Here’s hoping for a great final whoever wins.

Joe

After a long summer of enthralling encounters and some controversial decisions we’ve finally reached the climax of an interesting hurling year. Thankfully we are where we set out to be at the beginning of the year and that’s preparing for the biggest game of our careers. Everyone dreams of being in Croke Park on the first Sunday in September when they go back training in December/January and now it has all been worth it.

Also we see the two best teams at U-21 level clashing a week on Sunday in the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U-21 All-Ireland Final which has the makings of a cracker. A young Galway team that we haven’t seen a lot of this year, up against likely favourites Tipperary who are blessed with players of considerable senior experience. Let’s not forget that some of these guys will be involved in two finals in the space of seven days.

Galway overcame an under strength Dublin team in the semi-final. The Dubs were plagued with injuries and were also without their influential centre-back Rory O’Carroll who lined out with the Dublin footballers the following day against Cork.

However I was very impressed with Galway especially their forwards who were very quick and looked exceptionally sharp. Also, a tough game was exactly what they needed and you’re always assured of this against the Dubs.

Tipperary on the other hand made light work of an Antrim team lacking in experience and lacking the game time needed to prepare them for a semi-final against a team like Tipp who could call on the services of five or six senior players.

Overall it has the makings of an interesting final with a young, hungry Galway team up against the more experienced Tipp side and as we’ve found out so many times already this year you can never underestimate the underdog. But if I had to pick the winner my marginal vote would go to Tipp on this occasion with experience pulling them over the line. It might just be a year to soon for this very good Galway team who will be a lot more experienced next year and are definitely the team to watch in 2011. Watch this space.

On a personal front we’re preparing for the biggest day in the hurling year and the challenge that lies ahead is Tipperary. This week is all about preparing myself to be in the best physical shape I possibly can be for Sunday.

It’s important to keep the body hydrated as much as possible and also my diet is probably the most important aspect of this week. Eating the wrong food can cause the body to act that one second slower than you need and not being hydrated leads to cramps and your body letting you down when you most need it to perform.

It’s also a big day for our club Carrickshock with four of us involved in the senior final and also my younger brother, John, in the minor final. Our house is a very tense place to be this week but also there’s a great sense of excitement building. With two of us involved I’m sure the parents will be on the edge of their seats until the final whistle on Sunday evening and regardless of the outcome I’m sure they’ll have something to say about both our performances (not always good either!).

I can always count on dad for some healthy criticism. I think that’s what the GAA is all about, family and friends who you can sit down with after a game and dissect every aspect, every score and every challenge that took place before their eyes.

Tipperary have been hugely impressive this year en route to the final. They have grown stronger and fitter with every game and we know the challenge that lies ahead. They showed great fight and spirit to overcome a very good Galway team in the quarter-final and showed how ruthless and punishing they can be against Waterford last time out. We can’t afford to be an inch off the pace on Sunday because if we are, we will be blown away.

Finally I hope everyone enjoys the hurling over the next week and a half and at the end of the day, hurling is the real winner. It’s been quite a rollercoaster of a season and I’m sure there’s still a few more shocks and surprises lurking just around the corner.

Happy Hurling!!!!!!!!

As I predicted Tipp and Galway advance through to the final of the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U-21 All-Ireland Final. Which in some ways disappointed me – it would have been great to see Antrim reach a first ever U-21 Final and for Dublin, likewise it would have been good to see them take another progressive step. But I was glad to see they didn’t take that step against Galway!

There was no great worry for Tipp in the first match as they simply had too much firepower and experience for the Glensmen. From the start you could almost sense that Tipperary where going to cruise through this one and so it was to be. Although they missed quite a few opportunities in the opening few minutes they kept their composure and stayed shooting.

It will have been encouraging for the watching Liam Sheedy to see Noel McGrath and Seamus Hennessy in top from the throw in. Buggy was causing problems in around the square too but in fairness to Cormac Donnelly, he coped very well under the severe pressure. It’s always very hard for a defender when ball after ball is coming in on top of you.

