Ballygunner vs Loughmore-Castleiney Preview
Ballygunner will face Loughmore-Castleiney in the Munster Senior Hurling Club Championship semifinals. Throw-in is at 1:15 pm on Sunday, November 17. It’s an enormous opportunity for both sides to add another Munster title to their trophy cabinets. Waterford’s Ballygunner are five-time champions while their Tipperary opponents won a single Munster championship in 2007.
Ballygunner enters this game as a strong favourite. However, Loughmore won’t lack motivation. These sides know each other from a previous meeting in 2021. Loughmore will want revenge after a defeat that day. This should be an excellent game of hurling between two of the province’s top sides at Walsh Park.
Ballygunner vs Loughmore-Castleiney Key Stats and Head-to-Head
Ballygunner is a force to be reckoned with in Waterford. They’ve won an astounding 11 titles in a row since 2014. The 23-time Waterford Champions dominate a county that is a genuine hurling stronghold. It’s been 58 games since they suffered defeat in the Deise and almost 3,400 days.
However, the Munster Senior Championship offers sterner tests. Ballygunner went for three in a row between 2021 and 2023. Now they’re gunning for their fourth consecutive crown. They came through a tough test against Doon in the quarterfinal. The Limerick side offered strong resistance as The Gunners eventually won 0-25 to 0-20.
The Waterford giants showed their prowess from the field as they scored seven points without response after the break. Momentum is everything in hurling and they maintained it. It’s tough for any side to compete with them when they enter the zone. Pauric Mahony scored a super 11 points for Ballygunner, including nine frees.
Meanwhile, Loughmore-Castleiney enters this game off the back of a Tipperary Championship victory over Toomevera. They won 2-19 to 1-17 at Semple Stadium as they secured their fifth-ever county crown. John McGrath delivered an exceptional performance for Loughmore with 1-13 overall. His goal was crucial in ending a brave Toomevera fightback.
With 58 wins in a row and 11 consecutive Waterford SHC titles, the Ballygunner juggernaut keeps on rolling as they beat Abbeyside 2-28 to 2-10.
How many more will they win in a row?
— OurGame.ie (@OurGameHQ) September 1, 2024
Loughmore and Ballygunner previously faced each other in 2021, with the Waterford side winning the semifinal. Fans will remember both Noel and John McGrath receiving red cards for Loughmore. However, there shouldn’t be a hangover from this game because there are new players and coaches on both sides.
Darragh O’Sullivan is the mastermind behind Ballygunner’s recent Munster dominance. He led the Deise club champions to All-Ireland success in 2022. Analysts consistently link him with the Waterford job, but he remains committed to his club for now. Eamonn Kelly is the man behind Loughmore’s recent revival.
Ballygunner vs Loughmore-Castleiney Predictions
Predicted Score: Ballygunner 2-25 – 1-18 Loughmore-Castleiney
Ballygunner is one of the strongest hurling teams in the country. They’ll believe that they can go all the way and win a second All-Ireland hurling championship in three years. First, they must overcome Loughmore and our hurling prediction is for the side to win in style. They’ve too much quality on their panel and should dominate this game.
Pauric Mahony is a veteran, but don’t underestimate his importance to this team. He scored 11 points from 12 shots in the Waterford SHC final against Abbeyside-Ballinacourty. However, they have scorers all over the field with ten individuals grabbing points or goals in that match.
Conor Sheahan and Patrick Fitzgerald are also prolific threats. One of Ballygunner’s key assets is their calm but relentless nature. Loughmore has a choice in this game. They can try to go point-for-point with their opponents. The other option is to accept this is too difficult. Instead, they could focus on trying to score goals through a direct strategy.
John McGrath is central to Loughmore’s hopes of a major upset. The two-time All-Ireland medallist and former All-Star offers a prolific threat. He won the Man-of-the-Match award against Toomevara after a scintillating performance. Now they need him to step up again.
Some analysts believe that eventually, success will catch up with Ballygunner. It would be a mistake for them to look past Loughmore. The Tipperary outfit has a chip on its shoulder and won’t capitulate like many Waterford teams do against The Gunners. They also want revenge for their previous semifinal defeat against the Deise champions.
Tensions arose the last time these teams met but the coaches insist there’s no bad blood between them. However, nobody forgot about a pair of controversial red cards that day. There’s every chance this game boils over again. We predict there will be at least a couple of black cards in this match.
