Tag Archives: bubbles o’dwyer

It’s been a difficult 18 months or so for Kilkenny hurling. In September 2016, the Cats were hot on the heels of yet another three-in-a-row in the final against Tipperary. As we all know, the Premier came out on top that day, and the Cats have slipped down the pecking order ever since. Fresh from their third consecutive loss to …

Allianz are entering their 26th year as title sponsor of the National Hurling and Football Leagues. With the condensed format in 2018, it promises to be a more competitive campaign than ever before. Here, we take a look at some of the greatest games we’ve witnessed in the Leagues down through the years. Football Kerry 0-20 Dublin 1-16 (2017) The …

Waterford’s win over Wexford was an exciting game, but skill level wasn’t what you would expect from an All-Ireland quarter-final. We all knew going into it that it was going to be a battle of the sweepers, and that it wasn’t going to be the most aesthetically pleasing spectacle. What it came down to was Waterford being on the road …

With just five games to go in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, we take a look at the latest pecking order as the race for the Liam MacCarthy Cup turns for home. 1. Galway (no change) The Tribesmen continued to impress in the Leinster final, as they upped it a gear in the second half to blow Wexford away with …

With all teams up and running in the race for the Liam McCarthy Cup, we take a look at the latest pecking order in hurling. 1. Galway (no change) The Tribesmen are All-Ireland favourites, and justifiably so after the demolitions of Dublin and Offaly. The men in maroon have a physicality which is telling, while clutch players such as Daithí Burke, David …

The 2017 National Hurling League is consigned to history, as the Championship kicked off with two games in the Leinster preliminary rounds. We take a look at the pecking order as the big guns now fully turn their focus to the summer. 1. Galway (+1) We have new leaders, and rightly so. Everything clicked for the Tribesmen yesterday. They came …

Galway shook the hurling landscape to its core with a remarkable victory over Tipperary yesterday afternoon. The Tribesmen trumped Tipp in every facet at the Gaelic Grounds, and are now being fancied to end 29 years of hurt and win the Liam McCarthy Cup for the first time since 1988. With the League consigned to history, focus now turns to …

And then there were two. After yesterday’s semi-finals of varying excitement, Galway will take on Tipperary for the National Hurling League title. We take stock of what that means for the pecking order. 1. Tipperary (no change) Still the team to beat. The Premier found another gear against a Wexford team that brought the fight yesterday. A hallmark of the great …

Pundit Arena columnist Eoin Larkin looks back at the National Hurling League quarter-final between Waterford and Galway, and feels it was a game the Déise should have won, regardless of the weakened team Derek McGrath had out. The manner in which Waterford let that game slip in Salthill would be a worry. Derek clearly didn’t have any interest in winning the …

Well that was an interesting weekend… For any critics of the current National Hurling League structure, just notice how competitive all the games were this weekend, bar Offaly vs Tipperary. Sure, nothing is going to be perfect, but realistically this is the only mismatch you can be sure of. We take a look at the lay of the land after …

With the National Hurling League facing into a bumper Sunday of quarter-finals and a Division 1A relegation play-off, Pundit Arena columnist Eoin Larkin looks ahead to the action. _____ Cork moving in the right direction, but need to push on Of all the teams left in contention for the League title, I think Cork need it the most. The Rebels could …

With the quarter-final and relegation play-offs in the National Hurling League confirmed, we take a look at the latest pecking order as the small ball season gathers pace. 1. Tipperary (no change) Sure, they’ve failed to win a match since our last rankings were drawn up, but there are plenty of positives to take away for Michael Ryan. They were …

Pundit Arena columnist Eoin Larkin reviews the weekend’s hurling action. What a round of hurling that was, and the story of the weekend was arguably Cork. The Rebels have been steadily improving. Over the past number of weeks, I’ve spoken about consistency, or lack thereof from Cork, but they’ve now delivered two big results in a row. That’s a big …

Three rounds of the National Hurling League have passed, and we are beginning to get a clear picture of where the counties lie in the pecking order. Throughout the season, we will be updating the Pundit Arena Hurling Power Rankings as the top teams in the country battle it out. _____ 1. Tipperary The champs are still at the top …