All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2016

PTH2009

Leinster championship gets underway on the 1st May with the group stages (offaly vs Kerry & Carlow vs Westmeath). Grp stage concludes on May 22nd with the top 2 teams qualifying for the leinster quarter finals and bottom team being relegated to the Christy ring cup for 2017.

The leinster qfs kick off on May 21st with Dublin vs Wexford in Croke Park winner playing kilkenny on the 11th June in the sfs. The 2 other qfs take place on the 5th June with laois vs the grp runners up and Galway vs the grp winners (winners playing each other in the semis on the 19th June). Final takes place on Sunday 3rd July

The Munster championship gets under way on May 22nd with Tipperary vs Cork in thurles in the quarter final (winner playing Limerick in the semis on the 19th June). Waterford vs Clare in the semi finals takes place on the 5th June. Munster final to be played on the 10th July.

Same qualifier system as previous years with 2 rounds of games (round 1 sat 2 July and Round 2 Sat 9th July) with the 2 winners joining the losing Munster and Leinster finalists in the all Ireland quarter finals (sun 24th July in Thurles). Semi finals take place on the 7th Aug (Leinster winners) and the 14th Aug (Munster winners). Final 4th September.

R1- bowl 1- 3 Munster teams and 1 Leinster team (normally one of grp stage teams). Bowl 2 4 Leinster teams. Teams paired off with 1st team out getting home advantage (4 games). 4 winners progress to round 2.

R2- 4 round 1 winners paired off (if teams played already in the prov championship they will be kept apart). 2 winners progress to all Ireland quarter finals.

Very friendly Leinster draw for Galway (almost guaranteed an all Ireland qf place) with Dublin, Wexford and Kilkenny on the tougher side of the draw. Expecting Offaly and Westmeath to come through the grp stages. Can see it being a Galway vs Dublin final. Kilkenny will need qualifier games to get fitness up and Dublin will shock them in the semis.

Munster is too close to call with any team capable of winning it. Can see it being a Tipperary vs Clare Final.

Can see Kilkenny coming through the qualifiers and losing to Munster champions Clare in the semi finals. Leinster champions Dublin losing to Tipperary in the other semi final. Clare vs Tipperary all Ireland final with Clare winning

Realt Dearg Sec

Can someone keep a log of all your different predictions for the year this time, was hard to keep track of last year!

Faugheen

Do not assume Dublin has the beating of Wexford. The latter gave Waterford a real tough time of it in the quarter finals of the league just a couple of weeks ago.

Can't see either beating Kilkenny either.

decies

Is Waterford v Clare in June in Thurles??

KevIRL

decies wrote: »

Is Waterford v Clare in June in Thurles??

Yep

mountgomery burns

decies wrote: »

Is Waterford v Clare in June in Thurles??

Yes

Bonniedog

As a Dub I hope you are right, but as someone else said, beating Wexicans is not a foregone conclusion. On their day, Dublin can give anyone a game. However, I fear it will end with a hammering in quarter finals.

As for rest, I think Clare will win both Munster and All Ireland, with an All Munster final against Tipp or Waterford, depending on how the draws work out. I reckon Galway have missed their chance and will go out tamely, and that the Cats may win Leinster but go out in semi final.

PlayByTheRules

Really can't see Dubs beating KK in Leinster. Would be great for Champship though. Esp since game would be in Croker if it were to play out that way. Dubs don't have the players to stop the likes of Reid, Hogan & Fennellys.

Topcat32

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Can someone keep a log of all your different predictions for the year this time, was hard to keep track of last year!

Just had a look back at the early posts in last years threads. Kilkenny, Tipp and Clare were highly fancied but the most striking thing is that Galway were written off by a lot of posters and mostly were not backed to reach the semi finals.

redlead

Topcat32 wrote: »

Just had a look back at the early posts in last years threads. Kilkenny, Tipp and Clare were highly fancied but the most striking thing is that Galway were written off by a lot of posters and mostly were not backed to reach the semi finals.

Galway are poor enough most years. Every few years they go on a run but the norm would be for them to not go far.

Tipp, Clare, Waterford and Kilkenny all a very similar standard this year. I'd be very surprised if anyone else won it. I still fancy Kilkenny just about more because of the habit of winning than anything else.

letowski

I think we need to see Clare back up their performance in two weeks to be actual contenders. We were not that good vs Tipperear or Limerick, that was our first very good game in 2 years. We have alot of talent, but like 2014 we had a good league and then capitulated. Its all on potential right now, but at least there is a buzz about the camp compared to the constant unrest last year.

