Club Hurling championship

[SearingDrive]

Clodaigh gaels vs tullamore in senior B final. Should be a good game. Neither team are fit for Senior A at this moment in time but I'd say Tullamore are better equipped to maybe win one or two matches in senior A. Clodaigh gaels went from nearly been in a relegation final to the county final so don't know how they would fair out in senior A. Quite poorly I would think. Senior B championship this year was a very evenly contested one. Drumcullen going down and Birr coming up will make for another good one next year.

I think Tullamore will be Senior B champions this year. They would have a better chance of surviving in Senior A than Clodiagh Gaels.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Clodiagh Gaels are a quick, mobile team who thrive on space created by team play, pop passes and line breaks. So it was unusual to hear their manager ordering them not to be handpassing last Saturday. And I wonder, are they being coached in the method that best suits them at all?

Clodaigh gaels vs tullamore in senior B final. Should be a good game. Neither team are fit for Senior A at this moment in time but I'd say Tullamore are better equipped to maybe win one or two matches in senior A. Clodaigh gaels went from nearly been in a relegation final to the county final so don't know how they would fair out in senior A. Quite poorly I would think. Senior B championship this year was a very evenly contested one. Drumcullen going down and Birr coming up will make for another good one next year.

I think Tullamore will be Senior B champions this year. They would have a better chance of surviving in Senior A than Clodiagh Gaels.

[greenairfield]

they are in the final so it would seem so

[allstar2010]

they are in the final so it would seem so

They were also very nearly relegated!

[Hurling2022]

Was anyone at the senior B semi finals? Did any players perform well or stand out?

[Buttons]

I know rules are rules set out at the beginning of the year and when walkovers happen there has to be a play off but Kil/Kil were very lucky to be still involved in the Junior A hurling. These 4 teams finished on 6 points.

Tullamore +19 played all games
Shamrocks +13 played all games
Kil/Kil +7 played all games
Coolderry -22 received walkover in final game

As two of these teams will be going to the semi final in third and forth place behind Brosna Gaels top and Ballinamere second there was no way Tullamore would drop out of the semi finals and no way Kil/Kil could get in. Coolderry possibly if they won by 35 points could have got in and Shamrocks drop out.Instead with the 4 way league play offs Tullamore and Kil/kil have 3 points and Shamrocks and Coolderry only have 1 point with one round left.

With the 3 extra games these teams will have an advantage over Brosna Gaels and Ballinamere who haven't played since final group game.

[private joker]

Was anyone at the senior B semi finals? Did any players perform well or stand out?

None from the clara vs tullamore game.

[Dodge83]

I know rules are rules set out at the beginning of the year and when walkovers happen there has to be a play off but Kil/Kil were very lucky to be still involved in the Junior A hurling. These 4 teams finished on 6 points.

Tullamore +19 played all games
Shamrocks +13 played all games
Kil/Kil +7 played all games
Coolderry -22 received walkover in final game

As two of these teams will be going to the semi final in third and forth place behind Brosna Gaels top and Ballinamere second there was no way Tullamore would drop out of the semi finals and no way Kil/Kil could get in. Coolderry possibly if they won by 35 points could have got in and Shamrocks drop out.Instead with the 4 way league play offs Tullamore and Kil/kil have 3 points and Shamrocks and Coolderry only have 1 point with one round left.

With the 3 extra games these teams will have an advantage over Brosna Gaels and Ballinamere who haven't played since final group game.

That championship structure obviously isn’t working. Delaying the semi finals that long is a load of bollix and very unfair to Brosna Gaels & Ballinamere. Go back to the traditional group set up. You’d wonder what the county board are thinking sometimes

[Fairplayalways]

Not many would haved predicted Coolderry getting to the final at the start of the championship, but they are there on merit, loosing one game to Sundays opponents. By all accounts they played well against a very strong and determined Shinrone, and got the vital scores when serious questions wre being asked. Interestingly Brian Carroll wasnt their scorer in chief in that game from what I seen in the reports. So with Kevin Connolly and Co. they are well capable of getting a win in the final and will not fear Rynaghs one bit.
Rynaghs staggered over the line V Kilcormac - a dissallowed goal crucial decision in the end for Kilcormac. Kilcormac hurled well in that game when the chips were down, and just came up short, but having to be behind to hurl well is a dangerous thing. Rynaghs seem to be stalling a little, some of their subs have been strange I thought, with young talent there but bringing on some tried and tested names when the game is in the melting pot, like above, a dangerous system. These young talent will never learn if not thrown in at the deep end, that said, Rynaghs are in the final and they will rightly so they have done all the right things and are in the final. There form is somewhat erratic in ways, but the have done enough to get over the line. I just think they are not as cohesive as in recent game/years, sticking to the old guard when in bother affecting the team as a whole...we dont know..I have a hunch Cooderry might have Rynaghs number on this occasion, by a couple of points..Coolderry 1-17, St. Rynaghs 0-18...

[aigne]

That championship structure obviously isn’t working. Delaying the semi finals that long is a load of bollix and very unfair to Brosna Gaels & Ballinamere. Go back to the traditional group set up. You’d wonder what the county board are thinking sometimes

6 weeks break for Brosna Gaels and Ballinamere, I suspect they are both still favourites for the final, particularly Brosna Gaels. The structure actually worked pretty well, the problem was not having any relegation. That would have ensured no walkovers. Not sure why there was no relegation. If there are 11 teams next year with Carrig and Riverstown coming up, might have to change the structure anyway

[private joker]

6 weeks waiting on a match is a farce, particularly when it's the competition structure that causes the problem.

