AI Senior Hurling- Liam McCarthy Cup 2018

PTH2009 · 08-04-2018 4:08pm #1

So it's almost that time of year and new calender and new look hurling championship. Could be one of the most competitive championships in years

Fixtures

Leinster
Round 1
Sat 12 May- Offaly vs Galway
Sun 13 May- Dublin vs Kilkenny

Round 2
Sun 20 May- Kilkenny vs Offaly, Wexford vs Dublin

Round 3
Sat 26 May- Offaly vs Wexford
Sun 27 May- Galway vs Kilkenny

Round 4
Sat 2 June- Wexford vs Galway
Sun 3 June- Dublin vs Offaly

Round 5
Sat 9 June- Kilkenny vs Wexford, Galway vs Dublin

Final- Sun 1st July (1st vs 2nd)

Munster
Round 1
Sun 20 May- Cork vs Clare, Limerick vs Tipperary

Round 2
Sun 27 May- Clare vs Waterford, Tipperary vs Cork

Round 3
Sat 2 June- Cork vs Limerick
Sun 3 June- Waterford vs Tipperary (Gaelic Grounds Limerick)

Round 4
Sun 10 June- Limerick vs Waterford, Tipperary vs Clare

Round 5
Sun 17 June- Waterford vs Cork (Thurles), Clare vs Limerick

Final- Sun 1st July (1st vs 2nd)

3rd in each group progresses to All Ireland Prem round. 4th/5th eliminated from championship

All Ireland Prem Round- Sat 7th July
3rd Munster/Leinster vs Mcdonagh cup finalist
3rd Munster/Leinster vs Mcdonagh cup finalist

All Ireland Quarter Finals- Sun 15th July
Munster runner up vs Prem round winner
Leinster runner up vs Prem round winner

All Ireland Semi finals- Sat 28th/29th July
Leinster champions vs QF winner
Munster champions vs QF winner

All Ireland Final- Sun 19th Aug

Relagation
If a Leinster teams wins the Mcdonagh cup than they will replace the 5th place team in the Leinster championship for 2019 (5th place Leinster team will play in the 2019 Mcdonagh cup)

If Kerry win the Mcdonagh cup they will play the 5th place Munster team in a playoff with the winner playing in the Munster championship in 2019

barneystinson · 08-04-2018 4:10pm

Someone's not bothered their hole watching the League final anyway...

C__MC · 08-04-2018 5:04pm

Kilkenny after winning the league and a few to come back

Tipp were tame and left a lot to be desired

So much for the demise of the cats?

jr86 · 08-04-2018 5:16pm

Cats are a long way from finished. They were brutal in 2013 yet bounced back to win the next 2.

Genuinely cannot call this. I'm expecting a come down of sorts for Galway but the new format gives them a lot of opportunity to play themselves into form

Will tipp improve this year? Despite being a step below their 2016 form they still only lost to galway by an absolute wonder-score

Id be surprised (but not totally shocked) if the winner came outside galway, tipp and kk

OldMrBrennan83 · 08-04-2018 5:40pm

This post has been deleted.

PTH2009 · 08-04-2018 6:05pm

barneystinson wrote: »

Someone's not bothered their hole watching the League final anyway...

Had it on in the background

Congrats Kilkenny now the real stuff starts

PTH2009 · 08-04-2018 6:08pm

Patww79 wrote: »

Love this new format (apart from the Munster relegation bull****), haven't been looking forward to a championship as much in years.

Are all those group games at home or neutral venues? I presume the way they've specifically called out Waterford's that it'll be first team at home.

Yeah all the prov games except for the final are home venues for the first team (except for Waterford as Walsh Park is **** and can't hold championship games)

The All Ireland prem round is a home venue for the Mcdonagh cup teams

PTH2009 · 29-04-2018 4:33pm

only 2 weeks to go til the start of the championship

really hard to call a winner this year

Munster- Tipp, Limerick and Cork
Leinster- Kilkenny, Wexford and Galway

Munster champs- Limerick
Leinster champs- Wexford

All Ire semis
Limerick vs Galway
Wexford vs Tipperary

All Ireland final- Galway vs Tipp- Tipp to win

knowing me predictions will change week to week

:D

tipp_tipp_tipp · 29-04-2018 4:58pm

Long time reader, first time poster.

Very excited about the new format, looking forward to seeing how it works in Munster in particular. Just a shame Dublin and Offaly are unlikely to be competitive in Leinster (or am I underestimating them??).

My predictions;

Munster- Tipp, Limerick and Cork
Leinster- Kilkenny, Wexford and Galway

Munster champs- Cork
Leinster champs- Kilkenny

All Ire semis
Cork vs Galway
Kilkenny vs Tipperary

All Ireland final- Cork vs Tipp - Tipp to win the replay

Road-Hog · 29-04-2018 11:01pm

jr86 wrote: »

Cats are a long way from finished. They were brutal in 2013 yet bounced back to win the next 2.