Kilkenny Waterford Tipp in that order for me at the moment.

JJs Left Hand

PlayByTheRules wrote: »

Really can't see Dubs beating KK in Leinster. Would be great for Champship though. Esp since game would be in Croker if it were to play out that way. Dubs don't have the players to stop the likes of Reid, Hogan & Fennellys.

Kilkenny/Dublin would be in Portlaoise if Dublin beat Wexford. If Wexford win then Kilkenny have to travel to Wexford Park.

PTH2009

Tipperary are the ones waiting in the shadows I think. They could of beat Clare in the league only for a few errors and with noel McGrath thankfully getting back to full health

Hurling needs a new champion and a repeat of 1995-2000 could be on the cards (replace Waterford with offaly lol)
From 2003-2015- out of the major hurling counties only Wexford (1996 LA), Offaly (2000 LA) and Dublin (1961 LA) have not made an all ireland final with only Tipp and Clare winning it outside of Kilkenny and Cork who won it a number of times. Galway were the close (2005 vs Cork, 2012 drawn game vs kilkenny, 2015 vs Kilkenny) to winning it while Limerick and Waterford were simply outclassed in there final attempts.

The time for change is now

Speak Now

PTH2009 wrote: »

Tipperary are the ones waiting in the shadows I think. They could of beat Clare in the league only for a few errors and with noel McGrath thankfully getting back to full health

Hurling needs a new champion and a repeat of 1995-2000 could be on the cards (replace Waterford with offaly lol)
From 2003-2015- out of the major hurling counties only Wexford (1996 LA), Offaly (2000 LA) and Dublin (1961 LA) have not made an all ireland final with only Tipp and Clare winning it outside of Kilkenny and Cork who won it a number of times. Galway were the close (2005 vs Cork, 2012 drawn game vs kilkenny, 2015 vs Kilkenny) to winning it while Limerick and Waterford were simply outclassed in there final attempts.

The time for change is now

The time for change is now alright, you consistently under rate Kilkenny and waterford in your predictions. Last year you had Galway, Tipp and Dublin tipped at various stages to win the All Ireland and to top it off you haven't tipped Waterford to win one game in this years league. I assume you're tipping Clare to win

PTH2009

Speak Now wrote: »

The time for change is now alright, you consistently under rate Kilkenny and waterford in your predictions. Last year you had Galway, Tipp and Dublin tipped at various stages to win the All Ireland and to top it off you haven't tipped Waterford to win one game in this years league. I assume you're tipping Clare to win

Have a feeling Waterford might win the league but Clare will win the championship game.

Waterford are the world's worst favourites and the winning the league cud push a lot of pressure on the lads going into championship but hopefully unlike the golden age Waterford (1998-2008) the players will live up too expectations.

What we don't want to see in Waterford next December is a headline in the local papers titled ' bad championship performance dampens brillent league form for the Deise'

letsseehere14

On 10 occasions in the last 20 years at least one of the two league finalists have reached the All Ireland Final. Not a bad return one might say until you see that it was Kilkenny (8 times) and Tipperary (2 times).
Limerick, Cork, Clare, Waterford, Galway and Dublin have all reached league finals in that time, with each county except Clare winning the league on at least one occasion. But the year they contested the league final, none of them ever reached the decider in September.
Do people think this trend will be bucked this year and at least one of Waterford and Clare make it to the final?
I for one would not hold my breath just yet, they appear to have come on from last year but with this just being the league, not knowing where exactly teams are just yet its hard to call. Kilkenny took a 5 point defeat at home to Dublin, a 12 point beating in Thurles to Tipperary and battled out a relegation playoff this time last year and still won the All Ireland. Waterford beat Tipperary by a single point in the league semi final last year and went on to lose by 5 to them in Munster and 6 to Kilkenny in the AI semi.
In a way it is unfortunate both were drawn together in Munster also as it will mean one will be in the Munster final and the other in the qualifiers and we still wont know where they lie in the grand championship scheme of things. In fact if the same team wins both the league and the Munster championship semi final we might find the loser to be discounted by the media completely.

letsseehere14

Boring reading I know, but reading above theres a sense that anyone of 4 can realistically win this year. I had a look at the pools forum for the AI series and of the 22 people who have made outright predictions it breaks down as this:

9 people said KK will win the AI, 4 said theyd lose the final and 21 said theyd win Leinster.
8 people said Clare will win the AI, 3 said theyd lose the final and 12 said theyd win Munster.
1 person said Waterford will win the AI, 10 said theyd lose the final and 7 said theyd win Munster.
3 people said Tipp will win the AI, 4 said theyd lose the final and 2 said theyd win Munster.
0 people said Cork will win the AI, 0 said theyd lose the final and 0 said theyd win Munster.
0 people said Limerick will win the AI, 1 said theyd lose the final and 1 said theyd win Munster.
0 people said Dub will win the AI, 0 said theyd lose the final and 0 said theyd win Leinster.
1 people said Galway will win the AI, 0 said theyd lose the final and 1 said theyd win Leinster.

