National Hurling League Divisions 1 & 2

patrique wrote:Good win by Laois.

Antrim will be interesting tomorrow, I fear the worst.

Lose to Limerick in the last game and both Westmeath and Antrim in Division 3.

Only 1 team gets relegated Pat.

In all fairness Boxty only 6 of the team that started the All Ireland started last night. There is no way will Michael Kavanagh, Paul Murphy, Conor Fogarty or Matthew Ruth be anywhere near that team come the championship. Their top the league and only lost once to Galway which imo was caused by an experimental goalkeeper and full back line. The only time to judge Kilkenny is in September.

Just back from the Antrim v Down game, have to say, i thought down played some lovely hurling and took some brilliant scores to give us a late scare, shame about the discipline of one or two of their players, but all in all a poor enough game with flashes of brilliant hurling, dont think antrim as they have done the entire league ever left first gear. I genuinely believe dinny cahill when he says the league is not for winning now lol.

It was great to see the Dublin hurlers ripping Kilkenny a part with such ease-it looks like Kilkenny reserve team is not what has being touted for years..

It was a great team performance- the fist touch of the Dublin hurlers has really improved -and we are now going toe to toe with the big teams amazing stuff

17 wides and 3 goal chances missed i suppose its points dropped again..The comeback was something else i thought Kilkenny would just see out the game-but we fought for everything turned over possession and converted them in to scores to level the match....One thing about the Dubs we do nothing easy..

These are great days for Dublin hurling..

Hope they enjoy the week in Portugal truly deserved..

North Side Gael wrote:Just back from the Antrim v Down game, have to say, i thought down played some lovely hurling and took some brilliant scores to give us a late scare, shame about the discipline of one or two of their players

I can think of someone who is gonna dance all over ya NSG ....

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

North Side Gael wrote:Just back from the Antrim v Down game, have to say, i thought down played some lovely hurling and took some brilliant scores to give us a late scare, shame about the discipline of one or two of their players

I can think of someone who is gonna dance all over ya NSG ....

That Down team, trying to timber us off the pitch, are nothing but ............

Must have picked that stuff up from watching videos of Clare in the 1990s.

Although Clare didn't have forwards as good as Magic or Braniff.

Impoverished riposte to a poster/posts that's/are off-line....It's time to "Gether yer' gear" for you on this one...

Facts: 1-00
Spoof: 0.00

I thought Tomas Brady was superb on the half back line on Saturday night. Might keep his team mate Joey Boland off the team. If we can stop leaking goals and up the conversion rate of scoring we'll be a handful for anyone.

Jayo, i was working tongue in cheek!

We had a man sent off too, just get stuck into them the way they get stuck into you, shame about the more stupid niggly holding and so on, was more what the down players got sent off for though.

Braniff and Magic where unreal, im now raging we didnt finish the job v clare when we had the chance, i just genuinely believe dinny doesnt care about league, even yesterday 15 points up, load of subs and positional changes, ended up winning narrowly, i see brilliant young talent coming through though, people forget the dub minor team of last year was a good team, only beat us by 6 in crossmaglen in a very good game, weve good talent coming through and im looking forward to championship, shame im not looking forward to a league final v limerick, i really do wonder what is going on in clare, right now i feel we are a step above them, might not show on the league table, but if you look at last year v dublin, we beat them, clare got hammered by them, not the best logic in the world, but for a team who wanted to win div2, i really feel we had the better of them and handed it to them rather than them beating us.

Antrim have a number of talented players, Tipp and kilkenny would murder to have McManus at centre half forward. A worthy successor in Ulster to the great, immortal, Ollie Collins who was the best in that position for a number of years and never acknowledged by all star awards or what ever. But hurling fans knew.


The other two Neil's are good as well, donnelly at full back could also feature for most counties, Graffin as well.

However the forwards are lacking, and geography dictates that they cannot develop fully.

But I still wouldn't back Dublin to beat a full Antrim team in the championship.

Hurling gura just raised an excellent point, we now have a division3 team playing christy ring?

