Serving Up Justice With The Guvnor

Kilkenny defeated reigning champions Tipperary after extra-time. This was a fantastically enjoyable high-scoring match as both sides really brought out their top game for this one.

Offaly gained promotion to the top tier next year as they were able to defeat rivals Wexford by virtue of a solitary goal.

The extra goal scored by Kildare was enough for them to beat Meath.

London fully justified their place in the National League as they defeated Roscommon with 6 points to spare.

Sligo were victorious over Monaghan in a competitive final that went all the way to extra-time.

Friday, 1 May 2009

Time to just reflect on this league campaign and to see how things all finished up. There were some very good matches throughout and the managers did give new talent a chance to shine. At the end of the day though, I don't think that anyone can have any complaints about their final league position.

The tables come courtesy of the official website of the GAA.

Division 1

Allianz GAA Football National League Roinn 1 Table

Team	Pld	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Against	Diff	Points
Kerry	7	6	1	0	114	83	31	13
Derry	7	4	1	2	101	81	20	9
Galway	7	4	1	2	106	92	14	9
Mayo	7	2	3	2	90	85	5	7
Tyrone	7	3	1	3	96	97	-1	7
Dublin	7	2	2	3	124	110	14	6
Donegal	7	2	1	4	86	99	-13	5
Westmeath	7	0	0	7	68	138	-70	0

Champions: Kerry
Relegated: Westmeath & Donegal

Kerry end the campaign unbeaten with their 1 draw and 7 wins (including the final) and they should be favourites heading into the All-Ireland in the summer. The disappointing season for Tyrone was touching on previously. But it was even more so for fans of Donegal probably expected to do better than this. Westmeath just seemed out of their depth this year.

Division 2

Allianz GAA Football National League Roinn 2 Table

Team	Pld	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Against	Diff	Points
Monaghan	7	5	1	1	130	91	39	11
Cork	7	5	1	1	110	75	35	11
Kildare	7	4	2	1	115	88	27	10
Armagh	7	4	0	3	108	103	5	8
Meath	7	2	2	3	82	87	-5	6
Laois	7	3	0	4	96	116	-20	6
Fermanagh	7	1	1	5	87	106	-19	3
Wexford	7	0	1	6	78	140	-62	1

Promoted: Monaghan & Cork (champions)
Relegated: Wexford & Fermanagh

In a bit of a strange twist, even though they finished second, Cork are named champions as they won that final one-off game. Those two sides should be a fine addition to Division 1 next year and it will give Monaghan in particular a chance to test themselves against the best. Wexford & Fermanagh had only just come up this year and so are going straight back down again.

Division 3

Allianz GAA Football National League Roinn 3 Table

Team	Pld	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Against	Diff	Points
Down	7	5	0	2	109	87	22	10
Tipperary	7	5	0	2	104	90	14	10
Offaly	7	3	1	3	89	107	-18	7
Louth	7	3	0	4	109	98	11	6
Roscommon	7	3	0	4	91	94	-3	6
Cavan	7	3	0	4	91	94	-3	6
Limerick	7	3	0	4	81	92	-11	6
Longford	7	2	1	4	76	88	-12	5

Promoted: Down & Tipperary (champions)
Relegated: Longford & Limerick

Again the runners-up are crowned champions and this was an excellent campaign for Tipperary as they secured their second promotion in a row. Down as expected also go up a division. But just look how tight it was down at the other end of the table. You have to feel for Limerick getting relegated by virtue of having a worse points difference.

Division 4

Allianz GAA Football National League Roinn 4 Table

Team	Pld	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Against	Diff	Points
Antrim	8	6	2	0	167	77	90	14
Sligo	8	7	0	1	133	81	52	14
Leitrim	8	5	1	2	128	101	27	11
Waterford	8	4	1	3	112	87	25	9
Wicklow	8	3	2	3	153	102	51	8
Clare	8	3	0	5	144	105	39	6
Carlow	8	3	0	5	114	122	-8	6
London	8	2	0	6	82	146	-64	4
Kilkenny	8	0	0	8	42	254	-212	0

Promoted: Antrim & Sligo (champions)

Sligo get the division trophey for winning that final match but the league table in this division is probably fairest of all most definitely the top 2 sides going up. Poor Kilkenny will just be glad that this campaign is finished.

