Kildare GAA General Discussion Thread

Lemlin

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

I said Johnston was a lily purely to rile you... Because you were obsessing at one point last year to be honest. My opinion is seanie should have stayed where he was. I said that last year also the whole thing is embarrassing for Cavan and Kildare

I openly said pm me lemlin stop baiting me here saying I'm full of waffle etc..

And where straffan are concerned if you want call the club and ask the board what u want yo know. I know a player that said that Johnston was devoted to kildare but was not as devout to saint kevins. take from that what you want it is a fellow club players opinion.

Lemlin can you please stop what you are doing here debating is one thing but stirring the pot is another.

So you made points here just to "rile" me yet then go on to accuse me of "stirring the pot"?

I'm following the charter here. I'm attacking the post and not the poster. First off, you tried to say that you had your own personal opinion which you kept to yourself and your opinion that you gave on here. Now that has changed again. Why not just admit the truth that your opinion on the player has changed in the year? You're busy tieing yourself up in knots trying not to when its clear as day for all to see.

And the issue isn't embarassing for Cavan so I'd suggest you retract that point. We dropped the player for a number of reasons and results are now starting to improve as management had expected. This year was our best league campaign in years and is the first year we've beaten a team outside of Division 4 in the championship since 2005.

DARK-KNIGHT

Lemlin wrote: »

So you made points here just to "rile" me yet then go on to accuse me of "stirring the pot"?

I'm following the charter here. I'm attacking the post and not the poster. First off, you tried to say that you had your own personal opinion which you kept to yourself and your opinion that you gave on here. Now that has changed again. Why not just admit the truth that your opinion on the player has changed in the year? You're busy tieing yourself up in knots trying not to when its clear as day for all to see.

And the issue isn't embarassing for Cavan so I'd suggest you retract that point. We dropped the player for a number of reasons and results are now starting to improve as management had expected. This year was our best league campaign in years and is the first year we've beaten a team outside of Division 4 in the championship since 2005.

My view of him hasn't changed he is a good footballer but he loves the limelight. That is not a good quality IMO!
I also still am saying he should have stayed in Cavan.

I said that I was trying to rile you last year with the amount of crap you threw kildares way!! You also pmd me and were attacking Johnston calling him jelly and abusing his character!!! That IMO says it all about you, calling an inter county footballer fat?? Cop on lemlin!!!

full_irish

"Dark Knight. Lemlin. Get into that corner for a time-out and don't come back to play with the rest of us til you've sorted out your differences... do ya hear me??", said in Irish mammy voice.

DARK-KNIGHT

ENOUGH WITH HIS ISSUES....


Back on topic I think Alan smith is an absolute monumental player for us when he plays well the forwards seem to follow suit. Also he is a very likeable guy...

DARK-KNIGHT

So what are you all expecting from Offaly? Rival county with great heritage so a proud group of footballers. We should beat them comfy but you never know

klairondavis

Shave a bullock

DARK-KNIGHT

klairondavis wrote: »

Shave a bullock

Is that baronrath slang??

Kinder Bueno

klairondavis wrote: »

Conway won't get near the team. He was the fall guy for the Dublin defeat in the league.

Smith for me is the best inside forward in Kildare club football. He beat Michael Shields to every single ball last year. The trouble was that Kildare could not get enough ball into him. He was excellent against Cavan and Sligo too. I think he was Kildare's top scorer from play last year.

I don't get this thing of blaming Conway for Dublin mauling. We actually done worse when he came off, there was only a few points in it when McGeeney hauled him off. There was a lot more problems on show that day than Mikey Conway. The man is a forward FFS not a back, certainly not a CB.

I'm sorry bit we'll have to agree to disagree on Smith. I'm not a fan at all. No consistency from him at all.

I'm not expecting much from Offaly. Anything other than a 6-10 point win and I'd be surprised.

Lemlin

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

My view of him hasn't changed he is a good footballer but he loves the limelight. That is not a good quality IMO!
I also still am saying he should have stayed in Cavan.

I said that I was trying to rile you last year with the amount of crap you threw kildares way!! You also pmd me and were attacking Johnston calling him jelly and abusing his character!!! That IMO says it all about you, calling an inter county footballer fat?? Cop on lemlin!!!