Maybe the time is up on the current set up, how can this go on, its a certainty this year too that id down or kerry win the christy ring they will face a fight to get up.

Back to the drawing board?

North Side Gael wrote:Hurling gura just raised an excellent point, we now have a division3 team playing christy ring?

Maybe the time is up on the current set up, how can this go on, its a certainty this year too that id down or kerry win the christy ring they will face a fight to get up.

Back to the drawing board?

The top teams are happy with the system so it won't be changed for 2012.....There should be a change but there won't, right now it is very much to the benefit of the top five or six teams while it is to the detrement of the next 5 who either aren't getting enough meaningful games in division 2 to prepare for Championship hurling or are shipping heavy demoralising defeats in division 1 after coming up from divison 2.....The gap between division one and two is too big, as is the gap between 2 and 3, but you can be guarenteed if the likes of Cork were in a relegation dog fight at the moment there would be serious thought going intp restructuring

A day of drama today by the looks of it....Good to see the Dubs in a league final, hope they give a decent account of themselves in it.....Kilkenny shipped another few injuries today so it is far from a foregone conclusion....

Had a sneaking feeling Wexford might have gotten something off a second string Tipp side, fair play to them for not giving up and also putting a couple of decent results together and ramming it down a few peoples throats after some of the sh1t that was spouted in the media after the offaly defeat....



Clare looked very sharp against Carlow today, the sun on their backs and the fast ground certainly makes a huge difference to the young lads......By chance more so than anything the sparrow seems to have found a team with a far better balance to ot today that there was so far in the league, thank god he has finally realised that three cart horses in the half backline just won't work......

A dry sod in Thurles in two weeks time and I would fancy us to beat Limerick given that they will be favourites and the expectation is on them as opposed to us....Neither teams seems to handle the favourites tag well and given that we won't be as abject as we were in the first round of the league I would be quitely confident....Wouldn't be Sparrow and his backrooms biggest fans but they do seem to be learning from their mistakes anyway, whether he is up to intercounty management is another story but he is an honest man and to his credit he is giving the benefit of the dount everytime to the young lads over older lads....

Congratulations to the Dublin hurlers on their deserved achievement in making the Division 1 Final. I thought Paul Ryan and Dotsy were superb - as were Tomas Brady, Shane Durkan and Daire Plunkett. Disappointed that only 3,700 turned up ... so much for the legendary Cork hurling support ....

Looking forward to the Final! Well done lads!

The Allianz Hurling Division 1 final between Dublin and Kilkenny has been confirmed for Croke Park.

The top-tier final will throw-in at 4.00pm and will be preceded by the Cadbury All-Ireland Under-21 Football final between Cavan and Galway, which will get underway at 2.00pm.

The Division 2 Allianz Hurling League final between Clare and Limerick will take place in Ennis at 7.00pm on Saturday, 30 April. Clare received home advantage after the Counties agreed to toss for the venue.

The Allianz Football League finals will take place in Croke Park this weekend.

Dublin play Cork in the Division 1 final, which will throw-in at 4.00pm, after the Division 2 clash between Laois and Donegal at 2.00pm.

Roscommon face Longford in the Division 4 final at 5.00pm on Saturday at Croke Park, with Westmeath taking on Louth at 7.00pm in the Division 3 encounter.

Great day for Dublin Gaa.Dublin never do anything the easy way got the rub of the green to win that game long may it continue..

I never thought i would see the day -where Dublin would be contesting two finals in different codes amazing stuff....

Now we just have to go and win them and sicking a nation..

So Tipperary have a new sponsor in a deal worth €600,000 over 3 years - fair play I say but having the words TIPP and SKODA on the same jersey is amusing to say the least.

If Limerick don't beat us this evening then it is idle....

Great for Dublin, great for hurling as the capital needs a hurling team.

In my "dream" world (too hard to explain) Dublin win the all Ireland in 2013 and after today they will have lots more recruits.

