Kilkenny GAA Thread

Re refs -

The people willing to ref just arent there. Simple as that. Same as other codes are struggling

Thats why theres so many old men, and or poor refs still reffing.

If there was more people willing to take up the whistle instead of standing on the sideline trying to referee every game they watch, and then hit the keyboard after games, then maybe that might help?

Why was there only 1 stand open in the park yesterday? Bizarre with some restrictions still in place that everyone was being hunted into the same stand. Was like a cattle mart on entry yesterday as many had turned up without an online ticket and no entry without it.

The ticketing policy yesterday was ageist in my opinion, easy for all of us online now who can purchase and get entry on our smartphone but it alienates many elderly. What was the point of it all? 

Would it not be time now to pay referees €100 per match? I know referees can easily ref 5 or 6 matches per week but why not pay the €100. Would it encourage mere would be younger refs? Backing the refs to eject abusive mentors is also important. Im not talking about the giving out as all of us are guilty of that but blunt abuse from either side from the line should not be tolerated.

I found that while i was reffing, that the fee we were getting was used against us when a team, and their supporters , didnt like a decision against them. "the money you are on, you should get the calls right"...

Unless theres a recruitment drive by GAA , and junior football (soccer) also, there will be no improvements made in quality or quantity of refs to do games.

In junior soccer , its a massive problem too . Some schoolboy refs have to/choose to do 3 games on Sat + 3 games on a sunday.

Definitely more frustrating watching refs from the sidelines than it is playing! I have lots of sympathy with refs but hard to watch when your team is being reffed out of a game. In the game I was at this weekend the ref just kept playing until the other team equalised. There was over 7 minutes of injury time and the free count was hugely one way. The funny thing is he was much fairer in extra time but that was too late.

Junior Q.F section A draw

No issue with them reffing Go Games whatsoever and that should be encouraged (fairly sure this already goes on to be fair) but giving a 15 or 16 year old the responsibility of any game from U13 up is ridiculous. They're highly likely to be in school with the teams they're reffing and it puts crazy pressure on them. Imagine the abuse they'd take in school or online. None of them would want to put themselves out there.

First and foremost to affect any change . The gaa as a whole need to tackle the abuse of officials. It's common place at every game now . Always somebody with issue with official . Some posts here even prove that point . They all have their opinion and all know better how to do it than the guys putting themselves out there to do the job.

There needs to be zero tolerance attitude to it and one that's achieved you would have any amount of guys willing to take it up.

It's just got progressively worse over last number of years and social media has taken it to new levels . Ask any players coming to end of Careers playing to take it up and from 50 players I'd be surprised if you got 1 as it currently is . And Thier answer for not doing it , always is they wouldn't take the **** that's dished out . As previous poster says total mindset change needed by everybody before you can go forward. Same thing over and over with every recruitment at the minute . Get 20 to do course do first few games and lucky if you have 3 left from that 20 few weeks later all down to grief they take at games . They not even getting chance to develop before the get fed up of the grief

Yes, 8 mins played in an u14 match , until the bigger name club equalised ....

every game has a story about the ref. Minor errors are of course part and parcel of any sport, but blatant game changers should not happen. Should not.

Exposure is something I think the gaa are missing with refs. I don’t think changing the fee from €50 to €100 will suddenly get a massive influx, but if they were treated with more respect and shown more limelight it would be more interesting to people.

(possibly do this already) but they should do some sort of profile of the refs for big games. For club and county match , similar to player profiles, give ref profiles in the match programme.

Make a bit of an announcement about the ref for the county finals on social media and let their clubs and friends congratulate or ‘share’ the info.

if I was a senior ref I would get all refs together and make a stand to the county board that if there is excessive abuse at any match from u13 to senior, the ref has the right to abandon the match and award the game to the other team. Or even simpler, an automatic penalty if a selector shouts abusive language. If they knew they had the backing of county board, it would only need to happen once or twice to make an impact.

Theres not an unlimited amount of lads who would like to be refs, but I guarantee there’s a good few more out there who would do it but for the fear of the abuse they’d get.

do rugby have the same shortage? If not, then you’d imagine the lack of abuse in that game, must be something to do with it.

Clara v tullaron was a very enjoyable match.I thought tullaron were the better team but clara got the two goals to keep them in the game.Tommy popped up everywhere.Padraig pushed up in attack and was excellent and tullaron deserve credit for being brave and pushing him up.Walton moved from midfield to corner forward and was also very good.Olg and tullaron will both fancy being in a final.