In regard to Jelly, it is Johnston's nickname and has been for years. There is nothing derogatory about calling him it. The media often referred to him as "Jelly" Johnston when he first started playing. Much like they call Colin Cooper "Gooch".

And, as I told you then, a member of the Gaels club once told me it was because Johnston carried extra weight when he was younger. I didn't give the lad the nickname.

You're obviously not able to debate the point without trying to drag it down to a childish level e.g. "Enough with his issues". I've asked a question and you still haven't given an adequate answer.

In my opinion, the posts above show that your opinion of the player has clearly changed. They are direct contradictions of the opinions you gave here last year.

Tom Joad

SJ was known as "Jelly" in Cavan as he was so hard to keep hold off . It's a nickname he is well known by - just saying in the interests of fairness.

anyway carry on:)

klairondavis

Kinder Bueno wrote: »

I don't get this thing of blaming Conway for Dublin mauling. We actually done worse when he came off, there was only a few points in it when McGeeney hauled him off. There was a lot more problems on show that day than Mikey Conway. The man is a forward FFS not a back, certainly not a CB.

I don't agree with it either but I think it's clearly the way the management saw it. He hasn't got a look in since. Hugh Lynch the same after he was taken off after a horror show at the start of the Tyrone match. Connolly also looks to have lost the no1 shirt which I wouldn't agree with.

klairondavis

Lads if you want to discuss the rights and wrongs and dissect people's opinions about the transfer then resurrect the transfer thread from last year.

If you want to discuss Kildare football & hurling on here then by all means fire away.

Lemlin

klairondavis wrote: »

Lads if you want to discuss the rights and wrongs and dissect people's opinions about the transfer then resurrect the transfer thread from last year.

If you want to discuss Kildare football & hurling on here then by all means fire away.

The transfer isn't being discussed here, or the rights and wrongs of it.

I am discussing a Kildare poster's opinion on a Kildare player and how it has changed.

For example, I typed Dark Knight and Sean Johnston into the search option. First post I got up was from January when Dark Knight said "seanie johnston will have a big role to play i reckon now with kavanagh gone as can see forwards being reshuffled".

This directly contradicts the opinions he is giving above, and its the first post I found, yet he continues to try and state his opinion re the player hasn't changed?

As I've already pointed out, you have continually said that you are sceptical about Johnston and you actually replied to Dark Knight in January stating Johnston would want to greatly improve. Your opinion re the player has always been consistent and that is why I would not question it but I find it amazing that someone can give such a contradictory opinion and then try to state it hasn't changed.

Lord Trollington

Lemlin wrote: »

The transfer isn't being discussed here, or the rights and wrongs of it.

I am discussing a Kildare poster's opinion on a Kildare player and how it has changed.

For example, I typed Dark Knight and Sean Johnston into the search option. First post I got up was from January when Dark Knight said "seanie johnston will have a big role to play i reckon now with kavanagh gone as can see forwards being reshuffled".

This directly contradicts the opinions he is giving above, and its the first post I found, yet he continues to try and state his opinion re the player hasn't changed?

As I've already pointed out, you have continually said that you are sceptical about Johnston and you actually replied to Dark Knight in January stating Johnston would want to greatly improve. Your opinion re the player has always been consistent and that is why I would not question it but I find it amazing that someone can give such a contradictory opinion and then try to state it hasn't changed.

Are you a Kildare man Lemlin? Because you seem to infatuated with Kildare since Johnstons transfer.

Around the same time a journo from Cavan became obsessed with Kildare.

This same hack had a personal issue with Seanie which he aired openly on every medium he could.

celt262

Lord Trollington wrote: »

Are you a Kildare man Lemlin? Because you seem to infatuated with Kildare since Johnstons transfer.

Around the same time a journo from Cavan became obsessed with Kildare.

This same hack had a personal issue with Seanie which he aired openly on every medium he could.

Who is this Journo?

Lemlin

celt262 wrote: »

Who is this Journo?

I'd imagine he means Paul Fitzpatrick from the Celt.

Lemlin

Lord Trollington wrote: »

Are you a Kildare man Lemlin? Because you seem to infatuated with Kildare since Johnstons transfer.

Around the same time a journo from Cavan became obsessed with Kildare.

