*Limerick GAA news/discussion thread*

glasagusban

Fireball07 wrote: »

I really do think that Hickey is too good to leave off the team; he might find it hard to break in, but I think it'd be a mistake not to include him somewhere.

People have always said he'll be a great Limerick centre-back, but he's in his mid-20s now and I don't think he's ever played a Championship game there. If he is the answer, this is the season to step into the role as we have a gap. I'm not sure about it... is he a dominant enough force in the air to play there? He also might be a bit loose for a central position- I think midfield is his best position. He's a wonderful hurler though, and he'll run all day for you.

Very interrupted career through injury and then McCarthy's ruining the team for a year. O'Grady then tried to force him in to full back in 2010 -in the Dublin game when he finally saw sense and put Condon at 3 and Hickey to 6 we nearly came back and edged the game. A season injured during the league just getting back after championship had started, wing forward to do a specific job last year, and now injured for the league again. Needs an injury free year and to spend a league at 6!

paddy no 11 wrote: »

Someone else mentioned Hannon is close, also mulcahy will be back and the Na P boys can be drafted back in for the last 2 games, so sunday is the big one really.

Yeah CB is still the problem, think Jimbob has nailed down CF with two better hurlers either side of him, and we have decent options in most other positions, not sure where to go at CB clearly the management dont fancy cathal mac. Currently Wayn is in front by a fair distance and i dont see them changing up for sunday tbh.

Will be really hard to drop Ryan now but if Downes could do for Limerick what he's been doing for the club then it'd hard to deny him. Edit: Could approach the impact Colin Fennelly looks to be having at 11 for kk. A lot of competition for that line. Hannon will have to move to half forward, then Ryan, Allis, Breen, and maybe Downes, Hickey, or Dowling in the mix for that line.

francozola

Fireball07 wrote: »

Not sure actually. I hope so, we could definitely use him. Wexford are no pushovers.

Both teams named tonight.

I'd like to see:

Murphy; Carmody, McCarthy, Condon; McNamara, O'Mahony, T. Ryan; Browne, O'Brien; Reidy, J. Ryan, Allis; Mulcahy, Tobin, O'Brien

and

O'Sullivan; O'Riordan, McCarthy, Riordan; Corbett, Lucey, Ranahan; Treacy, Lee; Hegarty, Fitzgibbon, Buckley; Collins, Ryan, Phair


Although the quicker we get Bobby O'Brien and Eoghan O'Connor back for the footballers, the better.

I think it's a shame Barry O'Connell chose to be with the footballers. Doesn't seem to be getting a look-in at the moment which is understandable trying to consolidate Division 3 status. Centre back on the LIT Fitz team and a U21 Munster winner, would certainly add competition to the backline in the hurling.

The hurling I would start would be along the lines of
Quaid
Carmody, Richie, Condon
Gavin, Wayne, Paudie
Browne, Allis/DOG if fit
Tom Ryan, James Ryan, Tobin/Allis
O'Brien, Tobin/Mike Ryan, Graeme

francozola

LIMERICK: Nickie Quaid; Mark Carmody, Richie McCarthy, Tom Condon; Paudie O’Brien, Wayne McNamara, Gavin O’Mahony; Donal O’Grady, Paul Browne; Conor Allis, James Ryan, David Reidy; Graeme Mulcahy, Kevin Downes, Seanie Tobin. Subs: Aaron Murphy, Stephen Walsh, Philip O’Loughlin, Dan Morrissey, Cathal King, John Fitzgibbon, William Hickey, Thomas O’Brien, Tommy Quaid, Micheal Ryan, Shane Dowling.

Seems like all hands on deck again, not in the least bit surprised by it. Treating Wexford with the respect they deserve as league leaders.

Fireball07

Footballers

1. Donal O'Sullivan (Monaleen)
2. Paudie Browne (Fr. Casey's)
3. Johnny McCarthy (St. Kieran's)
4. Mark O'Riordan (Croom)
5. John Riordan (Fr. Casey's)
6. Stephen Lucey (Croom)
7. Iain Corbett (Newcastlewest)
8. Tom Lee (Ballylanders)
9. Gearoid Hegarty (St Pat's)
10. Seanie Buckley (Captain) (Drom/Broadford)
11. Darragh Treacey (St. Kieran's)
12. Micheal Brosnan (Drom/Broadford)
13. Ger Collins (Monaleen)
14. John Mullane (St Pat's)
15. Ian Ryan (Vice Captain) (St. Senan's).

