Kilkenny GAA Thread

Kilkenny seemed to run out of steam about the 50 minute mark, kept pumping ball into the full forward line with TJ in the half forward line watching the ball sail over his head

No cork bossed it from 55 mins on, game reminded me of 2016 semi kk completely out played but hung in through sheer stubbornness

Fair play to the lads. Gave it everything, just weren't good enough. No shame in the manner of the defeat and without doubt the better team won.

A puck of a ball in it. We had a few uncontested wides early on which is disappointing.

Agree totally with JJ's left hand. Cannot be faulted for effort but it was all very predictable and one dimensional. It's been clear for a while now a new direction/voice is needed. I hope this happens, by choice, for 2022.

This game will bring Cork on a lot too. Ideal preparation for a shot off Limerick from their perspective. Whilst it looks like it's Limericks to lose ... I wouldn't write off the rebels.

There's no doubt the best team won today. We didn't capitalise on our dominant spell in the 1st half, and I feared that would come back to bite us. Cork tactics eventually came good. I see a lot of criticism of the deliveries to the forward line but in truth Kilkenny forwards weren't getting space to run onto pinpoint clearances. But at the other end Cork were finding oceans of space to play the ball in front of Kingston, O Connor & Co for the last 20 minutes.

Having said all that, there was a definite foul on Deegan after we'd equalised at the death. Can anyone say definitively that the full time whistle came after that?

Great Post above for all the great saves eoin made today its baffling and the worst thing is this went on in the previous two matches.

A blind man could see this. I don't know what we're doing with guys analysing if they can't see this

We are a fairly blunt instrument at the moment bit like bringing a hammer to a knife fight.

Think we have problems at 6,8,9,11 and both wing backs wouldn't have been first choice 6 week ago.

Today was the poorest display by our management I have ever seen

Took of donnelly for mossy

Took of mossy for Wally

Put back on mossy

Put back on richie Reid for maher

Put back on donnelly ryan

Hogan got last ten minutes and was going to be a unused sub only for goal to force et

I was in hogan stand and gorta was arguing strongly for richie to be introduced eventually cody through his hands up and gorta shouted at hogan.

Sad way for a legend to be treated.

After the goal cork took a quick puckout and

Deegen won a break and was grabbed around the neck. Ref bottled it and blew final whistle.

Absolutely a sad way for Richie to be treated but many many many legends have been treated in the exact same way by same manager.

Treatment of Joey Holden over multiple seasons has been shocking. Joey has been the most consistent defender in Kilkenny club hurling for Ballyhale for the past number of seasons.

A raft of retirements are inevitable in the coming months.

Forgot about the booing the **** booing

Had a go at a cork grown man about it .kid beside him and they both at it every free .

I politely asked him did he think it was affecting tj or was he just teaching his child to be a clown aswell.

He stopped . small victory

Honestly now I was at the Leinster semi final and I commented afterwards TJ didn’t hurl his best, but after watching it back on the tv he actually hurled very, very well. Now I haven’t rewatched the game today yet so take of that what ye will. First off congrats to cork, from where I was inde cusak stand I was surrounded by absolute gents and the best team won on the day 100%.

its disappointing from our perspective now. Two years in a row our second half has been disappointing. I thought in the first half we hurled very very well but were only 1 pt up to show for it. The movement, and ball into our forwards will be discussed here and rightly so because the difference was crazy (to look at even and even out of the backs: re all our full back line: but the blame can’t lie there ) but even to get to extra time today we were lucky, and credit to Cody and the players. How he installs that believe in them is crazy and look all things being judged fairly TJ should have had a free at the end to win it and the ref bottled it,but at the end of the day in my opinion, tactics won, eventually.

