National Hurling League Divisions 1 & 2

Please keep all related posts to this thread please....

any of 5 teams could win Division 1 with Dublin, Wexford and Offaly fighting it out for relegation....

Clare will win division 2, of this I am certain.....

The Puke wrote:Please keep all related posts to this thread please....

any of 5 teams could win Division 1 with Dublin, Wexford and Offaly fighting it out for relegation....

Clare will win division 2, of this I am certain.....

Disappointing opening post form a man who professes to know his hurley. Read my lips text - Dublin will be nowhere near relegation ....

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

The Puke wrote:Please keep all related posts to this thread please....

any of 5 teams could win Division 1 with Dublin, Wexford and Offaly fighting it out for relegation....

Clare will win division 2, of this I am certain.....

Disappointing opening post form a man who professes to know his hurley. Read my lips text - Dublin will be nowhere near relegation ....

I hope be hopeful that ye will stay up as well, but the fact of the matter is that ye do not have the depth of the other 5 counties and the fixtures are against ye somewhat against ye considering ye are away to Waterford, Wexford and Offaly(who I would fancy ye to beat in Parnell Park) & will be playing Tipp and Kilkenny in Croke Park which is a big advantage to them......If you think ye will be nowhere near relegation what games do ye expect Dublin to pick up points in

For Carlow I would be happy to stay in Division 2. We are after losing a lot of players this year. Will be interesting to see how we get on against Ofaaly in the Walsh Cup Shield Final on Saturday

hurlingguru wrote:For Carlow I would be happy to stay in Division 2. We are after losing a lot of players this year. Will be interesting to see how we get on against Ofaaly in the Walsh Cup Shield Final on Saturday

Kerry are a side that could cause an upset or two this year in division 2....i hear Carlow have lost a few players from last year

Well capable of winning in Wexford and Offaly. Agree Croker does not help and Tipp will want to get revenge for getting their asses kicks in PP last year. Hioing Waterford might deliver something but we played like drains there last year. I just thinke we are better than Offaly and Wexford and hope to pick up the points there as well as a surprise somewhere ...

Jayo Cluxton wrote:Well capable of winning in Wexford and Offaly. Agree Croker does not help and Tipp will want to get revenge for getting their asses kicks in PP last year. Hioing Waterford might deliver something but we played like drains there last year. I just thinke we are better than Offaly and Wexford and hope to pick up the points there as well as a surprise somewhere ...

Home advantage is huge all the same in the NHL, even Parnell Park has been a bit of a fortress for the Dubs....We shall agree to differ but I would be surprised to see ye finish out of the bottom three, although would love to see ye competing towards the top of it

We may well be in the bottom 3 ... but hopefully 3rd last!! I don't like the football or hurling going to Croker. Sat nights in PP are good crack and atmospheric - shame to lose them. Money .. We did well in the League last year but the Champo disappointed - having beat Clare. My fear is Anto will not be pushed about the League so he and we could meet ye coming up as we go down!

Jayo Cluxton wrote:Read my lips text - Dublin will be nowhere near relegation ....

Jayo Cluxton wrote:We may well be in the bottom 3 ... but hopefully 3rd last!! .............................. I My fear is Anto will not be pushed about the League so he and we could me ye coming up as we go down!

Jaysus P - if you're not in the bottom 2 you're nowhere near relegation!!! Ara give me a bitta hope .... and not a sliothar pucked!

Jayo Cluxton wrote:Jaysus P - if you're not in the bottom 2 you're nowhere near relegation!!! Ara give me a bitta hope .... and not a sliothar pucked!

you were the one that called my knowledge/opinion into question...you can't blame me for pointing out your backtrack...

The Puke wrote:

Jayo Cluxton wrote:Jaysus P - if you're not in the bottom 2 you're nowhere near relegation!!! Ara give me a bitta hope .... and not a sliothar pucked!

you were the one that called my knowledge/opinion into question...you can't blame me for pointing out your backtrack...

Damn my sense of humour ... and me backtracking within 20 minutes ....

with all due respect puke why are you so certain that clare will win div2?

Last year the beat antrim by a couple of points, then their demise continued and when we beat dublin in the summer, dublin had beaten clare by 12 a week previous, but if the did win it i wouldnt be suprised.

