Dublin v Clare

Can Dublin win this,i said at the start of the year, that our aim was to stay in Div1 and win a championship game this year, this will be a tough one because this is a good young clare team who will not want to be beating by Dublin..But to win this Dublin will have to put in a big performance,alot of people would have us ahead of Clare but that talk is madness its so hard to beat a Hurling county in the champioship when your trying to close the gap..

Clare were impressive against waterford but that was a derby... They were huge underdogs but just fell a bit short....Dublin really fell below the radar against the Cats but history has showing that leinster teams have done well in the qualifiers after heavy loss to the Cats....

I believe the team that started v the Cats will start this game ..Tracey will be close to starting not sure if hes 100% fit......

I think Clare is our All Ireland this year in one sense and so am expecting a big, and winning, performance!

mullins wrote:Can Dublin win this,i said at the start of the year, that our aim was to stay in Div1 and win a championship game this year, this will be a tough one because this is a good young clare team who will not want to be beating by Dublin..But to win this Dublin will have to put in a big performance,alot of people would have us ahead of Clare but that talk is madness its so hard to beat a Hurling county in the champioship when your trying to close the gap..

Clare were impressive against waterford but that was a derby... They were huge underdogs but just fell a bit short....Dublin really fell below the radar against the Cats but history has showing that leinster teams have done well in the qualifiers after heavy loss to the Cats....

I believe the team that started v the Cats will start this game ..Tracey will be close to starting not sure if hes 100% fit......

Mullins man, seeing as you are the only Dub worth replying to on this forum when it comes to hurling I will tell you straight up that the Dubs have a great chance here and, frankly I'd be surprised if they lost. Fair enough they were hammered by Kilkenny, but KK have a tendency to do that to teams every now and then, no matter who they are.
Dublin played well enough in Div 1 this year without turning their hardfought endeavour's into the results that mattered, ie victories, but bad luck as much as anything had plenty to do with that. Clare were beaten by Wexford in the Div 2 final, the Wexicans having been more roundly destroyed by an experimental Tipp side(not to mention Limerick in a challenge) than the Dub's were by Kilkenny who some might say are quite possibly the greatest hurling team of all time.
Clare have talent but I'd be wary about the hype they've bestowed upon the u-21's from last year. Their performance was only functionary against the Blaa's in what was a seriously substandard game of hurling, albeit relatively entertaining. They lost every competitive game they played last year and haven't really fared a whole lot better this year in which they failed to escape from the likes of Kildare, Westmeath, Down and Antrim in division 2.
The worry for Dublin is Anthony Daly. A Clare man true and true, his mind needs to be ultra focused on the task in hand. Fallon walking would suggest that not everything is rosy in the Daly garden . Dublin were the 'coming team' of 2009 with the likes of Dotsy, McRabbe, Rushe etc, many feel Clare are the 'coming team' of 2010 with the likes of Honan, Ryan, Conlan. Whoever loses will be a case of one step forward, two steps back.

Dublin by 4.

mossbags I agree with a lot of what you said. But in my opinion division 2 has helped Clare along, being in division 1 maybe getting hammerings would definitely not have helped. Though they did give out some hammerings they had a few tests where they had to pull it out of the bag. A disappointing league final was probably not what they deserved but it will drive them on to get promoted next year.

Clare's league results:
Kildare 0-11 Clare 2-15 10 point win
Clare 4-19 Westmeath 3-15 7 point win
Carlow 0-11 Clare 1-09 1 point win
Antrim 1-09 Clare 0-13 1 point win
Clare 1-22 Wexford 2-19 Draw
Laois 1-11 Clare 2-12 4 point win
Clare 2-20 Down 0-06 20 point win
League Final:
Clare 2-09 Wexford 1-16. 4 point loss

The only two hammerings they gave out was against Kildare (who are now relegated) and a Down side who had a shocking Christy Ring Cup campaign. The 7 point win against Westmeath should have been a lot less. So excluding the two games mentioned above their average wining margain is 2.6 points, very little. These small wining margains could have only improved Clare.

