Kilkenny GAA Thread Part 2 **MOD NOTE POST 1***

TommyHilfiger

Comerman wrote: »

Did anyone get the free count? I thought Waterford got a lot of soft frees and Burca should get an Oscar for the dive before the goal. Overall there were a lot of positives today and all players worked hard on a pitch that looked like the cattle were taken off it this morning before mass.

Its a disgrace for a County grounds a club would have more pride wouldn't have a set up like it in this day age they looking to play Cork ,tipperary,, there during the summer the back strand in tramore would be better.

windy shepard henderson

TommyHilfiger wrote: »

Its a disgrace for a County grounds a club would have more pride wouldn't have a set up like it in this day age they looking to play Cork ,tipperary,, there during the summer the back strand in tramore would be better.

cusack park in ennis the same limited seating and max capacity of 20,000 and very very basic , the pitch looked poor on tv but what pitch is in good nick after all the rain

blackcard

I presume if Kilkenny and Cork are the only two teams who end on 4 points, that it is the head to head that counts and not points difference?

windy shepard henderson

blackcard wrote: »

I presume if Kilkenny and Cork are the only two teams who end on 4 points, that it is the head to head that counts and not points difference?

if wexford lost there last two games ( 1 against kilkenny ) they would be on 4 points also so if that happens score diffrence would be used to play against what looks like waterford in the playoff

brookville

What kinda team would we like to see for the tipp match?there's obviously going to be changes we might see fogarty,leahy and aylward back and we'll be missing delaney,donnelly and Walsh.All eyes will be on the number 3 jersey.

Realt Dearg Sec

brookville wrote: »

What kinda team would we like to see for the tipp match?there's obviously going to be changes we might see fogarty,leahy and aylward back and we'll be missing delaney,donnelly and Walsh.All eyes will be on the number 3 jersey.

I have a feeling he won't play Tom Aylward there, purely to see if you actually explode as a result! (FTR I'd like to see him tried as well, we need a backup plan if Walsh is injured)

brookville

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

brookville wrote: »

What kinda team would we like to see for the tipp match?there's obviously going to be changes we might see fogarty,leahy and aylward back and we'll be missing delaney,donnelly and Walsh.All eyes will be on the number 3 jersey.

I have a feeling he won't play Tom Aylward there, purely to see if you actually explode as a result! (FTR I'd like to see him tried as well, we need a backup plan if Walsh is injured)

I don't think he'll play him myself I'd say he'll go for joey at 3 and his hurling well and is probably the best of the rest.it should free up a spot in the corner hopefully it's a new face

Village87

brookville wrote: »

I don't think he'll play him myself I'd say he'll go for joey at 3 and his hurling well and is probably the best of the rest.it should free up a spot in the corner hopefully it's a new face

Good win yesterday Kilkenny fighting and better mobility went along way to winning and TJs & Keoghans excellence.

2 points of note. Waterford are at nothing and Walsh Park is depressing.

Waterford are going to find it hard to finish in the top 3 in Munster Championship.
There backs are not good enough without the sweeper, Coughlan, Connors, Mahoney and Fives are all lacking pace.

Kilkenny were miles better, full back line still looks shaky. Paddy Deegan could be taken to the cleaners on a team going 15 on 15 on a decent day.
Enda Morrissey excellent, Delaney solid. forwards worked like trojans

Kilienny & Tipp will be intriguing next week considering both teams are missing 4/5 good players.

brookville

Forde and mcgrath will be big losses for tipp as both are in great form.they'll still be potent up front noel mcgrath,bonner and breen all have experience don't know if bubbles is back but it should be a good test with a large crowd.
The positives from yesterday apart from the win was the subs all done well id like to see richie reid given a go in defence especially with delaney out but delaney and morrisey both looked confident yesterday and James maher and scanlon both got on the scoresheet.

JimboJones99

mullinr2 wrote: »

Watching the first half on tg4. Kilkenny have not been that good at all. Same lump the ball up into the forwards type of stuff. Tipp will wipe the floor with us next week

I must have been at a very different game to the one you were watching. There was a clear plan to try and work the ball out of defence as much as possible, with midfielders dropping very deep at times to get a short puck out and work it up from there. So much so that on a good few occasions there were shouts from the crowd to "Just hit the f**king thing will ya"

Personally I was delighted to see them try something different than resort to the lump it forward tactic that they have persisted with against the sweeper over the last couple of years. The shorter style used yesterday wasn't always conducive to the weather and as a result plenty of mistakes were made with handpasses going awry and so on but it did work more often than not.

