Leinster Hurling Final 3rd July Croke Park Minors Game 2pm Senior Game 4pm

For those who have a passing interest

What are your views , score prediction ???

Senior game 4 pm TV3
Dublin, Kilkenny name teams for final



GAA: Brian Cody’s Kilkenny team shows one change in personnel while Anthony Daly’s Dublin side has two changes ahead of Sunday’s Leinster SHC final at Croke Park (throw-in 4pm).


The Cats line-up has just one change from the side that defeated Wexford in the semi-final. Tommy Walsh, who missed the Wexford game through injury, takes the number five jersey in place of Paddy Hogan.

The Dubs changes from the side that won against Galway in their semi-final sees Joey Boland and Simon Lambert both start.

Boland returns to centre back having recovered from the injury sustained in the league final win over Kilkenny. He replaces the injured Tomás Brady in defence with Peter Kelly filling the number three jersey.

Lambert, who came against Galway, replaces the unavailable Ryan O'Dwyer.

Kilkenny and Dublin have met three times this year with the latter winning the Walsh Cup and the National League final (0-22 to 1-07) and the League encounter between the sides finishing in a draw. Their last Leinster final meeting was in 2009.

Dublin (SH v Kilkenny): Gary Maguire, Niall Corcoran, Peter Kelly, Oisin Gough, John Mc Caffrey (Capt), Joseph Boland, Shane Durkin, Liam Rushe, Alan Mc Crabbe, Simon Lambert, Conal Keaney, Conor Mc Cormack, David O’Callaghan, Paul Ryan, Peadar Carton. Subs : Alan Nolan, Michael Carton, David Curtin, Cian McBride, Maurice O’Brien, Declan O’Dwyer, Daire Plunkett, Liam Ryan, Shane Ryan, Paul Schutte, Danny Sutcliffe

Kilkenny (SH v Dublin): David Herity, Noel Hickey, JJ Delaney, Jackie Tyrrell, Tommy Walsh, Brian Hogan, Paul Murphy, Michael Fennelly, Michael Rice, TJ Reid, Richie Power, Eoin Larkin, Colin Fennelly, Henry Shefflin, Richie Hogan. Subs : PJ Ryan, Michael Kavanagh, John Dalton, Paddy Hogan, James ‘cha’ Fitzpatrick, Eddie Brennan, Conor Fogarty, Kieran Joyce, Richie Doyle, John Mulhall, Mathew Ruth


DUBLIN MINORS for Sunday 2pm



Dublin minor hurling manager, Shay Boland, has kept faith with the same starting 15 from last weekend for this Sunday’s Leinster MHC final against Kilkenny at Croke Park (2.0).
The Dubs defeated Westmeath in their semi-final last Saturday in Parnell Park with a goal from sub Oisin O’Rorke helping to seal victory in the final minutes. Kilkenny were six-point victors over Wexford in their semi, Dublin had beaten the Slaneysiders in their opening game.

DUBLIN (MHC v Kilkennny): Cormac Ryan; Eric Lowndes, Cian O’Callaghan, Seán McClelland; Chris Crummey, Jamie Desmond, Matthew McCaffrey; Colm Cronin, Glenn Whelan; Emmet Ó Conghaile, Conor McHugh, Ciaran Kilkenny; Cormac Costello, Aodhán Clabby, Paul Winters.

Kilkenny won't be able to go home if they lose - Daly


By Frank Roche


Friday July 01 2011


DUBLIN hurling manager Anthony Daly has upped the ante for Sunday's Leinster SHC final at Croke Park, insisting Kilkenny are under "far more" pressure than his League champions.

Brian Cody is chasing a seventh straight Leinster title -- and 12th in 13 seasons -- whereas Dublin haven't lifted the Bob O'Keeffe Cup for exactly 50 years.

But Daly insists there is a "tremendous freedom" about Sunday's showdown for his players.

"The real pressure is on Kilkenny. We've beaten them in the Walsh Cup final, drew with them in the league and beaten them once more in the league final," the Sky Blue boss points out, writing exclusively for today's Evening Herald.

"They'll hardly be able to go home to Kilkenny if they lose to us again on Sunday," he mischievously adds.

There is growing speculation that Dublin could recall fit-again centre-back Joey Boland when their team is announced tonight, but Daly must plan without cruciate victim Tomás Brady, the suspended Ryan O'Dwyer and hamstrung David Treacy.

"We won't make excuses about it," Daly maintained. "We believe in our squad."

