Kilkenny GAA Thread Part 3 **MOD NOTE POST 1***

Charlie69

WhatsGoingOn2 wrote: »

Does anyone else think that last line ball should have been a Kilkenny line ball and not a Limerick one? I was near enough to it in the Cusack Stand, I thought Murphy hit it off the back of the Limerick player and it went out.
I didn't have a completely clear view of it though.

Was also in the cusack… 100% Kilkenny line ball imo.

The_Ghost

Only getting around to posting now as we overstayed our time in Lloyd’s after the game and was working yesterday. Watched the game back again today and what an unbelievable performance it was much more enjoyable then great wins of the past. To a man they all battled and gave everything and showed a great team spirt and belief to win against a great outfit. A lot of talk about how athletic that Limerick team is and we matched them for it. Credit to management and players for forming and executing a really good game plan. Something’s can’t be planned for however like how you respond to goals and we showed unreal bottle twice.

Tj doesn’t have to score from play to be the best as I said. I did doubt Fogery and Deegan during the championship but lately the two of them have been unreal showing unreal character and also showing how good of hurlers they are fair play to them. Paudie Walsh outstanding. Paul Murphy and Joey Holden also going well and now have the chance to right the wrongs of 2016(although they were hung out to dry). Huw lawor in the last 25 minutes was outstanding and nice to see Delaney first sub in. Scruff makes a big save per game.

Buckley still not 100% but thought he was involved abit more, not always in a good way but played a part in a few scores and more hurling in him. Happy it was an injury reason leahy was taking off was scratching my head at that one. Browne has some engine on him.

The forwards gave an absolute masterclass in defending. The savage work rate, positioning and tackling was just outstanding to with a few great scores. John Donnelly’s positioning and big hits for a classy hurler reminded me of Larks. Walter looks fit and is going well. Tj is the best. Mullen has the It factor. Fennelly going as well as ever and hogan not as good but still involved. Subs all contributed too and kept the work rate up. Fennelly and Donnelly weren’t taking off for hurling reasons they just emptied the gas tank imo and you could see that when they camera showed them in the crowd. Delighted what a performance. Tipp In the final will be tough again but as we’ve shown we’re as good as anyone. Richie hogan, leahy, bucko, Maher all be bursting themselves to make the 15 while the others will be doing everything to hold onto their jersey. Looking forward to the build up.

JohnCougar

dubcat51 wrote: »

Work work work thats what we got from minors and seniors today.minor 20s and seniors all in final or semis.camogie 16s minors ans seniors all reached semis(may reach finals)some going for a small county. On a different note I thought cillian buckley was very poor when he came on (doesnt seem right to me)also richie was quiet poor scored a point and made 2 but bill sheehan was also poor in replacing richie.we will need to get the team and subs right to win it just like we did v cork.finally a privilege to follow this team.

Cillian Buckley did not have as bad a game as you make out. He was swarmed when he lost the ball for the Limerick goal but only for him Limerick would have got the draw from the sideline that he deflected wide. He also stopped Limerick coming out with their tippy tappy hurling and intercepted a pass and gave it to Colin Fennelly for a point.

Ceist_Beag

I thought Buckley did alright when introduced as well, contributed directly to a couple of scores and made his presence felt in there. He was lucky the yellow wasn't red though - another ref might have viewed it differently.
As already stated many times, the intensity, effort and doggedness shown on Saturday was incredible. We had front row seats and you could really see the lads were empty at the end but every time you thought they were out on their feet, they found a bit more in the tank to go again. Donnelly exemplified that - really ran himself into the ground for the team. Mullen for such a young lad shows some composure, seriously impressive once again. The big plus from the team last year is that Lawlor has made the FB position his own and has been outstanding all year while Mullen has taken some of the pressure off TJ and Fennelly for scores.

NaDeise92

Would you start Richie in the final ?

Pigeon Chaser

NaDeise92 wrote: »

Would you start Richie in the final ?

