The League semi-final line-up is pretty tasty while the battle to avoid the drop down to 1B in the hurling should be intense.
Kildare v Tyrone
Over the last decade Mickey Harte’s Tyrone have made a mockery of the notion that League success is vital to Championship glory. It was 2003 when they last reached a League final (they won it that year beating Laois) and despite all the Ulster and All Ireland success since, they have not been back.
This year they have been good but not great and they still won five out of seven, including a couple of tight ones. Harte has mixed up his panel all year and PJ Quinn and Dermot Carlin make their seasonal debut, emphasising the depth this Red Hand Panel has.
Kildare have never won the League and it is over 20 years since they even contested a final. Kieran McGeeney would surely love to land a trophy as Lilywhite boss and with his side bolstered by the rising stars of the county’s Under 21 team, and Seanie Johnston, this is probably the best Kildare panel Geezer has had.
The two teams met a few weeks ago in Newbridge and Tyrone won by six. In the open spaces of Croke Park we think the result may go the other way.
Dublin v Mayo
Another Croker clash between these two and their game in the League proper was a cracker, with Bernard Brogan putting on a real show, scoring 1-10. Mayo have improved since then and their gutsy win in Cork, inspired by some great kicking by Cillian O’Connor, turned them from relegation certs to semi-finalists.
James Horan will be doubly glad that his side remain in the top flight and have another game to play but we find it hard to imagine that they can get past the big blue machine that is Jim Gavin’s side.
Despite some faltering form near the end of the campaign, Dublin were the top scorers in Division 1 (129 points) and the best defence bar Donegal’s (88 points conceded to Donegal’s 87). They have a wealth of options in attack, including new boy Paul Mannion, and even with a defensive re-jig we can’t see Mayo stopping them.
An all-Leinster final between Kildare and Dublin looks most likely to us.
Clare v Cork, relegation play-off
Arguably the most important game of hurling to be played so far this year. Dropping out of hurling’s top six is a hammer blow to teams and after working so hard to get there, Clare will not want to give that up.
Of course, the structure of the League is a joke and an eight, or even 10 team, top flight is what should be in place. It isn’t, sadly, so we are faced with one of Cork or Clare slipping down the pecking order for a year.
Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s side really put it up to Kilkenny the last day and they battled on until the end impressively. That they played so well without Shane O’Neill, Tom Kenny and William Egan – all back in red for this one – has to be a worry for Davy Fitz.
So too is the form of Clare in recent weeks now. Two defeats on the bounce, including a shellacking at the hands of Tipp the last day, don’t augur well, though they did beat Cork in the League when they played in March.
It is a cliché to say this will be played with Championship intensity but it will be, as the stakes are sky for the losers. It looks like Cork have the stronger hand to play here and that should do the trick, banishing the Banner to life in 1B once again.
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