Under 21 Championship

Got underway in Munster last night with a decent game between Tipp and Waterford, only a couple of points in it til Tipp rattled another goal in injury time to win by 5

REFEREE Diarmuid Kirwan was given a hostile reception by angry Waterford supporters following last night's quarter-final defeat against All-Ireland champions Tipperary.

Kirwan enraged Tipp fans with his performance in the 2009 senior final against Kilkenny, but he drew the ire of Waterford at Semple Stadium by sending off substitute Owen Whelan, who had been on the pitch less than 10 minutes before he was dismissed for two bookable offences.

Within a minute of coming on at half-time, Whelan received his first yellow card but the second award was harsh and left the Deise with an almost impossible task.

But Waterford, who trailed by 10 points in the first half and by eight with 13 minutes of normal time remaining, had the gap down to just two deep in stoppage-time as Brian O'Sullivan, who scored 1-4, found the net.

Frantic

In a frantic finish, visiting fans were soon appealing in vain for a foul on Maurice Shanahan 25 metres out, but Kirwan waved away their claims.

And Tipp finally killed the game off in the fifth minute of stoppage-time when John O'Neill scored his second goal of the game in front of 4,392 spectators on a glorious evening for hurling.

The end result saw Tipperary avenge their 10-point defeat at Fraher Field in this competition two years ago.

The game started in fiery fashion as off-the-ball scuffles broke out around the pitch before throw-in and Tipp, lining out with seven of the team that started against Galway in last September's final, got off to a great start when senior star and team captain Noel McGrath buried a fourth-minute penalty.

Tipp led from there until the finish -- at half-time, the winners were ahead by 2-9 to 0-7 -- to set up a semi-final meeting with Cork on July 20.

Their second goal, from Sean Curran in the 13th minute, was tapped home from close range following good work by O'Neill.

Scorers -- Tipperary: J O'Neill 2-2, N McGrath 1-1 (1-0 pen), S Curran 1-0, A Ryan 0-3, J O'Dwyer 0-2 (1f), B Stapleton, P Murphy, B O'Meara, M Sheedy 0-1 each. Waterford: B O'Sullivan 1-4, Pauric Mahony 0-6f, M Shanahan 0-4, J Dillon, O Connors 0-1 each.

TIPPERARY -- P Ryan; C Haugh, K O'Gorman, S Maher; B Stapleton, J Barry, P Heffernan; N McGrath, J Gallagher; S Curran, P Murphy, A Ryan; J O'Neill, B O'Meara, J O'Dwyer. Subs: S O'Brien for Barry (inj, h-t), A McCormack for Ryan (39), M Sheedy for Curran (56).

WATERFORD -- S O'Keeffe; J Barron, D Fives, N Connors; P Prendergast, Philip Mahony, S Daniels; S Roche, A Brophy; E Murphy, Pauric Mahony, M O'Neill; B O'Sullivan, M Shanahan, J Dillon. Subs: O Whelan for O'Neill (h-t), O Connors for Brophy (47), E Madigan for Murphy (inj 56).

REF -- D Kirwan (Cork).

- Jackie Cahill

Irish Independent

Tipp look to have an excellent forward line on paper but their backs are nowhere near as strong as last year....There was very little between Clare, Cork and Tipp at minor level this time three years ago, while Limerick will have the makings of a decent side with the likes of Tobin, Quaid, Hannon, Dowling and Downes....The two semi finals should be very close affairs, especially if Cork can get either of Sheehan and Walsh from the footballers to play

Clare still have Darach Honan underage along with Liam Markham, Pat O'Connor, Conor McGrath and Cathal Chaplin who all played a part in the 2009 success and are all part of the senior panel along with Cathal McInerney & Kieran Brennan who are also on the senior panel this year and we should have a fairly decent side this year...With Honan and McGrath in our full forward line we will always stand a chance

Interestingly enough that Waterford had around 10 of last years minor side starting last night, I would be surprised if there were more than three of the Clare minor side that won munster made the Clare starting 15 this year.....Also wouldn't be surprised if minor sensation Tony Kelly started for Clare at midfield

Leinster starts tonight with Wexford playing Kilkenny in Wexford Park. Not one of Kilkenny's strongest teams it has to be said should be a good match. The winners play Laois in a semi final.

Tomorrow night sees the second quarter final with Carlow facing Dublin in Dr Cullen Park. We couldn't have got a worse draw with Dublin hurling on the up and I can't see much hope for our lads but we haven't done too bad underage against the Dubs in recent years. Maybe with Paul Flynn in charge we can cause an upset. Winners play Offaly.

