Under discussion: Sunday’s hurling quarter-finals and the upcoming semi-finals.
Chatting are: Diarmuid O'Flynn, Michael Moynihan, Enda McEvoy, Jackie Cahill and Terry Reilly.
TERRY REILLY (Irish Examiner assistant sports editor): Well lads are ye salivating at the mouth after that weekend’s action, Davy Fitz provided us with a huge surprise?
JACKIE CAHILL (freelance journalist): Nobody saw that Waterford result, or performance, coming. But they were badly hurt by the Munster final against Tipperary and a response was inevitable. Massive result for Davy too, for his managerial career.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN (Irish Examiner sports writer): I don’t know, on the evidence of yesterday, the top two — Tipp and Kilkenny — are still way out in front.
ENDA McEVOY (Irish Examiner columnist) : That line from the Scottish Play struck me last night: “So fair and foul a day I have not seen.” Sums up yesterday in Thurles, I think. Fair because Dublin reached the last four and Waterford redeemed themselves. Foul because Galway were so dire — a really worrying performance on so many levels. Oh, and the second half of Dublin v Limerick — dear God! All that wretched hand passing and dreadful first touch.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: It’s going to take huge improvement from both Waterford and Dublin if they’re to cause any kind of shock.
JACKIE CAHILL: Delighted for Dublin and Ryan O’Dwyer. Spoke to him last week, felt he had to redeem himself after the red card in the Leinster semi-final. Back on familiar ground, eyes of the locals trained on him. He had a lot to prove, handled the pressure well. Limerick’s short style of play looked dreadful when it broke down. It’s a game that needs to be executed at speed and with players used to playing in that way. Limerick aren’t there yet. Can anybody see past another Tipp v Kilkenny final? Can Waterford rattle the Cats? I think they can.
ENDA McEVOY: For a first year under Donal O’Grady it has been hugely satisfactory. And meeting Tipp in an All-Ireland semi-final is not what they needed now. That’s twice they’ve dodged this bullet. One thing about the short game: it’s dreadful when it breaks down. Seamus Hickey ran the first ball back across his own goalmouth and then threw a handpass that very nearly went astray. There are times when you play the percentages and times when you don’t...
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: On Davy, absolutely fantastic achievement, more impressive even than anything he’s done at college level. All this talk about trouble — you don’t have to like your manager, you only have to respect him, and he surely has earned that.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN (Irish Examiner sports writer): Well, far be it from me, but does that erase the memory of conceding seven goals in a Munster final?
JACKIE CAHILL: For a man that’s been through so much in 20 years of senior inter-county hurling, this was one of his most difficult fortnights. The sense of relief was palpable, and as for those pests ringing him late at night, unforgivable. It doesn’t erase the memory of the Munster final but the team was revamped yesterday and did well. It was back to basics stuff, free of any major tactical constraints, and they did very well.
ENDA McEVOY: I think yesterday cancelled the Munster final. That’s about the height of it. If Davy deserved criticism after the Tipp game he deserves praise now.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Davy back with a blank slate? I like it. Aesthetically, the long ball doesn’t look too good when you hit it 90 yards to an opponent.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Even Donal O’Grady was tearing his hair out on the sideline at some of the short passing in his own defence. I saw him shouting out to them and pointing to the sky and to Kevin Downes. While he does espouse short passing, it’s only when it’s on — if you’re under pressure in your own red-zone, get that ball to hell out of there, fast!
TERRY REILLY: Lads, whatever about Limerick’s application of it yesterday, surely it’s been disproved as a theory at this stage?
JACKIE CAHILL: Kilkenny and Tipp have shown that a mixture of the two works well. Look at how many short ten-15 yard stick passes they play to each other. It works when there’s method to it, not, as Enda referred to, passing the ball across your own line, like the one where Niall Moran was picked off.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: That’s the point and at that stage it’s down to individual decision-making. Limerick made a lot of poor decisions yesterday, a few points there for the taking but guys decided to go for goal when that was by far the lesser option — Tipp do it when it’s on, not when it has to be forced.
ENDA McEVOY: Again, we mustn’t be too critical of Limerick. First year with all of this. They’ve come a long way. But yesterday proved something for the umpteenth time: you don’t play your best/most expansive defender at full-back.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: As has been said in other quarters ‘traditional hurling’ has brought Limerick one All-Ireland in 70 years. Therefore...
JACKIE CAHILL: Limerick have made great progress and their style of play worked very well against Wexford the night at the Gaelic Grounds. Yesterday, murkier afternoon, greasier ball, more difficult to execute.
TERRY REILLY: How will they do next year?
ENDA McEVOY: Limerick will get the hang of it eventually. But there was a glaring contradiction yesterday. Either you play the short game or you go long to Kevin Downes. These are mutually exclusive objectives!
