Laois To Play Kilkenny

Danno

A big burst of laughter greeted the news today that Laois will play Kilkenny in the O'Byrne Cup next Sunday in Nowlan Park.

Well, fellow O'Moores, we have a couple of embarrasing hurling scores to settle!

stevemac

is it definatley in nolan park?

i'll be able to get to it so

its gonna be fun

Flukey

Kilkenny beat Athlone IT over the weekend, 2 - 11 to 1 - 12. People knock Kilkenny Football a lot, but not a lot of people know that Kilkenny won the first ever Leinster Senior Football title and have 3 Leinster titles in all. That puts them ahead of 10 other counties in terms of provincial football titles. OK, the last one was back in 1911 and their last Leinster Final appearance was in 1922, but don't let anyone tell you that Kilkenny have no history in football. With a bit of effort they could put out competitive teams and it would not take away from the hurling prowess. They should be made to do it by the GAA. They are the only county that do not participate in the All-Ireland Football Championships. As I said there are 10 counties with less provincial football success than they have, including the reigning Leinster Champions and last year's surprise packet, Fermanagh. So if they and others can participate, so can Kilkenny. Maybe after next Sunday, Micko will make a move to Kilkenny!

stevemac

they have a history but they still don't want to play it anymore.

Flukey

Well the guys that played over the weekend certainly want to play. If you asked them would they like to have a medal for the O'Byrne Cup, Leinster or even All-Ireland Championship, do you think they'd all say no? Of course they wouldn't. With a bit of success the interest would be created. We all know that Kilkenny public don't turn out in their thousands to watch football, but success would up the crowds a bit. There is so much hurling talent in Kilkenny, that a lot of lads that would easily make the county team in other counties wouldn't have a hope of ever playing for Kilkenny. I am sure a lot of them would make good footballers. Even DJ himself is meant to be a good footballer. OK Kilkenny are not going to win the O'Byrne Cup, Delaney Cup or Sam Maguire any time soon, but they certainly could at least put out a competitive team, like other counties without success do.

Decco

Where was Rooney for this game? Tell me he isn't injured!
Anyone know when Beano will be back? It's hard to keep up with the news so far away...

ps I mean the Laois/Offaly game btw

Danno

Wow, some good comments there folks, I only started this thread as a pun!

It would be good to see Kilkenny play the big ball game in more competitions, even their neighbours, wee Carlow manage to put out sides from the two codes...

Hey, Decco, where are you now? and what part you from?

Decco

Danno, I am in England at the moment but my family are from Clonaslee, though Kerry would be my homestead in Eire technically speaking.
My new year res was to keep up with Laois football as Kerry have enough support!!

What about you? You exiled like me?

ps can anyone answer my questions re: Rooney & Beano??

Flukey

Several of their neighbours put teams out in both codes Danno. Carlow have only 1 Leinster Football title: 1944. Waterford have only 1 Munster Football title: 1898. So Kilkenny are ahead of both of them. Wexford were the first county to win 4 All-Ireland football finals in a row: 1915-1918. They also won it in 1893. Tipperary have 4 All-Ireland football titles, the last in 1920.

According to Colm Keys in today's Indo, Kilkenny last played in the Leinster Championship in 1982 and they pulled out of the league in the mid-90s. Due to hurling, their top scorer, John Maher, will be unavailable. He is going off with the hurling squad for a 10 day holiday in Florida. Other high profile hurlers like Henry Shefflin, Philip Larkin, Peter Barry, DJ and others are usually unavailable, though they are good footballers.

Danno

WOW Flukey, sounds like you'd be a good mate to have in for a table quiz!

Very interesting facts on these hurling powresses.



Decco, I am living at home, at the opposite end of the county near the KK border - hence the thread started! Beano is recovering well, though he has not decided a return date, it is likely that mid-way through the Leinster Championship should see his return - www.hoganstand.com is a good resource and the Laois Message Board should keep you well up to date with the going-ons!

Decco

I had better get back onto the Laois board then, figure out what is going on.

