Kilkenny GAA Thread

Unfortunately it's not going to get any better for a while Charlie

Brutal week rounded off a poor enough year. Again. Today was complete systems failure. 20 wides but the 1st half when on top we should of being 9 or 10 points up. 16 points is a desperate score. Subs made no impact but Taylor was huge for them. Lyng still picking Cody's team from 2 years ago. He needs to either put his stamp on it or give it to someone who will. We had a year to look for a corner back and center back and we went back to the same old same old. Some of the ball we gave our forwards are scandalous.i don't know but we are a very poorly coached team. We went the last 15 mins without scoring along with 20 wides We didn't deserve to win unfortunately. That team is at a bit of a crossroad because that failed the last couple of years. It's either go with youth now and trust them orcontinue with lads who have no more to give at this level. Mullen clearly wasn't right getting hooked and blocked and dropping ball. The killing part is we had so many chances in the 1st half like mikey careys 1-1 but 20 wides and not scoring the last 15 mins will be hard to take

When are we going to have a look at ourselves especially the county board who have appointed poor underage coaches the last 10 years. Afterwards happened below in carlow they should of ran pj Kenny out the door.a huge root and branch and run all them stragglers out of the county board and start fresh. We are already 10 years without a minor and senior and apart from a fierce lucky u20 it's nearly 20 years since u21. If it was any other county they would be gone long ago. Its a joke in there.

Apologies my mistake sorry 12

Just back home. I have to say I'm disappointed because while I didn't believe we were going to win the All Ireland I thought that team on paper was our strongest team of the year so far. But we just didn't put it together. And Clare wanted it more.

There's rightly a lot of gloom, because winning All Irelands is the thing for us and it looks like it might be a while before we go into one as a favourite on merit. Or maybe not. There's plenty of players in Kilkenny - I think it's a lack of nous in our approach. That's coaches and hurlers. And that's the challenge for people like Michael Fennelly. The most depressing thing this week was the minor, and not because we lost but because of the manner - the lack of control and game management. A team that ran the ball so well against Clare in the minor were knocked off their rhythm and resorted to lumping it. We wanted to see green shoots there because we know deep down that most of our senior players are at odds with more measured approach. Why wouldn't they be when that's what they've been coached up along - and when they go back to their clubs they will go back the normal Kilkenny DNA. Hurling is coached and played more like football now, and Kilkenny know nothing about football.

My impression of the second half was Clare pushed up man on man and made us make a decision about playing it though the lines. Clare did best when they took off the slow lumbering lads and brought in the smaller nippier lads. We looked out on our feet and out of ideas. And we made poor decisions as a team (e.g. that Richie Reid ball to a double marked Eoin Cody at the end was criminal). Where was the ball to Blanchfield, or Carey through the middle, or the one in the second half with the handoff to Deegan. This is not an Eoin Murphy criticism - they all have to commit to breaking the lines. Instead we got Long, long and long. And then bring on Wally at wing forward- and same as Wexford no one reads the breaks so we're cleaned and facing runners from everywhere.

And here is a criticism of the sideline - No Luke Hogan as a plan B if Cody was getting dogged in the corner (what was the point of the league?), No Gearoid Dunne if Mossey was losing out, no Jordan Molloy for legs around the middle, no Eoin Wall. We were flat as a pancake for the whole second half and we didn't roll the dice.

So in my opinion there might not be a bunch of superstars there but there are players to get us there or thereabouts and especially if Limerick start to blow some gaskets. Who else would you really worry about? (not that they are in huge fear of us either). But my point is from the players perspective we're near it but we still tactically behind the curve in making best use of what we do have (that's not just a management criticism it's the players also). But from a county perspective I think the spectre of 3 losses in a row to Limerick sat on the county. And it's not about fear of losing - it's fear of losing the same way doing the same thing (i.e. back to the previous point). I am not afraid to admit it that I just found it difficult to be up for today when we've beaten Clare twice and the reward is trying to convince yourself that you see improvement that will make a difference for two weeks time. And Clare when they got a sniff of that malaise it took advantage. They just wanted it more. And fair ****.

