Kilkenny GAA Thread

Ah no going to killarney for a couple of days that weekend are the old tickets refundable?

Yes that is a fair point there is a core of clubs around the mid to south east, Glenmore, Tullogher, Thomastown, Rower, Mullinavat, Shamrocks and Carrickshock. After that the south are producing nothing to Kilkenny

Went to supervalu today they said no refunds ah well

Excellent post randd1. Kilkenny should have a combined schools team competing in the A championship for schools not playing A hurling. Other counties are doing it, Offaly, Laois, Wexford, Westmeath and Dublin. These combined schools teams are run and coached by the paid county board coaches in these counties. They can win Leinster but not go into the all Ireland series like Offaly did recently. Students can then also play with their own schools team at the lower grade. Would mean that every student in Kilkenny gets a chance to play schools A hurling. Instead we have students going past their local schools into the 2 big city schools such as the big numbers from Callan going into town but not getting any schools hurling as they dint make the teams. Nothing against the likes of Kierans but they had 6th year past county minors on the bench against cbs who didn't see any game time in that match. Not really a good sign. This is something I would have thought Michael Fennelly would have done by this stage.

One club that impresses me in regards to producing County hurlers are Glenmore. They are a small parish and a lot smaller than Ballyhale/Knocktopher and Thomastown.

All of their players do go to Good Counsel in Wexford so they get exposed to A level post primary hurling but the Murphys, Ger Alyward and now Billy Reid, the Vereker brothers, Jack Dollard, Jason Cody and Cathal Beirne are all seriously good hurlers.

My mistake, I had presumed with their close proximity to New Ross they would have went to Good Counsel.

Agreed re Tullaroan and Glenmore. We've talked about South Kilkenny, but out of the clubs in the north and central, what other clubs are exceeding expectations and what clubs do you think are below expectations in senior?

Obvious ones that are below expectations would be some of the bigger towns like Callan, Graignamanagh, even Comer who have a big pick but haven't had a regular starter since Fogarty. Of the ones that are exceeding, Tullaroan are the obvious ones but other northern country clubs have been struggling the last few years. I'm not including Bennettsbridge here as with the size of it I think they're actually producing the right amount of players in the last 10 years.

Thoughts? This isn't to criticise clubs it's just an open discussion. I also don't want this to turn into Dicksboro bashing, it's been mentioned plenty of times

If only Good Counsel had Kieran`s recruitment enthusiasm.

Correct but the best hurler in Good Counsel is actually a 16 year old called Sean O'Brien from Cushinstown in Wexford.

He is incredible.

He is a grandson of sixties Wexford star Jimmy O’Brien, while his father, Larry, is a former under-age defender with Kilkenny.

Still no Mullen....

CORK (Allianz HL v Kilkenny): Patrick Collins (Ballinhassig); Niall O'Leary (Castlelyons), Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers), Ger Millerick (Fr O'Neills); Ciarán Joyce (Castlemartyr), Robert Downey (Glen Rovers), Micheál Mullins (Glen Rovers); Darragh Fitzgibbon (Charleville), Tim O'Mahony (Newtownshandrum); Declan Dalton (Fr O'Neills), Shane Barrett (Blarney), Diarmuid Healy (Lisgoold); Brian Hayes (St Finbarr's), Robbie O’Flynn (Erin's Own), Patrick Horgan (Glen Rovers).

Not going to happen for Kierans today. Athenry well on top. The two Kilkenny schools bet by the two Galway schools. Bad omen for the minor championship

Hard luck to Kierans and CBS, both teams just too young to go all the way, Kierans didnt have a single forward from last year and it showed against a very strong Athenry team.

When I saw Jake Mullen was out, I feared the worst, but even still they were unlucky with two of the Athenry goals being very fortunate.

Athenry have been producing strong teams for over a decade and with Niland now back, will surely break their duck in final, and good luck to them too.

Wouldnt read a lot into either semi as regards current KK underage strength, both teams will be very strong contenders next year.

I know I'm biased but the Tg4 commentators don't half cream themselves over anything positive that Cork do.

Ball into the forwards hasn't been the best so far.

Blanchfield could go handy on the pot shots