*Limerick GAA news/discussion thread*

Mehapoy

HanaleiJ5N wrote: »

Not really, he might do alright there. O'Donovan hasn't really been given a fair crack of the whip at midfield and the fact he was hauled off so early against Kerry along with his benching suggests TJ has made his mind up on him for 2016. The man who came on for him (Fitzgibbon) had a dreadful game and was never going to be started this weekend based on how he performed two weeks ago.

Minimal changes again though. Looks like TJ has already pretty much decided this years team. Numbers 1 to 8 have been the same for three games. I suspect James Ryan will reassume his place alongside Browne once he returns from injury. I'm concerned that Gavin O'Mahony is still at centre forward.

In fact I'll make my prediction now, TJ's starting team come championship; Quaid; Condon, McCarthy, English; DMorrissey, Byrnes, Hickey; Browne, JRyan; Dowling, O'Mahony, CLynch; Mulcahy, Hannon, Downes.

If I see that team named in June I'll cry. Only other thing I see him doing is moving O'Mahony back to 5, Hannon to 11 and one of Nash or TMorrissey into the full forward line with DMorrissey to the bench.

I think everybody would cry if that team lines out, TJ would be gone after this season if that was the team as I couldn't see any progression there at all.
My only hope, considering that lack of time O'Donovan and pat ryan have got is that the management don't want to push them too hard when the fitzgibbon was ongoing. Would like to see one or both coming on today.
Wondering where O'Connell will play today, doesn't seem to be mobile enough to play as an Orthodox midfielder. He may play as a sweeper, like his u21 role, more deep lying.
Either way I hope we dispatch Offaly well, we've struggled bigtime against them in 1b, a narrow win or a loss and the season could be coming off the rails like last year.

Fireball07

I think we'll win comfortably enough today. I just don't think we'll get caught on the hop like the past two years. That's a full-strength team, pretty much... I know that we have to win every game, but I would have liked to see more rotation. Barry at midfield is a weird one, would never pick him there especially when we have a glut of midfielders. At underage level, I think he'd have been a super midfielder, but there are players more suited to that role whereas his main strength is being able to find his man no matter what.


I think Nash & Morriseey have to start in the forwards come Championship.

paddy no 11

Maybe we are going to take the step to playing a sweeper, might make sense against the wind today at least, with lynch coming deep into midfield

Yes Nash and Morrissey are certainties' for championship

washman3

Fireball07 wrote: »

I think we'll win comfortably enough today. I just don't think we'll get caught on the hop like the past two years. That's a full-strength team, pretty much... I know that we have to win every game, but I would have liked to see more rotation. Barry at midfield is a weird one, would never pick him there especially when we have a glut of midfielders. At underage level, I think he'd have been a super midfielder, but there are players more suited to that role whereas his main strength is being able to find his man no matter what.


I think Nash & Morriseey have to start in the forwards come Championship.

Hope you are right but I would'nt be that confident. Leaving Kilarney 2 weeks ago I felt (like many others) that if we'd been playing Wexford or Offaly that day we would have lost, not to mention what the Banner would've done to us. (with all due respect to Kerry BTW)

Fireball07

While playing a sweeper could help us shut out teams when we have a tendency to let them get a run on us, I'd worry that it would limit us in attack even more. Now maybe, it would make us more aware that we can't just lump it in if there are less forwards but if we play the ball in like we have been doing, we'll win nothing.


Against Wexford, we played 4 half-forwards for pretty much the whole game, with two inside. I didn't see the Kerry game.


I'm all for leaving 2 men inside at times to give them a bit of space, but you have to hit them with low diagonals, not straight high balls down on top of them, defenders will win that every time.

I just don't think TJ has varied much from how his teams are numbered generally. Is it not a bit late to be starting a sweeper? And do we really need one against Offaly?

HanaleiJ5N

I can't see TJ playing a sweeper, I reckon BOC will play as selected.

Pitch looks alright here, grass growth a bit patchy but the sod looks in good condition, no breeze, flags motionless. Conditions ideal, no excuses on that front today.

Subs are Hennessy, SOBrien, McNamara, POBrien, ODonovan, PRyan, Fitzgibbon, Tobin, Mulcahy, MRyan, KOBrien

Fireball07

Apparently Barry to wing-back, Hickey to midfield. Makes a bit more sense.

Fireball07

Hannon cleaning his man out in the air, 0-3 from play so far. Tom Morrissey with the other score, winning 0-4 to 0-3.

Offaly goal just disallowed, apparently lucky enough for us.


Footballers losing by a point up in Kildare at half-time.

Fireball07

Goal for Declan Hannon. By all accounts complete suicide by Offaly full-back line rather than something that we created. Hannon seems to be doing very well. 1-3 from play.

Fireball07

Straight after, Hannon lovely pass to Lynch, but Dempsey made a great save apparently.

Morrissey knocks over a point anyway, we're up by a goal.