Replacements:
16. Brian Scanlon (Gerald Griffin's)
17. Lorcan O'Dwyer (Pallasgreen)
18. Colm Moran (Monaleen)
19. Pa Ranahan (Ballysteen)
20. Stephen Cahill (Mountcollins)
James O'Meara (Ballysteen)
21, John Galvin (Croom)
22. Seamus O'Carroll (Cappagh/Kilcornan)
23. Mike Fitzgibbon (Feohanagh/Castlemahon)
24. Eoin Hanrahan (St Pat's)
25. Danny Neville (Ballysteen)
26. Killian Phair (Drom/Broadford)



Standout thing there is that John Galvin is on the bench. Legend. Class player, we'll be much better if he features.

As for the starting team... on paper, we have 7 or 8 pretty good backs; as in I'd be happy with them. Obviously it didn't work out against Roscommon, but Lucey did steady the ship and we need him at centre-back. I wouldn't be dropping Ranahan though, I think he's quality. I'm a big fan of Riordan & McCarthy obviously... and Browne, Razor and Corbett are good too, but I'd have Ranahan ahead of any of the latter 3, as good as they may be. I'd nearly be inclined to play 7, with either Riordan or Corbett as a sweeper.

He's gone with Hegarty in midfield again, although Treacy has been named at centre-forward, be interesting to see how that pans out. Could see Hegarty drift forward, Treacy is good in an attacking sense, but Lee was the one named at centre-forward this time last year. Need ball-winners anyway.

Brosnan holds his place, Hanrahan drops to the bench... O'Carroll still on the bench, although I'd definitely play him as an inside forward if he is to play. Fitzgibbon is a good option, think he could start at half-forward in the Championship.


Inside, Mullane is given the nod ahead of Phair/O'Carroll. Hopefully he does well.


Derry McCarthy not named on the bench. Apparently, we have 2 number 20s.... still no sign of Eoghan and Derry O'Connor or Bobby O'Brien. Or Paul White for that matter. Wonder will Lavin come back?

A must-win. I think we will.

Fireball07

francozola wrote: »

LIMERICK: Nickie Quaid; Mark Carmody, Richie McCarthy, Tom Condon; Paudie O’Brien, Wayne McNamara, Gavin O’Mahony; Donal O’Grady, Paul Browne; Conor Allis, James Ryan, David Reidy; Graeme Mulcahy, Kevin Downes, Seanie Tobin.

Subs: Aaron Murphy, Stephen Walsh, Philip O’Loughlin, Dan Morrissey, Cathal King, John Fitzgibbon, William Hickey, Thomas O’Brien, Tommy Quaid, Micheal Ryan, Shane Dowling.

Seems like all hands on deck again, not in the least bit surprised by it. Treating Wexford with the respect they deserve as league leaders.

Hurling team named here.


Well, it seems like O'Grady and TJ know what they're doing. They're willing to commit the players when they have to; the inclusion of Downes strengthens this team ten-fold. And we've know got King and Dowling on the bench... although no Dempsey, I wonder if that says anything? Dempsey was the best U-21 for TJ last year.

I like the backline with Carmody in, Wayne still at 6, he'll definitely stay there. Browne & Dodge in the middle... Allis and Reidy both kept on in the half-forward line. No Hannon. Obviously that information was wrong.


No Tom Ryan though? One can only presume he's injured as he'd certainly be in the squad. Would have been interesting to see if he been picked ahead of Dodge, or whether they'd have kept him in attack even with Downes back. Mulcahy's return is huge aswell... that's now a proper Championship-standard full-forward line.

No Cathal Mc even on the bench, obviously he won't be starting; no Barry Lynch either, it would seem that Dan has moved up the list as sub centre-back.



Franco- you mentioned Barry O'Connell earlier. As far as I know (this isn't definite fact) he didn't choose football over hurling, he accepted a call-up to the extended football squad as he wasn't included in the hurling. And I don't think he's made the cut for the football.

As to why he's not involved in the hurling, he's a class player, but I have heard 1 or 2 things that after the 21s game last year that TJ doesn't fancy him as much anymore, maybe waiting for him to develop a bit. But he called up Barry Lynch and now Dan Morrissey (although he wasn't originally included) and not Barry... maybe he'll get his call in time. Again, it's hard to know if he's an intercounty level centre-back. Might be slightly more suited to the wing maybe. Although at club level, he dominates the centre whereever he's put- centre-back, midfield, centre-forward.

