Last four must give us a taste of summer
One thing I don’t want to hear tomorrow evening is any manager or player from either of the two losing teams saying, “ah sure it doesn’t matter, we had no interest in the league”.
We heard enough of that nonsense so far, people spouting those excuses when things weren’t going well for them.
What I want to see though, is some real defence, some genuine man-marking, because we haven’t seen it this spring — just look at the high scoring in game after game and you know what I mean.
To the games. Kilkenny against Galway is the first semi-final and I think we might see what I’m hoping for, in terms of physicality. I don’t know the teams at the time of writing and I’m wondering particularly about Kilkenny. Will Brian Cody continue his experimentation or will we see the return of the old stagers? Will Michael Fennelly get a start, for example, will Jackie Tyrrell, Henry Shefflin?
People are talking about Kilkenny and the fact that some players have lost pace, which they have. Notice though, the kind of players Cody has now brought in, a lot of really speedy hurlers who can offer cover for some of the elder statesmen.
Cody has this year again shown what an outstanding manager he is. People were prematurely writing off Kilkenny after last year but now they’re back. Though there are a few new faces, the same hunger for success remains — that says it all about both Cody and Kilkenny.
I don’t know how they’ll feel about playing in the Gaelic Grounds; I suspect they’d prefer Croke Park, but Limerick won’t bother Galway.
What might bother them is their injuries. Fergal Moore, Iaral Tannian and Niall Healy have knocks which cast doubt over their fitness. If there’s any team that will find you out, and fast, it’s Kilkenny.
Two big plusses for Galway, they have Colm Callanan in goal, a man I rate very highly, and Joe Canning is back, a man everyone rates very highly.
Galway have been playing a lot of younger lads this year and this will be a great experience. More than likely they’ll meet Kilkenny again in the Leinster semi-final and this will be a pointer to the summer.
A winner? It will be hot and heavy and I’m going for the experience of Kilkenny.
To Clare and Tipperary and what I think will be a very different style of game. People were saying — unfairly — that Clare won an All-Ireland last year without beating either Kilkenny or Tipperary, who were seen as the two big boys. Clare beat everyone put in front of them, were worthy champions, but I have no doubt they’ll be targeting this game.
League titles haven’t come very often to Clare, indeed we are not overburdened with titles of any description, which is why I think Clare will be going all out here.
I wasn’t impressed with all the excuses trotted out by Tipperary manager Eamon O’Shea when they were struggling in the league and the talk that it was all about June 1 and Limerick, and so on.
They didn’t look that disinterested against Dublin in the last game, then against Cork in the quarter-final, when they were gung-ho for the win.
There are a lot of class hurlers on both teams here, as shown when they met earlier in the league. I don’t think it’s going to be as loose as it was then though, and the Tipp defence especially has been much strengthened with the return of Brendan Maher and Padraic Maher.
There’s still a fine rivalry too, but it’s not as hot as it was in the ’90s.
Calling a winner is difficult, and I’d say the result of the first game could have a bearing.
If Kilkenny win, it would be even more of an incentive for Clare, while I’m not so sure Tipperary would care about yet another league final meeting with the Cats.
I’m going for Clare but Tipperary are getting on a roll just at the right time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they sneak it.
I expect to see a huge crowd at the Gaelic Grounds, a great atmosphere — the scent of summer is in the air!
