Tag Archives: 2016 all ireland hurling championship

Penning the autobiography of Brendan Cummins with the man himself last year, one of the lines that got me most was his description of exactly what it takes to see off Kilkenny in an All-Ireland senior hurling final. Before a team meeting ahead of the 2010 final, two-time All-Ireland winner Cummins spoke to his team-mates and delivered the following message: …

Dublin will face Kerry in next weekend’s second All-Ireland semi-final with the winner facing Mayo in next month’s decider. Here, we outline the three key battles which must be won on Sunday. Question marks remain surrounding the Kerry team and their capabilities. Without being significantly tested this year, Kerry head in to this weekend’s semi-final as a very much unknown package. …

We ask, are the GAA’s top awards for young players a foregone conclusion this year due to the performances of two of the GAA’s newest superstars? Having guided Mayo to All-Ireland u21 glory earlier this year, last year’s Young Footballer Of The Year Diarmuid O’Connor is in line to do what his older brother Cillian did, and win the award for the …

For a hurling season that has disappointed overall, there have still been some iconic moments which have typified what the GAA is all about. Here, we rank the top five. 5. Wexford’s Day Of Delight July the 9th. Semple Stadium, Thurles. Wexford’s day of delight. Not since 1956 had Wexford beaten Cork in the championship. Both teams went in to the …

Saturday’s BGE All-Ireland Hurling U-21 semi-finals saw Waterford and Galway run out winners. There were some fine displays on show from all teams. Here, we name five of the most prominent performers. Waterford’s victory over Antrim was marred by the facile nature of the win. Waterford were 2-05 to 0-00 up inside the first fifteen minutes, which put an end …

After rupturing his Achilles tendon in last Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final win over Waterford, Kilkenny’s Michael Fennelly will miss next month’s All-Ireland final clash with Tipperary. Today, he spoke exclusively to Pundit Arena to chat all things hurling. Fennelly described the injury as “a tough one” but stated that there’s not much he could do. Having suffered numerous injuries throughout his …

The Dublin footballers possess an embarrassment of riches. Here, we take a look at where a second-string Dublin side would rank against the other teams in the country? On any given day, anything can happen in a Gaelic football match. The Dublin team are the best on paper but they are not without their flaws. They are beatable and certainly …

Waterford’s bid for a first All-Ireland u21 title since 1992 is now of more significance than ever. Here’s why. After two thrilling games between the Déise and Kilkenny in the senior championship, Derek McGrath’s young side were eventually knocked out of this year’s championship. Having given two remarkable performances, this year was labelled as significant progress for the Déise. However, McGrath …

With only one game remaining in this year’s hurling championship, we select our hurling All-Star team based on what we have seen so far, bearing in mind the fact that the All-Ireland final has a huge impact on the selction. The players who are most unlucky to miss out are Daithi Burke of Galway and Ronan Maher and Michael Breen of …

The All-Ireland final is usually the deciding game in terms of who wins Hurler Of The Year but after this weekend’s superb action, we can’t help but think about the five potential candidates for the award. 1. Richie Hogan (Kilkenny) 2014 Hurler Of The Year Richie Hogan is the bookies favourite to claim the coveted accolade once again this year. …

Tipperary showed a side we haven’t seen too many times before from them. Although, they weren’t at their best, they battled hard and dug out the win against Galway at Croke Park yesterday. Tipperary were nowhere near their best yesterday at Croke Park and were in many ways, very lucky to come out of Croke Park with a win. The …

After being treated to two exciting and high-quality games of hurling, we take a look at who exactly were the top five performers of the weekend. On Saturday evening, Kilkenny edged out Waterford in Thurles after a thrilling contest. Yesterday, it was the turn of Galway and Tipperary and the Premier county exacted revenge for their last four defeat at …

There is no question about it, Galway and Tipperary have the potential to deliver. However, question marks remain for both sides and an All-Ireland title would do wonders for either side. The Premier face the Tribesmen today in what is a repeat of last year’s semi-final at the same stage. For both sides, this is a huge game. Serious question …

The hurling championship had been widely criticised this summer until last Sunday’s drawn clash between Kilkenny and Waterford.  The replay yesterday was just as good and who knows what today’s clash with Galway and Tipperary have in store. This summer’s hurling had been hugely disappointing, with the Munster championship in particular coming under massive scrutiny. Contests were marred by a …

Galway’s match-ups were critical to beating Clare and Micheál Donoghue’s match-ups will need to be as good today against Tipperary. Here, we outline the key battles for today’s second semi-final clash. Daithi Burke v Seamus Callanan Burke was crucial to Galway’s success over Clare in the All-Ireland quarter-final three weeks ago. The Turloughmore man turned in a man-of-the-match display against …

Austin Gleeson’s name is constantly in the media but his name is there for a reason. He is hurling’s new superstar. It is hard to believe that the Mount Sion man is only 21 years of age. Remarkably, this is his third championship campaign for the Déise after making his championship debut against Cork in the 2014 drawn Munster quarter-final. …

Waterford’s performance last Sunday reminded many of the Déise’s team that reached the 2008 All-Ireland final. We have decided to compare two great Waterford sides. Waterford’s young crop of players came of age last Sunday against Kilkenny. Although, they haven’t managed to qualify for the All-Ireland final just yet, they showed remarkable talent in their draw with Kilkenny. The Déise’s …

On Sunday, the GAA confirmed that Semple Stadium in Thurles would host next Saturday’s All-Ireland hurling semi-final replay between Waterford and Kilkenny. Is this the right venue for the eagerly awaited clash? Due to Conor Fogarty’s late equalising point, Kilkenny and Waterford are forced to do it all over again this weekend. In the immediate aftermath of last Sunday’s epic …