Hurling gets its long overdue day in the spotlight, plus we’re down to the last four in the Under 21 football championship.
Laying to rest the ghosts of 2012
For Tipperary and Dublin, 2012 was a year to forget. Tipp may have won another Munster title but the final year of the Declan Ryan era will be best remembered by the bizarre deployment of Lar Corbett on Tommy Walsh in that infamous All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kilkenny.
Dublin had an even worse time. Demotion to Division 1B was bad enough but after that Anthony Daly’s side, beset by injuries, bowed out of Leinster, and the Qualifiers, in double-quick time too.
Both teams have higher hopes for 2013 and the signs are that both will do better too. The League title may not mean much but a game against Galway or Kilkenny in the final would be a very handy sharpener of the senses before the Championship throws in.
The hectic League schedule means form lines are hard to either find or follow. Tipp topped the table and were the highest scorers (115 points) but also had the worst defence (105 points conceded). Dublin were second to Limerick in 1B before sealing promotion with a gutsy win over the Treaty at Semple a fortnight ago and that was mission accomplished.
With that in mind we reckon the Premier will take this one. O’Shea has the team looking much more like the unit that won Liam MacCarthy under Liam Sheedy and he will want to complete a solid League with a final appearance.
Oh it’s you again
Yet another game between Kilkenny and Galway but you won’t find us complaining. Their three Championship meetings in 2012 were compelling and their meeting in the League this year (won by Galway by a goal) wasn’t bad either.
But this time the scales appear to be tipped in the Tribesmen’s favour. Kilkenny are without Henry Shefflin, though that is standard for the League these past few seasons. But the real loss is the re-injury of midfielder Michael Fennelly and the absence of one Brian Cody from the sidelines as he recovers from a heart op.
As we have seen a lot in recent times, there is little enough between these teams these days, so we’ll plump for Galway to make it with their virtually injury-free squad.
Under 21 final four
The Under 21 Football Championship has been fantastic entertainment this season. From Ciaran Kilkenny’s return with Dublin, to Kildare’s Leinster win to Cavan’s annexing of Ulster again, it has really lit up the dark days of Spring 2013.
This weekend the two semi-finals will be played and the meeting of Cork and Cavan is a belter. Both have won their provincial title three-years-in-a-row. Neither has managed to convert that mini-era of dominance into an All-Ireland so both will be looking to go one step closer with their experienced squads.
The other game sees Kildare play Galway and with his panel studded with senior stars, Kieran McGeeney’s side look the strongest. Galway showed guts to get past Roscommon out west but this Kildare side are favourites for the All-Ireland for a reason.