I think I would drop Leahy for Meagher. Think he is a better grafter and Leahy could do some damage coming on @ 50 mins with bodies tiring.

savannahkat

Meagher is an excellent midfielder with a great engine. I have been very impressed with Browne as well. Between midfield and half back we have Walsh, Deegan Fogarty, Meagher, Leahy, Buckley and Browne. Two are going to lose out on the starting fifteen, all seven will see some action and I be;ieve Walsh, Deegan, Fogarty are certain choices to start leaving two from the other 4. I suspect at this stage Browne has moved into pole position.

Bahanaman

1984baby wrote:

Looks like James Owens or Colm Lyons to ref the final ?

Paud O'Dwyer?

SteJer

WhatsGoingOn2 wrote: »

Does anyone else think that last line ball should have been a Kilkenny line ball and not a Limerick one? I was near enough to it in the Cusack Stand, I thought Murphy hit it off the back of the Limerick player and it went out.
I didn't have a completely clear view of it though.

Yes definitely a KK lineball. Murphy clearly dropped the ball to hit it inside the line but it ended up well outside the line. It obviously hit off the back of the Limerick player when Murphy went to strike it. The pundits are happy to ignore this fact. Same as they are happy to ignore the fact that Gillane fouled Lawlor before the penalty was given, Gillane stepped over the line when taking the penalty (which should have resulted in a free out not a retake), TJ very obviously did not throw the ball for the free given which Limerick scored a point from and Lynch very obviously did throw the ball in the lead up to the second goal (it was also picked up off the ground during this same move). Kilkenny were very unlucky with that goal overall. Other than the two missed fouls the space only opened up because Fogarty went down injured. If that hadn’t happened I don’t think Limerick would have scored the goal and we would have won by 6+.

Cornerback1

JohnCougar wrote: »

Cillian Buckley did not have as bad a game as you make out. He was swarmed when he lost the ball for the Limerick goal but only for him Limerick would have got the draw from the sideline that he deflected wide. He also stopped Limerick coming out with their tippy tappy hurling and intercepted a pass and gave it to Colin Fennelly for a point.

Did he not set up Richie Hogan for the crucial point on half time just after Limerick scored the penalty?

Good asset to have - 3 weeks for him to get match ready.

brookville

Haven't posted since Saturday so first of all well done to our both teams saturday and thanks for the great day.The u17s seemed to have really improved and finally seem to have our best team and despite losing against galway getting that back from 10 points was nearly like a win and really gave us confidence and really expressed ourselves.Two of our best fowards Clifford and drennan both underage next year so hopefully these young lads will keep devolping.Hats off to richie Mulroney hopefully now we perform to our best in the final.
A brillant win for our seniors we took our chances something we didn't do in the leinster final and limerick were a bit casual at times and were wasteful.Its fair to say our fowards worked their socks off hitting extremely hard lads like browne and donnelly were flying into limerick lads and this definitely upset limerick.deegan was heroic and while not the most skillfull he is a hardy bit of stuff and definitley one cody rates very highly..its a credit to the lads limerick couldnt get ahead in the match we kept responding when limerick were throwing everthing at us.Mahers point at the end was so crucial and what a great score it was in such a tight angle.Its a pity the big talking point was the last line ball but i was suprised darragh o Donovan went for it i thought the safer thing was to keep it in play but i thought we were hanging on at that stage but over the 70 mins i thought we were the better team.The penalty was 50-50 gillane wasnt even looking for it but lawlor after a shakey start improved and hopefully he can go well in the final.
Great to have both teams in the final in a few weeks something not many would of predicted the build up will be great.There will be positions up for grabs cody will pick lads on form.Special mention to mullen last saturday what a special boy this lad looks one of the points he got was unbelievable he was on the half turn.Showed real maturity for a 19 year old.

kk.man

Cornerback1 wrote: »

Did he not set up Richie Hogan for the crucial point on half time just after Limerick scored the penalty?

