Supply: Alamy Inventory Photograph
The All-Eire Senior Hurling Championship preliminary quarter-finals take centre stage this weekend and Enda McElhinney is readily available to run by means of his finest bets.
It’s preliminary quarter-final motion within the All-Eire Senior Hurling Championship this weekend as Dublin journey to face neighbours Kildare in Newbridge and Tipperary make the journey to face Laois in O’Moore Park.
Ties in opposition to Limerick and Galway subsequent weekend await the winners of those knockout tussles and the Dubs and Tipp can be anticipated to make brief work of final weekend’s Joe McDonagh Cup finalists.
Alternatives
Tipperary -24 @ 10/11
Dublin -12 @ 10/11
Tipp to dismantle Laois problem
Laois stand alone as the one facet to progress from competing within the Joe McDonagh Cup to win a sport within the All-Eire sequence in the identical season.
That got here all the way in which again in 2019 when a robust panel from the O’Moore county shocked Dublin. It stays the one victory for a Joe McDonagh crew in 10 of those preliminary quarter-final contests.
It isn’t arduous to envisage the established order not remaining in place after this weekend’s choices.
Final Sunday, some wasteful capturing within the first half and a substandard second interval noticed Laois dropping the second tier closing by 10 factors in opposition to Kildare. The half-time stats made for painful studying for them; 11 wides, 5 level makes an attempt that dropped brief and a shot at objective that was saved.
Their ‘reward’ for that loss is to face tier one opponents Tipperary off the again of a six-day turnaround. It’s scant comfort.
Liam Cahill’s facet are an rising pressure as soon as once more after some current struggles for the Premier county. They hadn’t received back-to-back championship matches since 2019 previous to a nine-point win over Waterford in Thurles final month. Now they’re set for 3 on the spin.
Underneath-20 star Oisin O’Donoghue may very well be primed for game-time after scoring his first senior Championship objective in opposition to the Deise, whereas Darragh McCarthy ought to have a worthwhile return after scoring 11 factors final time.
Laois are down after their disappointment in Croke Park and are available Saturday afternoon they need to even be out with a little bit of whimper.
Dubs to cease Lilywhites march
That Joe McDonagh Cup closing was a significant letdown for Laois however an historic success for Kildare, the Lilywhites tasting victory at Croke Park for the primary time.
Boss Brian Dowling’s transformation of Kildare hurling retains on going with the tier two championship triumph following on from final yr’s Christy Ring Cup win.
Like Laois, they’re ‘rewarded’ by now going through the Dubs six days on. Given the historic achievement of Sunday’s win, it’s solely protected to imagine Kildare celebrated appropriately. Their seasonal objective has been attained however the journey might finish with a crash again all the way down to earth.
After they misplaced to Kerry of their opening spherical robin sport this season, Kildare’s document in tier two video games was performed 9, misplaced 9. They turned it round, after all, and the true reward for the Lilywhites is a spot within the 2026 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship.
They’ll have time to arrange for that and embrace it, however every week faraway from the excessive of defeating Laois, the Dubs might go away them stranded in Newbridge.
Niall O’ Ceallachain’s first season as Dublin boss has gone comparatively properly. The Na Fianna clubman can have his facet drilled for this sport after three weeks’ relaxation.
Dublin scored 3-21 of their loss to Kilkenny and 3-15 in defeat to Galway of their closing two Leinster provincial outings.
This can be a massive step up for Kildare they usually might come up properly brief, leaving a bitter style on the finish of a extremely profitable season.