Weekend hurling preview

By Conor Heneghan

The fixtures

Dublin v Clare Saturday 4pm (Live on RTE 2)

Offaly v Limerick Saturday 7pm

Cork v Waterford Sunday 4pm (Live on RTE 2)

The Previews

Cork v Waterford

Cork and Waterford renew hostilities in Thurles on Sunday in what has been one of the most eagerly contested rivalries in hurling in the last decade. They haven’t met in the championship since 2007, but before that they had clashed an amazing nine times in five years.

Plenty of the participants in those games will be in action again this weekend and although it’s been a while, the contempt bred from the familiarity of those meetings will no doubt be in evidence in the Munster final.

The Rebels go into the game as favourites; a position bestowed on them thanks to the powerful performance against Tipperary earlier in the year, but perhaps too much has been read into what happened at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on that day.

Tipperary were awful for a start and while Cork were excellent, they didn’t cover themselves in glory in the most recent performances both before, against Galway in the league final and since, against Limerick three weeks back.

Aisake ó hAilpín is likely to be the target of plenty of high deliveries once again on Sunday, but Waterford will be prepared for that so it is up to those around the big man to profit on the breaking ball, while the half back line will be looking to continue what has been a fine year for them so far.

Waterford weren’t firing on all cylinders against Clare and needed the bench to give them a serious dig out with Declan and Seamus Prendergast and Ken McGrath amongst those impressing on their introduction.

Denis Walsh has identified John Mullane as a threat and you feel that Waterford will need a few goals from Mullane and his colleagues if they are to win this one, although Davy Fitz won’t mind if Eoin Kelly can repeat his scoring heroics from the league fixture between the pair, when he notched up an impressive 1-17 in a draw in Waterford back in April.

Tom Kenny is fit to start for at midfield for Cork and he replaces Lorcán McLoughlin in the only change to the side that defeated Limerick last time out.

Read what JOE columnist Seán Óg ó hAilpín had to say ahead of the game here.

Teams:

Cork: D Óg Cusack; S O’Neill, E Cadogan, B Murphy; J Gardiner, R Curran, S Óg Ó hAilpín; T Kenny, C Naughton; B O’Connor, J O’Connor, N McCarthy; K Murphy, A Ó hAilpín, P Horgan.

Waterford: (to be announced)

Odds:

Cork 4/9, Waterford 2/1, Draw 10/1

JOE Prediction:

Cork to shade it by less than five points.

Dublin v Clare

Like his former Banner colleague Davy Fitzgerald, passionate Clare man Anthony Daly (below) will find it strange trying to plot a win against his native county for the first time. Like Davy Fitz did a few weeks back, however, Daly will have to put all sentiment to one side for this clash, even though it takes place in Croke Park, where Daly enjoyed so many memorable days during the height of Clare’s success in the 90s.

As for Dublin, Daly will probably admit to suffering slightly from second season syndrome. His side struggled badly in the league and were swept aside by Kilkenny already in the championship, although as we saw with Galway on Sunday, Kilkenny are capable of doing that to any team.

Another former colleague of Daly’s, Ger O’Loughlin, will be in the opposing dugout on Saturday and he has done a fine job so far after the calamitous season endured under Mike McNamara’s stewardship last season.

The man known as ‘Sparrow’ will have rued a missed opportunity to get into the top tier after losing the Division Two league final to Wexford but there was enough promise shown in the defeat to Waterford to suggest that there might be a bit of life in this team yet.

Anthony Daly has made a number of postional switches, but only two changes in personnel from the starting 15 that lost to Kilkenny. Peadar Carton and Declan O’Dwyer come into the side, with Liam Ryan and Simon Lambert losing out.

Teams:

Dublin: G Maguire; N Corcoran, T Brady, O Gough; S Hiney, J Boland, M O’Brien; J McCaffrey, S Durkan; P Kelly, L Rushe, A McCrabbe; P Carton, D O’Dwyer, D O’Callaghan.

Clare: (to be announced)

Odds:

Dublin 11/10, Clare 5/6, Draw 10/1

JOE Prediction: Sparrow to get one over his old mate Daly. Clare to pip the Dubs in a tight affair.

Offaly v Limerick

Even though they ended up on the losing side, the two clashes with Galway will have done wonders for the morale of Joe Dooley’s Offaly side, who showed that on their day, they are more than capable of mixing it with the big boys.

In the likes of Shane Dooley, whose performances have been rewarded with the June player of the month award, Joe Bergin and James Rigney, they have some talented performers and could well use this game as a springboard for an extended run in the championship

At the other end of the scale, the morale in the Limerick camp must be close to rock bottom and hopefully once they fall to an inevitable defeat on Saturday, the sorry situation in the county will be brought to an end once and for all.

That’s not to take away from the lads that have been playing out of their skins in the absence of some of the county’s more celebrated stars. They put in a highly admirable display against Cork, but at this level I’m afraid that they’re just not good enough.

Beleaguered Limerick boss Justin McCarthy has been forced into five changes from the side that lost to Cork. David Breen, Shaun O’Riordan and Andrew Brennan all miss out through injury, Paudie McNamara has gone to Australia and Seán Herlihy is suspended. Cian Hayes, Lorcan O’Dwyer, Daniel Moore, James O’Brien and Nicky Quaid will start in their place.

Teams:

Offaly: (to be announced)

Limerick: T Flynn; S O’Neill, C Hayes, K O’Rourke; L O’Dwyer, B O’Sullivan, P Browne; T O’Brien, D Moore; James O’Brien (Na Piarsaigh), James V O’Brien (Bruree), N Quaid; R McKeogh, A Owens, G Mulcahy.

Odds:

Offaly 1/20, Limerick 9/1, Draw 18/1

JOE Prediction: Offaly to cruise to victory.