Good asset to have - 3 weeks for him to get match ready.

I don't think Buckley is in good form. He was responsible f o r limericks last goal, he spilled alot of ball and was n o t match fit.

kilkennyboy

Did anyone notice limericks warm up on Saturday. We spotted it before the game. They broke into 2 groups and played a match on a go games
Size pitch
Half of them were standing around waiting for a possession.
Up the other end a Kilkenny player was getting a touch every 3 seconds.
It was such a contrast. 10mins later they were behind by 7

Cornerback1

kk.man wrote: »

I don't think Buckley is in good form. He was responsible f o r limericks last goal, he spilled alot of ball and was n o t match fit.

Cody and management is the man to decide if Cillian is in form or not. He did ok when introduced. Others on team were setting such a high standard, he wasn't up to that on Saturday.


3 weeks for him to get match fit and he should be pushing for a place. As someone alluded to earlier, KK has a lot of players who can play in that middle third and they will be needed.


If someone or two don't start, with the high intensity, they def. come into the action.

Cornerback1

kilkennyboy wrote: »

Did anyone notice limericks warm up on Saturday. We spotted it before the game. They broke into 2 groups and played a match on a go games
Size pitch
Half of them were standing around waiting for a possession.
Up the other end a Kilkenny player was getting a touch every 3 seconds.
It was such a contrast. 10mins later they were behind by 7

Saw that alright - all about zippy passing and moving through the support play etc.

I presume teams always do the same warm up for every game, regardless of where they play?

Grats

Cody has taken a gamble in his rehabilitation of Cillian Buckley as he knows what a fully fit Buckley is capable of. If he's further along his rehab in three weeks time the gamble will have been well worth it. He appears to me to be making progress. Fingers crossed for him now.

kk.man

Cornerback1 wrote: »

Saw that alright - all about zippy passing and moving through the support play etc.

I presume teams always do the same warm up for every game, regardless of where they play?

Was never a fan of those intense warm ups. In the modern games most players finish at 75 mins of zapping game time. They expend too much in warm ups imo.

Topcat32

kk.man wrote: »

I don't think Buckley is in good form. He was responsible f o r limericks last goal, he spilled alot of ball and was n o t match fit.

Huw Lawlor did him no favours with the handpass he gave him.

Grats

Topcat32 wrote: »

Huw Lawlor did him no favours with the handpass he gave him.

I agree, Lawlor is learning all the time. I bet he won't give a pass like that next year.

Cornerback1

kk.man wrote: »

Was never a fan of those intense warm ups. In the modern games most players finish at 75 mins of zapping game time. They expend too much in warm ups imo.

Yeah, hard to know as it's hard to guage. You'd think touch and well stretched would the main two things.

As I said earlier, most important thing is keeping to the same routine game after game as players know what is happening. This makes them more comfortable before a game.

Routine, in a case like this, is very good imo.

babyjesus14

Topcat32 wrote: »

Huw Lawlor did him no favours with the handpass he gave him.

Absolutely. Had an argument with one of my brothers re this after the match. I felt the hand pass was too slow and too high, so that by the time Cillian got back down to earth he was swarmed. I would have had Huw Lawlor more culpable on that goal.

kk.man

babyjesus14 wrote: »

Absolutely. Had an argument with one of my brothers re this after the match. I felt the hand pass was too slow and too high, so that by the time Cillian got back down to earth he was swarmed. I would have had Huw Lawlor more culpable on that goal.

Fair enough , I didn't see Lawlor's pass.

mountgomery burns

Yer players and management are the envy of every other County. The application and work ethic in the team on every day they go out is just incredible. Has to be admired in all fairness.

BOSTIK

Thoroughly merited victory for Kilkenny on Saturday. I thought it might go to extra-time and they'd have been in bother then, but Buckley's 2nd stroke of luck saved the day.