NFL Roundup - The Finals

In a repeat of last year's final, Kerry got revenge as they defeated Derry to finish off their sensational, unbeaten league campaign.

Cork were just too strong for Monaghan and gave an impression that they will once again be serious contenders for the All-Ireland in the summer. Monaghan should not be too disheartened though, they had a very good campaign.

In what could be considered a bit of a shock, Tipperary were able to defeat Down to take the title by a single point. The match was so close that it ended up going into extra-time as a winner was unable to be found during the normal 70 minutes of play. Down will most certainly be disappointed to lose a big game that they should have won, but Tipperary's incredible season just keeps getting better.

Sligo probably would have been favourites before this match, but they needed 2 points in injury time to seal the win against Antrim. It sounded like a keenly contested game with both teams obviously wanting to pick up the win.

Friday, 24 April 2009

NHL Roundup - Week 9

Waterford won at Cork in a very high-scoring contest.

Kilkenny had a narrow win over Dublin.

Galway had a fine win away at Clare.

Tipperary had a home win against Limerick.

Offaly had an easy enough win against Antrim, which saw them advance to the final.

Wexford topped the table as they thrashed Carlow by 25-points.

Westmeath had a good home win against Laois.

Down produced a magnificent comeback to win by 9-points despite being 6-points behind at half-time against Kerry. This result meant that Kerry had lost all 7 of their matches.

Division 3A

The fixtures had already been completed.

London finished with top of the table with an impressive 100% victory record as they defeated Donegal.

Louth were much too strong for Tyrone.

Fingal had a fine win against Roscommon.

Longford had the weekend off.

Division 4

Again, all matches had been played.

NFL Roundup - Week 10

As Division 4 has an extra team in it, they played out their final round of games this past week.

Division 4

Antrim had a win away at Waterford to top the table.

Sligo had a narrow win away at Wicklow, although they were already guaranteed a place in the final.

Kilkenny lost heavily yet again, this time to Carlow.

Clare had a very easy win against London, defeating them by triple scores.

Leitrim had the weekend off.

Friday, 17 April 2009

NFL Roundup - Week 9

Derry won to send them into the final, however this defeat got Donegal relegated.

Dublin produced a terrific performance to secure safety as they destroyed Westmeath by 27-points. This result meant that the visitors had lost all 7 of their matches.

Kerry were able to defeat Galway to end their campaign unbeaten. It was bad luck for Galway though as they miss out on the final due to points difference for the second year running.

A draw would have been enough to keep both Mayo & Tyrone in Division 1, so rather unsurprisingly they drew. For Tyrone, it would have to go down as a bit of a poor campaign to only secure safety in the very last match. The manager tried out over 35 players in the 7 games, but the disappointing thing is that not many of them showed the quality that has become synonymous with Tyrone over the past decade. Hopefully things pick up during the All-Ireland Championship in the summer.

Monaghan secured their promotion with as they went to Laois and hammered them by a massive scoreline.

Cork were very impressive against Armagh as they gained promotion with this win.

Meath and Kildare drew.

As did Wexford and Fermanagh and it was probably fairly unenjoyable for all involved as both sides had already been relegated.

Down had a narrow win away at Roscommon but it gained them promotion as they finished top of the table.

Louth had a narrow home win against Cavan.

Limerick lost at Louth which saw them relegated. Unluckily for them, 3 other teams had the same number of points as them, but they went down due to an inferior score difference.

Longford beat Tipperary, but it didn't make much difference as they had already been relegated.

Sligo picked up a home win against Waterford to guarantee them promotion and a place in the final.

Carlow came from behind to pick up a win at home against Wicklow in a high-scoring game.