This same hack had a personal issue with Seanie which he aired openly on every medium he could.

No, I'm a Cavan man and, like I said above, why wouldn't I have an interest following the transfer? Alot of the media were straight onto it on Sunday/Monday.

It's also fairly hard to avoid Kildare GAA these days. Like Dublin of the last decade, they get a lot of media attention.

This is a Kildare GAA discussion thread. I didn't realise you had to be from Kildare to discuss Kildare GAA.

And I'm not discussing the transfer to be honest. I am discussing Dark Knight's contradictory opinions that he states haven't changed.

The Rooster

Lord Trollington wrote: »

This same hack had a personal issue with Seanie which he aired openly on every medium he could.

Lemlin wrote: »

I'd imagine he means Paul Fitzpatrick from the Celt.

As if he was the only media person to have a go at that farce!

I actually think Kildare's tactics v Offaly won't be too dissimilar to Cavan's v Armagh. Certainly they'll have extra efforts at curbing McNamee in the same way Cavan curbed Jamie Clarke.

Be very interesting to see how the young Kildare lads get on - it was an interesting contrast last week in comparing Cavan's youngsters versus Galway's youngsters - albeit quality of opposition played a part in that too.

full_irish

"Lemlin!? Who said you could leave the corner? Get back back in there ya wee pup" **off to get get wooden spoon**

klairondavis

Lemlin wrote: »

No, I'm a Cavan man and, like I said above, why wouldn't I have an interest following the transfer? Alot of the media were straight onto it on Sunday/Monday.

It's also fairly hard to avoid Kildare GAA these days. Like Dublin of the last decade, they get a lot of media attention.

This is a Kildare GAA discussion thread. I didn't realise you had to be from Kildare to discuss Kildare GAA.

And I'm not discussing the transfer to be honest. I am discussing Dark Knight's contradictory opinions that he states haven't changed.

The inter-county nature of this site is great and adds to the variety and balance. However, it would be nice to get the focus back to the games themselves. Pointing out inconsistencies in people's postings from 12 months ago until now is pointless and will see the thread descend into an inevitable slagging match.

Hammer Archer

OK I think it'd be best for everyone if both parties took a step back and agree to disagree before it descends some more and bans are handed out.

klairondavis

The Rooster wrote: »

As if he was the only media person to have a go at that farce!

I actually think Kildare's tactics v Offaly won't be too dissimilar to Cavan's v Armagh. Certainly they'll have extra efforts at curbing McNamee in the same way Cavan curbed Jamie Clarke.

Be very interesting to see how the young Kildare lads get on - it was an interesting contrast last week in comparing Cavan's youngsters versus Galway's youngsters - albeit quality of opposition played a part in that too.

I think the trouble with Galway was that their experienced players are not good enough to help bring the youngsters on. I read somewhere that of their players on Sunday that were over the age of 24, three were taken off and two were sent off.

I don't think that will be as big of an issue with Kildare. The older lads like Doyle, Foley, Bolton, Callaghan and Flynn have more experience and better temperament than their equivalents in Galway.

Expectations are quite realistic this year. It's a new Kildare team for the most part and hopefully a decent run in the qualifiers this year will bring them on for the future. No one is expecting this team to get close to Dublin in Leinster. For what it's worth I don't think there is a team in Ireland that will beat them this year as long as they can keep a lid on the hype.

Lemlin

The Rooster wrote: »

As if he was the only media person to have a go at that farce!

I actually think Kildare's tactics v Offaly won't be too dissimilar to Cavan's v Armagh. Certainly they'll have extra efforts at curbing McNamee in the same way Cavan curbed Jamie Clarke.

Be very interesting to see how the young Kildare lads get on - it was an interesting contrast last week in comparing Cavan's youngsters versus Galway's youngsters - albeit quality of opposition played a part in that too.

Cavan were a young team but its worth remembering only two were debutants and, even then, Martin Dunne has been in and around the panel for the best part of two years. To highlight the experience of the other young players - Eugene Keating, for example, is only 23 or 24 but has been involved in the Cavan panel since he was 18 or 19.

Most of these Cavan lads have now been involved in senior for two or three years and it shows. The likes of Keating, Givney and James McEnroe have improved substantially since they made their debuts a few seasons ago.