Fireball07

Oh, and as for a prediction; that's a strong team. Should be enough to beat Wexford who have a few injuries. If Downes and Mulcahy had been ruled out, it'd have been a different story but I can't see them containing our attack, and our defence will be as tight as ever.


Wexford are still a good team and have started well, but I think home advantage + Downes/Mulcahy will give us a 5-point win.

Fireball07

Wexford hurling team:

Mark Fanning; Keith Rossiter, Matthew O'Hanlon, Bobby Kenny; Willie Devereux, Lee Chin, Eanna Martin; Diarmuid O'Keeffe, Harry Kehoe; Shane Tomkins, Paul Morris, Ian Byrne; Jack Guiney, Gary Moore, Liam Og McGovern

Subs- Ben O'Connor, Liam Ryan, Eoin Conroy, James Tonks, Rory Jacob, Benny Jordan, Conor Devitt, Jack O'Connor



They only have 23 players due to injuries, which seems a bit ridiculous, you'd think they'd call up some young players or decent club hurlers or something. The league is a chance to test players so even if they're not your strongest, there is no real advantage to having only 23 players.


Ciaran Kenny, Andrew Shore, Garrett Sinnott, Richie Kehoe among those missing.

Midfield is their strongest area- O'Keeffe and Kehoe have impressed this year, Kehoe was good in the Fitzgibbon aswell. Be a good test for Dodge and Browne.

Their forwards have been in form, but they haven't faced a defence like ours, this will be the real test for them. They have talent, certainly, but can they do it against the likes of Condon, GOM, Richie Mc? Morris has probably been the best of them, he's moved to centre-forward to act as a playmaker- Guiney was poor there.

Guiney is much better closer to goal, has talent; and McGovern and Moore caused huge problems for Offaly, I think they scored 1-7 or 1-8 from play between them. They have players who can score from play but I have faith in our backs tbh.

Their defence is where the injuries have hurt most; Currams caused huge problems for O'Hanlon, Lee Chin is talented but they'll miss Kenny and Shore. I think if we can quick ball into Downes and Mulcahy, there'll be goals on the cards. Downes has the ability to beat O'Hanlon. I think the team we've picked is good enough to win.




Wexford Footballers:

Shane Roche; Brian Malone, Graeme Molloy, Michael Furlong; Adrian Flynn, James Breen, Tiernan Rossiter; Daithi Waters, Paddy Byrne; Conor Carty, Ben Brosnan, Michael O'Regan; Ciaran Lyng, PJ Banville, Kevin O'Grady.

Subs: Shane O'Hanlon, Robert Tierney, Barry O'Gorman, Cillian Kehoe, Colm Kehoe, Graeme Cullen, John Tubritt, Sean Gaul, Aidan Cash, Kevin Day, N Harney.


They've brought Ciaran Lyng and PJ Banville back in which hugely improves their attack; they only scored 0-6 against Cavan. No real ball-winners up front though, they'll play a running game... their half-backs like to get forward.

It should be an open, entertaining game; I hope we have enough to win. If we can nullify Waters & Byrne in the middle of the field.... we have Buckley, Hegarty, Treacy and Lee to win ball... I think we'll win. If we don't get the edge there, it just gives them the platform to attack and they have some very skilful forwards.

thinkstoomuch1

That limerick team doesnt suprise in the slighest ,i in fact said O grady would pick hes strongest team ,for wexford,downes and the lads are back ,and dowling is on the bench.

I was at an all ireland semifinal in claughan today ,and i was talking to good scoure ,hes involved in Limerick gaa scence ,underage,and he said,O grady is the man behind the wheel,Tj is the pasionate,all excited after thdm game,just what limerick fans want ,but its the calm,composed o grady,you never know what hes thinking is the brains behind limerick.


Tj has a minute influence in key decision making.



Yere around 5 games in(discard)tralee ist game,in to gradys possesion game ,and its being refined and getting close to work of art every game .The clare loss was ideal in the crystal game,as it showed him what he had to change.


Ye should beat wexford by at least 9 points.Wexford want a physical ,route one game ,but yere physicality and possesion game with yere pace hurling and in feet will blow wexford apart .O grady senses promotion,he will ruthlessy go for goals tommorrow.


Yere minors beat wexford 5-12 to 0-6 in ul grass ptich ,lot yere big stars played.

thinkstoomuch1

That limerick team doesnt suprise in the slighest ,i in fact said O grady would pick hes strongest team ,for wexford,downes and the lads are back ,and dowling is on the bench.