Limerick will be a real force in div2, ive only ever known antrim to put it up to them once in league hurling when the beat them in 93, limerick id be very suprised if they lost a game, o grady is a class coach and the whole county is capable of being up there, they will make sure they make no mistakes, hope im wrong when the come to belfast though!

North Side Gael wrote:with all due respect puke why are you so certain that clare will win div2?

Last year the beat antrim by a couple of points, then their demise continued and when we beat dublin in the summer, dublin had beaten clare by 12 a week previous, but if the did win it i wouldnt be suprised.

Limerick will be a real force in div2, ive only ever known antrim to put it up to them once in league hurling when the beat them in 93, limerick id be very suprised if they lost a game, o grady is a class coach and the whole county is capable of being up there, they will make sure they make no mistakes, hope im wrong when the come to belfast though!

We will not get an easy ride and I don't think I alluded to that but we will get promoted, last year Clare didn't know what to expect in division 2 and were lucky top shade tight games against Laois, Antrim and Carlow before a very flat performance in the league final which wasn't helped by a panel that ravaged by injuries, they have a stronger panel this year with more depth and a lot of the younger lads have bulked up considerably and have a full winter training programme behind them that they didn't have last season.....Our only major problem is that we are lacking a realm natural full back and management is unsure as to who to play there and at centre back....The players and management realise how important promotion is and won't be found wanting this year and won't be as surprised by the teams in the division as they were last year


Limerick may well have a fine coach but they don't have the talent, they have some promising players but teh majority of their hurlers who are 25+ are limited and not up to the required standard, considering they had the bones of 80 lads in for trials and Donie Ryan is still on the panel tells its own story.....Offaly and Wexford both took two attempts to get out of the division and I expect that limerick will need the same.....

Were after losing 4 leaders in the team due to retirement, another few are taking a year out. Very young panel this year with an average age of 22.

Waterford team for the weekend

C Hennessy. D Fives, J Maher, N Connors. S Fives, M Walsh, J Nagle. S O’Sullivan, P Mahony. S Molumphy, R Foley, P Mahony. S Casey, S Prendergast, T Ryan

Would be disappointed if the Dubs couldn't beat that team....

Kilkenny will beat Tipp tomorrow night, very lightweight looking Tipp forward line.....Galway & Cork will both win pulling up......


Clare V Limerick could go either way, limerick have a strong enough side out and look well balanced but their full forward line doesn't look up to much and could struggle for scores

From hill16.ie

Dublin open their Allianz National Hurling League boosted by the rescinding of Johnny McCaffrey’s recnet straight red card for Sunday’s Division 1 away clash against Waterford in Walsh Park (2.30).
The Lucan Sarsfields man will partner Shane Ryan in the middle of the field as the Dubs attempt to avenge last year’s sobering league defeat to the Deise at the Waterford venue.
Dublin have also been boosted by the return of Liam Rushe and Tomas Brady following their Walsh Cup action with their colleges while Conor McCormack will make his NHL starting debut for Anthony Daly’s men.
Among those not considered for selection owing to injury are Ryan O’Dwyer, Maurice O’Brien, Alan McCrabbe, Shane Stapleton and David Treacy.

DUBLIN (SH v Waterford)
1 Gary Maguire (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
2 Stephen Hiney (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
3 Tomás Brady (Na Fianna)
4 Simon Lambert (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
5 Niall Corcoran (Kilmacud Crokes)
6 Joey Boland (Na Fianna)
7 Shane Durkin (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
8 Johnny McCaffrey (Lucan Sarsfields)
9 Shane Ryan (Nh Mearnóg)
10 Conal Keaney (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
11 Declan O’Dwyer (Nh Olaf)
12 Conor McCormack (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
13 David O’Callaghan (St Mark’s)
14 Liam Rushe (St Pat’s, Palmerstown)
15 Peadar Carton (O’Toole’s)

The Puke wrote:Please keep all related posts to this thread please....

any of 5 teams could win Division 1 with Dublin, Wexford and Offaly fighting it out for relegation....

Clare will win division 2, of this I am certain.....

Clare play Antrim next Sunday, and I have just finished writing the programme notes for the game.

