Kilkenny GAA Thread

Championship starts in 2 weeks. Impossible to expect these lads to play after landing off a plane with no training done.

Jimmy Meagher is back a while and from what I hear the whole debacle has people's opinions split in ballyhale.

I watched James maher hurl a few weeks ago against graig and he was excellent particularly in the first half but it's a very solid half back line with Brian Kennedy usually outscoring his marker. Freshford rested a good few at the weekend but maher came on and got a late goal to deflate kilmacow.Freshford,windgap, tullogher and ballyragget are probably the 4 best teams at junior. Ballyragget have joe and Michael Brennan back.

I watched lisdowney recently and I think themselves and thomastown are a bit ahead of the chasing pack.Rower v young Ireland's is the intermediate match of the weekend.Rower are solid but I'm a bit unsure where they are at. Leahy won't be home anytime soon but they've plenty of experience with Joyce at 3 and Jim Ryan can be a handful at 14. Irelands are inconsistent and usually back up a good performance with a very poor one. Mikey Carey is hurling well and Paddy Langton is a nice long range striker maybe they could look at him further out the field where his lack of pace won't be exposed.

The senior is starting to take shape. The bridge and tullaron are unlucky to meet each other at this early stage.Both teams also inconsistent. Liam blanchfield will be a big help. Tullaron having got to the last 2 semi finals and 5 lads on the county panel will be hoping to take the next step. The last couple of performances have being poor so they will need a big improvement.

Boro and olg are probably the 2 form teams. Olg have a really good defense with 3 Intercounty defenders.i don't know how long more conor heary will be out for but Fogarty has being a real find. Owen wall who was injured last year is having another good year and definitely needs to be looked at.

Boro have a very solid team and very strong full back line. Niall Rowe is improving. Clifford could be tried in the half back line next year. Its where his club think is his best position. They need to add that steel to their game because there's no doubt they have the players. Sheehan, Moore and Gaffney all hurling well.

Watched Vegas and Clara last weekend. Vegas were shocking at times. Puckouts going wrong and ball breaking down instead of playing to their strengths. John walsh got 1-2 from play and Ian Duggan scored a few points and despite pulling it back to a 5 point game Clara kicked on to win very easily. Vegas have a bit of soul searching to do.

Clara have got some milage out of their stalwarts but murt o Connell was the best player on show.

Village will be disgusted to throw away a 10 point lead with a few mins to go. Management advised to put a penalty over the bar. I would of thought after all the hurt shamrocks inflicted on them they would go for the jugular when on top.brassil and Scanlon hurling well for them but the real stuff starts now. They're still lacking a few fowards. Browne is gone for the foreseeable aswell and the village are expected to lose a few more players to traveling around Christmas time.

Ballycallan will be delighted to avoid relegation and cloonan deserves credit for going with 3 or 4 chaps who have being very good. Tommy Ronan is also hurling very well.

Danesfort and Comer can have no complaints but Danesfort pulled the short straw so they'll have to try get everyone right for the final. Comer and Vegas match will be hard to call but both teams will fancy their chances.

That is Freshfords 3rd team is it ? Any club could play there best young lads and they would do well in Junior E. I watched them v Tullogher/Rosbercon. They had a full 15 v 15 game at half time, could they have used some of them players

You'd be going down the road and joining Threecastles.

Doesn't matter how low the level is, the manager will always think he's managing his county in an All Ireland final, and there must be a win at all costs.

On the other hand, great to see such huge playing numbers at adult level in Kilkenny, it's brilliant to be encouraging players to stay involved at whatever level is right for them.

Whatever number they had it looked high and participated in a match/session, they had mid to high 40s on the programme. Anyway the point I was getting at is why are they fielding youth players in adult matches when they have the numbers to not field illegal players.

Whatever number they had in the game at half time it was between 17/18 to possibly 24/25 at half time, beside the point that they broke the rules fielding a juvenile in an adult game when they had sufficient numbers not to.

Weekend

That would have have been a strong Boro team, any players stand out ?

Young Hackett stood out for me extremely fast and strong and Noah Minogue for the Village is a good intelligent hurler. As marooned said the ref was pathetic, one incident the ball stopped about 6" from the sideline with the linesman 10ft away (and no indication from him) the ref blew for a sideline ball. The players played on and the Boro struck a wide. The ref decided a throw in was needed so the linesman picked up a young girls camogie size 4 sliotar and he played on with that, the poor kid had to walk to the goal in the rain to get her ball back from the umpires. The players deserve better officials and also shouldn't be playing a county final in the dark

Just on Cillian Hackett I didn’t mention him because I thought he took too much out of the ball and I hate that but in fairness he had a very good game. At underage the standout players usually feel they have to give that little bit more and usually make a balls of it by over doing it. I didn’t want to say too much about the ref. But I agree with all comerman said he actually tried to ref from the middle on a night with very poor visibility.ye Noah Manogue was good and got an excellent goal I also thought the number 30 for the Village was very good when he came on .

Hackett has some engine. I think he'll learn but in the meantime I wouldn't be critical of him for taking on his opponents. He has the speed to do so and too often his colleagues aren't supporting him off the shoulder. Maybe he's too fast for them to keep up!!!!

A well deserved win and the six points margin flattered the young Village side.

Yeah Jimmy Meagher did 6 weeks back during the summer.

From what I've heard out of Ballyhale - Ronan Corcoran, Joey Cuddihy, Brian Cody and Joey Holden will not be back for championship. I'm sure their all being contacted and offered flights home but most are very unlikely to accept but you never know. Colin is willing to come back but can only be home for the weekends, that's a lot of money on flights too and from the Middle East for a lad who hasn't hurled in the best part of a year. A brilliant lad no doubt but I'm sure the Ballyhale treasurer will be sweating bullets if they get to a county final. Darren Mullen was to be back training this week but with his injuries it would be hard to see him playing so regularly to make a county final. At the moment Kevin Mullen is not hurling this year and Paddy and Adrian had niggles which I'm sure will clear up for the Danesfort match.

Ballyhale are as dangerous as ever and with the personnel they have they would still have to be favourites. The Boro and OLG would have to be the next in the pecking order with the Village, Glenmore and Tullaroan in the next category. Tullaroan might even be falling out of that and on current form are probably even with the Bridge and Clara.

I would see it as after the League:

1 Ballyhale - unchanged

2 Dicksboro - unchanged

2 OLG - unchanged

4 Village - unchanged

4 Glenmore - up 2 spots

6 Tullaroan - down 1 spot

6 Bridge - down 1 spot

8 Clara - unchanged

8 GBC - up 1 spot

10 Mullinavat - down 1 spot

11 Comer - unchanged

12 Danesfort - unchanged

A format that should never be repeated again.3 teams in other group's finiished with more pts than the village and 1 of them.bt the village absolute madness the way the championship has been run.as for semis piltown to bt the village and dicksboro to bt windgap.first round brigiids to bt gowran, conahy to bt clara, tullaroan to bt thomastown and muckalee to bt barrow.

Pure madness. What else would you expect though. Eejits masquerading as experts.