I thought they could do it, and I am delighted that they have made a breakthrough of sorts.

however i would not write off Kilkenny for the big one.....

patrique wrote:Great for Dublin, great for hurling as the capital needs a hurling team.

In my "dream" world (too hard to explain) Dublin win the all Ireland in 2013 and after today they will have lots more recruits.

I thought they could do it, and I am delighted that they have made a breakthrough of sorts.

however i would not write off Kilkenny for the big one.....

Brilliant display from the Dubs - first team to make a real breakthrough since Clare in the mid 90s. Hard to quantify the strides they've made - only 2 years ago Antrim were beating them. Not that long ago, they'd have struggled to beat a Meath or a Laois. Who knows how far they can go under Dalo. Liam is in striking distance though - that's for sure.

As for Kilkenny, long time since they were held to 1-07. Albeit missing some key players. Richie Power's absense can't be underestimated and Tommy Walsh would have made a huge difference today. Sheflin and Michael Fennelly were also out. Though a few lads look shadows of the colossi they once were: JJ, Larkin, Eddie. Noel Hickey once the best full-back in the country is not near the same player.

Only last summer when Antrim beat us in the Champo Loyal!

A tremendous win for Dublin today and all credit to Daly and the players - they were mighty. The Cats would have no complaints if they finished with 12 players. Great performances all over the pitch and to kick on and win by 12 was awesome. I reckon its a long time since Kilkenny were beaten by 12 in a C'ship or League final situation. We have beaten Tipp well in the League in recent years too. Some of the points in the last 10 minutes were incredible. Hope the footballers can learn!

I think in this thread (much earlier) Puke and I were working out how the Dubs could stay in Div 1!!! Well done lads - well done!

Yesterday was a special day in my house hold -never thought i would bring my little girl to a National final v Kilkenny and to win it was unbelievable all together....She was born in 01 and has attended every Kilkenny final with her mother since 03..

The last views weeks i've being telling her we will beat the cats-she just looks at me in shock never....Do Dublin play hurling daddy

Yesterday surpassed all Expectations for Dublin hurling fans-the closing out of the game was as good a finish you will ever see to win a Final......Its hard to believe the Cats would only score 1-7 in a game of hurling...

Yesterday was Achieved by going back to the basics in the late 90s...Back to U10 turning football clubs in to dual clubs..the work that people put in from mentors of underage at clubs to development squads-all the way to senior county level everyone involved i hope yesterday will be shared by all......

BELIEVE

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 ....

Well said Jayo.

hurlingguru wrote:

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 ....

Well said Jayo.

Ha thanks HG! Can't say I saw title coming but it was a great League campaign. I thought playing in Croker might have helped Tipp and KK in League stages but we acquitted ourselves well in both and should have beaten the Cats. We threw it away v Galway in PP but winning in Cork was super and Waterford doing the business put us in the Final. The performance yesterday was just awesome. Daly has definitely brought a new belief and little things make big differences at this level. The days when Dublin lads got horsed off the ball are over - we won nearly every single skirmish yesterday. And some of the stick passing was incredible - though I think they overdid it once or twice. Hoping for a really good showing in the C'ship now!

"One swallow doesn't make a summer".....Quoteth some long-lost bard/prophet....**

Dublin's win outshines ANYTHING else that can happen in GAA circles this year, unless they win the All Ireland, hurling.

First final since 1946, first victory since 1939, still using "imports" then, and first big time game since the All Ireland final of 1961, which is the first one I remember listening to on the radio with a mate.

All the naysayers and such can say "it is only the league" but this is Dublin. when I was young Antrim schools would play Dublin every year and hold their own, and over the last 40 years Antrim have held their own. In recent years the Dubs have invested much in hurling and it truly is wonderful to have a competitive hurling side in the capital as they deserve it.

This result means that many "dual2 players may now opt for hurling and the fact that they always played football has been a major drawback to the Dubs. Antrim suffer from the same thing as nearly every City player is a dual player.

Great to see, and don't let anyone detract from it.