The new lads, such as Lawlor & Mullen, are steadily improving. With this new format, lads are getting 2 championship seasons in the space of a few months, so they're experiencing an intense apprenticeship. It's noticeable too with the newcomers on other teams as well.

Don't think KK should have any quibble about the penalty, a savvy grizzled full back wouldn't make it so easy for the ref by throwing his arms over the forward's shoulder like that. Lawlor's still a bit green that way, but he's doing grand considering the searching tests he's faced these last 3 or 4 games.

TJ Reid is some yoke to win tight ball, the duel between himself & Brendan Maher the next day will be intriguing. Padraig Walsh has buried the Leinster final fairly well too.

tbiggertycome

So that was something else, what a match, what a weekend! Personally I hate the scheduling, as I have to work Saturdays and it's the first Kilkenny match I've missed all year, anyway it's not about me. Couldn't be more proud of our players the work, heart and determination they put into that 77 mins was exceptional. I've had a little thought which I've shared with a few friends and they're starting to come around to my way of thinking. I think our team this year is in a very similar position to where we were in 2006. Back in 2006 we had a mix of players we had lads who had a few All Ireland we had a lot of young new talent coming through and I think we're in a similar situation except this time we probably have a few more lads with a few more medals than we did in 2006. There is one narrative in the media and it's on here and out there in the general public that we just don't have the players or that this is a very moderately talented Kilkenny team and we're luck we have the Cody to drive them on (we are lucky by the way to have Cody). I think Cody has to be applauded hugely for the change he has wrought on the team since the Leinster final. I was very worried he would stick to his guns and f*** the begrudgers but he knew there needed to be a sea change in our approach and in fact if you look at the Cork and Limerick games we're starting to look like the way we played in the 2006 final. I think we can push on and beat Tipp if we stick to our approach with a few tweaks obviously, to make sure the likes of Noel McGrath and Padraig Maher aren't allowed dictate Tipps game.

Going into the 2006 All Ireland we had the following players and number of All Irelands they had won before that day
James McGarry 3
Michael Kavanagh 3
Noel Hickey 3
Jackie Tyrell 1 (as a sub)
James Ryall 2 (1 as a sub)
John Tennyson 0
Tommy Walsh 2 (1 as a sub)
Derek Lyng 2
Cha Fitzpatrick 0
Martin Comerford 2
Henry Shefflin 3
Eoin Larkin 0
Eddie Brennan 3 (1 as a sub)
Richie Power 0
Aidan Fogarty 1 (as a sub)
Subs
PJ Ryan 2 (both on the bench)
JJ Delaney 2 (1 as a sub)
Richie Mullally 2 (1 as a sub)
Willie O'Dwyer 0
Brian Hogan 0
Michael Fennelly 0
John Dalton 0
Stephen Maher 0
PJ Delaney 0
Michael Rice 0
Eoin McCormick 0
Peter Cleere 0
Austin Murphy 0
Sean Cummins 0
Eoin Reid 0
Seaghan O'Neill 0
Total 22 starting 9 as subs All Irelands by 14 players out of 31

Where as going into this final we have based on the semifinal team
Eoin Murphy 4 (2 as a sub)
Paul Murphy 4
Huw Lalor 0
Joey Holden 2 (1 as a sub)
Conor Fogarty 4 (2 as a sub)
Padraig Walsh 2
Paddy Deegan 0
Conor Browne 0
Richie Leahy 0
Walter 3 (1 as a sub)
TJ Reid 7 (4 as a sub)
John Donnelly 0
Adrian Mullen 0
Colin Fennelly 4 (1 as a sub)
Richie Hogan 7 (2 as a sub)
Subs
Darren Brennan 0
Enda Morrissey 0
Jason Cleere 0
Conor Delaney 0
Cillian Buckley 3
James Maher 1 (as a sub)
Billy Ryan 0
Bill Sheehan 0
Liam Blanchfield 0
Ger Aylward 2 (1 as a sub)
Alan Murphy 0
Total 28 starters and 15 as subs by 12 players out of 26