It shows an awareness from Cody that we have to change to counteract the sweeper as we just do not have the quality of player that is able to win primary possession from direct ball like we used to. That isn't a slight on our current players just acknowledgement that what previous KK teams/players were able to do was actually astonishing and despite them making it look easy it is far from it.

babyjesus14

JimboJones99 wrote: »

I must have been at a very different game to the one you were watching. There was a clear plan to try and work the ball out of defence as much as possible, with midfielders dropping very deep at times to get a short puck out and work it up from there. So much so that on a good few occasions there were shouts from the crowd to "Just hit the f**king thing will ya"

Personally I was delighted to see them try something different than resort to the lump it forward tactic that they have persisted with against the sweeper over the last couple of years. The shorter style used yesterday wasn't always conducive to the weather and as a result plenty of mistakes were made with handpasses going awry and so on but it did work more often than not.

It shows an awareness from Cody that we have to change to counteract the sweeper as we just do not have the quality of player that is able to win primary possession from direct ball like we used to. That isn't a slight on our current players just acknowledgement that what previous KK teams/players were able to do was actually astonishing and despite them making it look easy it is far from it.

Completely agree with you there clearly was a plan to to try and work the ball out of defence and use the channels and try and avoid De Burca. The fact that our wing forwards Keoghan and Lyng were so heavily involved is testament to that. Obviously there is a risk involved and a few hand passes did go astray which tends to infuriate the "ah will you drive the f***** ball " traditionalists.

Personally I try not engage with the high stool analysts who very rarely have anything positive to say!😉

babyjesus14

brookville wrote: »

Forde and mcgrath will be big losses for tipp as both are in great form.they'll still be potent up front noel mcgrath,bonner and breen all have experience don't know if bubbles is back but it should be a good test with a large crowd.
The positives from yesterday apart from the win was the subs all done well id like to see richie reid given a go in defence especially with delaney out but delaney and morrisey both looked confident yesterday and James maher and scanlon both got on the scoresheet.

If you are to take our most recent matches as the first choice 15, Tipperary will also be without Barry Heffernan which kinda balances things out in that both of us will be down three due to Third level commitments.

Mankbag

mullinr2 wrote: »

Watching the first half on tg4. Kilkenny have not been that good at all. Same lump the ball up into the forwards type of stuff. Tipp will wipe the floor with us next week

Clearly you were not watching the first half. This was exactly the type of game that Kilkenny did NOT play.

Topcat32

A couple of thoughts on the team and how they played yesterday. Eoin Murphy was excellent, will take a few chances that other goalkeepers wont due to his hurling ability and will get caught out a few times a year as a result but overall the best goalkeeper in the country in my opinion

Joey Holden played really well, is a good hurler and has an excellent attitude, for me though at the highest level he lacks the physical strength needed to deal with the really top forwards, teams target this a lot as well.

Padraig Walsh is obviously a great hurler but is not comfortable as a full back and will struggle against physical players like Tom Devine

Paddy Deegan looks a decent hurler but doesn't look like a natural defender to me, great on the front foot breaking forward but not so good when he has to defend. So 3 good Hurlers in the full backline in my opinion yet not a solid fullback line and one that would struggle against the better teams in the championship.

Halfback line looked very good, Buckley is one of the few real experienced leaders in the backs and Delaney looks ready to take a starting place, Morrissey looks very tidy, good in the air and good hands, interesting to see how he would get on against a forward with pace on a dry day.

Conor O Shea tried hard but I cant see him playing anywhere other than cornerback at this level, gave a lot of ball away and tired very quickly in the second half.

Lester did some great work coming out of rucks and stopping the Waterford running game but his distribution at times was awful. It seems the more time he has the more likely he will badly mi**** the ball or mess up a hand pass. He is a great man to have on a panel as you know you that he win a lot of ball when he is sent on as a sub and his striking actually improves when a game reaches the final stages but he gives so much ball away at times I dont think Brian trusts him to start

Keoghan and Donnelly looked very impressive, both need to do a bit of work in the gym over the next few years but look like great prospects and have a good attitude. Lyng is a great worker, can't see him scoring a lot and his future may be further out the field, won a minor all ireland at halfback.

