Kilkenny GAA Thread

Village87

Monaghan got the ball first, got the touch and Deegan went through the back of him. It looked a free to me. When Mannion went on Cody for the last 20 mins Kilkenny looked very limited. Billy Ryan is very disappointing. Looks half afraid out there

Village87

sportsmaddad

So we're more or less at the halfway stage of the Round Robin and it's looking like there's 5 or 6 teams scrapping to stay on Limericks coat tails. Compare the way they execute the passing game to all the rest they look like they're playing a different game.

For Kilkenny it just kept breaking down in the 1st half today, sometimes down to poor decision, other times Galway pressure. But it never looked as fluid and assured as how LK play it. Kilkenny are trying to get there but still a long way off.

Maybe clutching at straws here but would they work it better in the expanses of Semple or Croke Park?

Neewollah

From the only replay they showed Deegan came from the side and made contact with ball first and contact with monaghan after it. Didnt actually hit him that hard. Maybe they'll show it closer on Sunday game but think it was a very poor call from what I've seen so far.

We didn't deserve anything from the game anyway

mullinr2

Look we can't expect to win against the better teams when we start with so many players past their best, with little pace and some of them limited skill wise for top inter County hurling. It just goes to show how limited we are for players if Cody has to pick those players to start.

Out of the starting forwards

TJ pace is gone and really doesn't offer much from play anymore.

Walter Walsh is limited skull wise

Ditto Buckley and his pace is gone

Padraig Walsh offers the most from this group of over 30s.

Billy Ryan offers very little

Tom Phelan looks very average yet he comes on instead of Donnelly.

James Maher again is only an average player

My point is we are miles away not only from Limerick but Clare, Cork, Waterford also

Alonzo Moseley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119002159#Comment_119002159

Harsh on Deegan I think, would have to see it again but looked like he got to ball. I feel ref panicked fearing Deegan would gather and score (and that would have been very tough on Galway who were marginally the better team).Like 2014 Barry Kelly though, a ref needs to be 100% certain when awarding a free that will likely win a match. It is not fair on the other team that he takes a gamble he might be right.

Cody taking off Maher after 30 mins says a lot. Buckley should have gone and beggars’ belief he was left on for almost an hour. Maher would have offered a far bigger scoring threat that Buckley with wind. I could be wrong, but I don’t think Buckley had a single possession in 2nd half. Cody always scapegoats Maher ahead of others.

He should twist now, drop T Walsh, Buckley and Brown and maybe Deegan, and bring in D Mullen if fit, Blanchfield, Reid and Donnelly and get Hogan back on bench at least.

Hogan would have been ideal for last 20 mins,lost of energy and have the class and composure to shoot a few points.

But of course, Cody wont twist, he will double down, prob bring in Fogarty to partner Buckley and Keoghan to start.

The most likely result is we are heading for at best a repeat of 2021, an honourable but decisive semi-final defeat dogging it out before being out classed in last 15, and that is the worst possible outcome for Kilkenny hurling, because it will lead us to be having the exact same conversations here in 12 months’time. I’d prefer to see us exit in Leinster and see real change rather than that.

blackcard

Based on the talent coming through in Kilkenny, I don't see us being within a mile of an All Ireland in the next 10 years.

dastardly00

It woould have been daylight robbery if we had won today... Galway were much the better team.

I didn't see Deegan's foul because I was still celebrating the goal 😬

TJ didn't look right from the very start. He was sluggish and had little pace. I would forgive him for missing a couple of frees because shooting into that end of Pearse Stadium with that wind is an absolute nightmare. Galway missed a few frees in the second half also.

I admire Deegan's willingness to take responsibility for working the ball out of defence and up the field. But he isn't skillful enough and/or the recieving players don't give him enough options. Possession is turned over so much when he has the ball. I still think that they don't practice it enough in training.

Eoin Murphy and his distribution is starting to become a liability.

jimmythesulk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119002532#Comment_119002532

Unfortunately I have to agree with this. No real standout prospects coming through underage and if we are not careful we will become like Cork.

Alonzo Moseley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119002532#Comment_119002532

Way too gloomy, we have plenty good hurlers.

Cork and Tipp are in a tailspin despite winning a number of underage AIs in recent years.