Once Tipperary got the first goal then it was only all ever about damage limitation for Antrim and you would have to ask, what good will this match have done Tipp or indeed Antrim?

That must surely have been soul destroying for the Antrim lads. When you see how well they have competed at senior level in Leinster over the last two years, surely there is an argument that their minors and their U-21s should be accommodated in a similar manner? Leaving them where they are will not improve a record of 30 U-21 semi final appearances and no wins since 1964.

In the other semi-final Galway prevailed after a hard fought game against the Leinster Champions, Dublin.  It was a much closer affair with scores harder to come by. Dublin got off to a good start when Kris Finnegan made a very bad mistake in the Galway goal and the Dubs took full advantage of it.

In fairness to Galway they didn’t panic and almost straight away came back down the field and Richie Cummins was brought down inside the square. I was expecting Davey (Burke) to come up from centre back because I have never seen Quinner take a penalty before but in fairness to him he stuck it. It was hard to break down either defence from then until half-time. Galway however seemed to come by the scores easier than Dublin as the Galway backs worked their socks off.

The real changing point came when Bernard Burke raced in to score Galway’s second goal ten minutes after half time. From there on in it was only going to go Galway’s way. Ger Kelly impressed me in the second half along with Niall Donoghue. They took the game to Dublin and weren’t found wanting. Liam Rushe caught some amount of ball for Dublin but didn’t do much with it after that. But I think that was probably more down to the pressure been put on him by Davey Burke.

So with the two best teams coming through it promises to be a great final. The only issue to be resolved is where to play! Personally, I love Thurles as a venue and when it was announced as the venue at the Bord Gáis Energy launch I thought it was a perfect fit as it really is the home of hurling.

Then again, I can understand it from a Galway point of view obviously. Thurles is a home game for Tipp and you don’t want to be giving crucial advantages to your opponents before a sliotar has even been struck.

For what it is worth, I thought that Tullamore was an excellent venue last Saturday. The pitch was in superb condition and with the redevelopment only finished recently, the facilities are top class for players and spectators. Ultimately though, it will come down to two top teams over 60 minutes or so and the venue is a distraction for others to concern themselves with.

At this stage, Tipp are looking red hot favourites. The way they brushed past Antrim so easily was impressive and they will be very hard stopped. Galway will have to improve vastly if they are going to cause a shock. While they got over Dublin they still had a huge of mistakes. They will have the next few weeks to work on that and I am sure they will be fine.

Whether you are from Tipp or Galway, or even a neutral, make sure to get behind the guys over the next few weeks and wish them look. They will need all the support they can get at the final too so make sure to go and create a brilliant atmosphere on the night.

Right, I need to get back training with the club. Tough going at the moment but can’t wait for the championship. It looks like it’s still another three weeks or so away so plenty of time to get things right. But I can’t wait to get back into it.

Talk to you all next week.

Good luck!

ANY concerns Liam Sheedy held about the well-being of his young Tipperary senior stars were eased in the early exchanges of Saturday’s Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland U-21HC semi-final in Tullamore.

The tone for this game was set from the throw-in as the Munster champions dominated the tie and by the 11th minute had sailed 0-6 to 0-0 clear. At that stage it was already evident that this was going to be a carefree stroll rather than a bruising tussle for Tipperary and they would definitely be contesting the All-Ireland U-21 decider next month.

Of greater concern to Sheedy and the Tipperary hurling populace, with their Croke Park date on September 5th in mind, was that their senior contingent all avoided visits to the infirmary. Such was the tepid nature of the action here, the prospect of Noel McGrath, Michael Cahill or the Maher trio suffering injury was remote. Having a healthy dressing-room pleased U-21 boss Ken Hogan, yet crushing their opponents by 28 points left him with some concerns.

“The most important thing was that we came through unscathed. The lads have had a hectic schedule but when we’re together as a team, we want proper games. That game wasn’t competitive to give us satisfaction and that’s when bad habits can be picked up. But the most pleasing thing was the attitude of the lads. We didn’t have to get the players up for the game and all the senior players wanted to be involved. That’s a great credit to them.”