Wasn't the ideal day for Billy Ryan to get his first start, showed quite well for the ball though. Walter played well and looks a lot fitter than last year, will always look awkward at times and his striking well let him down on occasion. TJ was rusty but was still the real difference between a battleing win and the relatively easy win it was in the end.

All the subs came on and looked good which was very encouraging given that some of the squad players brought on over the last few years have looked very average.

Dionysis

Village87 wrote: »

Good win yesterday Kilkenny fighting and better mobility went along way to winning and TJs & Keoghans excellence.

2 points of note. Waterford are at nothing and Walsh Park is depressing.

Waterford are going to find it hard to finish in the top 3 in Munster Championship.
There backs are not good enough without the sweeper, Coughlan, Connors, Mahoney and Fives are all lacking pace.

Kilkenny were miles better, full back line still looks shaky. Paddy Deegan could be taken to the cleaners on a team going 15 on 15 on a decent day.
Enda Morrissey excellent, Delaney solid. forwards worked like trojans

Kilienny & Tipp will be intriguing next week considering both teams are missing 4/5 good players.

Would agree with this, Waterford were very poor.
But to be fair, kk showed some grit for the first time in a long time, so credit for that.
Deegan is not a defender simple as, and needs to be removed for the Tipp game.
A couple of interesting opportunities Present themselves the next day.
Tipp are without a few but they tend to let you hurl...
With that in mind,
They have Ronan Maher midfield who is very slow.
We badly need a win here.
The team, despite what I said above. It would be good to keep as much similarity as possible.
Murphy
O Shea
Holden
Deegan
Fogarty
Buckley
Morrissey
James Maher
Lester Ryan
M Keoghan
TJ Reid
P Lyng
R Leahy
W Walsh
Billy Ryan

minty81

I was really encouraged by the fact we actually looked like we put some thought into our game plan, working the ball up the field rather than lashing it down blindly on a loose man. Maybe TJ got his meeting afterall!
I'd expect O'Shea back in the corner and Holden who's in good form to take over number 3. Though the interview i heard with Cody he said anyone playing Saturday definitely wouldn't be involved - maybe theres a chance of Padraig lining out as his game is Friday?

blackcard

I would still have concerns about our defence. Waterford scored one goal, were awarded a penalty, Eoin Murphy made good saves and the ref called play play back when Waterford looked like they were in on goal. On the other hand, we didn't create many goal chances. I would still like to see Conor Delaney get a shot at full back and Padraig at full back.

Dionysis

blackcard wrote: »

I would still have concerns about our defence. Waterford scored one goal, were awarded a penalty, Eoin Murphy made good saves and the ref called play play back when Waterford looked like they were in on goal. On the other hand, we didn't create many goal chances. I would still like to see Conor Delaney get a shot at full back and Padraig at full back.

The problem is, kk are without the following players for next weekend,
Padraig Walsh
Conor Delaney
Donnelly

So pick a defence now.

Remember we will be without the above three plus,
Fennelly
Aylward
Hogan
Murphy

For next weekend. That’s assuming fogarty is back.

sportsmaddad

I just had a look at our clubs fixtures for this years minor and under 15 leagues. Like most country clubs, we’ll have plenty of fellas playing both. If I take 26th March to 4th May, they have a total of 10 games. In a little over 5 weeks. For the rest of the league, in June/July, there’s a total of 4 games. The championship could be just 1 or 2 games in each grade.

So just think about it – a young fella is supposed to play 10 games over the month of April. And plenty of them will have soccer or rugby going on, in their final stages. And then maybe 6 games in total for all of the rest of the year.

I’m sure it’s the same for most other clubs, especially the country ones. Can someone explain the logic behind this? I’m sure plenty of the games will be postponed and changed, but why create all that mess in the first place? And does anyone know how it compares to other counties?

babyjesus14

minty81 wrote: »

I was really encouraged by the fact we actually looked like we put some thought into our game plan, working the ball up the field rather than lashing it down blindly on a loose man. Maybe TJ got his meeting afterall!
I'd expect O'Shea back in the corner and Holden who's in good form to take over number 3. Though the interview i heard with Cody he said anyone playing Saturday definitely wouldn't be involved - maybe theres a chance of Padraig lining out as his game is Friday?

Padraig's semi is Friday ( for which they will be favourites) then the final is Saturday, so we can assume he won't be available. Here's the team I would like to see on Sunday.