Dicksboro I agree have being dissapointing.I take the point they've being the last team to win the county final apart from the shamrocks.They have dominated underage and should be doing more at senior. They probably should of won the other day and the goal the free was given after David Hughes blew the whistle but the boro had a couple of chances after it which they wasted.3 balls went into larkin and he made them stick and this was crucial.He won a free and threw the ball out.The village will wonder what might have being if they brought him on last year when they had the shamrocks bet.The village will get great confidence from this win and they won't fear the shamrocks like others.

It was bizarre to see the bridge playing nicky cleere as sweeper and the concession of all them goals in the league was probably the thinking behind this.You have to give shamrocks credit they're just efficient and get the job done.Paddy and Adrian mullen should be nearly back the next day.Joey cuddihy has had a good year and hopefully will kick on from the promise he showed as minor.

I do agree that's huge amount at club level to cope with and only the shamrocks could deal with injuries like that.They had Darren mullen just back and very rusty.Paddy and Adrian missing and eoin reid.Im certainly not here to slate the boro I'm sure they will be back competing next year and will hope to bring through some of the 3x minor winners.They could of very easily won that match and will be dissapointed but I watched them a few times this year and they never really got going at all maybe the departure of bonner didn't help.They do probably need management to stay on because there's plenty more in that group.They should go very close to winning that junior.Do boro folks think half back is Clifford's best position?

Moving onto the semi finals they should be two good matches.Olg and tullaron have improved game on game.The bhale match was probably a turning point for tullaron but the match last Sunday will take alot out of them.Olg season changed when they beat the boro.Deegan has improved in attack and they have a few lively subs to bring on.

I think the village are the only team left that can beat the shamrocks.The age profile is good and lads like scanlon and brassil especially have filled out but they need to have conor browne back and another big performance from tadgh dwyer and cian kenny who was excellent last weekend and although he wasn't great for the county u20s he has put in some very good performances for his club.

I witnessed a County board official continuously shouting at the ref at a match in Freshford a few weeks ago. Talk about setting an example.

I only listened to the first half of the Lisdowney Rower game on the radio and Rower sound a total shambles. Although its hard to tell as its more two lads at a match talking about stuff rather than commentary at times.

What's up with r hogan today that he's not playing? If it's an injury is it bad or lengthy.?

Carrickshock will be dissapointed they didn't win today.They had the winning of that match weren't as clinical as they needed to be.James maher grew improved as the game went on.

Richie came on early in the game and danesfort moved him all over the place to try get him into the game but glenmore were the better team and themselves and thomastown should be a very good match The winners of this would be tipped to win the final.Glenmore have a nice spread of forwards.Ian byrne is lively and eoin Murphy mopped up alot of ball in defence.

Thomastown were always comfortable enough against o loughlins although conor bergin had a couple of goal chances he didn't convert.Thomastown might need to tighten up a bit in defence.

Was in the park today if ger alyward isn't still a intercounty hurler .we are waisting our time abrasive and direct .Young 🔥 a eye catcher .thomastown to go up

I'm very confused by this post.

Are you saying Aylward should still be playing for Kilkenny?

And who's the young fire who's an eye catcher?

Young Ian Byrne I'm guessing

Mortified I didn't get the Byrne reference

Thomastown were the form team the last 2 year's but they were plenty of faults in the team. Fitness a problem and also they didn't nail down a centre back.

In fairness to Henry he has converted a forward into a centre back and it has worked great, most of the players have improved and the panel are pushing the starters.

They have the score getters but when the pressure comes on we will see how good they are. Glenmore will be a test and that could go anyway as they also have scoring forwards.

Hopefully Ian Byrne can fill out a bit and may be an option going forward for Kilkenny. Looks very lively and he dove tails well with the aylwards.

Picking up on the commentator from the tullaroan v clara match and another posters comments about his obsession with wides. He did the glenmore danefort stream, he ruined the game for me with his condescending comments and sarcasm. The other two boys commentate on the game and give the analyse when necessary and are far better than him.

Forgive my rant

The intermediate championship is so hard to crack and has a history of teams having 2 and 3 attempts before eventually getting over the line carrickshock ballyragget tullaroan inistioge all struggled and then went on to be good senior teams.Ger alyward looks in serious condition and was moving really well is probably only 29 think he done cruciate twice can take few years to get over.sharp guys picked my 🔥reference looks a talented chap.bit of s&c needed but has time.

Henry Shefflin will be the new Galway manager.....