Thanks for that info on Beano. I didn't see the break but I heard it was pretty terrible....hope he doesn't try to come back too soon, but he seems like a clued in guy and I am sure the management won't let him play prematurely.
Danno, you from Laois originally? If so what you doing in KK?

Danno

Nope, I live in Laois, near the KK border!

Decco

Sorry Danno :rolleyes:

Am totally freaked out by work recently and am not reading anything but law journals properly, including my internet boards....

Nevermind, will get the hang of multitasking like us females are meant to be the masters of....eventually....

though, on the good side, met someone tonight totally in the know re: Laois football and he was saying how much of a good chance we had this year of regaining the Leinster title!! fingers (and EVERYTHING else) crossed eh?

Danno

Hope so!

Flukey

It was a pity that the RTE commentator and proud Laoisman died the year before they won that Leinster title. He'd have loved to have seen it. While I am a Dubliner, I am a GAA fan incorporating a lot more than an interest in how Dublin do, hence my good statistical knowledge. In the last 8 Leinster Championships 6 different counties have won it, which is great for the game. Prior to that Dublin and Meath dominated it going back to Offaly's win in 1982. Before that it was Dublin and Offaly for the most part, except for Meath in 1970. You have to go back to 1968, when Longford won their one and only Leinster title, to break that threesome's hold on it. That Longford team ran Kerry close in the All-Ireland semi-final, but were beaten. Before my time that was, but still interesting. After last year's Leinster Championship only Wicklow and Fermanagh are now without a senior football provincial title. Fermanagh did everything but that last year and with an opener against Armagh, they'll find it hard to break their duck this year. As for Wicklow, well I think we'll have to wait a while.

Danno

Wicklow! Is there any interest over there or what is going on? Surely, such a big county can field title challenging sides of both codes?

stevemac

Game is on in freshfort

not expecting many people then.


Danno, bloody awful being from around the KK border isn't it.
It gives you a 'distaste' for the KK glory hunters.

Danno

Aaaah, at last, some one who understands my plight!

Too true SteveMac!

You know Durrow?

It fills up with Black and Amber on Leinster Hurling final nights for the last 6 years, but last year, only 2 or 3 braved to d'on the jersey.

Hipocrytes alot of them.

Danno

But then again, them types are only the pub brigade. I am sure that there are alot of decent - don't want to rub your nose in it type of Kilkenny supporters...


...somewhere! :-)

Flukey

A disappointing day for Kilkenny football, only scoring a single point to 5 - 22 for Laois. People might say that this is good reason why Kilkenny should not be playing football. To the contrary I think it is all the more reason for them to get working. The only way is up, so they should start going that way. Every county board should be made to support both games and not just pay lip service to the weaker game in their county. There is room for both in every county. Every county should be at the very least be able to put out a competitive team. It is not good enough for them to wash their hands of it and opt out. If the interest isn't there well then it is up to the county board to get out there and create it.

We've seen lots of counties in recent times making major strides by putting in the effort. The Leinster Championship wins of Laois and Westmeath over the past two years has more to do with what they were doing in the mid 90s with minor teams than with what they did over the past few years. Those minors were the foundations. Tyrone have a magnificent record in underage levels and Mickey Harte has been involved in managing many levels. So even Kilkenny, if they put the work in, could bring out competitive teams. They lost by 36 points today and that is a good point to start improving from.

kaimera

flukey, it's hard to change the mindset of the GAA tho. With kilkenny achieving the success they've had over the years throughout the underage and senior grades whats the point in fielding a second team?

kilkenny and kerry are a prime example of not having a [solid] dual code in the county pays off. Let them continue imo.

if guys want to play football, send them to the neighbouring counties.

Danno

Was at the match today, got Micko's signature!

Felt sorry for the KK players towards the end, their heads really dropped and they couldn't wait to get off the pitch.

Flukey

I hope Micko had some words of encouragement for them. You do wonder though in Gaelic Football how a team can only get one score in 70 minutes. At the top level I have seen teams being held nearly or totally scoreless in a half of football, but it is rare. Kerry's 3 second half points in the 2002 final against Armagh comes to mind and I think Mayo were scoreless against Kerry in the 1981 semi-final second half. Kerry only scored 5 points against Meath in 2001. It does happen, but you'd expect even on a poor performance for a team to score several times. It isn't that hard to score. Top of the agenda of the next Kilkenny County Board meeting should be how they can improve football and not, as it is more likely to be, trying to find out what is the softest brand of toilet paper available for the hurlers to use in their dressing rooms!