E Murphy
C O'Shea
J Holden
P Deegan (assuming he's not still in Maynooth)
R Reid
C Buckley
E Morrissey
C Fogarty (if unavailable, J Maher)
L Blanchfield
M Keoghan
TJ Reid
P Lyng
A Murphy
W Walsh
R Leahy (if unavailable, B Sheean)

I've listed Leahy at 15 which would be an unfamiliar position for him but he could be given a freer role similar to the one Eoin Larkin played in his last couple of seasons where he wore 15 but you were as likely to see him pop up in the half back line as the full forward line.

I was at the game last Sunday so didn't see the live (deferred) coverage, was there any mention from the Kilkenny management team as to why Richie Leahy didn't play?

babyjesus14

sportsmaddad wrote: »

I just had a look at our clubs fixtures for this years minor and under 15 leagues. Like most country clubs, we’ll have plenty of fellas playing both. If I take 26th March to 4th May, they have a total of 10 games. In a little over 5 weeks. For the rest of the league, in June/July, there’s a total of 4 games. The championship could be just 1 or 2 games in each grade.

So just think about it – a young fella is supposed to play 10 games over the month of April. And plenty of them will have soccer or rugby going on, in their final stages. And then maybe 6 games in total for all of the rest of the year.

I’m sure it’s the same for most other clubs, especially the country ones. Can someone explain the logic behind this? I’m sure plenty of the games will be postponed and changed, but why create all that mess in the first place? And does anyone know how it compares to other counties?

A lot of the minors particularly with the smaller country clubs who have less of a pick will be doing Junior Cert and having previous experience of it July is a nightmare due to family holidays and then obviously space has to be created for the county minors matches. So they are the main reasons why so many fixtures are crowbarred into the dates you mentioned above. It's far from ideal but I would imagine it's a thankless task trying to come with a fixture list that suits everyone.

theblackspot

Two full-backs. That's the solution we've been waiting for.

droppingball

Very happy with the performance on Saturday and there most definitely was a game plan in place. Was at the game and haven't watched it back yet but seemed like Buckley sat very deep and when Deegan and Holden got ball they looked for him or Delaney or Morrissey and they moved right out to the wing and to give them an option and then better ball played around from there.

TJ and Walter were both very aware of De Burca and were on him very quickly. It worked well besides a few loose passes from Lester and Deegan but to play the shorter passing game in what was a bog showed that they have a bit of confidence in themselves.

Conor Delaneys touch looked assured, took an extra second on the ball once or twice but for his first outing it was impressive. It was Joeys best game for a long time, in fairness to him he has had it tough since the 16 final so fair play to him for sticking at it and his attitude has been good.

Pat Lyng and Keoghan flew into every ruck and fought for everything and are staking huge claims for a jersey. Love the way Pat Lyng has turned provider and is a real team player and Keoghan works hard and is great at running into space for a pass and pick off a score. He was visibly stumbling around down in Pairc Ui Chaoimh after 40 minutes from exhaustion but he paced himself well since and has settled to the pace of inter county very well for a 19 year old.

There will be a few changes out of necessity for next week but if they attack the game like that we will have every chance.

I think Walter has showed unbelievable leadership in this league so far, he has led from the front and has been the spearhead of everything. He might not be running up big scores but the amount of turnovers is massive. Barry Coughlan was up to his usual stuff on Sunday and Walter gave it right back to him, will have to know when to give it back and when to take it and he did that well on Sunday, all part of playing full forward.

You would be glad of what we have in Nowlan Park compared to Walsh Park, poor stand and awful pitch down there.

Mankbag

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/hurling/tony-browne-the-new-tactical-cody-could-just-pull-off-his-greatest-trick-467379.html

Village87

Mankbag wrote: »

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/hurling/tony-browne-the-new-tactical-cody-could-just-pull-off-his-greatest-trick-467379.html

If Waterford manage to turn around this season and do anything ill be shocked.

No forwards, no pace in the backs. There in big trouble

danganabu

Village87 wrote: »

If Waterford manage to turn around this season and do anything ill be shocked.

No forwards, no pace in the backs. There in big trouble

Waterford's season hasn't started yet and rightly so, they have the same forwards and same pace in the backs as they had last year.