Leitrim finished up their campaign with a victory against Clare.

London had an expected win against Kilkenny.

Antrim had the weekend off.

Friday, 10 April 2009

NHL Roundup - Week 8

Kilkenny had a very easy day's work as they hammered Cork. This win more or less gives Kilkenny top spot in the table and earns them a place in the final against...

...Tipperary, who had a good win at Galway which helped to secure them second place in the table.

Clare managed a draw at Dublin, but it was not enough as the result sees them relegated.

Limerick had a narrow win at home to Waterford, but a decent one nonetheless.

Antrim produced a very good away win in Laois.

Wexford scored 5 goals which helped them to a home win over Offaly.

Down were comprehensively beaten at Carlow as their disappointing season continued.

Westmeath secured a narrow 1-point win away to Kerry.

Division 3A

No games this week due to there only being 6 teams in this division.

London hugely impressed as they went to Longford and obliterated them by 38 points, scoring 7 goals in the process.

Roscommon had a decent home win against Louth.

Donegal beat Fingal by just 2 points in a very high scoring match.

Tyrone had the weekend off.

Division 4

Again, no fixtures this week for the aforementioned reasons.

Friday, 3 April 2009

NHL Roundup - Week 7

Kilkenny absolutely thrashed Clare.

Dublin showed how much they have improved this term, but they still came away from Tipperary with a narrow loss.

Galway had a very good win at Waterford.

Cork secured a narrow 1-point win in a very exciting game against Limerick.

Carlow had a fine win away at Westmeath.

Offaly put in a great performance as they beat Laois.

Antrim narrowly beat Kerry in an enthralling game.

Wexford had a very good win away at Down.

Meath had a good win away at Armagh in a game that was an exciting high-scoring affair.

Derry had a very comfortable home win as they decimated Wicklow.

Kildare had a decent home win against Mayo.

Roscommon had an easy win up in Tyrone.

Fingal had a home win against Longford.

Louth had a really handy win over Donegal.

London had the weekend off.

Leitrim had a narrow win at home against Fermanagh.

Sligo had an excellent win away at Cavan, beating them by more than double scores.

Monaghan had a tight 1-point victory against South Down.

NFL Roundup - Week 8

I had the pleasure of attending Tyrone’s home victory over Derry in the Saturday evening game. It was probably our best performance since the opening game and it was a very exciting match, very cold mind you. Tyrone probably deserved the win and we even had the luxury of missing a penalty. Derry could have seen out the match though, and the referee was probably a bit more in their favour. Our penchant for strong finish continued as the scores were level but we got 3 points in the last 2 minutes to seal the win. So an enjoyable night overall and the job was done as our division 1 status is all but secured for another year.

Dublin drew at home against Kerry, but they really should have won as they threw away a 5-point lead as the game was coming towards the final stages.

Mayo produced a great victory as they won at local rival Galway by a single point.

Donegal won at Westmeath and in the process relegated the home side who have lost all 6 of their games so far.

Monaghan had a great and perhaps mildly surprising win against Cork as they handed the visitors their first defeat of the campaign.

Kildare had a very determined win away at Fermanagh, a result which relegated the Ulstermen.

Wexford’s terrible campaign got worse as they were comfortably beaten at home by Laois, a defeat that saw them relegated.

Armagh had a very tight home win against Meath.

Down had a very comfortable home win against Offaly, beating them by more than double scores.

Limerick had a decent win away at Longford, who ended up getting relegated by virtue of this loss.

Tipperary came from behind to win against Louth to secure an impressive and well deserved promotion up to Division 2 next year. This is Tipperary’s second promotion in 2 years which is an excellent achievement.

Cavan had a very good win against Roscommon.

Waterford continue to make strides in the right direction as they defeated Carlow.

Antrim made good use of home advantage as they had a fine win against Sligo.

Leitrim had a huge win at Kilkenny, triumphing by a margin of 27 points.

Wicklow had an expected home win against London.

Clare had the weekend off.