I was at an all ireland semifinal in claughan today ,and i was talking to good scoure ,hes involved in Limerick gaa scence ,underage,and he said,O grady is the man behind the wheel,Tj is the pasionate,all excited after thdm game,just what limerick fans want ,but its the calm,composed o grady,you never know what hes thinking is the brains behind limerick.


Tj has a minute influence in key decision making.



Yere around 5 games in(discard)tralee ist game,in to gradys possesion game ,and its being refined and getting close to work of art every game .The clare loss was ideal in the crystal game,as it showed him what he had to change.


Ye should beat wexford by at least 9 points.Wexford want a physical ,route one game ,but yere physicality and possesion game with yere pace hurling and in feet will blow wexford apart .O grady senses promotion,he will ruthlessy go for goals tommorrow.


Yere minors beat wexford 5-12 to 0-6 in ul grass ptich ,lot yere big stars played.

Fireball07

I hope so thinkstoomuch; they're definitely weaker than they'd hope to be but they aren't a bad side. Maybe not at the Limerick/Cork level yet but they are improving and have some good attackers. Whether they're good enough to really take us on in a shoot-out... I doubt it. But still- in Chin, O'Keeffe, Kehoe, Morris, McGovern they have good players.



My preview of the game has us winning:

http://www.livegaelic.com/news/allianz-hurling-league-division-1b-preview-limerick-vs-wexford/


Oh, and cheers about the minors. Should be a strong team this year.

thinkstoomuch1

Fireball07 wrote: »

I hope so thinkstoomuch; they're definitely weaker than they'd hope to be but they aren't a bad side. Maybe not at the Limerick/Cork level yet but they are improving and have some good attackers. Whether they're good enough to really take us on in a shoot-out... I doubt it. But still- in Chin, O'Keeffe, Kehoe, Morris, McGovern they have good players.



My preview of the game has us winning:

http://www.livegaelic.com/news/allianz-hurling-league-division-1b-preview-limerick-vs-wexford/


Oh, and cheers about the minors. Should be a strong team this year.

No bother good preview



Thats yere best team since 84 at minor


I done a panel of corks 30 minors and i mentiooed a good bit re limerick yere team,u16 etc
Its an indepth post ,about 3 pages back cork thread.


You may find the limerick parts interesting

Fireball07

thinkstoomuch1 wrote: »

No bother good preview



Thats yere best team since 84 at minor


I done a panel of corks 30 minors and i mentiooed a good bit re limerick yere team,u16 etc
Its an indepth post ,about 3 pages back cork thread.


You may find the limerick parts interesting

I'll certainly take a look! I'm fairly sure this group won the All-Ireland at U-16 or U-17 level... with Joe Quaid if I'm not mistaken.

Fireball07

And a preview of the football game:


http://www.livegaelic.com/news/allianz-football-league-division-3-preview-limerick-vs-wexford/


Hope Galvin plays a few minutes anyway, you really can't understate how good he is. A warrior of a man.

glasagusban

Terrible standard of a game on a sticky field in damp conditions. Fair play to limerick for digging out a win, not a great performance but some positives and some negatives to take from it.

Quaid saved the penalty and puck outs were good, good. Condon, decent. Richie, caught out on a few occasions, alright. Carmody had a few ropey moments early on but settled in and did alright, won't be taking walsh's place. Halfback line didn't play to their level, Gavin the pick as usual, Wayne was not good. Two of this line were injury concerns a week ago and you'd wonder did they need to play, and was Tom Ryan injured or what? Dodge wasn't great Browne was good. Browne nearly undroppable now, always available for a pass and pretty much always does the right thing with the ball. Allis was very good in patches, missed a few difficult frees, played out as a third midfielder in the second half, growing in stature and pushing for a start come summer. Ryan his usual self, there are a lot of half forward options but he will be very hard to drop. Didn't run great for Reidy but this guy still has potential and showed some good flashes including winning a ball and making a nice run before giving off a pass for a score in the second half. Big guy too. Full forward line good. Tobin a bit mixed but had some good moments. On the end of one of many Wexford late tackles and flattened late in the second half, got up and skinned his man for the next ball, went past him, looked to be fouled only for the ref to give a free against Tobin, farcical. Mulcahy showed some of what he's capable of, good to see. Downes: man of the match. Full forward, corner forward and wing forward, won balls, made runs, scored, gave passes for scores (a peach for the goal), drew fouls -serious player. Dowling came on full forward, the only sub used. Won a good ball showed some unexpectedly nice footwork and gave a good pass for a score and gave an interview after, standard.