FWIW I think they are a busted flush as well but not for those reasons, they simply dont have the squad to deal with the new structure and there has to be certain members of the team/panel becomming more and more disillusioned with the puke hurling to coin a phrase. And from what I seen of Walsh Park there isnt a chance in hell of them hosting games there, another disadvantage in a ultra competitive province.

babyjesus14

danganabu wrote: »

Waterford's season hasn't started yet and rightly so, they have the same forwards and same pace in the backs as they had last year.

FWIW I think they are a busted flush as well but not for those reasons, they simply dont have the squad to deal with the new structure and there has to be certain members of the team/panel becomming more and more disillusioned with the puke hurling to coin a phrase. And from what I seen of Walsh Park there isnt a chance in hell of them hosting games there, another disadvantage in a ultra competitive province.

Making definitive calls about teams in February is crazy. I think it's common knowledge that Kilkenny have much more work done than Waterford at this stage of the year and that certainly showed on Sunday. While the Munster group is going to be a minefield I certainly wouldn't be ruling anyone in or out at this stage of the year. And considering Waterford haven't won a match in Walsh Park in over two years maybe it would be no harm if they moved their "home" matches to Nowlan ( where they won last year) or Wexford Park.

danganabu

babyjesus14 wrote: »

Making definitive calls about teams in February is crazy. I think it's common knowledge that Kilkenny have much more work done than Waterford at this stage of the year and that certainly showed on Sunday. While the Munster group is going to be a minefield I certainly wouldn't be ruling anyone in or out at this stage of the year. And considering Waterford haven't won a match in Walsh Park in over two years maybe it would be no harm if they moved their "home" matches to Nowlan ( where they won last year) or Wexford Park.

Agreed, cant ever see the Munster Council agreeing to Munster Championship games being played outside of Munster though.

babyjesus14

danganabu wrote: »

Agreed, cant ever see the Munster Council agreeing to Munster Championship games being played outside of Munster though.

Money talks, they could get close to 25,000 in Nowlan Park for the Tipperary and Cork matches as opposed to what 12 or 14000 in Walsh Park.

greenspurs

can they use Fraher field ?

danganabu

babyjesus14 wrote: »

Money talks, they could get close to 25,000 in Nowlan Park for the Tipperary and Cork matches as opposed to what 12 or 14000 in Walsh Park.

But they would get as many and probably more in Thurles/PUC/Limerick and not have to pay Kilkenny County Board or the Leinster Council any money. I really cant see the Munster Council bending over backwards to accomodate Waterford, this is a problem of their own making and no one else. I would imagine that if health and safety were required to clear Walsh park for championship matches the capacity would be a lot less than 12-14k. And the pitch itself is like something that was used for grazing cattle.

Realt Dearg Sec

greenspurs wrote: »

can they use Fraher field ?

Might as well play the match out on the beach at low tide.

greenspurs

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Might as well play the match out on the beach at low tide.

might have trouble getting the lines down though ....
unless they use hurleys to scrape them into the sand .........

Village87

danganabu wrote: »

Waterford's season hasn't started yet and rightly so, they have the same forwards and same pace in the backs as they had last year.

FWIW I think they are a busted flush as well but not for those reasons, they simply dont have the squad to deal with the new structure and there has to be certain members of the team/panel becomming more and more disillusioned with the puke hurling to coin a phrase. And from what I seen of Walsh Park there isnt a chance in hell of them hosting games there, another disadvantage in a ultra competitive province.

Backs do lack Pace IMO, Fives, Connors, Mahoney would all struggle without the sweeper.
As for the forwards ?
Gleeson has little around him with the centre back picking him up and the Waterford spare man also there with a midfielder sitting deep and 2 wing backs close to him because Kevin Moran and Brick Walsh are also sitting deep. Jake Dillion offers nothing that and Shane Bennett is on a sabbatical because he has to run around trying to mark 2/3 men. How can the players not be sick of that system. I will be very surprised if they can finish in the top 3 in Munster

brookville

babyjesus14 wrote: »

minty81 wrote: »

I was really encouraged by the fact we actually looked like we put some thought into our game plan, working the ball up the field rather than lashing it down blindly on a loose man. Maybe TJ got his meeting afterall!
I'd expect O'Shea back in the corner and Holden who's in good form to take over number 3. Though the interview i heard with Cody he said anyone playing Saturday definitely wouldn't be involved - maybe theres a chance of Padraig lining out as his game is Friday?