Friday, 27 March 2009

NHL Roundup - Week 6

Cork fielded their strongest team to date and it paid dividends as they picked up a very good win at Clare. The turning point in a fascinating match came when Cork hit 10 points in 10 minutes.

Dublin had a fine and mildly shocking win at home to Dublin to continue their good campaign.

Galway had a narrow win at home to Limerick.

Kilkenny thrashed Tipperary by a margin of 17-points.

Offaly kept their winning record going as they beat Down.

Wexford emerged the victors in a tight enough game against Westmeath.

Carlow had an impressive win at home to Antrim.

Laois had a fine win away at Kerry.

Meath and Wicklow drew in an exciting sounding game.

Kildare notched up a home win against Derry.

Mayo were too strong at home for Armagh.

London had a home win against Fingal.

Louth chalked up a handy enough home win against Longford.

Donegal thrashed Tyrone with a 19-point margin of victory.

Roscommon had the weekend off.

Fermanagh had a surprising home loss to Monaghan.

Leitrim made use of home advantage to beat Cavan.

There was a draw in the game between South Down and Sligo.

NFL Roundup - Week 7

Kerry kept their 100% record intact as they easily dispatched Westmeath.

Derry and Galway battled to an exciting draw.

Mayo needed a last minute point to secure a home draw with Dublin.

Donegal recorded a deserved home win against Tyrone, although the visitors had the chance to snatch a late draw as a shot came back off the goalpost.

Cork had a very comprehensive win at home to Wexford, who have yet to pick up any points this year.

Kildare missed a late penalty and it cost them dearly as they got beat at home by Armagh.

Meath and Monaghan played to a draw.

Laois won at home to Fermanagh in a high-scoring match.

6 unanswered points in a row helped Louth record a decent home win against Longford on a very windy pitch.

Tipperary had a very good win away at Roscommon, which sent them to the top of the table.

Limerick had a vital 1 point win over Down which helped them move off the bottom of the table.

Cavan will were left to rue a missed penalty as they lost away at Offaly.

Sligo maintained their maximum record with a home win against Carlow.

Waterford picked up a good home win against Leitrim.

Wicklow won at home to Clare.

Antrim destroyed London by a large margin.

Kilkenny had the weekend off.

Friday, 20 March 2009

NHL Roundup - Week 5

Both of these matches were rescheduled games from Week 1.

Division 3A

Armagh came away from Wicklow with a 1 point victory.

Division 3B

London had a fine win away at Roscommon, which took them to the top of the table.

NFL Roundup - Week 6

Division 1

Derry bounced back from last week's defeat to pick up a very fine win away at Dublin in a game that they completely dominated.

Kerry were too strong at home to Mayo, although they have a lot to thank forward Colm Cooper for as he scored 8 out of their 13 points.

Tyrone picked up a win at Westmeath thanks to a last-minute goal in a very dramatic TV game. It was especially heartbreaking for the home side as they thought they had won it with a goal only 2 minutes from time, but it was not to be. I'm not sad for them though as we needed a win, of any sorts, to at least temporarily ease any relegation fears. There is still plenty of room for improvement though.

Galway kept their winning record intact as they were able to get the better of Donegal.

Cork had a very comprehensive victory away at Laois as they beat them by double scores.

Armagh were able to pick up a 1 point victory when they visited Fermanagh.

A bit of a surprising result as Monaghan lost at home to Kildare, in what was a very exciting TV game on Sunday afternoon.

Meath had a good win against Wexford, although the home side were very wasteful and that cost them bad.

Cavan needed a very late point in order to pick up a home victory against Limerick.

Roscommon had a very respectable win away at Louth.

Tipperary had an impressive win as they beat Offaly.

Down had a handy enough victory as they came away from Longford with a win.

London made full use of home advantage to get a narrow win over Waterford.

Leitrim had a home win over Wicklow.

Antrim had an excellent win against Carlow and racked up a huge score in the process.

Kilkenny suffered another heavy loss as they were annihilated at Clare.