And let's not forget Cavan's last championship performance before this was the drubbing by Kildare when players like Killian Clarke were left badly exposed by their inexperience.

I didn't see the Galway game as I was at the Cavan game and then watched the recording of it when I got home so I'm not sure how many actual debutants they had.

klairondavis

Hard luck to the senior hurlers down in Tralee today. Too many wides in the first half left the lads with an uphill struggle. Kerry will probably win it out now and hopefully another year in Division 2A will do Kildare the world of good.

klairondavis

Éamonn Callaghan announced as this year's captain for the senior footballers. Popular choice.

Lord Trollington

The Rooster wrote: »

As if he was the only media person to have a go at that farce!

I actually think Kildare's tactics v Offaly won't be too dissimilar to Cavan's v Armagh. Certainly they'll have extra efforts at curbing McNamee in the same way Cavan curbed Jamie Clarke.

Be very interesting to see how the young Kildare lads get on - it was an interesting contrast last week in comparing Cavan's youngsters versus Galway's youngsters - albeit quality of opposition played a part in that too.

I don't believe Kildare will set themselves up to stifle McNamee. We have an All Star full back in Mick Foley who has been very comfortable on McNamee in the past.

Without being disrespectful to Offaly, Kildare will set themselves up in the same way they would if they were playing Dublin, Cork, Donegal or Tyrone.

It may not be comfortable but I expect Kildare to win despite a stern test from Offaly.

klairondavis

McGrillen has done a very good man marking job on McNamee in the last two championship encounters.

Top full forwards like McNamee are only as good as the ball going into them, no different than Johnny for us. Limit and disrupt quality ball out the field and there's not much that inside forwards can do unless they drop deep where they are less of a threat. How many times down the years have we watched Johnny getting frustrated with the lack of quality supply going inside and dropping deeper and deeper as a result.

dcr22B

klairondavis wrote: »

Expectations are quite realistic this year. It's a new Kildare team for the most part and hopefully a decent run in the qualifiers this year will bring them on for the future. No one is expecting this team to get close to Dublin in Leinster. For what it's worth I don't think there is a team in Ireland that will beat them this year as long as they can keep a lid on the hype.

This saying really irks me, do people really think that Dublin teams of the modern age are really affected by this so-called "hype"??

For years, we've been fed stories in the media of how great this Kildare team is but when the questions have been asked, they have contiuously failed to deliver.

Now that is what I call "HYPE"

Nothing against Kildare, they're there or thereabouts and just need a win over one of the top 4/5 counties to take that next step.

klairondavis

dcr22B wrote: »

This saying really irks me, do people really think that Dublin teams of the modern age are really affected by this so-called "hype"??

For years, we've been fed stories in the media of how great this Kildare team is but when the questions have been asked, they have contiuously failed to deliver.

Now that is what I call "HYPE"

Nothing against Kildare, they're there or thereabouts and just need a win over one of the top 4/5 counties to take that next step.

If you read this thread you'll find almost every Kildare supporter is in agreement with your sentiments re Kildare.

Maybe hype is the wrong word, but I think managing expectation levels and trying to insulate players from the amount of media and general nonsense talk is important particularly where young players are concerned. This is something that both Dublin and to a lesser extent Kildare (expectations will naturally be lower due to the historic lack of success) have to deal with this year given the amount of younger and inexperienced players they will have in their ranks.

I might be way off here but I think Dublin took their eye off the ball last year when they had a great opportunity to do back to back All Irelands. I think they're a better team than both Mayo and Donegal but the same hunger wasn't there after winning the All Ireland the year before. Too many players seemed to be distracted by trivial publicity events during the winter. I think they will be more focussed this year. They certainly looked it during the league campaign.

Lemlin

dcr22B wrote: »

This saying really irks me, do people really think that Dublin teams of the modern age are really affected by this so-called "hype"??

For years, we've been fed stories in the media of how great this Kildare team is but when the questions have been asked, they have contiuously failed to deliver.

Now that is what I call "HYPE"

Nothing against Kildare, they're there or thereabouts and just need a win over one of the top 4/5 counties to take that next step.

