teams heads right, that is a huge thing as well but you can't have your head right if you have set yourself up for advertising agencies to be calling you every other day of the week.  Comerford came on as a sub on Sunday and his head was right when he got to the Naas By-Pass because if that was most other subs they would have spent the first five minutes finding their position and acting the bollix shouldering their opponent to make an impression where as the only impression Comerford wanted to make was on the scoreboard which he did - on his way onto the field.

There is no point complaining about Kilkenny's hard training sessions because if you want to compete that is what you have to do in Cork.  Daly, regardless of what anyone says about him has put a bit of steel into the Dublin hurlers which is why even they are better than Cork today which might be a bit hard to swallow.

It was a joke, God, but their ability to win the ball in tight areas is outstanding. Their skills levles are on another level. I wish we did whatever they did, but that's a mystery. I know one or two lads from Kilkenny who go to some sessions and say that it's not 100 miles an hour breaking hurleys off each other stuff like everyone says.
I guess you're right a player wont win AI doing ads for drinks like Shefflin, but that's in their extra time and he seems to train well and clearly he's no problem winning AIs. It's a wonder how he gets his head right.

If you want to stirr go join the obsessive ones like Heffo and co in the strike topic.

You're still not getting it yet, are you ?.

[heffo]

There must be something going on down in Cork - has anyone read Sean Óg's lastest interview?

"The wing-back would not be drawn on the potential need for restructuring the GAA within Cork. "I'm not getting into that debate. I've spoken on that before. In other sports when a loss like that takes place you've to look at where you're going, the future and so on, but at the end of the day I'm just a player. I don't make those decisions."

http://www.examiner.ie/sport/gaa/o-hailpin-weve-a-lot-to-think-about-127430.html#ixzz0wCUrjVGc

Since when Sean? Since when?

[Canalman]

You couldn't make it up Heffo.  Bizarre.

[orangeman]

Denis Walsh might be in a small bit of trouble :


Losing like that was torture ... but life goes on
today at 9:07 am
A heavy defeat to Kilkenny in an All-Ireland semi-final is hard to take, but I've been down this road before and life goes on, writes Sean Og O hAilpin in his latest exclusive column for JOE.ie.




After what happened on Sunday, losing an All-Ireland semi-final to Kilkenny the way we did, it's torture to have to sit down and do this column. But life goes on. I was back in work on Monday morning. You have to get on with things.

In life, in hurling, you win some, you lose some, and Sunday wasn't our day. Travelling up we were in good form. The spirit was good, we felt that we had prepared as well as we could. We knew we were underdogs, but whether people said we had a chance or not, we were going up confident.

As the game went on, though, that confidence dwindled and dwindled and dwindled. You can pick the game apart, you can analyse it any way you want, but the bottom line is that we were outclassed and outplayed by a superior team. There's no hiding from that.

When the team was announced for the second half and Aisake wasn't on it, I found it a bit baffling. It was unfair to single out any of our full forward line at that stageIf we were going to beat Kilkenny, all of us needed big games, but the opposite happened. To have any chance, we needed a good start. We needed to be the ones forcing the game, but that didn't happen either. Kilkenny do it to every team – they go for the jugular as early as possible by looking for goals. We knew that was going to happen, and the aim was to keep them at bay for as long as we could, to go in at half-time having given ourselves a chance. We kept them at bay for the first five or ten minutes but the floodgates opened after that. You don't really think about it when you're playing, but looking back on it the game was over after 25 minutes or so.

At half-time, we tried to regroup so that we could get back out and restore some pride. We'd go around and talk to team-mates and try to restore some positives in the group. But our confidence had taken a battering and the second half was immaterial.

When the team was announced for the second half and Aisake wasn't on it, I found it a bit baffling. It was probably unfair to single out any of our full forward line at that stage, because they hadn't got any ball. A couple of balls went to Aisake – he won one and set up a point, he won another and was dispossessed. But sure we were all dispossessed. And I don't recall Noel Hickey coming out and clearing a mountain of ball.
He was very disappointed but no more than anyone else. Everyone was gutted with how it went. For a lot of the younger members of the team, Sunday was a big learning experience, but I've been down that road a few times. I've been on the wrong end of games like that before. In my first championship game Limerick beat us by 15 or 16 points. Clare hammered us another year. Two years ago we lost to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final by nine points.