Galway won 5 AI Minors in 6 years between 2015-2021 but have got little of nothing from that group yet, and needed a dodgy free to win a home match against a patchy KK performance.

Conversely Waterford with supposedly the "best panel in Ireland" have done little or nothing at underage in years. Clare even less, but now look like a right team.

Over the past three years we have been prob the most consistent team bar Limerick but my problem is just that, we arent getting any closer We have just become the team that is "hard to beat" but not much else.

Cody's hard pragmatism and hurling conservatism (allied to an incredible stubborness and let's be frankk a big ego) is keeping us competitive but I'd prefer to twist, cut loose and gamble a bit. Trust good hurlers like Donnelly and Maher and Darren Mullen and Blanchfield instead of terryfying them that one or two poor touches and they are off (while others can have complete stinkers and stay on). Either tell Richie Hogan he is finished or else show him some respect and give him game time.

Speaking of ego, I thought the death stare with Henry at end, was pathetic. Contrast with the class of Kiely last week, when subbing off Mulcahy (who had a stinker), slaps him on back and smiles, essentially a "hard luck not your day" and Mulcahy smiled back A happy camp of hurling, not a bunch of players petrified of their manager.

jimmythesulk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119002593#Comment_119002593

Go on then alonzo. Give us another one of your posts overhyping all these great young players.

davidx40

Eoin Murphy should have being substituted today ......worst distribution of any inter county goalie and it's killing us every game .....

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119002673#Comment_119002673

Dreadful altogether. His distribution was directly responsible for at least a goal and two today.

mullinr2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119002429#Comment_119002429

I have a feeling you might be right about that re. Cody bringing in Fogarty and Keoghan, both limited players.

I too would rather see us knocked out early and give the County board a good kick up the arse.

Speaking of under age talent. What ever happened to Ciaran Brennan? Has he gone down the football route?

Hopefully Harry Shine can continue to develop

Alonzo Moseley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119002627#Comment_119002627

I never used the word great for any of them, I said they ware "good hurlers" and I do believe Donnelly and Maher and D Mullen and Blanchfield are "good hurlers" but they (and others) look like they are playing with fear. Know they are distrusted for not being dogs and know if anything goes wrong with general performance, they are coming off (not Buckley, or Deegan or Tommy Walsh). to perform you need to be somewhat relaxed, most Kilkenny players dodnt look relaxed.

If a change had to be made after 30 mins today it should have been Buckley not Maher (who has better legs and is a much better shooter than Buckley)

I think the conservatism within the set up is creating fear and this is having a big impact in last 20 mins of matches where there is now a long 2-3 year trend where we dont perform. I'd especially extend this to Murphy, he tries to do something creative and if it goes wrong he knows he's going to get bawled out of it. So he takes what he percieves to be the "safe" option and leathers it to other end of field. The fear takes over in close games and we go ultra conservative.

And sorry but for me, I know where that fear is coming from. And it's a brave Kilkenny player who'd defy it

FintanMcluskey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119002673#Comment_119002673

I watched him in the warm up. He pinged the ball into the opposing hand with deadly accuracy.

The problem was the movement of his backs and midfielders during the game.

I would actually consider him an excellent keeper, second only to Quaid.

The keeper always gets blamed when the outfielder doesn't retain a puckout

JJs Left Hand

I'm not having that.

He was directly at fault for at least 1-1 in the first half with his handpass to Carey and his ball along the ground to Carey leaving him a sitting duck.

You can blame the movement as well but the ball in the first half where he strolled out and then cut inside and gave a 5 yard handpass to Mullen who had nowhere to go but turn into a tackle led to a score as well.