Wexford scored two very well worked goals in the second half. Raises serious questions of our defence, Clare would probably have scored a hatful. Condon at full back and Richie corner for much of the game, good to see we have that flexibility. Mulcahy full forward for most of the game. Clever tactic of pulling the two corner forwards towards the wing, leaving big empty spaces in the corners, from midfield or half forward then the ball is put into space in the corner for mulcahy to race out to from full forward. Mulcahy is going to win a foot race 9 times out of 10 and this play worked well a few times in the first half. A few short puck outs led to players getting in trouble and will probably cause consternation for some critics of any semblance of a short game.

Fireball07

After all my talk about going to double headers, I missed today's games. Absolutely fcuking furious. Public transport in this country is an absolute fcuking joke. And the finish to the football game made me even angrier to miss it. ffs :mad::mad:



Anyway... from what I heard on the radio and talking to people who were at it... Wexford definitely made things difficult for us, but it didn't sound like we played well at all. Conditions were supposedly poor, but still, only 1 point from play in the 2nd half, I think? That's good enough... and you'd normally have faith in our defence but they seemed to cut through a few times.

Really worried about our lack of options at centre-back, we should definitely be trying an alternative against Laois or Offaly. Paul Browne seemed to be excellent again, always on the ball, praised for the accuracy of his passing and use of the ball. David Reidy was the target for our longer puck-outs? Wouldn't have had him down as great in the air... but yeah, it seems like the inclusion of Downes and Mulcahy won us the game as you'd almost expect. Geary was almost falling over himself in his praise of Downes, got the scores, set up the chances, won the frees in every position he played. He is an absolutely class player, hope he keeps up this form. Mulcahy got a goal and a point from play and they were praising the movement of the inside line a lot in the first half.


The slump without scores was worrying, but the worst thing imo, was the lack of subs? Shane Dowling the only one?? Showed a real lack of faith in the players on the bench, I think.... especially when we were struggling in certain areas. Improvement needed...





As for the footballers, absolutely fantastic to get the win! Looked dead and buried, but shades of Portlaoise, they dug deep and Ian Ryan scored with the very last kick (punch) of the game. As long as you've got that kind of spirit, you have a chance.

Struggled to cope with the Wexford attack as predicted, but it was when they struggled in the middle third that most of the problems seemed to arise. Brought on Galvin, and he give them a bit of parity, and I'm sure there was a mental lift too. But Danny Neville and Hanrahan also seemed to make a big difference, Hanrahan's direct running won us frees and cut through their defence. Still a lot to work on, as Wexford seemed to be the better team for most of the game and were comfortable...... but Brudair made the switches, and the game turned, I'm sure the crowd played a part too.


An excellent win in the end, one more should keep us safe- Fermanagh and Cavan at home, Offaly away. Tough ask, but I think we can do it. Not sure how many Ian Ryan scored today but it sounded like a lot. So so sickened that I wasn't there for it

Fireball07

Oh, and everyone I've talked to about the game has mentioned our inability to win ball in the half-forward line.


This has been a serious problem for years, it's a problem that isn't unique to Limerick, but other teams have found solutions- Clare have no real ballwinners bar Conlon, but have worked things so that they break it down and get players running into space constantly.

We've tried different solutions- Geary at 11, playing 3 defensive half-forwards last year, but still we don't seem closer to fixing it. The short puck-outs don't always work and when you've got light corner forwards, their movement has to be top notch constantly and the accuracy of the passing has to be brilliant. Running from deep and offloading works too, but you have to have the ball clean around the middle of the field to get that.


It looks like Downes will have to feature in the half-forward line, come Championship. I'd also have Ryan there because he shuts down defenders and can catch a ball... and then you have to have Hannon really, hopefully he'll be in form. That means Allis would drop out, because he's not an inside forward, and I don't really like a 2-man inside line much...... although we reverted to that today?


It's a problem.

francozola

Centre back is still a concern alright. Wayne positionally isn't the worst but with ball in hand, he is often at fault for running down cul de sacs. I think Dodge or Hannon are the only alternatives for the position and I think we need Hannon in the forwards due to lack of scoring power.

I think Dodge has been poor thorough out the two league matches he has played in. I'd be worried when the ground gets harder and ball moves quicker will he be able to keep up in midfield. At the moment Paul Browne is propping him up in midfield in a big way.