Sligo had the weekend off.

Friday, 13 March 2009

NHL Roundup - Week 4

All these matches were rearranged ties that had been called off in due to bad weather earlier in the competition (Week 1).

Division 1

Galway were very poor at home and Kilkenny made them pay for it. The result will be bitterly disappointing for Galway as they would have been looking at this game in order to have a right go at the best team in the land.

Offaly had a fairly routine victory against Carlow.

Antrim and Westmeath shared a draw. It will probably be a bitter-sweet result for the Ulster side as while they had home advantage, they were not at full strength as they had some key players missing.

Laois had a decent enough victory at home against Down.

Meath made it a really impressive 3 wins from 3 matches as they were able to secure a 1 point victory over Kildare.

There was a cracking game between Donegal and Longford, as the visitors were able to come back from a large half-time deficit and score 3 goals, but it was not enough as the Ulstermen held on for a home win by 2 points.

Fingal had a fine win up in Tyrone and they had 4 points to spare in that contest.

Fermanagh battled hard in order to secure a win at Cavan.

Sligo had a very easy win at home against Monaghan.

NFL Roundup - Week 5

Galway continued their 100% start to the league as they went up to Tyrone and won. This was the TV game on Saturday night but it was a terrible and for the most part boring match, as the conditions were atrocious. There was heavy rain earlier in the day and throughout the match and if the match had not been on TV, it may well have been called off. Credit to Galway though, they played the conditions better and on the whole deserved the win. A few alarm bells will start to ring for Tyrone as this is their second home loss in a row and again they did not turn up at all in the first half. We can not afford a slip-up in the next game otherwise we may get dragged into a relegation battle.

Kerry had a fine win up in Derry and they could even afford the luxury of missing a penalty. Kerry have gotten off to an excellent start and also have maximum points from the 3 games played so far.

Dublin had a very good, and much-needed result as they came away from Donegal with a win. This sort of victory was exactly what they needed and the team will now be looking to kick on into another gear.

Mayo had a handy enough victory when they hosted Westmeath.

In the early match, Meath had an expected win at home to Laois. It was so comfortable that the they could get away with not even scoring a single point in the second half. Laois were said to be poor though, as none of their points came from open play.

Monaghan had an excellent win at Armagh and that victory leaves them as the only team win a 100% record in this division.

Cork defeated Fermanagh in a result that many would have predicted.

Kildare had a very comprehensive and deserved victory against Wexford. And this also means that the visitors have yet to pick up a single point so they need to turn things around fast.

There was a bit of a surprise result on Saturday evening when Down lost at home to Cavan. This is a poor result for Down as they would have been expected to win this game and they had home advantage too, plus this is a bit of a blow to their chances of getting promoted.

Tipperary needed a late penalty to pick up the win, but it is a very fine victory away at Limerick who seem to be regressing.

Roscommon made full use of home advantage as they saw off Longford with 2 points to spare.

Offaly won by a single point at home to Louth to pick up their first win and will be using this as a boost to move in the right direction.

Sligo had a decent enough win over in London to make it 4 wins from 4.

Wicklow absolutely annihilated Kilkenny in a game where they were always going to win, but probably not by a margin of 42 points. To make the result seem all the more worse, Kilkenny were the home team.

Leitrim and Antrim battled to a cagey draw, although the Ulster side will probably be the happier of the two teams.

Waterford had a very good win away at Clare and seem to be getting more confident with each passing game.

Carlow had the weekend off.

Friday, 6 March 2009

NHL Roundup - Week 3

Reigning champions Tipperary continued their impressive 100% start with a fine win over Clare.

Waterford gained some measure of revenge as they downed Kilkenny by a margin of 4 points.

The usual disclaimer applies to Cork as they were thumped at home by Galway.

Limerick had an important win at home to Dublin.

Offaly dominated their match against Kerry, winning by a massive margin of 24 points.

Antrim beat Wexford in a very exciting match that produced a total of 8 goals. These are 2 teams that are in-between the top and middle tiers in terms of quality so each team would have had a lot to prove against one another.

