Time to make move
It’s time for all the serious contenders to step up a gear; it’s almost become the norm that to have a good run in the championship these days, you have to have a good run in the league.
Kilkenny and Galway are top of the table, Dublin and Waterford are next, then Cork — this is a big round for those five teams, to see who’s going to be top two at the finish. We could nearly discount everyone else at this stage, three teams on no points, Wexford, Offaly and — surprisingly — Tipperary.
Tipperary and Waterford meet this evening in Thurles, a huge game for both counties; for Waterford, if they have intentions of qualifying for the league final, for Tipperary to get their season started. Remember this is a clash of All-Ireland champions and Munster champions.
A Waterford win would put them in great position in the league, a Tipp win and they’re back on track — I fancy it will be the home team celebrating. They’re surely ready for a win, as they’ve lost all their competitive games this year — one Waterford Crystal and two league.
We’ll move to tomorrow, and the main game is the meeting of Cork and Galway in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. I was at Cork’s last game, against Kilkenny in Nowlan Park, and they just didn’t turn up for the first half. They made a few changes and suddenly it was a game Cork could have won in the end. I see they’ve changed again for Sunday, Pa Cronin getting another chance to stake a claim, but this time he’s in what I consider his best position, midfield — I saw him there for UL in the Fitzgibbon Cup and he looked the part. He has a good man beside him too in Jerry O’Connor; I’m looking forward to seeing how those two gel.
Cian McCarthy and Tom Kenny are on from the start, and they helped to change the game in Nowlan Park with their running from the half-forward line. I like Conor O’Sullivan also, another man brought on in Kilkenny, at corner-back. Donal Óg is back in goal, a very important player, second only to John Gardiner.
Gardiner has become a true leader. I see William Egan is at centre-back, but wouldn’t be surprised if Gardiner ends up manning that position eventually.
To Galway. The good thing for them — and I mean this in a positive sense — is how well they’re going without Joe Canning. For a couple of years they’ve been overdependent on Joe, who is still only 22, now you have the likes of Iarla Tannian, Ger Farragher, Aongus Callanan and all those stepping forward, taking responsibility. That has to be good for Galway.
Donal Barry in midfield is going very well, a good move by the management; Tony Óg Regan is having a good year at centre-back and David Collins is back to his true form at corner-back. I know they have a lot of injuries but there’s much of a muchness about those who are absent and those who are there — this is still a very strong side. Tough one to call; it’s a big game, they should have got something from Kilkenny but didn’t — I have a feeling they’re going to take this one.
In the other games, you’d have to fancy Kilkenny to beat Wexford, while the Dublin/Offaly game is going to tell us a lot about how Dublin are really going. Last year, a lot expected of them again, they were well beaten by Offaly. Is it time to stop talking about Dublin potential, start talking about the present?
They have Conal Keaney, and he’s doing the business but it’s never easy to go to Tullamore. A good test for them, a good opportunity too, with Offaly missing several big names. You’d have to fancy Dublin on current form.
In the second division Limerick and Clare are the two big guns, and you’d fancy them to win again this week, Clare against Westmeath in Mullingar, Limerick at Down. Moving weekend for them also…