Some statistics illustrates how severely lopsided this match was. By the 20th minute Tipperary had raced 1-9 to 0-0 clear with their two midfielders and their six forwards on the scoresheet. Antrim did not register their first point until the 25th minute through Thomas McCann yet Tipp responded with seven white flags to lead 1-18 to 0-1 at the break.

By the 33rd minute they had reached the 20 point mark courtesy of John O’Dwyer and in the 56th minute the Killenaule man fired over their 30th point of the afternoon. At the finish, 13 Tipperary players had pitched in to register their staggering tally of 2-32. Noel McGrath and Patrick Maher were taken out of harm’s way at half-time, Brendan Maher was withdrawn early in the second-half, while it hardly mattered that Thurles Sarsfields defenders Pádraic Maher and Michael Cahill stayed on for the full hour, such was the dearth of work for them.

The match was a hugely chastening experience for the Antrim contingent that had travelled down from the Glens. They struggled from the start to cope with Tipperary’s physique in the tackle, their sharper stickwork and their fleet-footed forwards. The outcome raises questions over their right to participate at this level, yet it must be factored in that this Tipperary U21 side are an exceptional bunch.

The class of Noel McGrath and Brendan Maher has been well-documented, but it was the sublime play of those who operate away from the limelight that was most striking. O’Dwyer got the man-of-the-match bauble for a 2-3 haul but he was pushed hard for that award by the outstanding Michael Heffernan who shot six points.

Cormac Donnelly, Thomas McCann and Michael Armstrong kept fighting for Antrim but their manager and Tipperary native Dinny Cahill knew from the outset that this was going to be a humiliating afternoon.

“We knew before we started, we were up against one of the best teams in this competition. They’re a serious team and that’s the bottom line. We could do nothing about it from the very start. We wouldn’t have the players they have, we’d even a minor playing centre-back today. There was no contest.”

The challenge facing Tipperary in the final will be unquestionably greater. Galway’s prospects will have enhanced by the fact that their semi-final was a more serious affair and Tipperary must also focus their senior players minds for an U-21 decider just six days after they’ve featured in a senior one.

“We know we have to improve, particularly as Galway will have had a really competitive game in their semi-final”, remarked Hogan. “It’ll be a big boost to them to have won that match against Dublin. Of course it’s a concern that some players must face two All-Ireland finals in six days. But these guys are tuned in and they’ll be well prepared.”

Scorers for Tipperary: J O’Dwyer 2-3; M Heffernan, N McGrath (two ‘65, two frees) 0-6 each; S Carey 0-4; B O’Meara, K Morris (one free) 0-3 each; S Hennessy (one free), Padraic Maher, Patrick Maher, B Maher, P Murphy, J O’Neill, A Ryan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Antrim: M Armstrong 1-2; T McCann 0-2; J Campbell, C Carson, D Hamill 0-1 each.

Subs for Tipperary: A Ryan for McGrath (ht), K Morris for Patrick Maher (half-time), C Hough for B Maher (38), J O’Neill for Hennessy (41), C Coughlan for O’Gorman (48).

Subs for Antrim: M Burke for McAuley (38), C Brogan for Devlin (48), G Laverty for Rocks (48), N Cunningham for C Donnelly (50), M Lynch for O’Connell (58).

Referee: Tony Carroll (Offaly).

SATURDAY evening in Tullamore provided further irrefutable evidence of how these counties operate at underage hurling level.

Whatever about their senior travails, Galway certainly have the happy knack of flourishing at other grades.

This Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland U21HC semi-final success saw the Tribesmen qualify for their 10th decider at this level in the last 15 years, a timeframe in which they have also reached 11 All-Ireland minor finals. The system does work in their favour and offers them clearcut opportunities to feature on the glamour days. But Galway do capitalise on them.

Dublin possessed a gilded bunch of U21 hurlers this season and their impressive play in Leinster proved that theory. But having your star men on the sidelines rather than being immersed in the action, will always leave a team hamstrung.

Rory O’Carroll was present in Tullamore on Saturday but his Croke Park assignment yesterday robbed Dublin of a powerful centre-back. Cruciate victims David Treacy and Shane Stapleton were wounding losses to the Dublin attack as well.