He's still an incredible shot stopper but what he does in a warm up is irrelevant.

davidx40

Whatch the match back 1 03 came off his poor distribution ......let's call it as is ....TJ , Wally , Buckley , Murphy , Fogarty are all yesterdays men ......Keoghan , Ryan , T Walsh , Browne not near intercounty level

mullinr2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119002971#Comment_119002971

Yes but they still make the Kilkenny team. It goes to show the dearth of talent in the county at the moment

brookville

Dissapointing result and performance from a lot of our lads. Murphy has being doing stupid things the last few years but a bigger problem today and for the last few years is our mid field. I think galway scored 8 points from cooney and monaghan. Apart from eoin cody and wally who tried hard we had nothing to offer in attack. We should of gave cody more ball instead of scuttering around with it at times.Galway left us hanging in the game by driving the few wides at the end.Suprised to see Tom phelan ahead of donnelly or even fogarty. I haven't seen the free again but I was certain he was blowing the final whistle. He was pulling the quick ones all day yet he let that one go. Don't get me wrong galway were a 4 or 5 point better team I thought but we could of easily have drawn or won that match because we had possession once that ball broke and donnellys one looked like a point from where I was standing. We probably need to win the next 2 matches which won't be simple but if we can't beat them it's better go out of the championship now than meet Limerick or Waterford and get bet out the gate in croke park.Theres a bit being made of the handshake at the end but cody was absolutely livid with colm lyons and making his way towards him but did shake hands with him. It didn't look great but infairness it's a sore way to lose a match especially when it was kinda dubious and time was up

The_Tank

Brown has never had the hurling but has his place for sticking to a lad and horsing him out of it e.g.Rory O Connor. If we had him for Shane Kingston last year we may well have got over the line. So horses for courses.

To me Blanchfield at center back would be a better combination between playmaker and playstopper. Deegan at midfield or in the ‘Buckley role’ . Deegan is game but just hasn’t the wrists or wit for the quarterback role.

James Maher was hard done by I thought. Poor touch but his drive was missed later on.

The free was not a free. The ball was dropping and both players were in the air. Deegan won a fair contest and somehow Monaghan ends up holding his head. Not quite the ghost of Davy Glennon but…

Btw if Monaghan went for it it with an unprotected hand and Deegan knocked the hand and ball - would that now be a free as well???? Probably. Infuriatingly.

Topcat32

Kilkenny will qualify from the Round Robin stage if they beat Wexford regardless of other games, might have to come down to that as if we produce the same standard of hurling and especially start driving long ball down on top of Eoghan O'Donnell against Dublin in Parnell Park, I'd make Dublin favourites for that match.

usernamethatsnotinuse

Not too many positives, losing by only a point in Salthill isn’t too bad a result considering over half the team aren’t playing well. Galway should have been out of sight at the end though, so many bad wides. Seem to have at least one or two players getting pulled by half time in most games this year, trying the same players again and again hoping for a miracle, no options on the bench. Should have enough to beat Dublin and Wexford, hard to be optimistic and see them winning much beyond that

Fred Daly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119002827#Comment_119002827

Fred Daly

Is Eoin Murphy afraid of Cody see at one time to day he was going short Cody waved to go long he did went into the Galway centre back hand score came off it. What was the story or did anybody see it the roaring shouting at Martin Comerford by Cody. It could be hard to qualify the next two matches are not going to be easy.

brookville

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119003828#Comment_119003828

Something went on at one stage anyway I thought the guards were floating around.i thought we made heros out of their 3 and 6 instead of playing more ball into eoin codys space who was excellent.

Topcat32

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119002971#Comment_119002971

Walter Walsh has generally being doing well this year, TJ is just back after injury so very harsh to write him off yet, Eoin Murphy has been poor this year but overall still the best option in goal, would agree that Buckley and Fogarty's time on the panel is coming to an end, I think there are a few players on the panel further from being intercounty hurlers than the ones you mentioned, including Tom Phelan who struggles to hit the ball if he is not in a lot of space, a worry for me is that players who did look good at underage level including Adrian and Darren Mullen, John Donnelly and Richie Leahy have not developed as expected over their years on the senior panel and are struggling to make the team.

usernamethatsnotinuse

Adrian Mullen, Leahy, Browne, Maher have been unlucky with injuries. Not much coming through to replace Wally, Buckley and Fogarty. Wally is at least reasonably accurate taking his scores, good running at teams if he can get ball in hand.

when you see how uncomfortable they are at the back playing short ball it’s no wonder he’s shouting at Murphy to play long. Lucky not to have conceded a second goal in the first half

therealdonster

therealdonster

Anyone care to comment on Shefflins behaviour today? Him jumping around after his own nephew was fouled for a ball in front of him. I guess €100k means a lot to some people. Fair play to Cody for sticking it to him at the end.