WHEN CORK’S Newtownshandrum beat Antrim’s Dunloy in the 2004 All Ireland club hurling final, few would have imagined that the next decade would pass without a Munster club team being crowned as the best in the land. Fewer still would have imagined that in that decade, the only victories for Munster teams would be a one point win for the same Cork club over Ballygalget of Down, and an extra time win for De la Salle over Rúairí Óg of Cushendall in Antrim.
Hurling in Munster might be in rude health when measured by the yardstick of the intercounty game, but at club level, Leinster and Galway sides have ruled the roost.
This is the drought that Na Piarsaigh will be looking to end this Saturday at Semple Stadium, when they take on Portumna of Galway. The three-time All Ireland winners finally broke a mini-drought off their own last year in the Galway championship when they won their first county title in four years, but they still don’t look to be hurling at the same level as they were in the latter half of the last decade. Consequently, if Na Piarsaigh are up to the standard required to win an All Ireland title, they should be able to go well here.
Certainly Paddy Power is calling it as a close encounter, offering Na Piarsaigh at 6/4 while laying 10/1 about the draw and 8/13 about Portumna. The handicap on offer is two points, and while Na Piarsaigh have a lot of positive points in their favour, the evidence doesn’t necessarily vindicate that kind of faith. The Munster club championship this year lacked any real heavyweight clubs in the race outside of the city outfit and while there is real quality in their ranks and the experience garnered from their campaign two years ago, instead we’ll stick with a goalscorer bet – Shane Dowling to net at any time.
Portumna have been vulnerable to pace this year and this wager, which is generally on offer at 2/1, is an 11/4 shot in Limerick shops only this week, as a concession to Post readers. At that price, backing Dowling to raise a green flag makes far more sense than backing Na Piarsaigh to end a barren decade for southern clubs.
In the same vein, Power’s have also enhanced Conor Murray to 6/1 for anytime tryscorer against Wales this Saturday. Murray outshone his Welsh counterpart Mike Phillips to secure the starting berth for the Lions in Australia last year and readers of this paper don’t need to be reminded that there is a lot of Lions issues that are still in the melting pot for this tie. On that basis, Murray should be fully tuned in for a big performance and 6/1 could yet be a decent punt.
Bets from Paddy Power – by Kevin Egan