As a Galway follower I hope Clare win this one but my head says Dublin.

hurlingguru wrote:mossbags I agree with a lot of what you said. But in my opinion division 2 has helped Clare along, being in division 1 maybe getting hammerings would definitely not have helped. Though they did give out some hammerings they had a few tests where they had to pull it out of the bag. A disappointing league final was probably not what they deserved but it will drive them on to get promoted next year.

Clare's league results:
Kildare 0-11 Clare 2-15 10 point win
Clare 4-19 Westmeath 3-15 7 point win
Carlow 0-11 Clare 1-09 1 point win
Antrim 1-09 Clare 0-13 1 point win
Clare 1-22 Wexford 2-19 Draw
Laois 1-11 Clare 2-12 4 point win
Clare 2-20 Down 0-06 20 point win
League Final:
Clare 2-09 Wexford 1-16. 4 point loss

The only two hammerings they gave out was against Kildare (who are now relegated) and a Down side who had a shocking Christy Ring Cup campaign. The 7 point win against Westmeath should have been a lot less. So excluding the two games mentioned above their average wining margain is 2.6 points, very little. These small wining margains could have only improved Clare.

That true enough HG, another campaign like last year where Clare failed to win one competitive game of hurling all year might well have destroyed the game in the county for good, so coming up against the likes of Kildare and Down this year was probably just what the doctor ordered and Div 2 was perhaps good too for bringing along young lads. If those young lads are ever going to become serious hurlers though they need to be playing Div 1 hurling and it is in that context that Clare were so disappointing in failing to beat Wexford twice this year, its been a long time since anyone has seen Wexford hurling being so schite.

The more I think about this game the more I only see one outcome, a handy victory for the Dubs.

mossbags wrote:

hurlingguru wrote:mossbags I agree with a lot of what you said. But in my opinion division 2 has helped Clare along, being in division 1 maybe getting hammerings would definitely not have helped. Though they did give out some hammerings they had a few tests where they had to pull it out of the bag. A disappointing league final was probably not what they deserved but it will drive them on to get promoted next year.

Clare's league results:
Kildare 0-11 Clare 2-15 10 point win
Clare 4-19 Westmeath 3-15 7 point win
Carlow 0-11 Clare 1-09 1 point win
Antrim 1-09 Clare 0-13 1 point win
Clare 1-22 Wexford 2-19 Draw
Laois 1-11 Clare 2-12 4 point win
Clare 2-20 Down 0-06 20 point win
League Final:
Clare 2-09 Wexford 1-16. 4 point loss

The only two hammerings they gave out was against Kildare (who are now relegated) and a Down side who had a shocking Christy Ring Cup campaign. The 7 point win against Westmeath should have been a lot less. So excluding the two games mentioned above their average wining margain is 2.6 points, very little. These small wining margains could have only improved Clare.

That true enough HG, another campaign like last year where Clare failed to win one competitive game of hurling all year might well have destroyed the game in the county for good, so coming up against the likes of Kildare and Down this year was probably just what the doctor ordered and Div 2 was perhaps good too for bringing along young lads. If those young lads are ever going to become serious hurlers though they need to be playing Div 1 hurling and it is in that context that Clare were so disappointing in failing to beat Wexford twice this year, its been a long time since anyone has seen Wexford hurling being so schite.

The more I think about this game the more I only see one outcome, a handy victory for the Dubs.

I agree mossbags. The U21s got there introduction into county hurling in the league campaign and got to the familarity of wining games, but one year in division 2 is enough for a county like Clare and for them to progress any further they have to be playing Cork, Tipp, Kilkenny Galway etc in the league. This is why there should be two teams promoted in the NHL just like in the football. Offaly got promoted last year and now look at them. They didn't get relegated this year and gave Galway the fright of their lives in the championship.
Division 2 will be very competitive next year. You have 3 Munster teams-Limerick, Clare and Kerry. Along with Carlow, Laois, Antrim, Down and Westmeath. 6 Liam McCarthy teams.