Small sample size of 22 but it appears people think Kilkenny are certs for Leinster (only 1 backed Galway). People have jumped on Clare after the Kilkenny game (I wouldnt judge a team on 1 game like that, Sunday and the Munster semi will tell a lot more) plus theyve hardly won a match in Munster since the turn of the millennium. People see Waterford reaching the final but not winning it, are they already being discounted? Luke warm to cold views on Tipperary (but more see them winning the AI than Waterford) and practically freezing for Cork, Limerick, Dublin and Galway, are Galway seen as having dropped back that much?

Just throwing it out there, would this be the view of the majority here too?

HanaleiJ5N

Westmeath 2-22 Offaly 1-11.

Wow...

PTH2009

HanaleiJ5N wrote: »

Westmeath 2-22 Offaly 1-11.

Wow...

Offaly hurling is in a bad bad state. Fairplay to Westmeath and Kerry.

Mal-Adjusted

HanaleiJ5N wrote: »

Westmeath 2-22 Offaly 1-11.

Wow...

Coming second in the qualifier group might suit Offaly, 2nd gets Laois while 1st gets Galway. That's still a hell of a beating though.

dubcat51

For me naturally I hope kilkenny win.3 in a row from a average team ☺would be great.uutside of ourselves I hope a non playing sweeper team wins.watching clare v waterford today is painful. I WOULD rather see tipp win than clare or waterford.look what happened in football when Tyrone won.every ulster team now plays defensive football.without the intervention of Barry kelly in 13 we could be going for 6 in a row.yet people on here reckon the best we can do is the qualifiers.

kilns

Hopefully dont get to see either Clare or Waterford in the latter stages of the championship, they are the Donegal and Tyrone of hurling

HanaleiJ5N

dubcat51 wrote: »

For me naturally I hope kilkenny win.3 in a row from a average team ☺would be great.uutside of ourselves I hope a non playing sweeper team wins.watching clare v waterford today is painful. I WOULD rather see tipp win than clare or waterford.look what happened in football when Tyrone won.every ulster team now plays defensive football.without the intervention of Barry kelly in 13 we could be going for 6 in a row.yet people on here reckon the best we can do is the qualifiers.

That's quite the imagination you have there...

Bonniedog

HanaleiJ5N wrote: »

Westmeath 2-22 Offaly 1-11.

Wow...

Jaysus :eek:


I been watching hurling now for over 40 years, and can't recall Westies ever beating Offaly in championship or league. Anyone know?

I did pause on the 5/2 last night, but can't seriously claim to have considered backing them.

It is definitely one of the Signs of the Apocalypse!


And another thing. No harm to Offaly, who I greatly admire, but if ever a hurling folk deserved a break some day it is the Westies. Been fked around a ridiculous amount times over CR and league and championship. It is wonder they even bother togging out. Fair play.

dubcat51

HanaleiJ5N wrote: »

That's quite the imagination you have there...

No.just stating the facts.we have won 4 from the last 5.and can anyone who enjoys hurling like what they saw today..7pts to 6 at half time . shocking

nice_guy80

1976 last time Westmeath beat Offaly in championship I think.

paddy no 11

Shocking game today, first 55mins was a terrible spactacle

redlead

dubcat51 wrote: »

No.just stating the facts.we have won 4 from the last 5.and can anyone who enjoys hurling like what they saw today..7pts to 6 at half time . shocking

I enjoyed it a lot more than either of the one sided semi finals and there was goals galore in those. Close games like that will always be exciting. Both teams hit a lot of wides which is the disappointing part but that should hopefully improve ahead of the championship. If you can only enjoy a certain type of hurling then you aren't really a hurling fan. There's always something interesting to take from any game. Both those teams will be seriously hard beat come the championship.

Bonniedog

People can get a bit precious about hurling. It was good hard game with interesting tactics. Wind was huge factor as well, but very enjoyable to watch I have to say.

mountgomery burns

Thought it was fairly cat lads to be honest but don't think that's a reflection of the how good both teams are.

