Sean Murphy / 22 March 2009 Free Bet

Division 1

Kilkenny v Tipperary : Without doubt the match of the day in Division 1.Tipperary will be full of confidence after three impressive wins to date in the competition. It may only be March but I have a feeling these two teams will be meeting again in the All Ireland series before the summer is over. Tipperary will see this as a chance of putting down a marker for the bigger challenges ahead. Kilkenny were most impressive in their last match against Galway and they will see this as a great opportunity to draw level on points with the Premier County. I expect Kilkenny to get back in the groove and to have too much for their arch rivals.

Recommend: Handicap Bet: 2pts Kilkenny -3 Points

Galway v Limerick: Galway have been a huge disappointment to date in the league with just a bloodless victory against the weakened Cork 2009 panel to show for the three games to date.. John McIntyre will be hoping to have his big guns from Portumna back after their tremendous All Ireland Club final win in Croke Park. Joe Canning and Damien Hayes were awesome in the club final and their confidence must be sky high after their five star performance at Head Quarters. Limerick in contrast have shown gradual improvement to date and Justin McCarthy is giving young players such as David Breen a chance to show their worth. Andrew O'Shaughnessy has been outstanding in this league campaign to date and a win here will see them on the verge of the knockout stages. It is a must win game for Galway and I expect them to prevail in a close encounter.

Recommend: Galway to win: 2Pts

Dublin v Waterford: Former Clare All Ireland winners Anthony Daly and Davy Fitzgerald will be in opposite corners in this fascinating clash at Parnell Park. The arrival of Anthony Daly has certainly been a huge boost to the confidence of this Dublin team. They were rather unlucky in the last round to lose out by two points to Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds. A win here will guarantee their top flight status for next season which must have been the objective at the start of this campaign. Waterford have been experimenting with their line up so far and will have been delighted with their win against All Ireland champions Kilkenny on 1st March. Strong fancy for Waterford in this one.

Recommend: Handicap Bet: 3Pts Waterford - 2 points.

Clare v Cork: Both teams may be pointless but there is no doubt that this will be the most high profile game of the day. Clare would have been expected to win this easily up to last week but Cork will have got a huge boost with the return of their striking hurlers. Clare have really disappointed to date. After capturing the Waterford crystal trophy in January they were expected to do well in this league campaign but now face a battle against relegation.
Cork hurling supporters will be delighted that the strike is over and can now look forward to the best hurlers representing the county. It should be an emotionally charged atmosphere in front of the TV cameras at Cusack Park but lack of match practice has to weigh heavily against the rebels. Take Clare to win this in front of a bumper attendance.

Recommend: Clare to win: 4pts

Division 2

Unfortunately unlike Division 1 there are likely to be four one sided games in this division.

Kerry v Laois: Both sides are having a torrid time in this division. Mossie Carroll has had a tough baptism in this job and can expect another defeat here against a very average Laois side. Laois have shown some sign of improvement in their last two games but are no match for either Wexford or Offaly in this Division. Should be easy for Laois and expect them to win by 10-12 points.

Recommend: Handicap Bet: 1 Pt Laois -8 points

Down v Offaly: Down have done reasonably well so far in this campaign with a fine win over Westmeath in Round 2. Narrow defeats to both Laois and Antrim will give them encouragement but this Offaly side are in a different league. Offaly have recorded three facile wins to date and will be playing in the top division again next season. Down are very resolute and I expect them to be closer than the 11 point start they are getting in the handicap betting

Recommend: Handicap Bet: 2 Pts Down +11 points

Wexford v Westmeath: Wexford were shocked by Antrim in the last round and cannot afford any more mistakes if they are to be promoted. Westmeath picked up their first point of the campaign in the last round with a merited draw against Antrim. Wexford have too much class for the midlanders and expect them to win easily. Home advantage should see Wexford run up a big score and I expect them to cover the handicap.

Recommend: Handicap Bet: 1Pt Wexford -13 points

Carlow v Antrim: Carlow have been making steady progress in the last few years notably at underage level. Their ambition for this campaign would be to retain their Division 2 status. Antrim had a great win over Wexford but then let themselves down when drawing with Westmeath. Antrim will still see promotion as a possibility and should win this one but may not cover the handicap of minus 8 points.

Recommend:Handicap Bet: 1Pt Carlow +8 pts

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