Padraig's semi is Friday ( for which they will be favourites) then the final is Saturday, so we can assume he won't be available. Here's the team I would like to see on Sunday.

E Murphy
C O'Shea
J Holden
P Deegan (assuming he's not still in Maynooth)
R Reid
C Buckley
E Morrissey
C Fogarty (if unavailable, J Maher)
L Blanchfield
M Keoghan
TJ Reid
P Lyng
A Murphy
W Walsh
R Leahy (if unavailable, B Sheean)

I've listed Leahy at 15 which would be an unfamiliar position for him but he could be given a freer role similar to the one Eoin Larkin played in his last couple of seasons where he wore 15 but you were as likely to see him pop up in the half back line as the full forward line.

I was at the game last Sunday so didn't see the live (deferred) coverage, was there any mention from the Kilkenny management team as to why Richie Leahy didn't play?

Didn't hear what was wrong with leahy hopefully nothing serious. interesting to see Lyng doing interviews lately has something happened with cody?I think I seen lyng wearing an earpiece as well which would be something I haven't seen before if it was.
I agree with most of the team above richie Reid should be tried half back.Joey has got his confidence back which is great but I'd leave him in the corner and start tom aylward full back he'd be a better option than lennon but I'd say he'll go for joey.No sign of john walsh or chris bolger lately I wouldn't mind seen them on the panel.

Cornerback1

brookville wrote: »

babyjesus14 wrote: »

minty81 wrote: »

I was really encouraged by the fact we actually looked like we put some thought into our game plan, working the ball up the field rather than lashing it down blindly on a loose man. Maybe TJ got his meeting afterall!
I'd expect O'Shea back in the corner and Holden who's in good form to take over number 3. Though the interview i heard with Cody he said anyone playing Saturday definitely wouldn't be involved - maybe theres a chance of Padraig lining out as his game is Friday?

Padraig's semi is Friday ( for which they will be favourites) then the final is Saturday, so we can assume he won't be available. Here's the team I would like to see on Sunday.

E Murphy
C O'Shea
J Holden
P Deegan (assuming he's not still in Maynooth)
R Reid
C Buckley
E Morrissey
C Fogarty (if unavailable, J Maher)
L Blanchfield
M Keoghan
TJ Reid
P Lyng
A Murphy
W Walsh
R Leahy (if unavailable, B Sheean)

I've listed Leahy at 15 which would be an unfamiliar position for him but he could be given a freer role similar to the one Eoin Larkin played in his last couple of seasons where he wore 15 but you were as likely to see him pop up in the half back line as the full forward line.

I was at the game last Sunday so didn't see the live (deferred) coverage, was there any mention from the Kilkenny management team as to why Richie Leahy didn't play?

Didn't hear what was wrong with leahy hopefully nothing serious. interesting to see Lyng doing interviews lately has something happened with cody?I think I seen lyng wearing an earpiece as well which would be something I haven't seen before if it was.
I agree with most of the team above richie Reid should be tried half back.Joey has got his confidence back which is great but I'd leave him in the corner and start tom aylward full back he'd be a better option than lennon but I'd say he'll go for joey.No sign of john walsh or chris bolger lately I wouldn't mind seen them on the panel.

brookville wrote: »

babyjesus14 wrote: »

minty81 wrote: »

I was really encouraged by the fact we actually looked like we put some thought into our game plan, working the ball up the field rather than lashing it down blindly on a loose man. Maybe TJ got his meeting afterall!
I'd expect O'Shea back in the corner and Holden who's in good form to take over number 3. Though the interview i heard with Cody he said anyone playing Saturday definitely wouldn't be involved - maybe theres a chance of Padraig lining out as his game is Friday?

Padraig's semi is Friday ( for which they will be favourites) then the final is Saturday, so we can assume he won't be available. Here's the team I would like to see on Sunday.

E Murphy
C O'Shea
J Holden
P Deegan (assuming he's not still in Maynooth)
R Reid
C Buckley
E Morrissey
C Fogarty (if unavailable, J Maher)
L Blanchfield
M Keoghan
TJ Reid
P Lyng
A Murphy
W Walsh
R Leahy (if unavailable, B Sheean)

I've listed Leahy at 15 which would be an unfamiliar position for him but he could be given a freer role similar to the one Eoin Larkin played in his last couple of seasons where he wore 15 but you were as likely to see him pop up in the half back line as the full forward line.

