[ad_1]
Clare v Laois, first qualifying round, Saturday, 1.15
Clare suffered a punishment experience last time. They weren’t the first and won’t be the last to suffer that against the current Limerick team, but you can be sure it still hurt.
Tomorrow they will want to make a statement for their own good. Their great players, and more than Tony Kelly, must drive them.
It is said that during an internal challenge last Sunday, Clare lined up with the same 15 that started against Limerick. Brian Lohan may want to show faith, but it’s not so that Aidan McCarthy and Aaron Cunningham don’t have more time.
The same can be said for Aron Shanagher, who scored a hat-trick when Clare last faced Laois in the championship during a staggering 35-point victory for the Bannermen.
From Laois’s point of view, season two is always tough, but it hasn’t started.
The comments have not been positive, they even sound dubious about having to play a championship.
They have a chance if they can meet the challenge in a similar way to last year, but last year seems like a long time ago.
This year’s championship will be short for Laois, but it won’t be pretty. Not at 35, but Clare for me.
Verdict: Clare
Dublin v Cork, first qualifying round, Saturday, 3.45
Dublin is not as bad as the long passages against Kilkenny made them seem. And they are not as good as the one point margin sounds.
Did they fight their way back heroically or did Kilkenny lose his way? Anyone Dublin chooses to believe will tell us a lot about them.
Last week, from the safety of this position, we preached that Cork would be in trouble if they weren’t prepared for a high-work-rate Waterford, they weren’t and they were in trouble.
More worrying for those in these parts has been Cork’s near-contactless approach to recovering the ball, especially in attack. An attack that does not show the hustle and bustle of the winners.
This Cork team sometimes seems like a group that thinks they have nothing to prove. Even the blind among them surely recognize that they have tomorrow.
It’s more than that, it’s actually life or death for this team. However, it is 1927 since the Dubs beat Cork in the championship.
Verdict: cork
Donal Óg Cusack spoke at RTÉ’s Morning Ireland
Listen to the RTÉ GAA Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
[ad_2]