There were 8 goals once again as Down had an impressive win at Westmeath in what looked to be another enthralling contest.

And to conclude this goalfest of a division, Laois had a decent win against local neighbours Carlow.

Meath had a very good win away at Derry, who in their own right are a decent enough side. It probably would have been a bit of a shock for Derry to lose as while they are not good enough to be amongst the top sides, they can make a good nuisance of themselves against the second tier teams.

Armagh edged out Kildare by a point and having home advantage proved to be key.

The 2 goals proved crucial for Mayo as they have a very respectable win at Wicklow.

London had a very good victory as they travelled over to Louth, and it is results like this that justifies their participation in this competition.

Roscommon were firing on all cylinders as they chalked up a big win at home to Donegal.

Tyrone got their first win of the campaign, albeit an extremely narrow win at home to Longford. But hey, we'll take them any which way they come.

Fingal had the weekend off.

Home advantage proved crucial to Monaghan as they downed Leitrim by a single point.

A good win for Fermanagh away to Sligo, and they scored 2 goals as well so that should give them a huge lift going into their next match.

Cavan had a decent win at home to South Down.

Friday, 27 February 2009

NFL Roundup - Week 4

There were no scheduled fixtures this past weekend, but it allowed 2 teams to catch up on their postponed game from a few weeks back.

Division 4

Leitrim had a comfortable enough victory at home against Carlow.

Friday, 20 February 2009

NHL Roundup - Week 2

The Saturday night game saw defending champions Tipperary win very easily against Cork. Although, bear in mind that this is a young and inexperienced Cork side so it probably doesn't reflect the bigger picture.

Kilkenny only managed a 1-point victory at home to Limerick, with the winner coming 7 minutes into injury time. It was a tough break for Limerick but they can't feel too bad with themselves as Kilkenny are the best team in the country and beforehand would have been expected to win quite comfortably.

Waterford had a good win away at Clare and they are a team I like very much. They have plenty of attacking flair and rarely resort to negative tactics. Perhaps they have underachieved in recent times and they will be desperate to bounce back this year after getting hammered in the All-Ireland final last year.

The surprise of the weekend was Dublin racking up a massive 12-point win against Galway. But from the reports it suggests they fully deserved their victory and the margin of their win was in no way flattering.

Carlow continued to show that they are an up-and-coming team as they beat Kerry with a few points to spare on Saturday evening.

Wexford are really impressing as they ended up with another very comprehensive win, this time against Laois. In the end Wexford ended up scoring twice as many points as their opponents in which looked like a great, open, free-flowing match.

Antrim are the best team in Ulster and they proved that once again with a decent win against their provincial rivals Down.

Offaly won away at Westmeath and the margin of the victory suggests there is still a gulf in class between these two sides.

Kildare narrowly won their home fixture against Wicklow.

Armagh and Derry shared a competitive draw in an all-Ulster clash.

Meath won at home to Mayo, who have now lost their opening 2 games and need to turn things around quickly.

London destroyed poor Tyrone by a margin of a whopping 34 points.

Roscommon had a very easy outing away at Longford and would have made for good viewing for any of their travelling fans.

Fingal had a decent win at home to Louth. It is worth noting that Fingal are not an official country, just an extension of the county of Dublin. I'm not entirely sure why or how they got a place in this League seeing as they do not compete in the Championship during the summer months.

Donegal had the weekend off.

Monaghan had a comfotable win over Cavan.

In an all Connacht clash, Sligo were able to win away at Leitrim.

South Down had their second successive drawn as they and Fermanagh could not best each other. South Down are pretty much in the same boat as Fingal with regards to their participation in the League.

Tuesday, 17 February 2009

NFL Roundup - Week 3

The Saturday evening game saw a very thrilling draw between Donegal and Mayo, although the home side can be somewhat disappointed that they let a 9-point lead slip and ended up conceding 2 goals in the second half. Mayo had a bit of a poor year last time around and so will be using this league to build themselves up to the levels of years gone by, and on this evidence they are on the right tracks.