Fireball07

Limerick 1-11 Offaly 0-8 at the break. We also hit 11 wides. Doesn't sound as if we're completely dominating but we do seem to be comfortably the better team at the same time.

Hannon 1-4, Morrissey 0-2, Byrnes 0-2f, Hickey 0-1, Browne 0-1, Gavin 0-1


Hopefully we kick on in the 2nd half now, not like in the previous two games.

Fireball07

Apparently Darragh Tracey hit the bar up in Newbridge. Ian Ryan, Johnny Mac and Iain Corbett all had to go off with injuries. Sean McSweeney on the frees and we've cut it back to one point again.

Fireball07

Goal for the footballers! Down by a point with seconds left.

Fireball07

Offaly scored a goal, but disallowed because the ref had already blown for a free in.


1-15 to 0-11, Dooley knocks over the free.

Fireball07

It's nearly over in Tullamore, Offaly have hit 4 on the trot. 4 points between them.

Limerick have only scored 4 in the 2nd half, Offaly have got 6.


Nervy.

Fireball07

Browne & Gavin score to settle our nerves a bit.

Fireball07

1-19 to 0-14, final score. An 8-point win puts us top of the division, 2 points ahead of Clare on score difference.



Our full-back line sounded unbelievably shaky. Every high ball in seemed to panic. Not overly impressive in general. 15 wides by Limerick, similar by Offaly. A lot to do.

HanaleiJ5N

Not perfect but better. Long spell without scoring in the second half made things a little more uncomfortable than they needed to be towards the end but happy overall.

paddy no 11

HanaleiJ5N wrote: »

Not perfect but better. Long spell without scoring in the second half made things a little more uncomfortable than they needed to be towards the end but happy overall.

2 disallowed goals and apparently hickey should have been sent off, hopefully it wasn't as bad as it sounded

That's a tough one on the footballers

HanaleiJ5N

Quaid did fairly well, made an important save in second half, better on the puck outs than he was against Kerry.

Condon; good display but a silly needless yellow card for a bit of argy bargy with his marker.

McCarthy; just about won his duel with Bergin, solid but pace as ever the concern. No better full back when he's goal side of his man but had to make a foul when his man got around him.

English; looked good, not perfect but really looks like a full back playing at corner back. Would love to see him get a game at 3, I suspect he wouldn't be that far off McCarthy overall.

Dan Morrissey; Tidy enough, didn't do a whole pile wrong. By no means nailed on for the championship but making a good case for himself in the league thus far.

Byrnes; a bit wobbly on the frees at first but improved later. Good from open play, looks at home at this level, made one solo run up the pitch which ultimately led to him coughing up possession cheaply but did his defensive duties well. I'm not saying he's Carey/Geary standard just yet but he's looked comfortable enough over the three games to allay fears that he'd be better off on the wing.

You could nearly copy and paste the same comment every time for Browne, very dependable player, maybe faded a little in the second half but kept things ticking along nicely in the first half. One of a handful of players who should be rested for the Laois game, a fresh Paul Browne will be handy in Ennis.

O'Connell; You could tell he's not a natural midfielder but didn't look out of his depth, some good defensive play, hopefully he'll get a start in the half back line next weekend.

Hickey; about as stupid a yellow card as you'll ever see, we get a free 50-55 yards out, free awarded, not much fuss, then suddenly Hickey runs 25 yards up to remonstrate with the fella who committed the foul, a big mass schemozzle ensues, at the end of which Hickey gets his card and the ball is thrown in. He played his best game so far this year but he walked the disciplinary tightrope, could have gotten a red card at one stage.

Reidy; Did well against Kerry but not to that standard today. First man replaced, tried but just couldn't impose himself.

O'Mahony; Picked off a few scores but goes missing for spells, I don't really know where this is going. If he gets the ball he doesn't drive at the defence, he doesn't have the same defensive impact the likes of Ollie Moran and Hickey brought during their stints in the half forward line. Is it enough for a half forward to just pick off a few points and not have much an impact otherwise? Is he the best we can do at 11? Is he better utilised elsewhere?

Lynch; No doubting the class this young man possesses, some of his pick ups are a joy to watch, an excellent stick man, but he has this strange tendency to pass to a free man just when he's worked himself into an excellent position to pick off a point himself, and honestly, I think someone needs to pull him aside and read him the riot act when it comes to this over the shoulder hand passing he does. At one stage he passed the sliothar behind him across the pitch to three Offaly men. I love him as a player but for al the good he does he carelessly gives away possession too much.

Tom Morrissey; Picked off a few scores and worked hard. More of the same and Mulcahy will have a tough job displacing him.

Hannon; Very good. Scored something like 1-4 from open play and always looked dangerous. Picked up a knock in the second half before being taken off. Looks increasingly comfortable in the full forward role.

Nash; struggled at times but never gives up. I think he's a bit raw yet for championship hurling but that's not for lack of application.