Depends what you mean by the term "modern age". I certainly think the Dublin team of 2000 to 2010 was hugely over hyped. In recent years, Dublin have justified the furore surrounding the team but there was alot of unjustified hype in the last decade IMO.

You'll probably point out that they delivered Leinster titles but Leinster football was generally poor up until the last couple of years. This was shown yearly by the Dubs easily winning the province and then being routinely beaten by the likes of Tyrone and Kerry each year.

BNMC

If you read any of the various Kildare GAA forums you will realise that expectation is at it's lowest since McGeeney took charge. The manner of our defeat to Cork last year and Dublin in the league this year has quietened down the bandwagoners in Kildare. Any knowledgeable Kildare fan such as Klairondavis will tell you that an AI QF appearance this year would be considered a success. We have a lot of newcomers this year as a result of a good U21 team and they will take time to find their feet at this level.

Cavan have had reasonable success at U21 level in the last few years yet they are only coming good this year if that Armagh game was anything to go by.

ProudDUB

Isn't it true that the most successful sports teams (like Kerry and Kilkenny) and the ones from large population centers (like Dublin and Kildare) are the ones that are talked about the most, by the fans, the media, the pundits, the internet forums, the talk shows, the rival fans etc etc. That is right across the board, in all sports, in all countries, right?

I honestly don't understand why only the GAA world has this obsession with hype. Why do so many people think that if (God forbid ) there is a bit of buzz or chatter surrounding a team, it is automatically a bad thing, that must be avoided at all costs?

When the likes of Manchester United or Leinster Rugby or the LA Lakers lose a game, you don't ever see it being blamed on all the hype that surrounds them 24 hours a day. It is blamed on their being the poorer team on the day. Nothing else. But if the Dubs lose, it's always down to the fact that they got carried away by all the hype. Now it looks like Kildare are passengers in the same boat. I don't get it. I really don't. :rolleyes:

klairondavis

ProudDUB wrote: »

When the likes of Manchester United or Leinster Rugby or the LA Lakers lose a game, you don't ever see it being blamed on all the hype that surrounds them 24 hours a day. It is blamed on their being the poorer team on the day. Nothing else. But if the Dubs lose, it's always down to the fact that they got carried away by all the hype. Now it looks like Kildare are passengers in the same boat. I don't get it. I really don't. :rolleyes:

There's a key difference. Professional sportspeople are insulated from most of what goes on outside of their own little bubble. That is not the case in gaelic games. Inter county players live, work and socialise with their supporters. For nearly every person they meet, the topic of football or hurling is never going to be far away and that brings its own pressures.

How many good minors and u21s have had their progress blighted because their heads had been filled with nonsense before their senior careers had even properly begun? There's a few in every county. When Laois won their underage All Irelands many of their players thought that senior success was inevitable because everyone in the county was telling them how great they were. I think there was an element of that with the Kildare u21s this year too.

ProudDUB

klairondavis wrote: »

There's a key difference. Professional sportspeople are insulated from most of what goes on outside of their own little bubble. That is not the case in gaelic games. Inter county players live, work and socialise with their supporters. For nearly every person they meet, the topic of football or hurling is never going to be far away and that brings its own pressures.

That may have been the case 20 years ago. It's not any more. With the advent of the internet, it is very hard to live in your own bubble anymore, unless you make a conscious effort to do so. I was at a Leinster Rugby Meet and Greet session with Brian O'Driscoll earlier in the year. He was asked how he avoids being affected by media hoopla. He said that he can access all of the bazillion things said and written about him, with just a few taps and clicks on his smart phone or lap top, if he so chooses, which he admitted his ego usually made him do. He said that he still walks down to his local newsagent on Sunday mornings to buy the papers along with the loaf of bread and the pint of milk & chit chats to his neighbours while he does so. Professional rugby players in Ireland aren't as isolated as you might think, yet you never see Brian O'Driscoll "never being out of the papers" as the reason for Ireland/Leinster losing a key game. Yet it gets thrown at GAA players all the time.

klairondavis

ProudDUB wrote: »

That may have been the case 20 years ago. It's not any more. With the advent of the internet, it is very hard to live in your own bubble anymore, unless you make a conscious effort to do so. I was at a Leinster Rugby Meet and Greet session with Brian O'Driscoll earlier in the year. He was asked how he avoids being affected by media hoopla. He said that he can access all of the bazillion things said and written about him, with just a few taps and clicks on his smart phone or lap top, if he so chooses, which he admitted his ego usually made him do. He said that he still walks down to his local newsagent on Sunday mornings to buy the papers along with the loaf of bread and the pint of milk & chit chats to his neighbours while he does so. Professional rugby players in Ireland aren't as isolated as you might think, yet you never see Brian O'Driscoll "never being out of the papers" as the reason for Ireland/Leinster losing a key game. Yet it gets thrown at GAA players all the time.