What do you think, did I do Clare proud?

and if you travel to the game, you won't need to buy a programme now.

ANTRIM V CLARE:

For most hurling followers the mention of Clare throws up memories of warm summer days in the mid to late 1990s when the Banner County emerged as a real force in hurling, claiming the all Ireland title in 1995 and 1997.

Ironic to think then that our first sight of them was in the league quarter final in April 1994, when Antrim faced Clare at Croke Park, with the Saffrons starting as favourites. Antrim had started the league poorly in the winter of 1993 but home triumphs over Limerick and Waterford, and away victories in Wexford and Galway meant that Antrim had rallied well to finish in 4th place in Division One. Clare had won Division 2.

When we look at that Clare line out now, Davy Fitz, Brian Lohan, Anthony Daly, Sean McMahon, "Jamsie" O'Connor, P.J O'Connell and "The Sparrow" O'loughlin all lined out, it is hard to believe that Antrim were favoured, despite the presence of Jim Connolly, Gary and Gregory O'Kane, Ally Elliot, and Dominic McKinley in Saffron that day.

Clare won with some ease and that was the day they announced themselves to the hurling world at large.
And in a link to today's game that is the same “Sparrow” O'Loughlin who is now at the helm of Clare hurling.

Prior to that meeting the two counties had only met three times in the league, in 1970, 1980 and 1985 and Antrim failed to record a victory in those games. The 1980 game saw Antrim playing against the dying embers of the great Clare team from 1977/78 which lost two Munster finals to a three in a row All Ireland Cork team, but managed to win the National hurling league back to back in those years, in a side featuring Sean Stack, Seamus Durack, Colm Honan and one Ger Loughnane.

Clare also won a close tie in the 2001 league by 1-18 to Antrim's 3-8 in Ennis, and of course just last year Clare triumphed by a point at Casement Park.

In the all Ireland qualifiers in 2007 Clare also won handily enough at Casement, so the Saffrons still await their first victory against the Banner.

Clare are steeped in hurling history, with a first all Ireland victory back in 1914 featuring a 17 year old Brendan Considine, and had a fine side in the early 1930s, losing the 1932 final to Kilkenny despite the best efforts of “Tull” Considine, who scored 8 goals in the semi that year, and the legendary Dr Tommy Daly in goal.

So a Saffron win against Clare has been a long time awaiting, and hopefully today could be the day that the Banner is finally lowered by Antrim.

Antrim under Dinny NEVER do well in the league.

I expect Kerry to beat them on Sunday, and it will get progressively worse.

he then somehow lifts them for the championship......

patrique wrote:Antrim under Dinny NEVER do well in the league.

I expect Kerry to beat them on Sunday, and it will get progressively worse.

he then somehow lifts them for the championship......

Well until recently we were talking the ... eh, Ulster ... eh, championship

1. Donal Touhy Crusheen

2. Eamon Glynn Inagh Kilnamona.
3. Cian Dillon Crusheen
4. Conor Cooney O.Callaghans Mills

5. Patrick O Connor Tubber
6. James McInerney Newmarket
7. Patrick Donnellan O.Callaghans Mills

8. Nicky O Connell Clonlara

9. Domhnall O Donnovan Clonlara

10. Colin Ryan Newmarket
11. John Conlon Clonlara
12. Diarmuid McMahon Kilmaley

13. Darach Honan Clonlara
14. Fergal Lynch Clooney Quin
15. Conor McGrath Cratloe

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

patrique wrote:Antrim under Dinny NEVER do well in the league.

I expect Kerry to beat them on Sunday, and it will get progressively worse.

he then somehow lifts them for the championship......

Well until recently we were talking the ... eh, Ulster ... eh, championship

Indeed.

Derry were going for three in a row when Dinny arrived. Antrim have won nine in a row since then, and scrap out the odd win against middling Leinster teams.

Tipp 1-7 Cats 1-13 looks like a good game

Poor enough game so far, has completely peetered out second half.....Tipp started well but kilkenny physically took over after 20 minutes and haven't looked back

The Puke wrote:Poor enough game so far, has completely peetered out second half.....Tipp started well but kilkenny physically took over after 20 minutes and haven't looked back

Did ye read the programme notes yet? Anything else about Clare I could have used?