I'm not thinking about my own future. All the focus is just on next weekend, when we [Na Piarsaigh] play Midleton in the fourth round of the club championship
That's part and parcel of hurling. You have bad days and good days, and Sunday was a bad day. It was a kick in the teeth, of course it was, but it's only sport. If losing like that in the semi-final of the All-Ireland is like a death in the family then you need to get a reality check. Sport is built up to be this huge thing but it's not the be-all and end-all. That's a policy I've adopted as I've become more mature in my own career. We all know people in real-life situations that are much more serious than losing a hurling game. No-one died on Sunday.

For me, I'm not thinking about the future. All the focus is just on next weekend, when we [Na Piarsaigh] play Midleton in the fourth round of the club championship. I'm not thinking any further than that, and it'll be great to get back out on the ground and get back hurling as quickly as possible.

No matter who wins next Sunday between Waterford and Tipperary, Kilkenny will go into the All-Ireland final as hot favourites and rightly so. They didn't need to beat Cork for that to be the case, but I suppose the manner in which they despatched us reinforced their position.

The stats don't lie, so whatever accolades and honours are bestowed upon Kilkenny, they deserve them. They're going for five-in-a-row and this summer, they've convincingly beaten every team they've played in the championship. At their ease.

But whoever it is, the build-up to the All-Ireland final will suit Tipperary or Waterford down to the ground. All the talk will be about Kilkenny and the five-in-a-row. They're one of the greatest teams in the history of hurling and they're going to be extremely hard to beat. But they're human beings. No-one is unbeatable.

[heffo]

You couldn't make it up Heffo.  Bizarre.

I'm confident that Reillers can clear all this up in that 'Ivor Callelyesque' way of his - there will be no lack of clarity.

[johnneycool]

I'd say there isn't a striker who regrets all that happened during that period.

There were no winners.

[heffo]

Denis Walsh might be in a small bit of trouble :


Losing like that was torture ... but life goes on
today at 9:07 am
A heavy defeat to Kilkenny in an All-Ireland semi-final is hard to take, but I've been down this road before and life goes on, writes Sean Og O hAilpin in his latest exclusive column for JOE.ie.




After what happened on Sunday, losing an All-Ireland semi-final to Kilkenny the way we did, it's torture to have to sit down and do this column. But life goes on. I was back in work on Monday morning. You have to get on with things.

In life, in hurling, you win some, you lose some, and Sunday wasn't our day. Travelling up we were in good form. The spirit was good, we felt that we had prepared as well as we could. We knew we were underdogs, but whether people said we had a chance or not, we were going up confident.

As the game went on, though, that confidence dwindled and dwindled and dwindled. You can pick the game apart, you can analyse it any way you want, but the bottom line is that we were outclassed and outplayed by a superior team. There's no hiding from that.

When the team was announced for the second half and Aisake wasn't on it, I found it a bit baffling. It was unfair to single out any of our full forward line at that stageIf we were going to beat Kilkenny, all of us needed big games, but the opposite happened. To have any chance, we needed a good start. We needed to be the ones forcing the game, but that didn't happen either. Kilkenny do it to every team – they go for the jugular as early as possible by looking for goals. We knew that was going to happen, and the aim was to keep them at bay for as long as we could, to go in at half-time having given ourselves a chance. We kept them at bay for the first five or ten minutes but the floodgates opened after that. You don't really think about it when you're playing, but looking back on it the game was over after 25 minutes or so.

At half-time, we tried to regroup so that we could get back out and restore some pride. We'd go around and talk to team-mates and try to restore some positives in the group. But our confidence had taken a battering and the second half was immaterial.

When the team was announced for the second half and Aisake wasn't on it, I found it a bit baffling. It was probably unfair to single out any of our full forward line at that stage, because they hadn't got any ball. A couple of balls went to Aisake – he won one and set up a point, he won another and was dispossessed. But sure we were all dispossessed. And I don't recall Noel Hickey coming out and clearing a mountain of ball.

Not a happy camper at all - Sean Óg should've been consulted on all matters of team selection