Look positives Mullen and Ryan, in my opinion absolutely came of age today, Ino adrian has done it before but the whole game he setting up scores and driving lads on, and what a goal he got. a lot of talk about Downey( apologies) but billy ryan took him for 0-5. Tommy Walsh showed great character in the second half to respond to the cadogan impact. Maher, walsh, Carey all went decent/alri from what I saw even though they left acres in front of our full back line, surely following instructions from management. I don’t care who you have FB if Horgan got the ball he got today he’d take anybody for 7/8 points, wnatever it was. I’ve never seen a team who have some many very good hurlers but can’t show it. We should have been 5 up at halftime, R.R missed a few very handy ones, Ino I’ve been on about him a lot and hasn’t found much consistency (if any) at senior ( his best game being the second half against cork in 19) but if there was ever a day for Leahy it was today, Browne also a loss, on another day Cody would have scored a goal and Donnolly would have went well. Billy Ryan went down Injured in the second half and I thought it was time for Hogan then. I think TJ will stay on ( how he can only score 0-1 from play and be unplayable is unbelievable, the best I’ve ever seen) but hogan made a difference IMO and what a servant he’s been to us. I’ll re comment after rewatching the game on the tv. Ino A few lads will suggest retirements for a few KK lads and if this is it I’d thank them all for their fantastic service. Just to note P. Walsh went into the forwards today with a few left. We mighn’t be the great team we once were but we will always, always fight to the end and leaving croker today, I was sad of course but also proud. Very similar to the Waterford game a few years ago when fennelly got the pt at the end. From watching the limerick game and being there today I’d fancy limerick barely but this cork side have an extra gear in them compared to the best.

This is hilarious, you kilkenny folk have very short memories. Maurice Shanahan and Pauric Mahony got dogs abuse in Croke Park and Thurles a few years ago and I don’t ever remember a word being said about it. Joe Canning booed in the All Ireland finals against Kilkenny as well.

A bizarre thing to be crying about when your team has just been beaten again in an All Ireland semi final. The second year in a row the management of Kilkenny has made a total balls up of a game in Croke Park. Cork were the much better team and should have won by 10 in normal time only for a few dodgy decisions by Horgan and Cork panicking a bit with 5 minutes to go.

What's being discussed here is the booing of a free taker every single time they take a free or 65 and not the booing/jeering of a free taker following a contentious refereeing decision that supporters from all counties, including Waterford, are guilty of from time to time.

you'd see that most posters have acknowledged that Cork were the better team and have questioned the in game decisions of Kilkenny management.

Keep it civil and less of the backseat moderation

Of course, but since that opinion seems to be suggesting that certain topics shouldn't be discussed, i provided some alternatives to him

Cork deserved to win - they had better individual performances - Downey, Horgan, O'Flynn to name a few and played better hurling, moving the ball well up the field and adding some variation, sometimes long, playing it low into the corners a few times and had some real pace up front. KK play more of a battling style, a bit less creative and the way hurling is gone they'll have to change their ways a bit in that regard.

Lads.

Forget about the booing comments. We know ourselves that it's not sports like behaviour. We should all wish both teams the best of luck in the final and we should now get on with the club scene and hopefully the county board and management will look at where we are at in matches and admit we are not going to be successful with the style of play we use. Its fairly straight forward to at least admit its not working.

By choice absolutely. I've never said or felt Cody should go but how and why they could just lump ball over TJ only to have it immediately returned was just maddening. Conor Delaney was an absolute disaster of a decision. The decision, not the player. He was absolutely skinned. That's the kind of thing that can hurt a fellas confidence. Think Henry is the one to take the mantle. The way Ballyhale were able to mix long & short play under him was impressive. After he get Thomastown over the line this year 🤞🏼 I'd love to see him come in. Who knows.

Huge credit due to the players for giving every last ounce and drop. One thing that is always guaranteed with Kilkenny teams.

We slipped up by not dosing Billy Ryan with lots more ball. He had Downey beaten all ends up. I can't understand all the drooling over how well Downey played, it's being totally overstated. He won a couple of high balls near the end when we were desperately going long but for most of the game he got cleaned. Overall, not a bad year. Won the league and Leinster and drew an All Ireland semi final with a lot of new/establishing players and a new style of play. It's amazing how people want the baby thrown out and all. Sure there are lots of room for improvement, speed, overall fitness and goal getting being three in particular.

On a better note, I was at one of the U13 sessions on Saturday and I have to say there is top class work being done here. Players were being taught the stick passing, support play game and were really learning a lot as the session progressed. One coach running the activities and others giving personal feedback to players on runs to make, choices with the ball etc. Might take a while but we could see benefits in time here.