If Clare don't get out of Division 2 next year they might as well donate their hurls to St Vincent de Paul and beat a hasty retreat back to their banjo's and fiddles!

Team to play Clare
Maguire
Corcoran
Brady
Gough
Hiney
Boland
O'Brien
McCaffrey
Durkin
Kelly
Rushe
McCrabbe
P Carton
D O'Dwyer
Dotsy

Interesting enough selection. Good to see O' Dwyer and Carton getting there chance must be going great in training. Dotsy and Carton in the corners , Can see O'Dwyer swapping with Rushe early in the game ..That half forward line looks stong in the air O'Dwyer can catch is own ball to, But tracey is a big loss

Can't understand why mikey carton hasn't being giving a go in midfield he his more defence minded than Mccaffery or Durkin..

Hopefully if its a tight game we come out the right side of it, couldn't tell you when was the last time we beat a Munster side in the championship..

Something tells me that this Dublin team have to deliver tomorrow and hopefully they will. But only if we up our performance in a big way. Clare looked better against waterford than we did against the cats. Clare have pace up front but I think they are slow at the back and that could be their undoing.We have to start getting goals, and the pace we have with Rushe, Dwyer, Carton, and Dotsy could be the difference.

Keep Quinn,Markham and Honnan quiet ...And that should be enough to win this one and bring on the rest..

I don't think Markham starts

Pretenders, Jousting in the summer air....Actually, these aspironalists, (As my g/d Laura,might say) "There' only 'tending...Grandad......is a solid fact..

Boxtyeater wrote:Pretenders, Jousting in the summer air....Actually, these aspironalists, (As my g/d Laura,might say) "There' only 'tending...Grandad......is a solid fact..

Leitrim wisdom at it's best

Vital time for a goal
Took the sting out of what was shaping up to be a strong fight back. Line ball point from Mccrabbe after the goal was timely

Clare don't seem to have the cutting edge to come back from a deficit. Yes they brought it back to a point but that was with the managers words ringing in their ears. Clare's forwards weren't given the space that they had in the Waterford match. There were a number of turning points in the game.

Pat Vaughan and Pat Donnelen getting injured. They would have been two of the more experienced defenders that would have led the way when Dublin's purple patch came.

Dublin's first half. Getting a nine point lead a one stage gave the confidence to finish out the match.

Donal Tuohy. I don't like to blame goalkeepers. The young lad is only 20 in his first year as Clare Senior goalie. There were a few balls which his full back could have dealt with. If that goal didn't go in at that time God only knows what would have happened.

Alan McCrabbe. I thought he was fantastic. Two sideline cuts on a wet day was brilliant to watch. He also got some great scores from play. I would have given the Man Of The Match to him instead of Dotsy.

Great win for the Dubs and one which will bring them on I feel. Finished the game out well after the fortuitous goal and took some lovely scores. If Joe C did the things McCrabbe did people would be swooning. Anything else now for the Dubs is a bonus which takes the pressure off the lads completely and hopefully may lead to more success.

Just as bad as our last performance in Croke Park.....The two injuries, Touhy's gaff and our management acting like a deer in the headlights were the main reasons we lost this game.......It wasn't too bad a start up til Vaughan got injured....BOC and Domhniall were hurling well and hoovering up loose ball while Lynch and Conlon were putting themselves about, then Vaughan got injured and the wheels came off, whatever the Sparrow was thinking of completely changing tact and putting three inexperienced lads into the full backline was suicidal, you wouldn't do it at intermediate club level for **** sake, the 20 minutes before half time cost us the match, Dillon and Cooney should have been swapped after Dotsy had two points not five....We needed some of the more experienced lads to stand up when Vaughan went off but they wilted, so did the management, apart from taking off Collins for the ineffective Markham they didn't act

Bugler or Donnellan should have been put in the corner with Nickey going wing back....We seemed to panic and started raining high balls down on top of Collins and Clancy which was pure foolish....Felt sorry for Collins there wasn't much he could do....In fairness they put Cooney full back at HT and with Conlon and Lynch on the 40 we came storming back into it, it looked as though the Dubs were cracking under the pressure before Touhy gifted them a goal, was disappointed with that as anyone that has seen him hurling for Crusheen, NUIG or Clare underage would tell you that he is normally excellent under a dropping ball....The 5 minute break for the Donnellan injury(hope he is alright) sucked the life out of our comeback and Dublin grew in confidence and picked off scores at will while we missed plenty of handy scores.....