I will accept that the experiences of professional rugby players in Ireland might not be too dissimilar but you also brought up the examples of Manchester United and the LA Lakers.

I think there are some examples in Irish rugby too where players have been affected by hype (if that's even the correct word). I read an interview with a Munster rugby player a few years ago, I cannot remember which one it was. Anyway, he was talking about their first Heineken Cup Final against Northampton in 2000 and how he was completely drained before the match even got underway because he was so wrapped up with the public excitement in the build up. He spoke about how he was distracted and he felt his performance suffered on the day.

I certainly think it is a factor in GAA where the players will find it impossible to disconnect from the general public. I'm a good friend with a former Kildare player who was a member of the 1998 panel. We never talked about football together back then but I remember him being plagued by people that summer wanting to talk about the matches. We drove down the country for a day's racing in the build up to the All Ireland final to try and get away from it all but even there he was tense and couldn't relax because he was trying to sort out tickets for all his extended family and friends. I'm not saying hype is the reason we lost in 1998 but Micko was right when he said that the best thing he could have done after the Kerry match was to take the team out of the country for a month!

ProudDUB

klairondavis wrote: »

I will accept that the experiences of professional rugby players in Ireland might not be too dissimilar but you also brought up the examples of Manchester United and the LA Lakers.

Yes, I did and I stand by it, as due to the advent of the internet, the foreign sports mega stars can be just as exposed to all of the media hoopla surrounding them and their team, as young Paddy McPaddy from Ballygobackwards will be if his team make the county final.

I think there are some examples in Irish rugby too where players have been affected by hype (if that's even the correct word). I read an interview with a Munster rugby player a few years ago, I cannot remember which one it was. Anyway, he was talking about their first Heineken Cup Final against Northampton in 2000 and how he was completely drained before the match even got underway because he was so wrapped up with the public excitement in the build up. He spoke about how he was distracted and he felt his performance suffered on the day.

I certainly think it is a factor in GAA where the players will find it impossible to disconnect from the general public. I'm a good friend with a former Kildare player who was a member of the 1998 panel. We never talked about football together back then but I remember him being plagued by people that summer wanting to talk about the matches. We drove down the country for a day's racing in the build up to the All Ireland final to try and get away from it all but even there he was tense and couldn't relax because he was trying to sort out tickets for all his extended family and friends. I'm not saying hype is the reason we lost in 1998 but Micko was right when he said that the best thing he could have done after the Kerry match was to take the team out of the country for a month!

I get what you are saying, but the big game day pressure affects ALL players from ALL sports, especially when it comes to tickets for friends and family for big games. That is not an exclusively GAA thing. Have you ever tried to get tickets for a Six Nations rugby match? BOD joked that is was a good thing his wife gave birth on the day of the Ireland vs England game, as he wasn't able to get tickets for her family for the game. If someone of his stature can't scrounge up a ticket for his missus's mammy, who can? That kind of pressure affects everyone.

.

Lemlin

BNMC wrote: »

If you read any of the various Kildare GAA forums you will realise that expectation is at it's lowest since McGeeney took charge. The manner of our defeat to Cork last year and Dublin in the league this year has quietened down the bandwagoners in Kildare. Any knowledgeable Kildare fan such as Klairondavis will tell you that an AI QF appearance this year would be considered a success. We have a lot of newcomers this year as a result of a good U21 team and they will take time to find their feet at this level.

Cavan have had reasonable success at U21 level in the last few years yet they are only coming good this year if that Armagh game was anything to go by.

