Kilkenny GAA Thread

Anyone know if the Minor camogie is being shown anywhere?

This Cork team a joy to watch. Making Galway look really really poor. Some of the stickwork and use of the ball is unbelievable

While their slick forwards will get a deserved amount of credit for a great display, I feel their backs were savage. Basically lorded it all night over Galway forwards, Galway forwards who were physically too strong for us.

Althought they had many fine individual performances, what was most impressive for me was the understanding and link play was almost telepathic, forged in 100s of hours of work over last few years.

I would say both the quality and quantity of sessions this Cork team has had in last few years as a squad is miles ahead of Kilkenny.

The problem is the material any U20 manager has to work with is far below the standard that the likes of the U20 management in Galway, Limerick and Cork currently. Our U20 management have to start them on there S&C journey in the other counties the base has been laid years ago and their just topping them up and pushing them on to next level. The level of coaching these young lads have received as well seems to be far below what the other counties are doing. So our U20's have to start serious S&C if the county board gives the facilities to the management, learn how to play the game in a system probably for the first time. It's no wonder we struggle at this age grade.

Since minor has gone to U17 I think it's a very poor indicator of success but U20 is not the same. We regularly see very good U20 players break into the senior team in their county and do well in years after. The Tipp double team has serious potential to rise Tipp in the next few years Sheedy didn't trust them but from what I've heard the Tipp B team regularly beat the Tipp A team in training. It will likely take them a year or two to adjust fully to senior intercounty but Tipp and Cork are going to be challenging this Limerick team for the next 5 years.

While Limerick have excellent structures in place they will struggle to maintain their current team when they get a bit older as the playing base in Limerick is fairly small for a big county. The one thing they do know with their underage structure is if there's a talent out there they'll find him and have him ready for senior when the time comes.

I'd agree with about 90% of that but the simpe fact is the deficit in s&c in Kilkenny at underage hasnt as yet materialised itself at Senior. So whatever they lack at underage, it seems to get bridged quickly if you are playing senior.

For whatever flaws there are in current senior set up, being horsed out of it physically or outworked are not among them. Outhought? Now that's a different debate altogether.

I am on same page as most here, all is not rosy in the Kilkenny hurling garden, but I do want to throw out some counterarguments. Are we getting too carried away about lack of AIs at minor and u20? For instance, is spending 300-400 hours a year, much of it devoted to gym, to win a minor AI medal sensible use of time for a 16/17 year old kid who may never even play senior hurling. Dublin have won just 1 minor football title in the last 37 years and havent even made a final in almost a decade. They have yet to win an U20. Yet nobody is talking a famine for Dublin football.

As our 2018/2019/2020 minors play club over next month or two, then start college and the best of them play on good Fitzgibbon teams next year, and then maybe county senior training call up, will the s&c gap that we all saw in many of these players in 2019/2020/2021 still exist?

We have had the weirdest of 2 years and I have a suspicion that some of what we have seen on hurling pitches during that time is a bit illusory (some teams have looked better than they probably are, others have been made look worse than they are). 2022 could be really different but that's not to suggest I think Kilkenny will win AI, just that 2022 will be different.

Galway has a long history of wasting and squandering talent when it comes to progressing to senior level, looks like Galway will struggle to even win an U20 title with those minor teams, doubt they'll get much from them at senior level either.

Very hard to know, but, a lot of issues from bad coaching and general management of players, county board is a disaster zone, also players from certain clubs get completely ignored as not from traditional hurling clubs while other players from certain clubs get preferential treatment. Also have a poor mentality and lack of belief, roll over at first opportunity instead of digging in, one thing about Kilkenny even though you're not great at the moment, you're still difficult to beat and hang in, in games. Galway have plenty of talent that in another county would win an All Ireland or two in the next few years, but, I'd say it'll be a long time before they see another senior All Ireland, Kilkenny will definitely win one (probably a few) before Galway see one again.

Name a team that's not..

the team is quite young, and looking at the U20, they were the only team to give Cork a challenge this year. They have at least 3 definite seniors from that batch, and KK would love to have a bench with the likes of Riedy, English, Ryan let alone the younger lads like Coughlin and O'Neill.

Limerick were outstanding today - just a great group of hurlers who make the correct decisions at the right time. Really good to watch also. In a way at tumes, you'd think they have 18 players on the pitch.

Fair play to them. The hunger is still there and they're young. They brought their biggest performance of the year in the AIF - gradually building it up, game on game, to the final. They are still young enough and only need one or two new players in the squad every year.

Funny thing is though, they don't seem to us many players. Seems to be the same 20 or so, during the championship. Kiely must blood lads through the league. Be interesting to see how many players they used over this past 2/3 years.

All counties are a good bit behind them. Cork will take a while before the U20's come through, as Tipp are finding out.

Each to their own opnion but I'd take a Kilkenny bench including Darren Mullen, Delaney, Leahy, Buckley, Walter Walsh, James Bergin and Richie Hogan ahead of that.

Coughlin and O' Leary may make top class seniors but way too early to be sure, they aren't bankers. Reidy, Ryan, Hanley and Mulcahy (this last year) are not world beaters and English doesnt look himeslf since injury.

My point is simply that if other counties are looking for chinks in Limericks apparent invulnerability, I believe it may be in their bench. They have had a great injury free run for last two championshipms, that will likely come to an end (not wishing injury on any one, just a statistical probability)

The reversion to a round robin home and away format will not help on the injury front or in timing their peak. They have been the outstanding team in these years and were able to time their best performances to the latter stages like the great kilkenny teams. Whereas playing 4 quality opponents over 6 weeks will take more from them.

Has to be said too that they will come under the spotlight more from referees when the media have less to focus on. We saw that with kilkenny and clare before them.

Already happened with Geoffrey Lynskey moving from minors to U20s a few years back, he won 3 minor All Irelands (15, 17 & 18), but, nothing at U20 level and he's now stepped down after defeat to Cork last week, so Hanley ( current minor manager) may well take his place. Another problem is the players get big heads and think all they have to do is turn up and they'll win because of the under age success, not sure if it happens in other counties but, is definitely a problem in Galway. While it's nice to have success at minor level, most Galway people would much prefer to have success at senior level, but, we're miles behind Limerick ( as everyone is), very disorganized and there's always rumours of infighting within the squad, certain players will only play in certain positions even though it weakens the team, a lot of issues that will take awhile to sort out.

Yes, for me , Lynch's pass for first Limerick goal looked a very obvious throw.

Throwing the ball has been encouraged for years by the Fitzgibbon coaches, particularly the Munster colleges. A split second advantage drilled in to players

Lynch is a wizard of a hurler but he is a demon for this.

40 years ago and more coaches copped on that very few refs imposed the steps rule and exploited it acoordingly.

Steps and throwing sliotar are a cancer on the modern game and almost impossiible to legitimately defend against.

And just in case anyone thinks I am pointing finger excessively at Limerick, TJ has definitely thrown a few and also got away with steps (2014 late goal in Tullamore v Galway was ridiculous) and Ger Aylwyard's goal v Galway in 2018 was an emabarssment (10 steps minimum).

Something has to be done about throwing and steps.

It is making the game almost impossible for backs

What a performance by Limerick. Awesome team (even allowing for all the (thrown) handpasses)

Remember the addage that you would need 24pts to win a championship match ?

They had more than that at half time!

Anyone else find the commentary by morrissey a bit vomit inducing? Greatest performance ever, best team ever etc...

He obviously forgot about 2008 :)