Could there be a Championship XV of Quaid, Condon, McCarthy, Walsh, Wayne, Dodge, Gavin, Paudie, Paul, Hannon/Dowling, Ryan, Allis, Downes, Dowling/Tobin, Mulcahy.

I think there will be big questions over Hannon's fitness due to his surgery. Could be used as an impact sub and try and get the most out of Dowling as a starter. I also would consider King/Dempsey as competition towards Walsh and Dodge.

I must say in the first 20 minutes the movement of the inside forwards and the delivery of the ball was very good, after that it disimproved and Wexford got a grip on the game. And I would also say management were very slow to make a move. Downes was isolated in the corner for most of the second half, only when Dowling came on and Downes came out did Limerick regain some control. Perhaps it is lack of trust but guys like King and Walsh are well experienced to be called upon.

In a way today, although not the best performance, may be a blessing in disguise and management can work on gearing towards Championship.

Fireball07

Just wrote quite a detailed post in reply, lost it all


Oh well, I might try again later, but basically I agreed with you on most things but I don't think Hannon is a realistic option at centre-back at senior intercounty due to him not being a dominant aerial force. Dodge maybe, particularly as he mightn't keep up for 70 mins in midfield, or Hickey, but he mightn't be back in time.

paddy no 11

Thats a great result whatever about the performance.

We still have a few things to sort out but we have time to do so.

Yeah i forgot about downes' club form at CF last year (he's still a corner forward in my head) seems he went well at half yesterday and also won vital ball against cork when he came on, looks like he'll have to start in the half. Downes, Jimbob, Hannon, (with breen, allis backing up, thats pretty decent.

On CB, i dont know and none of us know really, but the management have backed their horse and i dont think they are going to change their mind.

On DOG, i actually think the dry ground and championship will suit him better, at his age you cant burn the candle at both ends, he'll improve.

Fireball07

paddy no 11 wrote: »

Thats a great result whatever about the performance.

We still have a few things to sort out but we have time to do so.

Yeah i forgot about downes' club form at CF last year (he's still a corner forward in my head) seems he went well at half yesterday and also won vital ball against cork when he came on, looks like he'll have to start in the half. Downes, Jimbob, Hannon, (with breen, allis backing up, thats pretty decent.

On CB, i dont know and none of us know really, but the management have backed their horse and i dont think they are going to change their mind.

On DOG, i actually think the dry ground and championship will suit him better, at his age you cant burn the candle at both ends, he'll improve.

I wouldn't say that it was a great result... a good result, against a Wexford team missing a few players. So were we, granted, but I'd just be a little worried about our inability to score in the 2nd half.

Saw a few people worrying about the scoring power of our forwards, but from what I could gather, it's not that they can't score, it's that they couldn't get the ball in a position to score. The movement early on didn't last.


As for the centre-back thing, that's all very well, but if we learned one thing from last year, it's that you can't remain static. The best teams adapt. If you can't change and mould to your opposition and during the game, you're destined to fail.

glasagusban

Fireball07 wrote: »

Oh, and everyone I've talked to about the game has mentioned our inability to win ball in the half-forward line.

This has been a serious problem for years, it's a problem that isn't unique to Limerick, but other teams have found solutions- Clare have no real ballwinners bar Conlon, but have worked things so that they break it down and get players running into space constantly.

We've tried different solutions- Geary at 11, playing 3 defensive half-forwards last year, but still we don't seem closer to fixing it. The short puck-outs don't always work and when you've got light corner forwards, their movement has to be top notch constantly and the accuracy of the passing has to be brilliant. Running from deep and offloading works too, but you have to have the ball clean around the middle of the field to get that.

It looks like Downes will have to feature in the half-forward line, come Championship. I'd also have Ryan there because he shuts down defenders and can catch a ball... and then you have to have Hannon really, hopefully he'll be in form. That means Allis would drop out, because he's not an inside forward, and I don't really like a 2-man inside line much...... although we reverted to that today?

It's a problem.

Hannon, Hickey, Breen, Downes are all well able to win a ball off a puckout, Allis maybe a bit weaker at this from what I've seen, and Ryan is brilliant scrapping for balls that he shouldn't win and turning them into Limerick possession. I wouldn't be too worried about it to be honest. We should have good puck out options, but hopefully we keep up the good stick passing that we showed in the middle third last year.

francozola wrote: »

Centre back is still a concern alright. Wayne positionally isn't the worst but with ball in hand, he is often at fault for running down cul de sacs. I think Dodge or Hannon are the only alternatives for the position and I think we need Hannon in the forwards due to lack of scoring power.