The absence of Treacy’s class meant it was left to Liam Rushe to run the forward line and although he put in a great shift, there was a limit to what he could achieve without proper support.

By the final whistle Dublin had substituted four of their starting sextet up front. Dublin suffered without Stapleton’s reliable freetaking as well with Niall McMorrow’s off day from placed balls represented by the four wides he struck at vital stages. Substitute Darren Whelan did rectify that problem by confidently converting three frees but those scores were in the final ten minutes.

By that stage the damage was done and Galway were eyeing a final date with Tipperary. This is not a Galway team illuminated by senior stars yet the fact that the workload is distributed evenly around the pitch benefits them. Captain David Burke admitted last week that in past seasons they were guilty of looking to a Canning from Portumna to carry the team on his back. With Joe now a senior player in the stands in Tullamore, the onus was on the Galway players to step up.

They did just that. Burke smacked over four long-distance frees at vital stages and mopped up possession well at centre-back. Behind him NUIG Fitzgibbon Cup winners Declan Connolly and Paul Gordon the Galway full-back line was a safe zone. In attack Niall Quinn and Eoin Forde both caught the eye in the half-forward line. Quinn rocketed a penalty to the net in the fifth minute which cancelled out an opportunist David Quinn goal for Dublin sixty seconds earlier.

Forde got some splendid points in that first-half, the highlight being a 23rd minute score after Quinn displayed tremendous vision to pick him out. With Conor Clinton and Peter Kelly on the mark, Dublin stayed in touch and were only 1-6 to 1-5 behind at the break.

But in the second-half the weather became winter-like and Dublin were hurling into the worst of it. Galway stayed composed and stuck to their gameplan of playing fast, direct ball. They were rewarded in the 41st minute when substitute Bernard Burke showed lightning pace to dart clear and tidily finish to the net. That goal essentially sealed the match in Galway’s favour as they lead 2-9 to 1-7 and they sealed a final date with Tipperary at their ease.

Galway manager Anthony Cunningham said at the end: “We are delighted with the win. We have a lot of brushing up to do, but we will try to kick on from this. The lads have worked awful hard for us during the summer and it has been tough going. I think that the lads settled down at half-time once we got that bit of daylight between us. It is an old rivalry with Tipperary now in the final. They are very impressive but there is a lot of hurling to be done between now and the final.”

Scorers for Galway: N Quinn 1-2 (one goal pen); D Burke 0-4 (four frees); B Burke 1-0; E Forde 0-3 (two frees); G Kelly 0-2; R Cummins, J Regan, J Coen 0-1 each.

Scorers for Dublin: D Quinn 1-0; D Whelan 0-3 (three frees); N McMorrow (two frees), P Kelly (one free, one ‘65), C Clinton 0-2 each; B O’Rorke 0-1.

Subs for Galway: B Burke for Cummins (inj) (half-time), J Grealish for Daly (48), N Burke for G Burke (53), J Cooney for Forde (57).

Subs for Dublin: K Warren for Brennan (half-time), A McEnerney for Quinn (43), D Whelan for McMorrow (45), M Schutte for Clinton (48), K O’Loughlin for O’Rorke (55).

Referee: Jason O’Mahony (Limerick).

Dublin face Galway on Saturday in the second clash of the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U-21 All-Ireland Semi Final double header at Tullamore.

Dublin come into this semi final after a battling win in the Leinster final. Two second half goals were enough to see Dublin beat a talented Wexford team to book their place in this year’s All-Ireland semi final.

With David Treacy and free taker Shane Stapleton sustaining long term injuries, Dublin’s Manager Richie Stakelum will be hoping for strong performances from standouts Barry O’Rorke and Bord Gais Energy Ambassador Liam Rushe if they are to beat Galway.  

Galway on the other hand enter the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U-21 All-Ireland Championship at semi final stage once again with fresh legs. Entering the Championship at All-Ireland semi final stage has not impeded Galway in the past and they have played in five All-Ireland finals since 2000, winning two of them.  This year they enter the fray without Joe Canning, who has now progressed from this grade, but we have yet to see whether this will impact on the strength of the squad.

