Kilkenny GAA Thread

Yes, that is what I was getting at

Think of the breaks Carey made for his goal and a few occasions in the first half and then Blanchfields point when he linked with Donnelly. The pace of those moves was top class, those boys should be popping balls to John Donnelly and Cian Kenny who are great sticksmen and outlets to take a ball and pop it back to you off the shoulder.

We just stopped in the second half, was it under instruction or did we lack bravery in using ball against the breeze on the field. Was it that we didn't move for the backs or was it the backs felt that because of the wind they had to start lumping it.

Don't think it's pace, it's lack of structure or bravery or belief to persist with what is working when pressure comes on.

Carey made some great runs but it wasn't sustainable. Too many players not in the game, mullen wasn't right, donnelly cody keoghan weren't really in it. As mentioned before, cody needs to be moved out, he's wasted inside, too easily bottled up. The backs looked too tired to run it near the end and there no was support coming back to help them out, no choice but to lump it up with the pressure that was on them. They just needed subs with fresh legs, changes were too slow coming. There was a lot more passing around the back line than normal throughout the game even before the pressure came on, unnecessary passing at times, but it was nearly all lateral. They dont seem to like the space between the 45s. I'm still not 100% sure what the role of midfield is in the puckout strategies

even the goal he got it wasn't from any run towards goal, he was getting no joy at all. bring him out for a while and at least let him touch the ball. but its all back to delivery problems. nearly all possession is turned to less than 50/50

My point is to leave him in and build game plan around getting ball in deep to him but that he should have been brought out Saturday as we were unable to do that.

ah, Kilkenny football manager, took me a while

nothing to do again so I looked up the size of a hurling pitch. So it s nearly 4 acres s that would give us about 7 pitches, plus the existing two pitches. “Now you’re talking “ I hope this is reality. I presume there will be an announcement made in the near future so we can capitalise on it and drive forward . Just on another thing about the county board how many patrons did they lose by insisting on on line ticket sales, I personally know a few that couldn’t hack it and would not go again. Lost forever and these would have been ardent supporters, some people might brush this off and tell you that this is the future but it is not easy on people and they should have been helped and brought along slowly. We have two former bank managers on the board and still there is no swipe card facilities. So they are only futuristic when it suits.

I saw that. It shows their intent alright but doesn't guarantee anything.

Funnily enough, Cody retired from work in 2015...I know KK were on a different trajectory then to where Limerick are now in fairness.

Never thought of that! I'm sure JP would pass a hat around the dressing room for him.

Think everyone was delighted to see Cork win bar Limerick people, it was a super performance and to beat them twice in one year was some achievement. Fair play to Pat Ryan and the players, particularly with all the guff coming out of Limerick after the first game, videoing Corks celebrations etc and what Limerick weren't going to do to ye if ye met again. Savage display by Cork..

I'll still be roaring the banner on in the final though!

Did jack oConner not take a carrer break from teaching during one of his tenures with Kerry.

Unfortunately I was away and missed the minor in the park and could only get to watch the semi final in town when I got back. It was a really bad week for the county and incredibly frustrating as both teams could have won. Fair dues to Clare and even more so Cork on getting to the finals and for Tipp for digging it out when down to 13 men. I've read all the comments on here since I got back and there as been much guessing and wondering what went wrong and I'll mainly focus on the senior game.

1.Were lads injured?

2. Are we fit enough?

3. Why do we revert to type when under pressure?

4. Kind of related to the above, are we tactically savvy enough?

5. We kept introducing the same old players with no youth or newness.

1 We all know Donnelly was injured in the Wexford game and he hasn't been right since but played ok on Saturday. I saw Adrian Mullen (looked like him anyway) with a cast on his left wrist yesterday, perhaps he picked it up in the game but he was definitely sub par for most of the first half and should have been replaced earlier. This would seem to be an error on the managements part and something we still don't seem to have learned from since 2010.

2 I think we are fit enough and I think our inability to play well for 70 minutes is not a physical thing. I do think we left it too long to make changes. The management seem to have no faith in their panel otherwise they would make changes earlier. From a bit I've heard the communication is very poor to non-existent a lot of the time. I had hoped we'd moved on from that BS after Cody but these guys all seemed to learned this and think it's an effective approach to man management. If you look at our matches against Limerick particularly in 2022 but even last year we were as fit, we lost those games in other ways which I will address next.