So going into this final we're probably just slightly more experienced than in 2006 but what I really want to show is where the team that went on to be the greatest ever were, when they started on their journey. They weren't legends in 2006 some who have ended up so weren't even heard of outside Kilkenny back then. I think we have a great team now with some really good players who have the potential to be great some are already there but there is lots of talent in that group that don't have a medal yet. I don't think it'll be possible to go on and win four on the trot but I think there is another few All Irelands in this group. There is lots of top talent also coming through right down to U16 so there will hopefully be lads there to keep adding into the mix as some of our veterans hit the end of the road. We need to stop judging these young players against what guys had done at the end of their careers and look back to how they were doing at the start. It's impossible to judge any young lad just coming on the scene against a lad with 7, 8, 9 or even 10 All Irelands but we can look back to those legends at a similar stage and see how they measure up. Even that can be unfair as judging players of different eras is fraught with dangers.

Really looking forward to the final now and I'll have a go at analysing the semi final later on but just needed to get this off my chest as it's been bothering me over the weekend.

Swamp_Cat

Edgware wrote: »

"hate" how pathetic?

Relax. Neither poster displayed anything serious, just messing around & actually a legitimate question in 1st reply. Understanding or taking the time to get the context in which something is said helps. Anyway, things aren't always clear in comments/texts but pretty sure there was no hate felt or displayed by either. ✌

Swamp_Cat

savannahkat wrote: »

Well I declare bless all yo little hurling hearts, Y'All hear me now.

God help you Irish if the southern posters start typing like they speak & people like me w/that atrocious Boston/Rhode Island combo. Id have a better grasp of Irish slang(maybe even Irish) than hardcore southerners(lots of hurling being played down there ...in 100+ ° temps) & probably same in reverse. Lol. Great weekend, great win, and a KK v Tipp final! Spoiled rotten! On another note, nice to see Joey Holden getting some recognition after the amount of stick he's received over the years. MOTM in club final. Hard worker & tough as nails. Always enjoyed him and Lester Ryan. Good win by Tipp who I wasn't convinced would get past Wex, but SC's goal on the bounce was perfectly timed & a bullet.

Grats

BOSTIK wrote: »

Thoroughly merited victory for Kilkenny on Saturday. I thought it might go to extra-time and they'd have been in bother then, but Buckley's 2nd stroke of luck saved the day.

The new lads, such as Lawlor & Mullen, are steadily improving. With this new format, lads are getting 2 championship seasons in the space of a few months, so they're experiencing an intense apprenticeship. It's noticeable too with the newcomers on other teams as well.

Don't think KK should have any quibble about the penalty, a savvy grizzled full back wouldn't make it so easy for the ref by throwing his arms over the forward's shoulder like that. Lawlor's still a bit green that way, but he's doing grand considering the searching tests he's faced these last 3 or 4 games.

TJ Reid is some yoke to win tight ball, the duel between himself & Brendan Maher the next day will be intriguing. Padraig Walsh has buried the Leinster final fairly well too.

The penalty should never have been awarded. Gillane was clearly holding Lawlor's hurl and furthermore he struck the ball from the penalty inside the 20m line. And in full view of 5 officials!!!!

Grats

tbiggertycome - you fooled me. There I was assuming you're a loyal supporter and you didn't even go on Saturday!!! Oh you of little faith!!

BOSTIK

Grats wrote: »

The penalty should never have been awarded. Gillane was clearly holding Lawlor's hurl and furthermore he struck the ball from the penalty inside the 20m line. And in full view of 5 officials!!!!

Are you implying that Lawlor didn't foul Gillane inside the square?

Because he most certainly did, and made it extremely obvious too, which is why the ref gave it. Gillane did hold Lawlor's hurley momentarily, which is a foul of course, but he was cute enough to be subtle enough about it, and not get spotted by the ref.

Regarding the penalty strike, I haven't seen a replay of it.