Result from Wexford Park:
Wexford 1-17 Kilkenny 2-13

Some dodgy refereeing from a certain Carlow man Pat "Salt" Murphy, he sent off 2 players and seemed to give a hell of a lot of frees. From what I heard Wexford deserved their victory.

Good win for Wexford, wouldn't do the game any harm to see them unearthing a few decent young lads and competing at a high level again, could take a while, the fruits of Clare's brilliant U-21 side will take a year or two yet to really get it together at senior. Galway could well be competing minor and u-21 in Leinster next year so Wexicans would wanna enjoy it while it lasts.

Two Leinster semifinals are on this week I believe

Wexford V Laois & Dublin v Offaly

Wexford hammered Laois

The Puke wrote:Wexford hammered Laois

Didn't know Wexford played hurling anymore

Dublin were asked to put the semi back 24 hours to accommodate some Offaly players doing exams - they agreed - nothing like the Dubs to give a sporting chance .....

21 points to 8 for the Dubs - no goals again!!! ... and yet another Leinster final ...

Jayo Cluxton wrote:21 points to 8 for the Dubs - no goals again!!! ... and yet another Leinster final ...

Had the Dubs -9, never in doubt

Dubs V Wexford tomorrow night in the Leinster final

Tipp V Cork in the Munster semi final both live on TG4

Limerick and Clare meet Tuesday the 26th as DOG got the game put back in the other semi

Tipp team for friday night

1. Paul Ryan (Upperchurch Drombane) 2. Ciarán Hough (Lorrha and Dorrha) 3. Kevin O'Gorman (Thurles Sarsfields) 4. Sean O'Brien (Newport) 5. Brian Stapleton (Templederry Kenyons) 6. Padraig Heffernan (Clonoulty Rossmore) 7. James Barry (Upperchurch Drombane) 8. Noel McGrath (Loughmore Castleiney) Captain 9. Adrian Ryan (Templederry Kenyons) 10. Sean Curran (Mullinahone) 11. Paddy Murphy (Nenagh Éire Óg) 12. Brian O'Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs) 13. Kieran Morris (Moycarkey Borris) 14. John O'Neill (Clonoulty Rossmore) 15. John O'Dwyer (Killenaule)



The Dubs silence on the chances of their 21's side tonight is deafening, but being the bandwaganers they are they probably don't know much about it

Fanning hoping to give Model badly needed title boost
By Brendan O’Brien

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

DUBLIN will be straining to retain their Leinster U21 title in tonight’s Wexford Park decider but their hosts will be motivated by a desire to restore pride as much as thoughts of rare silverware.



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It has been another dispiriting summer for the Model County’s seniors after the boost of retaining their Division One League status in unlikely fashion. A routine defeat of Antrim was followed by losses to Kilkenny and Limerick and a painfully familiar early summer departure.

The south-east needs a lift.

U21 captain Mark Fanning agreed: "It is important because the big thing in Wexford is looking towards the future. We want to give the county a lift because things have been said in the media that the senior hurlers are failures.

"They are not. So it is important to give the county a lift and an U21 Leinster would be nice."

It is nine years since Wexford last claimed Leinster honours at this grade but the current crop take to the field with more hope than usual invested in them by a public whose confidence has been dulled by the repetitive taste of defeat.

Much of that optimism can be attributed to the quarter-final defeat of Kilkenny at the same venue in June, a game which marked the first time Fanning and most of his teammates had ever claimed the scalp of a Cats selection.

U21s like Matthew O’Hanlon and Harry Kehoe have already made the breakthrough onto the senior panel and, though provincial titles have eluded them in recent years, Fanning is adamant that further talent is braced to follow.

"It is a matter of giving those lads a chance in the senior team now," he believes.

These sides met at the same juncture 12 months ago in Parnell Park when Dublin won by six points but only after a tense closing quarter when Wexford hit a post while the hosts netted at the other end.

Only two of that Wexford team will be absent tonight and half a dozen of them have already claimed a Leinster U21 title this year with the footballers.

Wexford manager Tony Dempsey has made two changes to the team which hit Laois for 7-18 in the semi-final with Pádraig Donnelly in at left corner-back as Eoin Moore moves to midfield and Rory Sludds drops to the bench.