Davys Fits

The hurling got better when the teams got mentally tired and structure/systems broke down.

Bonniedog

Davys Fits wrote: »

The hurling got better when the teams got mentally tired and structure/systems broke down.

True maybe. But do you not think the tactics are interesting?

I played on sh1te junior team here in Dublin and we only got to a final because we fkn had nearly the whole team in front of them when they had the ball!

All of this stuff takes some fitness and discipline and balls. Waterford are thinking they are not going to be another love to watch team that gets their arse handed to them on a plate by the Cats. Clare were never sentimentalists. Bring it on I say!

Davys Fits

Yes I was at the game and really enjoyed it from about the 50th minute onward. There was an incredible amount of wide balls that on another day would have gone over and that did not help the spectacle. But the short puckuts from both keepers beggared belief sometimes. I just cant see he tactical sense in hitting a ball 20 feet to a defender who then either looses the ball or drives it another 30 yards into a bunch of players from both sides when the keeper could have done that himself.
What is intriguing though is I have no idea who will win the replay?

Bonniedog

I do confess to being flummoxed by the short game. Cunningham has the Dubs at that. Crazy stuff sometimes. Rushie won MOM against Galway solely on basis of winning own puckouts!

Whatever about football, as you say, it makes no fkn sense in hurling now. That went out with the Indians and Cork 2003. Damage limitation at very best.

Offaly Exile

For my sins I was in Mullingar today.

Awful result for Offaly but it unfortunately confirms our slide over the last decade or so.

Westmeath were fully deserving of their win.

Offaly last lost to Westmeath in 1976 championship, 1.14 to 1.11

We lost to Laois last year for the first time since 1972.

We are paying a huge price for neglecting our under age structures and and for that our county board must take full responsibility.

We sunk huge money into O'Connor Park in Tullamore and now we are looking at playing in the Christy Ring if we don't beat Carlow next Saturday

Bonniedog

It is pity to see Offaly so bad. The pitch thing was crazy. Regan is right about all that bollix. A proud county like Offaly not being able to get a training pitch in the county and CB building a new stand.

nice_guy80

Why all this league talk in championship thread?

Topcat32

redlead wrote: »

I enjoyed it a lot more than either of the one sided semi finals and there was goals galore in those. Close games like that will always be exciting. Both teams hit a lot of wides which is the disappointing part but that should hopefully improve ahead of the championship. If you can only enjoy a certain type of hurling then you aren't really a hurling fan. There's always something interesting to take from any game. Both those teams will be seriously hard beat come the championship.

Ok match, just what happens when two ordinary teams get to a final

Vanolder

I never thought I'd ever utter these words, but give us a KK and Tipp final this year please... What was served up yesterday is everything that is wrong with modern day hurling, over complicated and over thought...Waterford are a dose...they are anti-Hurling and horrible to watch... They may get to a quarter/semi playing like that but they won't win an AI with two forwards in their opponents half and 13 men camped in their own.

mountgomery burns

Vanolder wrote: »

I never thought I'd ever utter these words, but give us a KK and Tipp final this year please... What was served up yesterday is everything that is wrong with modern day hurling, over complicated and over thought...Waterford are a dose...they are anti-Hurling and horrible to watch... They may get to a quarter/semi playing like that but they won't win an AI with two forwards in their opponents half and 13 men camped in their own.

So two forwards apparently scored 3-23 against ye the last day?

Bonniedog

mountgomery burns wrote: »

So two forwards apparently scored 3-23 against ye the last day?

Rightwing

Vanolder wrote: »

I never thought I'd ever utter these words, but give us a KK and Tipp final this year please... What was served up yesterday is everything that is wrong with modern day hurling, over complicated and over thought...Waterford are a dose...they are anti-Hurling and horrible to watch... They may get to a quarter/semi playing like that but they won't win an AI with two forwards in their opponents half and 13 men camped in their own.

Indeed. I said that in the Limk thread a while back. If you can't beat Waterford you are going nowhere. That said they will test any county, but they will win nought.

This year is very open, probably the most open ever. I wouldn't even rule out a charge from Cork.

Bonniedog

Rightwing wrote: »

Indeed. I said that in the Limk thread a while back. If you can't beat Waterford you are going nowhere. That said they will test any county, but they will win nought.

This year is very open, probably the most open ever. I wouldn't even rule out a charge from Cork.

If you can't beat any team, that is on you!