In fairness, the setup that the Cavan and Kildare U21s are coming into is totally different. The Cavan lads are coming into a team that, pre this season, had only won 3 or 4 championship games since 2005, all of those being against Division 4 opposition (Antrim, Wicklow and Fermanagh). Cavan are starting from the bottom up and building what will hopefully be a successful team on the basis of our young sides. Even our successful Leinster junior team last year was built on the basis of the U21 teams.

It is true what you say about players taking time to find their feet. The one saving grace for Cavan is that we followed this approach two or three years ago so now players that are 23 and 24 have several seasons experience behind them. The results were hard to take in that time, the 3-20 to 1-9 drubbing against Kildare a good example last year. But that is what was going to happen when you have a 19 year old full back, fresh out of minor, marking a player like Thomas O'Connor. I pointed out in the Cavan thread that, between the 2011 and 2012 first round Ulster championship games against Donegal, 15 debutants started so virtually a whole new team has been introduced over the course of two to three years.

The Kildare lads on the other hand are coming into a team that is one of the top eight in the country and has consecutively made it to the All-Ireland quarter finals. Coming into a team like that should make the transition alot easier.

BNMC

Juniors beat Meath tonight, 1-17 to 1-7. Hopefully a start to a good few days for the Lillies.

klairondavis

That's a pleasant surprise. I heard the preparation this year was a bit of a shambles. Kildare still had a lot of individual quality judging by the team with Hurley, Keith Cribbin, Seámus Hanafin and Cian Bolton playing.

Lemlin

Who do Kildare play in their semi lads?

klairondavis

Wicklow in Newbridge

klairondavis

Mark Donnellan

Peter Kelly Mick Foley Hugh McGrillen

Eoin Doyle Éamonn Callaghan Emmet Bolton

Daryl Flynn Daniel Flynn

Paul Cribbin Niall Kelly Eoghan O'Flaherty

Johnny Doyle Tomás O'Connor Paddy Brophy

Frankie Lee

klairondavis wrote: »

Mark Donnellan

Peter Kelly Mick Foley Hugh McGrillen

Eoin Doyle Éamonn Callaghan Emmet Bolton

Daryl Flynn Daniel Flynn

Paul Cribbin Niall Kelly Eoghan O'Flaherty

Johnny Doyle Tomás O'Connor Paddy Brophy

Can't really complain about that team, I'd prefer Connolly in goals as he is a better shot stopper and more commanding but the kick outs would have to improve. Ollie Lyons and Paudie O'Neill (injured?) are a little unlucky to miss out.

Half forward is the most suitable position for Paul Cribbin now, hopefully he will be able perform a similar role that McHugh does for Donegal albeit a bit more attacking. Good to see Brophy given the nod in the full forward line too as he will take a lot of the ball winning pressure off O'Connor.

freddiek

Lads,

Ive 2 Hogan Stand tickets for the Leinster double-header.

Let me know if you re interested
<snip>

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BNMC

I like the look of the team, it's very balanced. The half back line is a good as any in the country. I hope JD stays in the corner and let the younger lads in the half forward line do all the running.

A little surprised to see Brophy start ahead of Smith and Johnston but I think it's the right decision, he had a good league campaign (mostly off the bench) and he performed well for the U21s.

Looking forward to the game now, hopefully we get a win and a strong performance.

StupidLikeAFox

Id have Ollie Lyons in instead of Eoin Doyle - but its a decent line up, its settled and we don't have any messing like last year (Bolton at midfield against meath etc)

Will be interesting to see how Leper performs at CB. Providing our midfield comes good thats a formidable lineup

klairondavis

Curate's egg of a performance yesterday. A lot of work to do if we're to put it up to Dublin but I think we learned a fair bit. The half back line simply has to sit deeper to protect the full back line. JD, EOF, Niall Kelly, Cribbin and Flynn (x2) can be pleased with their night's work.

ProudDUB

I've just realized that in all 4 Kildare game I've seen so far this year, SJ has come on as a sub. Is there a reason for why he is not starting. Is he injured?

klairondavis

ProudDUB wrote: »

I've just realized that in all 4 Kildare game I've seen so far this year, SJ has come on as a sub. Is there a reason for why he is not starting. Is he injured?

He's not good enough to start. Simple as.

DARK-KNIGHT

klairondavis wrote: »

He's not good enough to start. Simple as.

I was also thinking that but don't want to open can of worms re Johnston here again.