I was at the game last Sunday so didn't see the live (deferred) coverage, was there any mention from the Kilkenny management team as to why Richie Leahy didn't play?

Re: Lyng wearing an ear piece. Maybe someone up in the stand?

I don't understand why all GAA teams, including clubs, don't have somebody up in a better vantage point. It makes sense. Rugby lads do it and it's the norm. More to see feom a tactical point of view higher up.

The only reason I can think of is GAA men on sideline 'have to be seen' roaring and shouting and they are not a proper manager if they're not prowling the sideline.

sportsmaddad

babyjesus14 wrote: »

A lot of the minors particularly with the smaller country clubs who have less of a pick will be doing Junior Cert and having previous experience of it July is a nightmare due to family holidays and then obviously space has to be created for the county minors matches. So they are the main reasons why so many fixtures are crowbarred into the dates you mentioned above. It's far from ideal but I would imagine it's a thankless task trying to come with a fixture list that suits everyone.

I agree it's not simple to work out these fixtures. And I appreciate summer months are complicated with holidays.  But surely there has to be a better way than 10 games in less than 6 weeks, 6 games over 10 months or so.

Garyp88

Just watched the Waterford game I thought we played very well. Some great individual performances and the hunger and desire was great. Really got in there faces from front to back was very pleasing. Yes Waterford were awful but the tactics and the way they hurled the short and quick stuff was great on a shocking pitch. Oh and mossys point on 30 minutes 🔥🔥🔥

Village87

Will Kilkenny be trying out anymore players over the course of the league now ? Clubs back in action now and Kilkenny carrying 55/60 players and u21 also carrying a lot will these players be released to there clubs over the next few weeks ?

droppingball

Took another look at the game last night, Enda Morrisseys use of the ball was very good, picked out the man very well. Have only seen him 3 or 4 times before but would hope to see him get time in the next two games and see how he develops.

Pity Kevin Kelly and Ger Alyward have not been fit or available as they could do with game time to get form with the team.

Interesting if Maynooth lose on Friday will Padraig be picked on Sunday, it would be no harm if he wasn't playing as we need to get a look at someone else at full back.

Village87

droppingball wrote: »

Took another look at the game last night, Enda Morrisseys use of the ball was very good, picked out the man very well. Have only seen him 3 or 4 times before but would hope to see him get time in the next two games and see how he develops.

Pity Kevin Kelly and Ger Alyward have not been fit or available as they could do with game time to get form with the team.

Interesting if Maynooth lose on Friday will Padraig be picked on Sunday, it would be no harm if he wasn't playing as we need to get a look at someone else at full back.

Padraig Walsh was u 21 5/6 years ago ?
He must be in college 7/8 years now

babyjesus14

Village87 wrote: »

Padraig Walsh was u 21 5/6 years ago ?
He must be in college 7/8 years now

Padraig is 25 turns 26 this year. Did a degree down in UL straight from school. Then worked for Elvery Sports for a few years and went back to college in Maynooth last year.

danganabu

babyjesus14 wrote: »

Padraig is 25 turns 26 this year. Did a degree down in UL straight from school. Then worked for Elvery Sports for a few years and went back to college in Maynooth last year.

Absolutely nothing to do with Padraig Walsh before anyone thinks thats my angle, but surely with the recent re-drawing of the GAA calender, the increased number of lads entering third level education and all the concerns over player welfare no player should be allowed play Fitzgibbon/Sigerson for more than say two years?

babyjesus14

danganabu wrote: »

Absolutely nothing to do with Padraig Walsh before anyone thinks thats my angle, but surely with the recent re-drawing of the GAA calender, the increased number of lads entering third level education and all the concerns over player welfare no player should be allowed play Fitzgibbon/Sigerson for more than say two years?

In fairness probably not a big an issue when they get to Padraig's age the real issue is with guys who are still eligible for under 21 and also involved with their seniors at county level.

They have changed the rules in recent years, freshers are not allowed play Fitzgibbon/Sigerson and you can only eligible for two courses/colleges ie a primary degree and postgraduate or two separate degrees. It was a joke back in the 90's, the likes of Jim McGuiness and Colm Parkinson played Sigerson for 4 different colleges and were registered for courses that they weren't even doing. In fact Michael Donnellon won a Sigerson with IT Tralee and he never even set foot on the campus.

danganabu

babyjesus14 wrote: »

In fairness probably not a big an issue when they get to Padraig's age the real issue is with guys who are still eligible for under 21 and also involved with their seniors at county level.