I'll come to the tactics shortly but your point that you haven't seen Walter Walsh catch a high ball since 2017 only means that you haven't been supporting or attending any kilkenny games since. Pathetic really. Walter has been an excellent servant to kilkenny all the way up to now and has been excellent for us. He probably won't feature with kilkenny from here out but leave out the nonsense.

On to tactics.

We should have been at least 10 if not 12 points up ar half time but for whatever reason the scores just didn't pan put for us.

UUnfortunately mullen, donnelly and mossy weren't up to it today but we have a panel dor a reason.

The fact that it took us until maybe 15 mins into the 2nd half to see that things weren't working was very poor indeed. We took off mossy, brought on Walter and waited again to put Tom phelan in.

We needed some steel in the middle and molloy i thought would have been the option to put in the middle with kenny and move deegan wing forward where we were losing big time.

Why Owen Wall didn't get a run is beyond me. He has pace to burn.

It was the midfield and half forward line where we lost it but we did very little on the line to do anything here. I can't understand it.

Walter will probably pull the pin on it anlng with Conor fogarty, buckley and maybe conor delaney.

We need some serious reflection on how we approach championship hurling as we seemed very lethargic today in the forwards.

Our backs were decent enough but its from 8 onwards we need some more impetus

Marty Murphy will be involved in the Walsh cup next year and might add some spark as we badly need it.

TJ might hang on another year but that's completely down to him.

Sobering enough performance today but we have to keep the heads up, drive on and trust the younger lads and see where it takes us.

.

don’t know how you make out I delighted to lose

Just because I called it 12 months ago

The sorry thing is how stupid the management of the team was.
That’s a semie final and all Ireland minor lost because of poor management

ah now, Wally couldn’t catch a cold, it was never his game.
Murphy sending long ball down on top of him continuously was always a disaster

I haven't read every post here but today was sobering. Our forwards struggled and the backs were under pressure 2nd half. We looked the much better team 1st half but missed too many chances and our wasteful approach and the ref kept Clare in it. Some horrendous decisions.

My take aways are we need to leave the past behind us and concentrate on the future. I'm Conor Fogarty's biggest fan, what a warrior that man has been. He has a safe place in the KK hall of fame. Same with Wally, great servant, savagely dedicated and has had some huge moments in the black and amber.

But when we needed and impact today I don't believe they were the men to turn to. Who knows maybe Wall and Dunne might have flopped, but jaysus try it. Clare bench made a huge impact whereas we regressed.

A bad week for Kilkenny hurling.

The wind seemed to have more of an impact than you would have imagined. Should have been 10-12 ahead but missed goal chances and soft frees kept Clare in it. Ultimately, Adrian Mullen's injury and the fact that our subs are poor decided the match. Considering how poorly so many players performed and our poor tactics, it was staggering how close we got today

you would be hoping this is the end of an era so a new one can begin. Really we will have to think long and hard about this. The county board is the common denominator in all this.. bad attitudes, won’t spend money they have a ball of money now and will **** this up by wasting it on sub standard facilities. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Just go down through all there failures this year alone we are all being very tolerant of them and we should be on to our clubs to make sweeping changes. As regards Derek he has had a dreadful week by anyone’s standards so I don’t think we should be criticising him now. I am so disappointed but mainly by the underage shambles.

Superman if your out there, save us. Still no sign of Brookville, he would know what to do.

how Shane Murphy was overlooked after the league campaign is beyond me.

I think the format of the Club Championship is about the least of our worries

That makes no sense. You go and support your team through thick and thin regardless of what you think the result might be.

I’ve heard people say stupid things like “why would you go when you know they’re going to get beaten “… fair weather supporters. That’s when your team needs you most .

Play it on a Sunday and there's 10k more in it, first half atmosphere would imagine down to majority of fans being clare and they weren't at the races. Much livelier atmosphere when the tide was turning last 20 minutes. Re last point I'm absolutely gutted not to make the final, it's meant the world to the clare lads at the end, I don't think anyone goes to a final expecting to lose. Limerick will be beat some day, maybe today. There's always an ending and sometimes the fall comes fast.

Lyng has well earned the time to rebuild, things didn't work out yesterday but he has made good work on what's available and now is the time to try integrate some more of his u20 side and others.

Gets lost amidst defeat but what a save again from eoin murphy, privilege to see him over the years