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: They’ll need a full-back — and a centre-back — to progress. I don’t know if they are mutually exclusive. A mix would keep opponents guessing. Maybe that was the problem — mixing the two.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Agree with Michael on the mix — the whole objective for any attack is to keep the defender guessing, keep wrong-footing him. What any good back loves — the predictable ball, the predictable player.
JACKIE CAHILL: They’ll hold their own in Division 1 and that standard of fare will only bring them on. Donal O’Grady disagreed but I thought they were well behind Dublin terms of physicality yesterday. They lost a year of strength and conditioning. The winter months will bring that back.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: If there’s one flaw in Donal O’Grady it’s selection — remember 2003, Jerry O’Connor not used in midfield, alternated with Ben at wing-forward/corner-forward? Seamus Hickey is a superb hurler, but a very poor full-back, and that was known long before yesterday. Cost Limerick.
ENDA McEVOY: We can say it even now, winners of 2011: Dublin and Limerick, plus the eventual All-Ireland champions. Losers: everyone else (bar possibly Waterford).
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Come here, that’s a lot of winners!
ENDA McEVOY: Ha ha! Well, look at all the counties with shag all to take from the year. Cork, Wexford, Galway, Clare.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Look closer — where are Cork and Clare when you see Galway yesterday.
ENDA McEVOY: Well, not winning anyway...
TERRY REILLY: Davy may have redeemed himself a bit but the thoughts of facing Kilkenny in Croker must be harrowing, could they be on the way to another hiding?
ENDA McEVOY: Can’t see Waterford copping a hiding from Kilkenny. Dublin v Tipp a different kettle of fish.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Could be, and that can’t be discounted, but I very much doubt. Far too much quality in this Waterford team now; I believe the Munster final was an aberration, they’re now back on track, and they’ve found a midfield. Moran and O’Sullivan dominated yesterday, Molumphy everywhere — no guarantee of course that they’ll do it again, but those guys are proven.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Book the hotel now.
ENDA McEVOY: Waterford have big guys in the right places. And Seamus Prendergast did a job for them yesterday.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: And fast guys in the right place. Nice goal from Ryan late on.
JACKIE CAHILL: What about Eoin Kelly’s work rate? Very impressive — probably the one thing that hinders him getting a regular place. All-Ireland semi-final, Tipp v Dublin? Should get 50,000? If Dublin had Keaney, Hiney and Brady, they would be genuine All-Ireland contenders. It’s like Tipp without Curran, Michael Cahill and Callanan. Or Kilkenny without JJ, Tyrrell and Larkin, for example.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Agree and what a bummer in this year of all years that they don’t. Still think they’ll test Tipp though — wonder what kind of crowd they’ll get?
ENDA McEVOY: Dublin missed Keaney as an outlet in the second half yesterday.
JACKIE CAHILL: Novelty factor should bring the Dubs out.
ENDA McEVOY: They certainly deserve a big crowd behind them. Assume their minors will be on the same day.
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Crowd should be interesting — presume Tipp will travel, so it’s up to the Dubs to flesh it out. I’ll say it for their hurling supporters, they seem able to make a game on time.
TERRY REILLY: Is Ryan O’Dwyer the Kieran Donaghy of the hurling world?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Worked hard yesterday, on which, Limerick need to bulk up a little, and will over the winter. They’ll be good next year.
JACKIE CAHILL: More stitches for our Ryan yesterday, 30 in his ear after the Galway game. He’s done serious gym work and he’s carrying a shoulder injury that requires surgery after the championship.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Ryan O'Dwyer did do well, but so did the other ‘foreigner’, Maurice O’Brien, for a long time.
JACKIE CAHILL: Niall Corcoran too at corner back, very impressive.
ENDA McEVOY: Is there anything we really need to say about Galway? Or should it be a case of “The rest is silence” and leave it at that?
JACKIE CAHILL: Flat as the proverbial pancake. No fire in them whatsoever I thought. Did they think they only had to show up?
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: If McIntyre were to step down who should Galway go for?
JACKIE CAHILL: After Loughnane and McIntyre, should they go for a Galway native Michael?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: No, I think we should leave Galway alone to their pain.
ENDA McEVOY: Maybe they could find a few heart donors somewhere. That would be a necessary first step.
JACKIE CAHILL: Mattie Murphy?
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: They’ve won All-Ireland clubs: surely they’ve someone who’ll step in from Portumna/Clarinbridge.
JACKIE CAHILL: Just thinking the same thing. In fairness to McIntyre, they’ve produced some decent performances under him, Clare and Cork more recently, Tipperary last year. The players must take huge responsibility. Would guys like Johnny Kelly, Sean Treacy, and Michael Donoghue come into the mix?
ENDA McEVOY: Yes. But for now they’ve a long dark winter ahead.
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/GbuojxvxtZg/post.aspx
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