They have changed the rules in recent years, freshers are not allowed play Fitzgibbon/Sigerson and you can only eligible for two courses/colleges ie a primary degree and postgraduate or two separate degrees. It was a joke back in the 90's, the likes of Jim McGuiness and Colm Parkinson played Sigerson for 4 different colleges and were registered for courses that they weren't even doing. In fact Michael Donnellon won a Sigerson with IT Tralee and he never even set foot on the campus.

Very true, I think Eoin Kelly was in college for the guts of a decade.

Realt Dearg Sec

I never understood why the colleges were doing that kind of shady stuff. There's only a very small handful of people really paying much attention to the Fitz/Sigerson when it comes down to it, so while for the sport it's a very important competition in terms of showcasing up and coming players and developing them in a competitive environment, beyond the college's GAA club I don't see what benefit the college gets out of it, it's not like winning it makes a massive difference to the profile of the institution or anything. I remember going to see a match in UCD once where the likes of Noel McGrath, Joe Canning etc were all playing, and if there were 30 people watching I'd be surprised. Most students weren't even aware there was a match, and if they were they didn't care.

babyjesus14

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

I never understood why the colleges were doing that kind of shady stuff. There's only a very small handful of people really paying much attention to the Fitz/Sigerson when it comes down to it, so while for the sport it's a very important competition in terms of showcasing up and coming players and developing them in a competitive environment, beyond the college's GAA club I don't see what benefit the college gets out of it, it's not like winning it makes a massive difference to the profile of the institution or anything. I remember going to see a match in UCD once where the likes of Noel McGrath, Joe Canning etc were all playing, and if there were 30 people watching I'd be surprised. Most students weren't even aware there was a match, and if they were they didn't care.

Well the competitions are prestigious and any county hurler who I spoke to about it really value the part it played in their development and any who were lucky to win it are proud of the fact.

But completely agree about the attendance at these matches. I was at the NUIG-Carlow IT a few weeks ago and there was more retired men(local hurling fanatics) than students at it. The handful of students were probably just friends and housemates of the players. I use the gym in NUIG are there is never even a mention on the notice board in there about upcoming matches, 95% of the student population probably don't even know they are going on.

v3ttel

By the time we come out of this transitional phase, we could be the better for it. We're really building up a huge panel of players and all of them could potentially come in. The obvious gap is at full back (not because Padraig Walsh isn't talented enough).

When you add Paul Murphy, Colin Fennelly, Richie Hogan, Conor Fogarty, Richie Leahy, Kevin Kelly, Ger Alyward, Joe Lyng, Richie Reid, Sean Morrissey, John Walsh, Tom Alyward, Ryan Bergin, Jason Cleere, Richie Doheny, Chris Bolger (and plenty others) to what we saw last Sunday, I don't see why people are all doom and gloom about the next few years.

To me, it's exciting that we're seeing a new team being built under a manager that knows how to create a winning environment. Tipp and Wexford will be a serious challenge for the next two games. Wexford are probably ahead of every other team in terms of fitness (due to Davy running the legs off them all the time) and play the sweeper system which we've struggled against. If we have a game plan like against Waterford where we aren't just lumping aimless high balls down to the forwards, we have a good chance to turn things around against them. Tipp are the benchmark for now, but without Jason Forde, who has been outstanding so far in the league, it'll be interesting to see how they go. We'll both be down a lot of players.

Cornerback1

A lot of lads get offer scholarships to go universities I think.

babyjesus14

Cornerback1 wrote: »

A lot of lads get offer scholarships to go universities I think.

They do indeed and this has become a major issue in the last few years and most notably this year due to the changed fixture list. Most of the guys who are on scholarships are guys playing county hurling and a lot of colleges feel they are not getting bang for their buck. A lot of them are very rarely training with their college and were unavailable for the pre-Christmas league competition matches due to their county commitments.

There was a very interesting article on this subject in the Irish Times about a month ago where Nicky English (who was involved with UCD for a number of years) was suggesting that perhaps the colleges should consider offering scholarships to non-county players who they will have greater access to. Which obviously would be very unfair on the county boys who need the money to pay their rent and for their daily living expenses, but they are very much caught between a rock and a hard place.