John Leacy returns from injury at centre-back at the expense of James Gahan while Dublin have made just the pair of switches from the 15 that sauntered past Offaly in the last four.

Thomas Connolly and Niall McMorrow are the players drafted in. Connolly, who is a younger brother of senior footballer Diarmuid, is named at full-forward with McMorrow selected alongside him at top of the left as Ciarán Brennan and Eamonn Dillon dropping to the bench.

A win for the Dubs would mark their third in this age group in five years and buttress the success of their minor counterparts in recent times, all of which has put Wexford’s efforts in recent times firmly in the shade.

"That is probably a fair statement because we haven’t done much at underage," said Fanning. "We beat the Dublin minors in 2008 in a replay and it is the same group of lads. It will be tough. Dublin are a good team.

"A lot of money has been put into hurling up here as well. Down in Wexford we probably haven’t got the same resources to put into it. It is a tough one to know really. We are hoping, hoping that we will do it."

WEXFORD: M Fanning; W Devereux, M O’Hanlon, P Donnelly; M O’Regan, J Leacy, S Murphy; E Kent, E Moore; S Tomkins, H Kehoe, L Óg McGovern; P Morris, J Breen, P Doran.

DUBLIN: G McManus; B O’Carroll, D Kelly, J Doughan; D Curran, M Quilty, C Gough; D Sutcliffe, D Plunkett; M Schutte, L Rushe, R Mahon; K O’Loughlin, T Connolly, N McMorrow.



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Would be great for Wexford hurling if they win tonight and as already said the county needs a lift. Usually when you beat the cats you win Leinster but that has changed with the surge in Dublin. The match is live on TG4 and here's hoping of a Wexford victory. No offence to the Dubs.

I would fancy the Dubs to win this, Andrew Shore who was centre back against kilkenny has gone off to the states for the summer and they were hockeyed by Clare in a challenge match in Abbeyleix last week, pretty much the same side they have out tonight started that match while Clare were missing Honan and the O'Halloran cousins to name but a few

This Tipp team lost to Cork in the minor final(08) if my memory serves me correctly, Tipp still have a few survivors from last year like McGrath and O'Meara but are missing stars from the team last year like the Mahers and Hennessey. I haven't seen Cork play so I don't know how those players have progressed since then, but I see that they have Egan, O'Farrell and Lehane on the senior team and possibly more.

Galway have a good u21 team this year, they still have a majority of the players from last years final and 5 of the panel are on the senior panel as well. If they meet Tipp this year in the semi I'd expect them to exact some revenge from last year in Thurles, who knows they might play it in Pearse Stadium this year if they meet.

clash-of-da-ash wrote:This Tipp team lost to Cork in the minor final(08) if my memory serves me correctly, Tipp still have a few survivors from last year like McGrath and O'Meara but are missing stars from the team last year like the Mahers and Hennessey. I haven't seen Cork play so I don't know how those players have progressed since then, but I see that they have Egan, O'Farrell and Lehane on the senior team and possibly more.

Galway have a good u21 team this year, they still have a majority of the players from last years final and 5 of the panel are on the senior panel as well. If they meet Tipp this year in the semi I'd expect them to exact some revenge from last year in Thurles, who knows they might play it in Pearse Stadium this year if they meet.

A close to full strength Galway side beat Clare fairly comfortably in a challenge match in Pearce Stadium last night.Although Clare were missing the 8 lads they have on the intermediate panel and a few of the current seniors...Was told that Galway are quite big and physically strong for this grade


Tipp have a very good set of forwards but are a shadow of the side they were from 1 to 9 last year

1. Darren Mc Carthy
Ballymartle

2. Christopher Joyce 3. Eddie Finn 4. Seamus Corry
Na Piarsaigh Ballinhassig Ballymartle

5. James Nagle 6. William Egan 7. Mark Ellis
Midleton Kilbrin Millstreet

8. Seamus O'Farrell 9. Daniel Roche
Midleton Sarsfields

10. Dean Brosnan 11. Conor Lehane 12. Aidan Walsh
Glen Rovers Midleton Kanturk

13. Luke O Farrell 14. Michael O'Sullivan 15. Jamie Coughlan
Midleton Tracton Newtownshandrum

Subs:

16. Michael O'Neill Bishopstown
17. Brendan Withers Banteer
18. Brian Collins Killeagh
19. Damien Cahalane St. Finbarrs
20. Maurice Sexton Kilbrittain
21. David Drake Carrigaline
22. Eoin O'Sullivan Sarsfields
23. Seamus Harnedy St. Itas
24. Simon O'Brien Carrigaline