A very hard one to call without having Galway form to base a judgement on, but Dublin’s injury losses together with Rory O’Carroll’s absence may prove too great a weakness for them to overcome.

Tipperary overcame title holders Clare in front of an 11,500-strong crowd at Semple stadium to become Munster champions for the fifth time in a decade. Fine performances from Paddy Murphy and Michael Heffernan proved too much for the Banner County’s defence.   

In Ulster, Antrim beat off a resilient Armagh team in Casement Park. Impressive performances from Cormac Donnelly, Darren Hamill and PJ O’Connell saw the Saffrons retain the Ulster trophy and book their place in the All-Ireland series.

The momentum will be with Tipperary for this clash as confidence will be high after that impressive win against Claire in the Munster final and of course progression to the senior All-Ireland Final too.  Five of the senior team who defeated Waterford on Sunday last have been named in the U-21 team for Saturday including Bord Gáis Energy Ambassadors Noel McGrath and Padraic Maher, Brendan Maher, Patrick Maher and corner-back Michael Cahill.

On Saturday, Dublin and Antrim will be battling for the chance to compete for a first ever All-Ireland title at U-21 level as they take on Galway and Tipperary respectively in the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U-21 All-Ireland semi finals.  The matches will take place as a double header in Tullamore.

Oisin Gough of Dublin, Antrim captain Cormac Donnelly, Galway’s David Burke and Noel McGrath of Tipperary met in the capital today ahead of the back to back clashes.  While Gough, McGrath and Donnelly are facing into the semi finals off the back of provincial victories, Burke and his Galway team mates are coming into the fray fresh as in previous years.

Entering the Championship at All-Ireland semi final stage has not impeded Galway in the past and they have played in five All-Ireland finals since 2000, winning two of them.  Tipperary, who defeated All-Ireland champions Clare in the Munster Final at Thurles, have played past the semi final stage three times since 2000 but have not been declared champions themselves since 1995. 

Pretenders Dublin and Antrim, by contrast, have never won and All-Ireland title, with Antrim having never made it to the final and Dublin having featured three times in the competition’s history.  The last time they made it to an All-Ireland final was in 2007, when Dublin suffered defeat to this weekend’s opponent Galway. But having dispatched of Kilkenny and Wexford in fine victories earlier this summer, Dublin’s confidence will be high.

Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Criostóir Ó Cuana said, “We have been treated to a fantastic Bord Gáis Energy Hurling U21 All-Ireland championship to date with excellent games on the provincial circuit and now our focus turns to the national stage where those teams who are lucky enough to be involved will look to kick on and make the most of the opportunity that presents itself.

“The fine surroundings of O’Connor Park, Tullamore will host two games that carry with them their own novel intrigue and it will be interesting to see what final pairing emerges from what should be an excellent afternoon of top class hurling.”

Ger Cunningham, Sports Sponsorship Manager at Bord Gáis Energy said, “The 2009 Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U-21 Championship was one to remember following Clare’s superb victories in Munster and then in the All-Ireland final.  With Antrim and Dublin both fielding strong and worthy teams this year, we are again looking at the prospect of a new winner in this competition, which is great for the game of hurling.

“It is genuinely exciting to be involved with hurling at this level and Bord Gáis Energy is dedicated to supporting the Championship in any way we can.  I very much hope that fans travel to Tullamore to support their counties and as usual we will be on the ground with the crossbar challenge and other promotional activity to ensure that they are guaranteed an enjoyable day out.”

The first match at O’Connor Park in Tullamore, Tipperary v Antrim, will throw in at 4.00pm and Dublin v Galway will follow at 6.00pm.  Both matches are scheduled to be broadcast live on TG4.