I think Dodge has been poor thorough out the two league matches he has played in. I'd be worried when the ground gets harder and ball moves quicker will he be able to keep up in midfield. At the moment Paul Browne is propping him up in midfield in a big way.

Could there be a Championship XV of Quaid, Condon, McCarthy, Walsh, Wayne, Dodge, Gavin, Paudie, Paul, Hannon/Dowling, Ryan, Allis, Downes, Dowling/Tobin, Mulcahy.

I think there will be big questions over Hannon's fitness due to his surgery. Could be used as an impact sub and try and get the most out of Dowling as a starter. I also would consider King/Dempsey as competition towards Walsh and Dodge.

I must say in the first 20 minutes the movement of the inside forwards and the delivery of the ball was very good, after that it disimproved and Wexford got a grip on the game. And I would also say management were very slow to make a move. Downes was isolated in the corner for most of the second half, only when Dowling came on and Downes came out did Limerick regain some control. Perhaps it is lack of trust but guys like King and Walsh are well experienced to be called upon.

Agree with most of that and that's pretty close to the team I'd pick. I think Paddy's right on Dodge though, he'll come good in summer. But could still get in trouble against a pacey player for 70 mins -hence I'd move him to 6. Don't see Hannon a centre back to be honest, need him up front anyway. I think he has just started back training, don't think there'll be any issue of fitness with him by summer, may even see him before then.

paddy no 11 wrote: »

Yeah i forgot about downes' club form at CF last year (he's still a corner forward in my head) seems he went well at half yesterday and also won vital ball against cork when he came on, looks like he'll have to start in the half. Downes, Jimbob, Hannon, (with breen, allis backing up, thats pretty decent.

On CB, i dont know and none of us know really, but the management have backed their horse and i dont think they are going to change their mind.

On DOG, i actually think the dry ground and championship will suit him better, at his age you cant burn the candle at both ends, he'll improve.

Really think they need to give Downes a run at 11 to sound it out as an option.

Management may have backed Wayne at 6, I'd still be worried about him but trust the management know more than me. I know he's not far off indestructible but what if he's injured or sent off?? We have two more league games to go, trying out a few options in each of those should be paramount now.

Next game I'd like to see something like:

Quaid
King McCarthy Dempsey
Wayne DOG Tom Ryan
POB Browne
Allis Downes Ryan
Tobin Dowling Mulcahy

Fireball07

I would agree about changing it up for the next day, we have to have options. If we can't mould our gameplan and the players with it, to face other teams and expose their weaknesses then we won't win the All-Ireland. Is that our aim? Or are we going to be happy with another semi-final?

Last year was great, but I don't see why we can't kick on now.


But I wouldn't agree that ball-winning isn't a worry. We were killed by Clare in that department last year, O'Connor, Bugler and Donnellan swept up. Breen was the only one who made things even a bit difficult for them and he couldn't catch it clean. Hickey is okay at it but he won't be playing half-forward, Breen is nowhere as good at it as someone of his height should be... Hannon can, but often doesn't. So can Dowling... both have had problems in the past matching the aggression of top wing-backs, who really attack the ball. Downes yes, he is excellent at it and for that reason, I think he has to play half-forward.

We have lots of good players but centre-back is still an issue. As I've said, I don't see Hannon as a realistic option at this level, he doesn't dominate in the air... and he's also too good in attack to have back there. Wayne is solid, but has problems with quick players running at him... Richie Hogan, Colin Fennelly, Podge Collins... these lads would expose Wayne. He's made for big, strong centre-forwards like the Antrim fella. Even someone like Harnedy, who is skilful and quick, is probably someone Wayne could handle. You won't out-fight him, but you might expose him if you run straight through the middle.

We should be trying someone else there in case we come up against a team like that... if we come up against a nippy, intelligent centre-forward and we get exposed, that's just not good enough, because we can see it coming now. I'd say Dodge is better suited for that... but I would have liked to see one of the younger players given a chance- Barry Lynch, Barry O'Connell, Cathal McNamara, Dan Morrissey... although it feels like every centre-back is just going to be a stop-gap until Ronan Lynch becomes senior.

Sounds like the short game broke down a bit against Antrim, but that'll happen from time-to-time.... I think as our movement improves, so will we. The forwards have to move constantly and pull their men all over the place, that's how Tipp, KK and Clare all won All-Irelands; all 3 of those teams had top-class movement in their forward lines which opened teams up. All 3 also had extremely dominant half-back lines.