- Frank Roche

Boys in blue must raise green flag to see off Kilkenny


Thursday June 30 2011



That's the remarkable goal differential, stretching back over 14 years, which the counties take into Sunday's Leinster hurling final.

When Dublin corner-forward, Gerry Ennis smashed home just before half-time in the 1997 Leinster semi-final, nobody would have predicted that 14 years and six games later they would be waiting for their next championship goal against Kilkenny.

However, that's the remarkable sequence which Kilkenny will be seeking to extend on Sunday while Dublin will be hoping that their new, exciting strike force will end an incredibly dry spell.

They have failed to score a goal against Kilkenny in 7hrs 36mins of championship action since Ennis beat Adrian Ronan -- the former attacker was back in goal for his final championship season -- to help Dublin to a five-point lead at half-time in the 1997 semi-final.

Kilkenny stormed back in the second half to win by seven points (2-20 to 2-13) and have since reeled off six successive championship wins without goalkeepers Joe Dermody, James McGarry and PJ Ryan once having to pick the ball out of their net.

In contrast, Kilkenny scored 20 goals in those games which were a major contributory factor in a string of victories. The general background has changed dramatically for Dublin over the last few years but the goal drought against Kilkenny has continued.

Dublin lost heavily to Kilkenny in last year's Leinster semi-final but made a significant breakthrough last month when winning the league final by 12 points. However, once again, they failed to score a goal, winning by 0-22 to 1-7 and drew another goal blank in their most championship recent outing when beating Galway by 0-19 to 2-7. In between, Dublin scored two goals against Offaly with Paul Ryan (penalty) and Peadar Carton on target.

Goalscoring in the championship has been a problem for Dublin for quite some time. They drew blanks against Laois, Kilkenny and Antrim last year, scoring two goals against Clare. In 2009, they scored two against Antrim in the Leinster quarter-final but none against Wexford or Kilkenny before managing one against Limerick in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

However, their goal rate improved in this year's league where they scored 10 -- only Kilkenny and Galway got more -- in seven games before winning the final via the points route.

Despite their league final success, it's unlikely Dublin will beat Kilkenny on Sunday without scoring a goal. The last county to achieve that was Cork when they won the 2004 All-Ireland final on a 0-17 to 0-9 scoreline.

Martin Breheny

Irish Independent



Rushe hour: Young star epitomises confidence of Dublin's new breed



By Donnchadh Boyle


Friday July 01 2011



ONE OF Anthony Daly's first acts as Dublin manager was to single Liam Rushe out for special praise. It was New Year's Day in 2009 and Daly's first match in charge.

Rushe was in action and, as captain of the previous year's minor team, he had been touted for a senior role at some stage in the future. But Daly recognised his talent instantly and, in a freezing Portmarnock, acknowledged as much afterwards.

"Some of the young lads did very well," he said. "Liam Rushe was very impressive. He's still very young but he showed great potential there."

Perhaps it was the Clare blood in Rushe that Daly responded to -- his mother hails from Miltown Malbay -- or more likely it was the four points he managed that day as a gangly 18-year-old. Whatever it was, Daly saw something he liked and went to work.

future

Rushe started every league game that year and was marked out as a boy with a big future. But his recent performance against Galway on his 21st birthday signalled the boy had become a man.

An early injury to Tomas Brady meant Daly had to reshuffle his deck, with Rushe the emergency centre-back. He initially served his apprenticeship at full-forward and was offered more responsibility at midfield in the league this year, but Brady's withdrawal meant a shift to centre-back, where some feel he is destined to end up long-term.

"It was nearly an automatic move to make," Daly said.

With the likely return of Joey Boland, Rushe will revert to centre-field for Sunday's Leinster final against Kilkenny in Croke Park.

Rushe has some previous with the Cats. In the days after the Leinster final in 2009, he described some of their tackling as "pretty dangerous" and suggested they were getting more leeway from referees than other teams.

"If the referees are going to let them away with it, it means we might as well do it as bad and hopefully we'll be let away with it as well," said Rushe.

It's not just opponents he questions. Asked about the relative support of the county's hurling and football teams, he drew a stark comparison.

"It's not like the football. There's 20,000 of them there that never kicked a football in their lives," he said.

Those statements aren't born out of arrogance or bitterness but a confidence that comes from being part of a new breed of Dublin hurlers, reared on a diet of big days.

After their Leinster semi-final win over Wexford in 2009 he turned to Kevin Flynn and, perplexed, said it was "gas" that all these people were running on to the pitch after they had only won a semi-final.