“Granted, much of their ire might have been directed at the officials on that day following the dismissal of Noel and John McGrath”
Click ⬇️ to read Noel Dundon’s Article on this Weekends Loughmore v Ballygunner clashhttps://t.co/5Ja4ctB2Fe#tipperaryhurling pic.twitter.com/MOhbP3LDw0
— The Premier 'View' (@PremierviewPod) November 11, 2024
Check out the live betting odds during this game. Yes, The Gunners are an early favourite but Loughmore sees themselves as live underdogs. They’ll try to start this game fast and could smash and grab an early goal. The odds may swing and make it more appealing to bet on Ballygunner to win outright.
Ballygunner vs Loughmore-Castleiney Betting Tips
This Munster Senior Hurling Championship semifinal offers many betting opportunities. Ballygunner is a 3/10 favourite ahead of this game. That’s fair because they are the defending provincial champions with their eye on a fourth-consecutive crown. A €10 stake on Ballygunner to win this game outright would make €3.
That’s not the most lucrative outcome and may even offer a false sense of security. We believe that Ballygunner should be favourites, but 5/10 would be fairer. Loughmore is a powerful side and they’re a fellow county champion. Their history suggests that Loughmore is out to win this game by any means.
The Tipp champions are 3/1 underdogs ahead of this game. Our online sportsbook isn’t giving them much of a chance. Ballygunner are favourites for a reason but every team loses at some point. We advise betting on Loughmore to win outright because the odds offer better value. This time, a €10 stake would make €30 if successful.
Seasoned players understand that handicap betting is the best way to back favourites. This is true ahead of this game too. It’s 10/11 if you apply a -4 handicap on Ballygunner or a +4 handicap on Loughmore. This is excellent value and our top tip for this semifinal meeting. A winning €10 stake would make €9.09.
Check out the individual player odds too. Some huge players on both sides can win this game for their clubs. Liam McGrath may be the most influential player on both teams. Loughmore depends on him to wreak havoc, but The Gunners will be out to silence him. He could be a good option to be this semifinal’s top scorer.
We also like Patrick Fitzgerald for Ballygunner. The Waterford star doesn’t make the same headlines as some of his younger teammates. But don’t discount his quality or consistency. He was clinical in the Waterford final and could be devastating in this game. Dessie Hutchinson is another key figure and offers a long-range threat from midfield.
Love this class video just after the full time whistle on Sunday when Loughmore won the Tipperary county hurling final, captures the moment so well 🏆vid by @kevinhanly32 🎥 #hurling #GAA pic.twitter.com/gMSEWSELxF
— Stephen Gleeson (@StephenGleeson_) October 15, 2024
Over-under betting is another excellent option for this game. Consider betting on the total number of points. You can do this outright or choose if there will be more or fewer than a specific total. We believe there will be more than 50 points which correlates with our predicted score.
The number of yellow, black, and red cards could be another over-under hurling market. Don’t forget the drama that went down the last time these teams clashed. This is going to be a very entertaining game because of their passionate rivalry.
There’s plenty more hurling action this weekend. Don’t forget to check out the Leinster games with Na Fianna vs Clough-Ballacolla. Create an accumulator with your favourite match-ups to enhance the odds and potential returns. You can also apply a promotion to maximise your stake without extra risk.
Ballygunner Team News and Predicted Lineup
Darragh O’Sullivan won’t make too many changes ahead of this game. He has a well-established starting lineup now. However, expect him to use his bench effectively against Loughmore. Cormac Power and Shane O’Sullivan both made an impact as substitutes against Doon.
- Ballygunner: Stephen O’Keeffe, Ian Kenny, Barry Coughlan, Tadhg Foley, Philip Mahony, Ronan Power, Conor Sheahan, Paddy Leavey, Dessie Hutchinson, Pauric Mahony, Peter Hogan, Patrick Fitzgerald, Kevin Mahony, Mikey Mahony.
Loughmore-Castleiney Team News and Predicted Lineup
Loughmore received a massive and unexpected boost ahead of this game. John Meagher returned from his travels in Australia and is available for selection. The former intercounty dual star offers experience and quality. He won’t start but could make a significant impact off the bench. Elsewhere, Eamonn Kelly will go with the same panel that defeated Toomevara.
- Loughmore-Castleiney: Aidan McGrath, Lorcan Egan, Joey Hennessy, Willie Eviston, John Ryan, Brian McGrath, Ed Meagher, Noel McGrath, Ciaran Connolly, Tommy Maher, Tomás McGrath, Ed Connolly, John McGrath, Liam Treacy, Liam McGrath.