The way things stand in 1B now mean we can pretty much afford to make as many changes as we want for the Laois game, regardless of the result in that game we will need to win in Ennis to gain promotion. I'd rest the players involved in the Fitzgibbon Cup last weekend for starters.

Again, as in the last two games we were pretty much out of it for a long spell in the second half. Clare are not a team we can afford to give a 20 minute purple patch to so the focus right now should be on a 70 minute performance. And for a spell the team as a whole appeared to be losing their heads a bit, strange given we were comfortably ahead at the time. Still though, promotion still in our hands, no slip ups against Wexford or Offaly thankfully this year.

HanaleiJ5N

paddy no 11 wrote: »

2 disallowed goals and apparently hickey should have been sent off, hopefully it wasn't as bad as it sounded

That's a tough one on the footballers

Was it yourself who commented almost exactly the same thing after the Wexford game (when he risked a second yellow for dissent)? He seems a bit on edge this season for some reason, needs to calm himself down!!

paddy no 11

HanaleiJ5N wrote: »

Was it yourself who commented almost exactly the same thing after the Wexford game (when he risked a second yellow for dissent)? He seems a bit on edge this season for some reason, needs to calm himself down!!

It was but id actually forgottten about that in the 2 weeks. He really needs to sort it out

Mehapoy

Hoping we see Seanie O'Brien, Pat Ryan and Daragh o Donovan next week against laois...I think David Reidy hasn't delivered yet so should be stood down and we need to see competition for the half back line, Gavin is a conundrum, picks off the scores but doesn't seem to be involved as a cf should...

CillDioma

Decent win in Tullamore yesterday - really like their stand modern and probably not that expensive I'd imagine.

Team beginning to take shape for championship now:

Quaid - will be in goals
Richie English - solid and will replace Richie Mc
Richie Mc - usual self. Unreal reader of play which constantly gets him out of trouble. Can easily be taken to the cleaners if he's not at 100 percent. Carrying a bit of timber too.
Tom Condon - only position for him.
S. Hickey - completely out of form and is in decline. Rather him in the corner but Teege will have him in the team.
D. Brynes - long range frees a bonus and is very good in the air. Wouldn't like to see him on the likes of tony kelly his ground game is questionable.
B. O C/S O B/D. Morrissey. 1 from 3 here. Seanie O B hasn't got a look in so far for some bizarre reason. I'd have B.O.C marginally ahead of Dan but I'm not sure Tj does. He'd a good game against Offaly.
P Browne - turned into a fine player. Picking off a lot of scores and a super engine. Baffling the way he was treated last year.
James Ryan/D O Donovan/W. O Donoghue - It will probably be James Ryan given how conservative Teege is. I like O Donooghue a lot while O Donovan seems to be slightly out of favor.
C. Lynch - needs to be the fulcrum of the attack playing a far more creative role this year.
Gavin O M - he is picking off scores and is very good at making space. Decent option for puck outs too.
Dowling - purely due to hannons form at 14 and the lack of any other decent free taker at the moment.
Downes - Will probably just sneak a place.
Hannon - looks stronger and faster this year. Going very well. Hopefully he steps up now.
G. mul, tom m, b. nash/s tobin - last place is a lottery. Will probably be Nash.

HanaleiJ5N

Player|Starts + Subs|Scored (free's/65's)
Browne, P|3|0-9
Byrnes, D|3|0-10 (0-9)
Condon, T|3|0-0
English, R|3|0-0
Fitzgibbon, J|1+1|0-1
Hannon, D|3|3-14 (0-9)
Hickey, S|3|0-1
Lynch, C|3|0-2
McCarthy, R|3|0-0
McNamara, W|0+1|0-0
Morrissey, D|3|0-0
Morrissey, T|2+1|0-5
Mulcahy, G|1+1|1-2
Nash, B|3|0-6
O'Brien, P|0+1|0-0
O'Connell, B|1|0-0
O'Donovan, D|1+2|0-1
O'Mahony, G|3|0-4
Quaid, N|3|0-0
Rediy, D|3|0-4
Ryan, M|0+1|0-0
Ryan, P|0+2|0-0
Tobin, S|0+3|0-2


23 players used in the league so far. Same 26 players included in the match day 26 in the three games so far, three unused subs; Barry Hennessy, Seanie O'Brien, Kevin O'Brien.

Realbhoy

Just out of interest is it scoring difference or the head to head that settles things if teams finish level on points? Barring upsets at the weekend it could come down to this after the game on the 20th in Ennis. Hopefully not though!! COYBIG

HanaleiJ5N

Head to head. Regardless of results this weekend it all boils down to who wins in Ennis.

(Unless the Ennis game is drawn in which case results this weekend would be very important!)

Fireball07

Ard Scoil beat Kilkenny CBS by 8 points today. Two goals for Paraic O'Loughlin, one for Conor Boylan, 5 points from play for Peter Casey.

grenache

I wonder will there be any mention of the giant white elephant in the room on 95fm in the morning....

Realbhoy

I don't know but if he can win his own puckouts he'll surely get a mention!!