More than likely the Galway team will look something like this:

J.Ryan (Craughwell)

D.Connoly (Killimordaly) D.Cooney (St. Thomas's) G.O'Halloran (Craughwell)
N.Donoghue (Kilbeacanty) P.Gordon (Tynagh) J.Cooney (Sarsfields)

D.Burke (St. Thomas's) B.Daly (Clarinbridge)

J.Regan (St. Thomas's) N.Burke (Oranmore) N.Quinn (Sarsfields)
R.Cummins (Gort) B.Burke (St. Thomas's) J.Coen (Loughrea)

This Galway team should have beaten Kilkenny in 08 in the minor final but conceded a very soft goal in the last minute not to mention another one during the game. They are quite big in the half forward line and should win plenty of ball there. I would say about 11 of those players started in last years u21 final.

clash-of-da-ash wrote:More than likely the Galway team will look something like this:

J.Ryan (Craughwell)

D.Connoly (Killimordaly) D.Cooney (St. Thomas's) G.O'Halloran (Craughwell)
N.Donoghue (Kilbeacanty) P.Gordon (Tynagh) J.Cooney (Sarsfields)

D.Burke (St. Thomas's) B.Daly (Clarinbridge)

J.Regan (St. Thomas's) N.Burke (Oranmore) N.Quinn (Sarsfields)
R.Cummins (Gort) B.Burke (St. Thomas's) J.Coen (Loughrea)

This Galway team should have beaten Kilkenny in 08 in the minor final but conceded a very soft goal in the last minute not to mention another one during the game. They are quite big in the half forward line and should win plenty of ball there. I would say about 11 of those players started in last years u21 final.

Tadgh Haran will be close to a spot in the half forward line....

The Puke wrote:I would fancy the Dubs to win this, Andrew Shore who was centre back against kilkenny has gone off to the states for the summer and they were hockeyed by Clare in a challenge match in Abbeyleix last week, pretty much the same side they have out tonight started that match while Clare were missing Honan and the O'Halloran cousins to name but a few

As predicted a comfortable enough win for Dublin...They have some nice hurler coming through but would fancy the winners of Munster or Galway to beat them with a bit to spare in the All Ireland final after Dublin dispatch of the Ulster champion's easily in their semi in August

Had a small cut off the Dubs at 6/4 earlier to win tonight...

The Puke wrote:

The Puke wrote:I would fancy the Dubs to win this, Andrew Shore who was centre back against kilkenny has gone off to the states for the summer and they were hockeyed by Clare in a challenge match in Abbeyleix last week, pretty much the same side they have out tonight started that match while Clare were missing Honan and the O'Halloran cousins to name but a few

As predicted a comfortable enough win for Dublin...They have some nice hurler coming through but would fancy the winners of Munster or Galway to beat them with a bit to spare in the All Ireland final after Dublin dispatch of the Ulster champion's easily in their semi in August

Had a small cut off the Dubs at 6/4 earlier to win tonight...

It's nice to be winning/playing at this level- Dublin haven't even started worrying about the rest,just yet

Dublin Gaa is on the up and rising. Leinster Minor and Senior football champions. Leinster Minor and U21 hurling champions. In a few years they won't be stopped.

hurlingguru wrote:Dublin Gaa is on the up and rising. Leinster Minor and Senior football champions. Leinster Minor and U21 hurling champions. In a few years they won't be stopped.

True HG.. The effort going into underage is enormous apparently and seems to be bearing fruit. Just looking at their current Minor team if there's more to come in the same mold they'll be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years. With the population and size of the clubs in Dublin if they get on top, that's where they'll be staying.

Jonsmith wrote:

hurlingguru wrote:Dublin Gaa is on the up and rising. Leinster Minor and Senior football champions. Leinster Minor and U21 hurling champions. In a few years they won't be stopped.

True HG.. The effort going into underage is enormous apparently and seems to be bearing fruit. Just looking at their current Minor team if there's more to come in the same mold they'll be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years. With the population and size of the clubs in Dublin if they get on top, that's where they'll be staying.

Its just not that easy,ask any Galway/Waterford/Limerick fan..Since 98 no one outside the big 3 have won an All-Ireland

Dublin have huge amounts of work to do to reach that level..The Dublin Number 18 dillon-trollier to the fans one to watch,this lad is special..