We have the talent in the forwards- Mulcahy, Hannon, Dowling and Downes are as good 4 forwards as any team have. Now bring in the movement. As for the dominant half-back line... all our lads are good in the air, but probably not on the same level as those... tbh, I don't know what the solution is. Our wing-backs are very nice hurlers. Maybe including Hickey is the answer, I'd like to see him at centre-back if we haven't found anyone else, but it may be hard for him to break in.





We still need to rack up our points difference, but we should do that while trying something different. I'd like to see a similar team to glas:

Murphy
Dempsey McCarthy King
Wayne Dodge Ryan
O'Brien Browne
Ryan Downes Allis
Mulcahy Tobin Downes


In fact, it's the same team except with Murphy in goal. Think he deserves a shot, got some gametime in the league last year and did well... he definitely has an edge with the length of his puckouts, if we do ever want to go long, and is a good shot-stopper too.

And I think we should be using all 5 subs definitely- definitely one of those younger half-backs I mentioned, bring them in somwhere, give them 20 mins if we're well up. Maybe Tommy O'Brien again.

Fireball07

Hearing a few mutterings about Dowling being used as an impact player for the Championship due to possible fitness/weight issues.


Think it would be madness personally, he's an absolutely quality hurler... he may be a bit heavier than some of the others, and it would be great if he was able to lose a bit, but I would say it's a lot harder for him than any of the other players. If it made him a worse hurler than any of the others, or if he wasn't able to contribute, then I'd drop him; but he's still one of our best forward- he was the strength, the skill and just a natural finishing ability. Not to mention his free-taking, he is by far the best free-taker under pressure we've had since Gary Kirby.

I would be slightly worried about the work rate of a half-forward line that contained both Hannon and Dowling, so for that reason, I'd move Dowling closer to goal... that would mean have him trotting back 80/90m for long-range frees, but it's worth it. Hannon's better around the half-forward line, and I would say Dowling has more of an eye for goal. If we go with a 2-man inside line, I'd nearly pull Mulcahy further out. I prefer him close to goal because he's a goalscorer and can burn corner-backs, but he is also an excellent playmaker and was utilised there for O'Grady in 2011, and the U-21s in 2011 too.

Rightwing

We're 4/7 favourites to win the league. This looks a good bet to me.

Should put a score on laois, and wex have the ability to do a number on cork. Offaly away is the slight concern.

Fireball07

I'm not sure about it all, I think Limerick people are way too confident. I think Cork will hammer Antrim, and could see them beating Wexford by more than we did.


Will we beat Offaly by more than 6? We're definitely better than them but they're beginning to sort themselves out and they scored a load of goals against us last year. It should be an easy win, but we can't be sure.... and away to Laois, they'll be targeting it for an upset. If our passing game breaks down and our forwards can't win ball, we could struggle, Laois are a very decent team and will play a sweeper, which frustrated Cork. It'll be a good test for us.

Rightwing

Fireball07 wrote: »

I'm not sure about it all, I think Limerick people are way too confident. I think Cork will hammer Antrim, and could see them beating Wexford by more than we did.


Will we beat Offaly by more than 6? We're definitely better than them but they're beginning to sort themselves out and they scored a load of goals against us last year. It should be an easy win, but we can't be sure.... and away to Laois, they'll be targeting it for an upset. If our passing game breaks down and our forwards can't win ball, we could struggle, Laois are a very decent team and will play a sweeper, which frustrated Cork. It'll be a good test for us.

They are away to antrim, that's never easy. Is it laois we play next?

Fireball07

Rightwing wrote: »

They are away to antrim, that's never easy. Is it laois we play next?

Yeah, but they'll be going there with the sole intention of getting lots of goals.


And no, we're in Offaly this Sunday. Wexford have Laois in Wexford Park.

Rightwing

Fireball07 wrote: »

Yeah, but they'll be going there with the sole intention of getting lots of goals.


And no, we're in Offaly this Sunday. Wexford have Laois in Wexford Park.

Maybe you are right, i'll be wise so & hold off so until after the weekend.

Fireball07

If you're looking for a good bet, you'd get even better odds for Ireland beating France in rugby. And it's a lot more likely imo.

Rightwing

Not sure about that one, Irl always blow up just when peoples' hopes are up.

Now LK are in the driving seat here, we shouldn't really blow this one.