Same sort of purist bollix was talked about Tyrone and Donegal having the audacity to bate the mighty Kingdom and the Dubs (and I'm a Dub) in the other game.


It is all within the rules, and teams have been playing differnet brands of hurling since god was a boy. Anyone who thinks that hurling in the 50s was some nobel Marquis of queensberry gentleman's pursuit should study the facesand hands of any of the survivors

Rightwing

Bonniedog wrote: »

If you can't beat any team, that is on you!

Same sort of purist bollix was talked about Tyrone and Donegal having the audacity to bate the mighty Kingdom and the Dubs (and I'm a Dub) in the other game.


It is all within the rules, and teams have been playing differnet brands of hurling since god was a boy. Anyone who thinks that hurling in the 50s was some nobel Marquis of queensberry gentleman's pursuit should study the facesand hands of any of the survivors

Rubbish. Tyrone were a great team, they won maybe 3 AIs. Come back to me when Waterford have won 1.

They have the hurlers, but their system is hit and miss. 1 day they look great, the next day a bag of wides.

Bonniedog

Rightwing wrote: »

Rubbish. Tyrone were a great team, they won maybe 3 AIs. Come back to me when Waterford have won 1.

They have the hurlers, but their system is hit and miss. 1 day they look great, the next day a bag of wides.

I have no dog in the fight!

Tyrone were a great team and Donegal scored 2 - 17 or something when they beat Dublin two years ago.

I was being devil's advocate.

As for Waterford, yes they were great to watch ten years ago but probably the way they are thinking is that they ended up with nothing really. A league and two Munsters (?) and a total humiliation by the stripey fellas.

If they think they can do it a different way, then once it is within the rules and they are not acting the bollix diving and whatever, good luck to them. Not that long ago since people were describing the Cats as the "Tyrone of hurling".... some people I stress

Rightwing

Bonniedog wrote: »

I have no dog in the fight!

Tyrone were a great team and Donegal scored 2 - 17 or something when they beat Dublin two years ago.

I was being devil's advocate.

As for Waterford, yes they were great to watch ten years ago but probably the way they are thinking is that they ended up with nothing really. A league and two Munsters (?) and a total humiliation by the stripey fellas.

If they think they can do it a different way, then once it is within the rules and they are not acting the bollix diving and whatever, good luck to them. Not that long ago since people were describing the Cats as the "Tyrone of hurling".... some people I stress

They were very unlucky back then not to win at least 1.

The cats were dirty, Tyrone probably were as well, but I don't really watch gaa football to say for sure.

I'd love to see waterford win 1, but on too many days they don't score enough, that's why I'd be inclined to think they won't win it out.

Bonniedog

I fancy Clare myself. I think they have better players and can play any sort of game, as indeed they've proven last two days out.

I do agree that some team will catch Waterford, but it will take a good team. He has made good job of them all the same, and they will get better with more of the younger fellas settling in. They are definitely missing a good goal scorer. That's for sure.

Rightwing

Bonniedog wrote: »

I fancy Clare myself. I think they have better players and can play any sort of game, as indeed they've proven last two days out.

I do agree that some team will catch Waterford, but it will take a good team. He has made good job of them all the same, and they will get better with more of the younger fellas settling in. They are definitely missing a good goal scorer. That's for sure.

No question about that. The way Clare demolished KK, they certainly are amongst the favourites. Tipp - Clare munster final.

Bonniedog

Rightwing wrote: »

No question about that. The way Clare demolished KK, they certainly are amongst the favourites. Tipp - Clare munster final.

That would be some game!

I can see an all Munster final as well; Clare v Tipp or Waterford.

Cats maybe going to the well once too often? Dangerous prediction I know! Galway look like they've run out of ideas, and our own fellas just not at the races, unfortunately.

Rightwing

Bonniedog wrote: »

That would be some game!

I can see an all Munster final as well; Clare v Tipp or Waterford.

Cats maybe going to the well once too often? Dangerous prediction I know! Galway look like they've run out of ideas, and our own fellas just not at the races, unfortunately.

KK are still favs, but as clare showed they are eminently beatable.

For an outside punt, I'd take cork at 16/1

Bonniedog

Rightwing wrote: »

KK are still favs, but as clare showed they are eminently beatable.

For an outside punt, I'd take cork at 16/1

Seriously! They were very bad against ourselves, and Just looking at them, can't see where they have the wherewithal to be beating any of the big beasts. No more than Dublin or Limerick. Can see all three going out with a right smack in the arse to be honest.