During the break for the Donnellan injury Daly spent the time constantly rallying his troops while the Sparrow stood there with his arms crossed.....Gerry Quinn might as well have stayed in the stand and we might as well have played with 5 backs, looked disinterested and miles off the pace......

Fair play to the Dubs, deserved win and probably could have won by more with a bit more killer instinct, the breaks went for them today, the amount of breaking ball they won compared to us was unbelievable and their touch looked much sharper.....

Felt sorry for the likes of Conlon and Cooney, these two lads have shown more leadership in two games this year that other lads who have been on the panel for a good while have shown in all their intercounty careers.....


Cian Dillon will do well to get another run again at full back, he has a great attitude but has a lot of improving to do, far too green....Cooney is the man for the full back shirt next year while Stephen Kelly is more than worth a place on the panel....Colin Ryan for all his ability doesn't look like he will make it at this level in the medium term....Bugler, BOC and Clancy's days of being automatic starter look to be over, Clancy and Bugler are hurling I/C for 5 and 4 years respectively yet constantly keep making the same mistakes over and over again......By god were James Mac and Grady missed today....

Fair play to Fergal Lynch, much maligned but he actually stood up to be counted today, although in usual Fergal fashion hit two wides from very scorable positions......

A day for what if, what if Vaughan hadn't got injured, what if Honan's goal chance had of went in, what if Touhy had bat the ball......


Time for another clear out, expect Brennan, Flaherty, Ogie Murphy to get the boot, Dave Barrett isn't up to this level either....Markham has been a great servant but isn't up to it especially as a forward, Quinn unless his attitide and fitness is spot on should be toldto **** off too.....Bring in the likes of Stephen Kelly, Damien Browne, Conor McGrath, Liam Markham, Pat O'Conner, Caimin Morey and Kevin Moynahan along with fully fit GOG, James Mac and Eamonn Glynn



We had only 5 survivors from the 2008 Munster final just to put in perspective how much this team has changed, the young lads will come good and there are plenty more to come but it is going to take 4 or 5 years before we can even start thinking about win Munster titles......

Club hurling in Clare is on an upward curve, i would say that about 80% of the currnet senior teams would have an average age of 25 or less with younger lads in the key positions....Today will hopefully dampen down the expectation on the younger lads and anyone on the county who thought we would be back in a year or two(not me) has got a dose of realism....The only way is up now

Good, honest analysis Pukey as ever....Ye've had better days following the saffron and blue, but that's sport..
Here's one to warm the cockles of your heart....'Hon the Clon....

Boxtyeater wrote:

Good, honest analysis Pukey as ever....Ye've had better days following the saffron and blue, but that's sport..
Here's one to warm the cockles of your heart....'Hon the Clon....

Sound boxty, sure what can you do, since the likes of Lynch, Frank, Gilli etc called it a day there is a serious lack of onfield leadership....None of the older heads stood up or even looked to make a mark....FFS McCrabbe the little bollix started shaping with 15 minutes to go and he one of the windiest hurlers in the county, yet Cooney was the only lad to stand up to him, said it all really....

Onwards and upwards, Minors in their first Munster final in 11 years tomorrow and our 21's should do the business against Limerick on Wednesday night...The future isn't that bleak, althougn the present is.....

At least we willget the club championship played off goodand sharp

Lohan is in fine fettle I take it......

Boxtyeater wrote:Lohan is in fine fettle I take it......

He began his stud career the other day, hopefuly I shall have a noble pup or two in a few months time

The Puke wrote:

Boxtyeater wrote:Lohan is in fine fettle I take it......

He began his stud career the other day, hopefuly I shall have a noble pup or two in a few months time

Lets hope they have better protectors than their old man did