It was Dublin's first appearance in a Leinster senior final since 1991 and a 34-year-old Flynn, who had had more bad days in a Dublin jersey than he would care to remember, could only smile.

Rushe's sunny disposition means he's in demand. Bord Gais Energy use him to promote their patronage of the U-21 hurling championship and the media regularly seek him out for his forthright views and the fact that he's an Irish speaker. UCD also recognised his talent and handed him a sports scholarship.

Kilkenny full-back Noel Hickey isn't one for grandstand statements and when he described Rushe as "a handful" after the '09 final, it meant something.

He's kicked on since, demanding more from himself and Dublin. Back in January he was asked about his ambitions for the coming year and, as is his style, he replied bluntly and removed the excuses: "For the players we have now it is time to step up and actually do something. The building period is nearly over."

Despite all the plaudits, he has kept his feet on the ground, backing up some big (and slightly naive) talk with bigger performances. And with Dublin suffering from injury and suspension, Rushe will have to assume yet more responsibility if they are to uphold their proud record against Kilkenny this season, which reads: played three, lost none.

The signs are he's ready to step up to that role. He played through the pain of a shoulder injury he picked up on a team training holiday in Portugal for the historic league final win. And even when Joe Canning came sniffing around his territory in the victory over Galway, he was a picture of calm.

Around Dublin they say that the likes of Rushe and Brady could make an impact on Pat Gilroy's squad. In his youth, Rushe was earmarked for football and had been with various county squads up until the age of 14.

Rushe remembers a breakdown in communication that meant his club didn't get the call for U-14 trials, but the hurlers came knocking a couple of weeks later and he obliged, even if he was "probably better at football".

Kilkenny will keep a close eye on him on Sunday but with his matching white boots and helmet, he'll be easy to spot. He still hasn't had a chance to celebrate his 21st yet but might do so on Sunday night.

His party piece is juggling pint glasses, but it'll all be put to one side until after Kilkenny. He has an idea of what to expect from the Cats, but speaking after the Galway game, he was typically positive about Dublin's chances.

"We're getting better all the time. A bit quicker, faster, more mature. It'll be fun, won't it!"

As it should be.

- Donnchadh Boyle

Irish Independent

One of two is not bad , fair play to the minors , the seniors were out classed by a driven,commited,and classy kilkenny side , all i can say is fair play ,the best team won on the day

Kildares strong interest in all things hurling is clearly shown in this thread.....

In fairness , alot of the kildare lads have a genuine interest in hurling whether it be with TIPP or the Cats at the moment ,or just with there clubs AND I know for a fact the four coaching development officer's in the kildare county board , put alot of hard work,time and tiredless hours developing the interest and skills at underage/schools/club with very good imaginative programs through out the county , and to be honest there are some fine hurlers knocking around the county and hopefully as the result of the work done by the four lads , in the future there shall be good upcoming players around the county, it will bode well for kildare , if they could only get there act together , they are going about it the right way thats for sure , some of the development officers in dublin are assisting due to the successfully programs developed and which have worked for the last 10 yrs in dublin and leinster in general , lets hope the lads keep up the good work , i cant praise them enough !!!

Limerick v Dublin

LIMERICK captain Gavin O'Mahony insists the Dublin team which lines out against his side this Sunday in Thurles are a far more complete outfit than that which took on the Treaty County in Semple Stadium back in 2009.
Then, O'Mahony was Man of the Match with a near-flawless freetaking exhibition as Limerick turned Dublin over at the quarter-final stage, but he insists that the transformation in Anthony Daly's ranks has been significant.
"They are a totally different side," O'Mahony pointed out. "They have a couple of new guys in who are key for them. Conal Keaney and Ryan O'Dwyer would walk on to any team in the country. They have half-forwards who can win their own ball and will have a shot and they have a lot of players who can win a game.
"In the past with Dublin, you'd think that if you could shut down their one or two scoring forwards, it was 'happy days'. But that's definitely not the case anymore."
O'Mahony also hinted that among the success-starved Limerick hurling public, the team had redeemed themselves this season after the majority of the squad went on strike in 2010, but stated his belief that the players have higher ambitions than just a quarter-final spot.
"This is a big game for the players," he said. "The general public in Limerick are probably satisfied this year. We've won a couple of games. But are we happy enough with what we have or do we want more and do we want to be playing in semi-finals and finals every year? It's back in the players' hands now."

- Conor McKeon