Genuinely cannot call this. I'm expecting a come down of sorts for Galway but the new format gives them a lot of opportunity to play themselves into form

Will tipp improve this year? Despite being a step below their 2016 form they still only lost to galway by an absolute wonder-score

Id be surprised (but not totally shocked) if the winner came outside galway, tipp and kk

Are people forgetting the KK v Offaly game......

https://www.google.ie/amp/www.the42.ie/offaly-kilkenny-division-1-quarter-final-3912839-Mar2018/%3famp=1

There is no way in hell a KK outfit even its second strength team should be struggling v the biffos...?

It will be an interesting year but I’m going to stick my neck out and say KK will not be in the running....!

jr86 · 30-04-2018 8:45am

Right and lets conveniently forget the two games that followed that :rolleyes:

Road-Hog · 30-04-2018 9:11am

jr86 wrote: »

Right and lets conveniently forget the two games that followed that :rolleyes:

So you Put it down to Cody genius....?

Could it be more to do with poor mental prep by Wexford and Tipp in semi and final. Cody is rebuilding so would have his lads ‘primed’ to go for the jugular whereas v Offaly he let them out of dressing room believing that Offaly wud be a cake walk and they subsequently proved otherwise

Gardner · 30-04-2018 11:07am

Munster- Tipp, Limerick and Waterford
Leinster- Kilkenny, Wexford and Galway

Munster champs- Waterford
Leinster champs- Galway

All Ire semis
Waterford vs Kilkenny
Galway vs Tipperary

All Ireland final- Waterford vs Galway- Waterford to win

Donnielighto · 30-04-2018 11:11am

Think the hurling is really blown up the last while every second championship winning seems to be feted as one of the best ever, just think its the opposite, low ebb in comparison to the quality of the earlier cats teams. Pack is the same as ever.

nice_guy80 · 01-05-2018 7:46am

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/john-fogarty/little-fair-in-100-day-inter-county-hurling-war-470093.html

I have to laugh a bit at this article

Creating an avenue from the Joe McDonagh to the Liam MacCarthy Cup was a motion backed at October’s Special Congress and it was one that had hurling development in mind, but giving the second tier counties an arbitrary jump over those among the top 10 counties can only be deemed a crutch.

moaning from a journalist in a top tier county

jr86 · 01-05-2018 8:52am

Donnielighto wrote: »

Think the hurling is really blown up the last while every second championship winning seems to be feted as one of the best ever, just think its the opposite, low ebb in comparison to the quality of the earlier cats teams. Pack is the same as ever.

Ah now, that Kilkenny team was a once in a lifetime team, a clear exception.

Galway for their part were very good winners last year I thought. They had a very strong starting 15, with top quality forwards in particular. They'd even give that Kilkenny side a decade ago a decent game

Cork really lit up the Munster Championship, Waterford improved as the year went on, and it was great to see a re-emergence by Wexford

Tipp had an "off year" but only lost out to Galway by a Joe Canning wonder-score.

I think hurling is in a great place at the minute. It looks already pretty certain Limerick and Kilkenny will improve this championship season, aswell.

danganabu · 01-05-2018 10:56am

nice_guy80 wrote: »

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/john-fogarty/little-fair-in-100-day-inter-county-hurling-war-470093.html

I have to laugh a bit at this article

moaning from a journalist in a top tier county

He has a point to be fair, its not as farcical as the league structure but it is fundamentally wrong when you are actually better off in the secondary competition.

nice_guy80 · 01-05-2018 11:50am

danganabu wrote: »

He has a point to be fair, its not as farcical as the league structure but it is fundamentally wrong when you are actually better off in the secondary competition.

in that case every county will want to be relegated

danganabu · 01-05-2018 12:01pm

nice_guy80 wrote: »

in that case every county will want to be relegated

That thought did cross my mind, you would be better off, with an eye on the following year, finishing 5th as opposed to 4th in the provincial championship. It affords you an easier path to the AI series the following year.

No fan of Fogarty as a journalist but I think he is right on this one.

[Deleted User] · 01-05-2018 1:06pm

danganabu wrote: »

He has a point to be fair, its not as farcical as the league structure but it is fundamentally wrong when you are actually better off in the secondary competition.

I never really put much thought into this yesterday but I think it acts as a fail safe for the contenders.

Envision a case where any bar Offaly end up finishing bottom.

They're not even allowed a play off to prevent relegation and have to ply away in that comp next summer.

At least the quarter allows some sort of a summer for the Leinster teams should the unspeakable happen.

For Offaly they can't really complain about being in there at present but I can't stomach thinking Galway could end up expelled for a summer.
Munster have less to worry about with a play off(only coming in at a 1:6 or so chance in practical terms)

Donnielighto · 02-05-2018 6:14pm

jr86 wrote: »

Ah now, that Kilkenny team was a once in a lifetime team, a clear exception.