Waylander

Maybe it should be, pretty sure it wont be though. In fact I am not even sure it should be, a scoreline like yesterdays does nobody any good. KK might just be better off concentrating on the hurling, and I would not have thought that before the weekend.

Danno

Look at the thumpings Laois Hurlers get, at least one or two awful scorelines every year, but still they come back!

Flukey

They can put the effort into both games. Every county should be doing that. Kilkenny has no problem with hurling. Doing something about football is not going to take away from their hurling prowess. As I said, it could give more lads, the ones who can't get on the hurling team, a chance to represent their county. They should not be allowed by the GAA to neglect football. There are lots of poor counties in football, but they at least field a team and put up some kind of show. If there is no interest in football in Kilkenny then it is up to the county board to do something about.

kilkennycat2004

23 people paid in to the historic Kilkenny win v Athlone in Freshford the previous week.
Can't see any reason why KK should have to stage maybe half a dozen events like that every year to keep other counties happy.
Whatever about the past , & fair play to Flukey for making his point well, we're now a hurling county full stop.
On a separate issue recently Dublin GAA were given a 7 figure sum to promote GAA in the capital & especially hurling. Can't ever remember a similar grant coming towards football in our county.

Flukey

That is probably because the Kilkenny county board would not ask for anything to be done for football. 23 people paid in to see them, but that is because they have no success at present. If they got the team trained properly and got more match practice and began to perform better, the crowds would grow. The reason so few are coming is because nothing is being done. The fact that 23 people turned up should be a reason to do something about it, not a reason to do nothing.

Dublin has not won the Leinster title since 1961 and an All-Ireland since 1938. Hill 16 does not a have a crowd of people on it when the hurlers play, like when the footballers play. That is why something needs to be done. Dublin wants to do something about it. It is not good enough to say Kilkenny are a hurling county full stop. We should at least be trying to change that to a comma. Kilkenny hurling is strong and a bit of effort put into football is not going to do any damage to that.


31 counties, London and New York enter the football championship. 19 of those 33 have won it. If those other 14 can participate, including other hurling powers with weak football, like Waterford, there is no reason why Kilkenny can't. Every county board should be made to promote both games. It doesn't have to be at an equal level, but more than lip service should be paid to the weaker game. Each county should at least be able to put out a competitive team. Even the weaker counties are now putting up more of an effort and giving better performances on the field. The likes of Carlow, Waterford and Antrim, to take a few examples, aren't winning anything but are not the walkovers they were a few years ago.

For weaker counties of both hurling and football what they should be doing is playing lower level teams, colleges sides, club sides from strong counties etc. The fact that Kilkenny beat Athlone IT, shows that there is at least potential there and some guys can actually play a bit. They scored 2 - 11. The opposition may not have been up to much, but that is where the weaker counties have to start. More of those kind of games and competitions for weak hurling and football counties would be good for them.

Danno

kilkennycat2004 wrote:

23 people paid in to the historic Kilkenny win v Athlone in Freshford the previous week.
Can't see any reason why KK should have to stage maybe half a dozen events like that every year to keep other counties happy.

Over 500 watched the Laois V Kilkenny game, so after their first win in seven years the week prior, interest was raised for the second game. About 200 -300 were Laois supporters (judging from the roars when the goals were got)

Kilkenny got a huge cheer for thier 0-01, so there had to be plenty of KK fans there too!

kilkennycat2004

Quote...........Kilkenny got a huge cheer for thier 0-01, so there had to be plenty of KK fans there too!.................

Just politeness from our Laois neighbours.
Have been at GAA , soccer & indeed rugby when this happens.

Danno

Why is Kilkenny Cat 2004 location set as Waterford?

Flukey

A radical thought, but maybe it is because he is there!


Anyway, let's hope the next time they play they'll get closer to the 2-11 they got in their previous match.