It really was a game of 2 halves up in Omagh as Tyrone, the home side, only managed 3 points in the first half, yet in the second period Kerry only got 2 points. I caught this game on the television and Kerry came racing out of the traps as they were most likely keen to avenge their All-Ireland loss in September and at times they were simply excellent. Both of their goals were very well taken and they could have had more if the Tyrone keeper had not made some great saves. Tyrone looked like a completely different team in the second half though as they picked themselves up for a very unlikely comeback and you felt that if there had of been 5 extra minutes then they probably would have won the game, they had that much momentum. While yes it was disappointing to lose at home, they will take some heart from earning back some respectability.

Galway had a very good win over Dublin and this also made for an enjoyable TV game, even if the 3 goals in the first half kind of killed the game as a contest. The goals themselves were great as they just sliced the Dublin defence open and one of them was a very well taken penalty. Dublin to their credit did not give up but it was just too big of a mountain to climb.

Derry had a very comfortable home win against Westmeath, but that was expected.

Division 2

Laois had a bit of a surprise win in Armagh and this result will do them a world of good.

And again in a bit of a shock, Fermanagh won down in Meath albeit by a single point. Fermanagh are a very hard-working and likeable team who always seem to put in maximum effort and it paid off greatly for them here.

There was a draw between Kildare and Cork, a very enjoyable one it seems based of the reports. Although Cork will probably be relieved with a point, deep down they know that this is a game they probably should have won.

Monaghan had a very good win at home to Wexford, racking in a huge score in the process.

Division 3

Down enjoyed a very tight win over Louth to go top of the table at this early stage. Down are probably favourites to take this league.

Limerick beat Roscommon with the very last kick of the match, which just goes to show that you have to concentrate right to the very end.

Cavan endured a very disappointing loss at home to Tipperary.

Offaly also needed a last-minute point but it could only snatch a draw at home to Longford. Offaly will rue that they missed a penalty though, it could have saved them all sorts of problems and would have helped them win.

Antrim had a good home win over Clare in the Saturday night match.

Sligo had a massive win over Leitrim in a game that really should have been a lot closer given these two sides are round about the same level.

Waterford easily beat Kilkenny in what must have been a bizarre match as both these counties prefer hurling.

Carlow had an expected home win against London.

Wicklow had the weekend off.

Wednesday, 11 February 2009

NHL Roundup - Week 1

In a similar vein to the NFL, the National Hurling League plugs the gap between the Winter pre-season and when the All-Ireland series starts in the Summer. Hurling is probably the fastest played sport in the world requiring tremendous skill. If a game turns out to be good, it usually makes for fantastic viewing. They brought in a new, simpler league format this year and more on how the competition is structured can be found here.

Division 1

Tipperary began the defence of their title with a good win away at Waterford in what sounded like a very impressive display from the champions.

Limerick narrowly won at home to Clare. In terms of scoring, this was probably the match of the weekend and Clare showed great spirit coming back from a huge deficit at half-time, but it was not enough.

Cork are not known as the 'Rebels' for nothing and usually cause a ruckus at this time of the year and it is the same case this time around. From what I understand, the senior players have all refused to play and so they have had to field a fringe/youth team or risk being thrown out of this competition and the All-Ireland itself later in the year. Anyway, this was a very good display from them even though Dublin eventually won the match. Dublin are seen as a side that are that hover between the top and second tier so they will take something from this victory, and scoring 4 goals away from home is great.

The game between Galway and Kilkenny got called off due to the weather.

The only game to go ahead was Wexford getting an expected win at Kerry. Wexford are probably favourites to win this division.

The other 3 matches were all called off.

Derry beat Mayo in a tight, scrappy game. The result was probably expected seeing as Derry had home advantage.

The other 2 fixtures did not happen.

Division 3B

All 3 fixtures got postponed.

Louth had the weekend off regardless of the weather.