ENDS

Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U-21 All-Ireland Championship 2010 Fixtures

Bord Gáis Energy Leinster GAA Hurling U-21 Championship
9th June:         Kilkenny (2-31) v Offaly (0-8)
                            Laois (0-9) v Carlow (1-14)
23^rd June:      Kilkenny (0-12) v Dublin (0-17)
                            Wexford (2-17) v Carlow (2-13)
14^th July:       Leinster Final: Dublin (2-15) v Wexford (0-15)

Bord Gáis Energy Munster GAA Hurling U-21 Championship
2^nd June:          Cork (1-16) v Waterford (1-3)
14^th July:         Limerick (1-12) v Clare (1-15)
                             Tipperary (2-17) v Cork (0-21)
28^th July:         Munster Final: Tipperary (1-22) v Clare (1-17)

Bord Gáis Energy Ulster GAA Hurling U-21 Championship
14^th July:         Armagh (2-19) v Fermanagh (2-8)
21^st July:          Antrim (0-19) v Down (1-12)
                             Derry (0-10) v Armagh (2-12)
28^th July:         Ulster Final: Antrim (0-21) v Armagh (0-16)

Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U-21 All-Ireland Championship
21^st August:     All-Ireland Semi Finals:
                              Dublin v Galway
                              Tipperary v Antrim
11^th September:          All-Ireland Final

For More Information:
Claire Turvey/Marcus Ó Buachalla, Pembroke Communications: 01-6496486
Stiofáin MacDháibhéad, Bord Gáis Energy: 01- 6021116 / 087-7991206
Alan Milton, Communications Manager, GAA: 01-8658614 / 087-9299488

Well…here we are in the middle of August already and unbelievably heading into the last of the Hurling Semi Finals. I don’t know about you but I find time is going way too fast for me. Could someone put the brakes on please and give us all a chance to draw breath? Mentioning speed and drawing breath…what did you think of Kilkenny?

I was Sideline Reporter for RTÉ last Sunday at Croke Park so I was up close and personal to the action and the sheer speed and intensity of the Cats was so impressive. If they win their drive for five, then they will have deserved it but even if they don’t, they are still the finest hurling team that has been my honour to see.

I couldn’t get over the lack of impact the injuries Brian Hogan and Henry Shefflin had on the Kilkenny performance. Any of us involved with teams will fully appreciate the loss of a centre back or centre forward to any team’s performance but quite honestly, it didn’t upset the Cats balance one little bit.

I am so sorry that Henry will miss the Final. This is cruel luck but it will probably drive on his colleagues even more. Some people have said to me this week, that this Kilkenny team have so many quality players that they probably won’t miss him! Hello?! This is Henry Shefflin we are talking about.

He’s the best player I have ever seen and my favourite by a country mile so his loss is indefinable. If it’s a battle against Tipperary or Waterford, people won’t be long mentioning about the loss of Henry Shefflin. I wish him well and a speedy recovery from that awful cruciate injury.

The Kilkenny minors really impressed me in their All-Ireland Semi Final victory over Galway. The Connacht boys had given the P45 to the Déise in the Quarter Final so I expected a good performance in this Semi Final joust with the Cats. But what a performance by Kilkenny…again!!!

It was brilliant hurling and the team captain led by example. You might remember the No.12?  His name is Cillian Buckley. He’s a young lad from Dicksboro but he scored a goal in the first half at the Hill 16 end that will linger long in my memory.  You will hear a lot more about him and what about the rest of the team I hear you ask! Any pedigree there?

Well, you have John Power, younger brother of Richie, and what about centre forward Padraig Walsh? What a hurler he is. His older sibling is none other than Tommy Walsh and how about centre field and Ollie Walsh? He is the son of Michael and grandson of the great Ollie, former goalkeeper and manager.

Clare or Dublin will play them in the All-Ireland Minor Final and they will have to be at their very best to beat them. By the way, I have great time for the Kilkenny Minor Manager Richie Mulrooney. He’s a gentleman and calls it honestly.

Prior to last Sunday’s Semi Final, he said openly in an interview with me for the Sunday Game that he had a really good team and that five or six of his players would become huge names in the game. This is BEFORE the Minor match. I love people who talk straight. No beating about the bush…and “if we get the bounce of the ball, if the wind is behind us “etc etc. It’s refreshing when people have their own minds and convictions so well done Richie.

The Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U-21 Championship hasn’t disappointed either. The Dublin and Wexford Leinster Final was riveting throughout and it was only in the latter stages of the second half that Dublin crossed the finishing line with a degree of aplomb and style. I really like the look of Dublin this year.

I like Martin Quilty….he’s a good hurler but his surname is also the name of my home village. So…come on Quilty every time! But then you have others like Daire Plunkett who was outstanding at wing forward and would have been my Man of the Match. His work rate and scoring touch was the difference between winning and losing.

The Dublin captain is goalkeeper Finn McGarry and his ball handling and general control of his area was most impressive. Peter Kelly at wing back was equally impressive and gave great support to the midfield efforts of Conor Clinton and Peter Buckeridge.

While the recent loss of both David Treacy and Shane Stapleton to injury will be of some concern to their manager Richie Stakelum, Liam Rushe has class while Niall McMorrow will pose serious problems for Galway in their All-Ireland Semi-Final.

The Clare and Tipperary Munster U-21 Final was of a higher standard and in all honesty I can’t see Tipperary being stopped at all this year. They are strong on every line and in Paddy Kennedy and Brian O’Meara they have hurlers par excellence. Their battle with Clare was pulsating but despite Clare’s great start and Darrach Honan causing the Premier lads a few early problems, there is no doubt the better team won on the night.

I had my own pulsating adventure that night in Thurles as the traffic from the Nenagh side (and thus the Clare side) backed up for miles beyond The Ragg and Borrisoleigh.

I never saw anything like the pile up of cars and I was genuinely surprised to hear the match started on the button of 7.30pm. I accept that people should be at the venue on time but a mid week game always has the added difficulty of people getting away on time from work, farmers getting all the jobs done before heading to Semple etc.

To be honest there are sufficient reasons for the Authorities to be more flexible on occasions like this and surely in the worst case scenario, we can always switch on the floodlights! But to be fair to everyone, nobody could have anticipated the massive crowd that turned up so hindsight is a wonderful gift that we all possess!

I was very lucky because a kind Garda on a motorbike guided me through the traffic jam from the Newport Cross to the Greyhound Stadium entrance and thus had a few minutes to spare before starting the Crossbar Challenge at half time.

The Bord Gáis Energy Crossbar Challenge has once again been a huge success. The skill of hitting the sliotar off the crossbar is not easy but when you hear the clang off the crossbar, the crowd always respond with a massive cheer.

At the Leinster Final in Parnell Park, the winner was Craobh Chiarain’s James Ryan who hit the black spot on his third and final shot. The other competitors were Cuala’s Stephen Butler, Shelmaliers Thomas Barron and Sliabh Bhui Gaels’s Billy Nolan.

In Thurles the winner was a local lad, Stephen Maher from Thurles Sarsfields who hit the crossbar on his first shot while Sixmilebridge’s Kevin Lynch, Eire Og’s Graham Glynn and Clonoulty Rossmore’s Paudie White were desperately unlucky with their efforts.

Our next Bord Gáis Energy Crossbar Challenge will take place on Saturday August 21^st in O’Connor Park, Tullamore when Tipperary will play Antrim in the first U-21 All Ireland Semi Final at 4pm and Galway will play Dublin at 6pm.

I’m not one for giving out advice…I did after all miss the whole of the first half in the Munster U-21 Final…but if you want to see great hurling, then leave early, get the jobs done, the cows milked, the hay saved, the dogs fed and head to Tullamore on August 21^st!  

It really is the place to be and you can also enjoy another round of our enjoyable Crossbar Challenge!! I might even give it a go myself!!

See you in Tullamore!!

It’s hard to take. Sometimes sport is cruel and to have lost again by a point for the second year running, it is depressing. Personally, I had one of the worst games ever. I know that things did not go well for me at all. I let Galway down. I just hope I will get a chance to redeem myself again.

The players put everything into it along with the management. We prepared well and thought we were ready for it. We had the chances near the end to finish the job and just didn’t take them. Fair play to Tipp they stuck at it and got the bit of luck on the day. It’s not getting easier talking about it but I will just have to get on with trying to play well for the club and right now that can’t come soon enough.  