Galway for their part were very good winners last year I thought. They had a very strong starting 15, with top quality forwards in particular. They'd even give that Kilkenny side a decade ago a decent game

Cork really lit up the Munster Championship, Waterford improved as the year went on, and it was great to see a re-emergence by Wexford

Tipp had an "off year" but only lost out to Galway by a Joe Canning wonder-score.

I think hurling is in a great place at the minute. It looks already pretty certain Limerick and Kilkenny will improve this championship season, aswell.

That's what I mean though, there are relatively few teams and no one clear of the pack yet everyone is praised.

sm3ar · 02-05-2018 11:47pm

Donnielighto wrote: »

That's what I mean though, there are relatively few teams and no one clear of the pack yet everyone is praised.

Are the Munster and Leinster groups going to be decided on points difference or head to head when teams end up on same points?

Boom__Boom · 03-05-2018 5:39pm

sm3ar wrote: »

Are the Munster and Leinster groups going to be decided on points difference or head to head when teams end up on same points?

Standard rule in the GAA for leagues/groups/round-robin is if 2 teams are on the same points then it's head-to-head, and if it's 3 or more then points difference comes in to play.

Bonniedog · 03-05-2018 8:28pm

Dublin are the other team along with Offaly most likely to be relegated. I'd favour us almost solely on basis of the crucial game being in Parnell.

It will be severe loss of face for either, assuming a Leinster team wins McDonagh, but new structure still looks attractive. Perhaps fairest would be a play off between McDonagh winner and bottom team on Leinster.

Whatever about Dublin and Offaly, there is probably zero chance of any of the Leinster McDonagh teams getting other than monumental hammerings in Leinster next year.

danganabu · 03-05-2018 8:40pm

Bonniedog wrote: »

Whatever about Dublin and Offaly, there is probably zero chance of any of the Leinster McDonagh teams getting other than monumental hammerings in Leinster next year.

Not sure what either of Dublin or Offaly have done to be rated that far ahead of Laois for example. Indeed Westmeath who are probably 4th or 5th in the pecking order in the McDonagh Cup more than held their own last year.

Bonniedog · 03-05-2018 8:49pm

danganabu wrote: »

Not sure what either of Dublin or Offaly have done to be rated that far ahead of Laois for example. Indeed Westmeath who are probably 4th or 5th in the pecking order in the McDonagh Cup more than held their own last year.

So why are you opposed to the format then!

I think the winners of McDonagh should get chance but that possibly a play off be fairest.

If Dublin do go down we can have no complaints.

It will certainly add a bit of spice to the Dublin/Offaly game in June which is likely to be the one that decides who is for the drop.

danganabu · 03-05-2018 8:56pm

Bonniedog wrote: »

So why are you opposed to the format then!

Amm the team that effectively finishes 11th ends up in a better place that the teams that finished 7th to 10th. Anyone that can defend that is either having a laugh or has a vested interest.

And Its not even that anomaly that is the reason for my opposition for this abomination of a championship that will destroy club hurling but sure the football dominated counties all thought it was a great idea so we are stuck with it for at least three years.

Bonniedog · 03-05-2018 9:03pm

Clubs can hardly blame the new structure given that other than yourselves, Limerick, Dublin, Cork and Galway I don't think no one else bothered their ar£e playing SHC in April.

Do you not think Munster will be an exciting competition? Leinster is always unbalanced anyway but should be a bit more interesting.

Short of separating second tier teams altogether this is probably the best shot at it. We won't know until the games are played but it seems to have attracted a lot of interest.

danganabu · 03-05-2018 9:16pm

Bonniedog wrote: »

Clubs can hardly blame the new structure given that other than yourselves, Limerick, Dublin, Cork and Galway I don't think no one else bothered their ar£e playing SHC in April.

Do you not think Munster will be an exciting competition? Leinster is always unbalanced anyway but should be a bit more interesting.

Short of separating second tier teams altogether this is probably the best shot at it. We won't know until the games are played but it seems to have attracted a lot of interest.

There were club games played in more that those few counties, and the idea that there would be no club games anywhere until August is criminal, 8 months of the calender year devoted to less that .1% of the playing pool, utter madness and will destroy the game as we know it. Where do people thnk these county players actually come from, the clubs are the bedrock of the association and are being treated with disdain, I guess we will see what the CPA are really made of now.

OldMrBrennan83 · 03-05-2018 9:37pm

This post has been deleted.

Bonniedog · 03-05-2018 9:44pm

There should certainly be senior league during championship and county players having decision on whether to play or not.

At end of day, however, inter county is flagship so no way really of avoiding gap in county senior championships until county is knocked out.

AI Senior Hurling- Liam McCarthy Cup 2018

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