[Plain of the Herbs]

I'd say the momentum is with the two teams who came through the round robin series. Both will have established their best teams during that series, and spirits will be high. Which is unfortunate for Brosna Gaels and Ballinamere.

I don't think the 'no relegation' would be a factor. Quite possibly at the bottom of Junior A, teams might prefer to drop down to Junior B for next year. It's not like the Premiership where relegation would cost millions. And the number of teams in Junior A and Junior B is generally decided by the number of teams who enter, which wouldn't be constant from one year to the next.

That championship structure obviously isn’t working. Delaying the semi finals that long is a load of bollix and very unfair to Brosna Gaels & Ballinamere. Go back to the traditional group set up. You’d wonder what the county board are thinking sometimes

6 weeks break for Brosna Gaels and Ballinamere, I suspect they are both still favourites for the final, particularly Brosna Gaels. The structure actually worked pretty well, the problem was not having any relegation. That would have ensured no walkovers. Not sure why there was no relegation. If there are 11 teams next year with Carrig and Riverstown coming up, might have to change the structure anyway

[Plain of the Herbs]

Not a preview. I’ve got to see each of Coolderry and St Rynagh’s twice this year, so chances to assess them were limited.

Something to admire about Coolderry rocking up to the Senior final every three years (2015, 2018 and now), then being well off the pace in the other years. The achievement takes some figuring out. I can’t.

Coolderry appear to carry a significant goal threat. Particularly in the person of Kevin Connolly. The new shape to their inside forward line this year allows them exploit his pace. Like, seriously, is there a defender in Offaly who can run as fast as him? Injured throughout 2018, Eoin Ryan is a massive addition. The Parlons are always good for a few scores too.

St Rynagh’s unique selling point remains their ability to play ball. All comfortable in possession, still playing the Franny Forde way. Any other club with Conor Hernon and Stephen Wynne would probably play Hernon at midfield and Wynne somewhere in the forwards. But the Shannonside club best utilise them at corner-back and use them to play their way out of defence.

Kilcormac created a significant obstacle for St Rynagh’s in the semi-final when playing with twin centre half-backs. Meaning they couldn’t go long with their puckouts, and couldn’t really go short either. But Kilcormac’s inability to use the overlap to create line breaks was a handicap for the challengers. And even when St Rynagh’s pushed up with seven on seven, Kilcormac were unable to exploit the space.

Stephen Burke’s return has been a big boost for Coolderry. The defence has a solid look about it. Burke, Corcoran and Connolly is a decent full-back line who know each other very well. Centre half-back probably suits David King. And Conor Molloy seems to be much more productive in the half-back line.

Stephen Quirke seems to have rediscovered a bit of form, having been off colour for a couple of years. Luke O’Connor was impressive and dangerous in the semi-final.

Seán Dolan gets a paragraph all to himself. A very dependable player. Always involved. A worker, can pick a score or two. Most importantly, he inspires those around him.

That Kilcormac whittled St Rynagh’s lead from eight down to one could be the difference between winning and losing this final. Suppose ’Rynagh’s held on for an eight point win. The attitude locally would be that the final was in the bag. Making motivation much more difficult. As it stands, nothing will be taken for granted. Which is manna for the management.

More than ever, use of the benches will be important. Diarmuid Horan was the St Rynagh’s trump card in 2019 and can be again. Paul Quirke will bring a mobile presence. Coolderry will be looking to Martin Corcoran and Kevin Brady, in around the house. Andrew Connolly would be a regular on quite a few other Senior hurling teams. Youth wins first rounds, experience wins finals.

You’d wonder what the manager from Clare really thinks of Offaly and its resistance to anything resembling an imaginative game plan. We can be sure Coolderry will play with six backs and six forwards, with the shape of the full-forward one the only variation to a traditional shape. So long he doesn’t get hit over the head he’ll be alright, I suppose.

Brian Carroll. A paragraph all to himself. In the form of his life. Defying logic, 38 year olds don’t line out at centre half-forward, do they? In truth, the clash between the Newhall man and Ben Conneely will be significant. And he had a massive game in the same position in 2018’s final.

Is this Coolderry’s first time to contest a final without a Teehan in the lineup?

St Rynagh’s going for three in a row. Which shouldn’t be a burden. In reality, each is one in a row in its own right, each is someone’s first, someone else’s last, someone else’s first year back after a long term injury

The last 11 Senior finals (since 2011) have been contested by four clubs – Rynagh’s with 8, Kilcormac 6, Coolderry and Birr 4 each. Each of the six combinations have met in finals. Coolderry haven’t lost one; Birr haven’t won one.

[frankthetank]

I fancy Clodaigh Gaels in the Senior B final today. Since the advent of Senior B they have lost the final to Seir Kieran in 2019, lost the de facto final to Kinnitty in 2020 and have reached the final in 2021. All this despite some really patchy form in the group stages.

I just feel they have a bit more to offer than Tullamore, particularly up front. They can however be a little individualist, and if they can knock this out of their game today they could get over the line. Also, up to the group game this year, they really seemed to have Tullamore’s number. And in a group of 6 with 4 qualifying how important was the first round?

Killeigh/Kiilurin and all the rest by 2 to 4 points.

[private joker]

Gaels won. Tullamore dramatically bet.