We (Portumna) have won all of our group matches in the Galway Senior Club Championship so we are guaranteed to progress to the knock out stages and to be honest I can’t wait for it. But it is a bit of a wait ‘til that game.

19^th September has been mentioned as a possible date for the next round of fixtures, so it is a while away yet. But to get back playing competitive hurling with the lads in the club will be great.

While training with the lads in the club has been a great way of getting away from the Tipp loss, I have also enjoyed the Galway races which finished at the weekend and have been able to dip in and out of it as the week panned out. It’s always a great festival and it was great to see the crowds at it. But my week wasn’t all about the horses as I took time out of the Races to watch the Bord Gáis Energy Munster GAA Hurling U-21 Final and I am glad I did because it was a great game.

Clare took it to Tipp in the first five minutes and were it not for Darach missing that goal maybe it would have been a different story in the end?

Between that missed chance and what I thought was a throw ball from Brian O’Meara for the Tipp goal you almost sensed it was going to be Tipp’s night. They showed their class in the end and I thought their half forward line was brilliant in the second half. Padraic Maher was unreal throughout the match. They will be very hard stopped in the semi-final.

Antrim are the ones facing that task and they will be no pushovers and will give it 100% but it will be a major surprise if they toppled the Premier. Antrim have some fine quality hurlers and that showed when their seniors beat Dublin earlier in the year. In the quarter-final they also ran Cork closer than many people thought with the duel between Cormac Donnelly and Aisake a match in itself! Antrim will be ready and Tipp don’t want to take them for granted as I am sure they won’t. 

In the other semi-final Dublin take on my own county Galway in what should be a hard, tough, close game. I am really looking forward to it because they are two exciting teams to watch. Dublin have been very impressive in their run so far this year. A brilliant win over Kilkenny and a late rally against Wexford was enough for them to win the Leinster championship. They will have to be slight favourites going into this one as Galway are coming into the championship cold again.

It will be tough for Galway to get to the intensity of championship hurling but I am sure the management will have them well prepared. If the likes of David Burke, Richie Cummins and Eoin Forde perform for Galway then I see us in with a great chance of upsetting the odds. Dublin will be hard to stop and players like Oisin Gough, Peter Kelly and Liam Rushe will be hard nullify but that’s the challenge that lies ahead for the lads. 

The two semi-finals should be exciting and great to watch and hopefully you, the supporters, will come out and give the games that extra edge when a huge crowd is present at the big games. I expect two tight games but Tipp to advance against Antrim and of course I hope it’s a maroon and white win in the other!

Best of luck to everyone involved and I am hoping to see lots of you there at the games.

Chat ya!

Thurles Sarsfields’ Stephen Maher became a local legend on the pitch at Semple Stadium when he stormed to victory in the Crossbar Challenge at half time during the Bord Gáis Energy Munster GAA Hurling U-21 Final, completing a double for Tipperary on Wednesday night.

Stephen stepped up to the mark when Clare representatives Kevin Lynch of Sixmilebridge and Graham Glynn of Eire Og missed the target after some close shaves.  He thrilled the crowd by smashing the target on his first try.  Clonoulty-Rossmore’s Paudie White was last up to the line, but he was not able to match Stephen’s challenge.

Each player, representing the clubs who played in their county U-21 hurling finals, was originally given three attempts to hit the crossbar with a sliotar from 21 yards.  MC Marty Morrissey gave Stephen’s rivals one more chance each to try and force a play off for the prize, but none was able to match his skill and he was presented with a prize of €500 worth of gear for his club.

Cork hurling legend Ger Cunningham, who is Bord Gáis Energy’s Sport Sponsorship Manager, said, “Stephen is our second local winner in this year’s crossbar challenge, with a player from Dublin’s Craobh Chiarain winning at Parnell Park in the Leinster Final.  He was a real crowd pleaser and we’re delighted to present him with €500 worth of gear for Thurles Sarsfields.  We have two more crossbar challenges left this year, at the Galway v Dublin semi final and at the All-Ireland Final, and hopefully another two clubs will finish the season with €500 worth of gear.”