Newtown better than we expected, but not good enough
Amidst plenty of national football league action this weekend, hurling purists will find sanctuary on Tom Semple’s field in Thurles, where the All Ireland club hurling semi final between Ballyhale Shamrocks and Newtownshandrum is down for decision this Sunday. Earlier this year, most analysts felt that this year’s club championship was simply a procession towards the inevitable final clash between Portumna and Ballyhale, but the extremely good form of Newtownshandrum in the Munster hurling championship has thrown something of a spanner into the works.
Three narrow wins by less than a goal in the Munster championship after a huge win in the cork senior championship final have restored people’s faith in the 2004 All Ireland champions. They recently added the 2009 Cork league title to their roll of honour and scored a very impressive 1-24 in the process, proving that whatever else can be said about them, they are definitely on form. The two O’Connor twins are playing as well as ever, while Cathal Naughton and Jamie Coughlan are also in fine scoring form and should pose a real threat to the Ballyhale backline.
Ballyhale almost came unstuck in Wexford Park in the Leinster championship, but against Ballyboden they found their feet again, while they never needed to hit the higher gears against Tullamore in the Leinster decider. They haven’t been at their awesome best consistently, but they simply haven’t had to be after their wake up call against Oulart.
The momentum behind a Newtown win appears to be intensifying, but there still is the nagging feeling there that people are getting a little carried away with narrow wins over good but limited teams. If this match was priced last October, Ballyhale would have been 1/3 or 2/7 to win in a neutral venue. Recent form for Newtown would certainly justify 1/2 about the Kilkenny champions, but not 8/13. Equally, even money about Ballyhale minus two when they still look four points the better team is well worth considering. Pat and Brendan Mulcahy are great defenders but they simply don’t have the ability to curtail a forward line of Ballyhale’s class – and with revenge for last year’s semi final on the minds of the Shamrocks, this game could easily be a reality check for the Cork men.
A 1pt bet on Ballyhale minus two points is the best bet for those who will be passing up the day’s football to savour real championship hurling, either on TV or in person from the home of the sport!
Tags: Ballyhale Shamrocks, Newtownshandrum
Categories: Hurling
Related Posts:
Comments (0)