3 & 4 I think the reason we revert to type (ie longball from the fullback line) is that the whole of Kilkenny hurling or huge parts of it's coaching are infected with Cody's mantras and style at both intercounty and club, players/coaches and managers who looked up to him with good reason. Unfortunately there seems to be no leadership at the top of the pile from the County board through to team managements to lead a change in this. There is no charismatic leader there that lads would run through a brick wall for or that people want to follow. There is very little passion at all levels down through our county set up all the way to the fans hence the lower numbers I believe. So before a match we devise a smart way of playing an opposition and by an large it works well and we burst out into a lead. The opposition usually see what we're doing and devise a counter strategy to negate our good work and this is when we fall apart. We seem to have coached them to play one certain way and when that stops working our lads seem to panic and revert to what they and their coaches have known all their lives lump it long and get it out of my area so it's not my problem. We play as individuals and the whole thing falls apart we rely on individual brilliance to keep us in games and to withstand the come backs. I believe this makes it look like we're not fit enough as we're chasing shadows as we've lost our shape and purpose. Now that can happen any team on a day but what you need then is leaders on the sideline and field to pull things back together, make a few changes to allow us to counteract the changes the opposition made to deal with our first half dominance. I know for a fact that Corks coach, teaches at least 4 different setups of play to counteract what an opposition might do or change too. All the players are trained in these different styles/tactics so they can be implemented as and when needed depending on what an opposition team does or how they want to exploit them. If they bring back a sweeper how do you play? Well you know because you have practiced it. What if they flood the middle third and play one up front. Ok you might not have faced exactly that but you've seen something similar in practice so ye try that option and the sideline might make a few tweeks. It seems to me that KK go out with our setup and gameplan right most days it works well until the opposition counter it and then we're all at sea.

5 I had hoped this management team would be different but in reality they are a pale imitation of Cody. They have tried somethings but they've been far to conservative. In fact even more conservative I would suggest on player selection than Cody would have been the last few years. Young players get half a league game to make an impression and are dropped to the curb others impress all league and then are dropped to obscurity. I'm deliberately referring to the management team and not just Derek as I believe they're all culpable. Lots of players brought into the setup but very few given a real chance. For instance I would have loved to seen a J Molloy or a N Rowe given the league and championship at corner back. I would have persisted with Daragh Corcoran FB and tried H Lawlor CB. It seems like the management decided these lads just can't do it and there's no point even trying them for any length of time. Corcoran and S Murphy got games but they were messed around by filling gaps all over and never got a chance in one spot then seemingly punished for not performing when starters stayed in position and held their place.

I could go on about the county board and I will at some stage but we will see no change at county board level until our treasurer and a many of the other long term residence who have been on the circuit, go. They won't go of their own accord and unless we have a Duignan style figure to lead a campaign to replace them all it won't happen. We saw what Duignan brought to Offaly, a new vigour, ideas and enthusiasm to the setup. I fear we could be in for another 10+ years of mediocrity. An All Ireland Semi Final is kind of the minimum a KK manager should be achieving with the current health of Leinster hurling and the players we have.

We need some innovative coaching and passion. We don't have to follow what Cork or Limerick do or play like them. We have to give our players the tools to be able to recognise and counteract styles of play with our own. We don't have to proscribe every movement far from it but we need to know where to be when we're defending and how get around the opposition defence when attacking using our own styles. The players have to be comfortable with that and the more clubs do to start playing in different ways the more the players are exposed to it and are more comfortable playing in different setups.

absolutely agree on everything you said.

Totally agree with everything you say. I have said the current management team seem to be a poor mans Cody.

As you said nothing has really changed. Young players brought in and discarded like a deck of cards if they make the slightest mistake. We need to have more patience and give these players a good chance. Young players need to have confidence that they will be given a fair chance.

Management need to have a long hard look in the mirror as I blame them for this defeat. No disrepect to Fogarty and Walsh but i dont think any KK supporter thought on Sat that they would change the direction of that game. I honestly said to myself thats game over. Clare must have being delighted to see the 2 of them come on as they knew exactly what KK were going to do. If he had sprung 2 young players off the bench they probably would have to second guess.

The county board needs a massive shake up and someone to come in and drive change. I feel it will turn into a long famine if there is no change there.

Lyng has a year left on his contract and IMO he will have to swing massive changes if he wants to stay longer. He will need to end careers if they decide not to themselves.

Himself and Conor Browne are in Australia, Leahy did his ACL hurling over there.