Player Watch

Thanks Taibi.. Interesting that most seem to be picked from Clubs involved at the Business end of the Championship..

Good to see some players who did well in the championship (Barry Coffey, Eddie Delahunt, Conor Brophy) get a chance and also some of the 2013 minor team. Interesting as well to see how Eanna O'Connor gets on. It's a pity that 2 of the games are on before the county final so the Moorefield and Sarsfields players won't be involved in these.

Hopefully a few players will make an impression as the squad could do with a bit of new blood.

Its always good to keep an eye out for new talent. And its important after the way the clubs ousted McGee ey to be seen to appease them. But how in all honesty can you say that the panel needs new blood? The senior team is right in the middle of a massive transition, has lost anything that reaembled experience. Yet you say it needs new blood?

It baffled me all last year how people just refused to admit and aknowledge that the squad is in transition....

+1 BTA. Like, according to Rex, Eoghan O'Flaherty, to my eyes the best forward in the county, isn't guaranteed a place on the squad. And nor is Padraig O'Neill, one of our best players last year. Nothing personal Rex but as BTA points out there's already a hell of a lot of new blood on the panel the past two years. If we have a clearout every two seasons we'll be going nowhere fast.

I'd be more concerned about Jason Ryan feeling the need to give Conor Brophy a trial, as if he's some unknown. The man played for Kildare U21s in an All-Ireland final and in a Sigerson Cup final at midfield. Surely any clued-in county manager knows whether he wants him or not. Personally I'd have him on the panel in a heartbeat, I'm just saying we hardly need to drag him to trial games in October to see how good he is.

And the same goes for Tom Corley. He kept goal for Kildare for two or three seasons! We need challenge games in October to assess him? Smacks of a PR exercise to me.

I accept we are in transition and don't need a big clearout but I think we are short in certain positions (full-back line and midfield) so it would be good if we can find players in these positions.

Usually inter-county teams carry larger panels through the O'Byrne Cup and early rounds of the league so it's no harm to give players who do well in these games a chance.

I don't think any Sarsfields or Moorefields players should have been called for trials until after the county final. And even at that no one from the eventual winners should have been called until after their Leinster campaign is over.

O' Flaherty was missed out by mistake, he would be an automatic choice in my squad. However I don't think Ryan fancies him at all. His dropping mid season after bringing him on in a game we were losing then playing him in the half backs then taking him back off again. He was substituted in a number of games. It all points to an issue Ryan has with him. So automatic for me but for Ryan I doubt it.

Was Conor not on the Panel last Year and dropped himself of it after a period ?
Didnt Jason do something similar last Term ?. Clubs were contacted to send in Players deemed good enough.

Brophy dropped off the panel in 2012. I think there may have been some sort of issue with McGeeney over his involvement in the Sigerson but don't quote me on that.

He played in one of the trial matches before Christmas last year.

It's possible to bring in new players without having a major clean out of the panel. Can anyone here claim that we are overstocked in midfielders or full backs?
O'Flaherty's place should not be in doubt, he is a class footballer and we don't have many of them.
I don't know why Corley was ever dropped, he is a much better keeper than Shorty ever was and I know it's irrelevant now but I am convinced Coulter would not have scored that "goal" in 2010 if Corely had been in goal. We were so close to an AI win that time and its hard to believe its 4 years ago now.

murof wrote:

It's possible to bring in new players without having a major clean out of the panel. Can anyone here claim that we are overstocked in midfielders or full backs?
O'Flaherty's place should not be in doubt, he is a class footballer and we don't have many of them.
I don't know why Corley was ever dropped, he is a much better keeper than Shorty ever was and I know it's irrelevant now but I am convinced Coulter would not have scored that "goal" in 2010 if Corely had been in goal. We were so close to an AI win that time and its hard to believe its 4 years ago now.

Discipline was why Corley was dropped,i think he back talked to McGeeney and yes he was a better keeper than shorty.The keeper i like at the moment is O Sullvan from Sarsfields,Hes sharp out to a ball,great shot stopper and best of all his kickouts find a man every time short or long.

Just thinking, out of all those Players sent in by the Clubs last Term, did we actually get anyone from it ? .. Once again Sarsfields and Moorefield will contest the County Final, and I honestly dont see either Team having an automatic starter next Season..

Off Topic, but is O Callaghan to remain on as Captain ?, and if so is He an automatic starter ?.. If so in what Position, Half Back, Half Forward, Corner Forward ?

SeamusMurphy wrote:

Just thinking, out of all those Players sent in by the Clubs last Term, did we actually get anyone from it ?

Fitzpatrick, Mulhall and Keith Cribbin played in trials last year.

kickingking wrote:

SeamusMurphy wrote:

Just thinking, out of all those Players sent in by the Clubs last Term, did we actually get anyone from it ?

Fitzpatrick, Mulhall and Keith Cribbin played in trials last year.

kickingking those 3 you named weren't pulled out of Jason Ryan's hole. 2 have played Senior before. One has played every level bar Senior.

Freddy Krueger wrote:

kickingking wrote:

SeamusMurphy wrote:

Just thinking, out of all those Players sent in by the Clubs last Term, did we actually get anyone from it ?

Fitzpatrick, Mulhall and Keith Cribbin played in trials last year.

kickingking those 3 you named weren't pulled out of Jason Ryan's hole. 2 have played Senior before. One has played every level bar Senior.

What's your point? Fact is they played in trials last year. A lot of the players this year will also have been involved in county sides at some stage.

I see in the Liffey Champion it mentioned the players being attending these trials being selected by a group made up of journalists / reporters and members of the junior, under 21 and senior management teams. I suppose it means a wider scope of games / players were considered, no club bias or anything like that.

A good few players will have played at different intercounty levels in the past, but it'll be interesting to see how many of them take the chance and manage to get a run in the O'Byrne Cup. If it means a couple of new faces in the panel and a lad getting a chance that he previously wouldn't / didn't get then these games will have served their purpose.

Anyone know the result today lads?

game@7pm

2-13 to 0-12 to kildare or something like that

kildare 3 -11   laois  0- 11      sherry flynn hanafin got goals kildare were much bigger and stronger   flynn from maynooth  and action from rathcoffey  and play well in frist half the second half was stop start  with subs   i was told from person who was at match

Time to resurrect this thread again with the county championship upcoming. Who should we be looking out for with a view to representing Kildare next year?

Ryan Houlihan and Liam Healy (Moorefield), Luke Flynn (JTB), Pascal Connell (Athy), Wayne Fitzpatrick (Monasterevan), Neil Flynn and Paul Mescal (Maynooth) are a few names who should be looking to make the step up from u21 level. I'm hearing a lot of calls for a clear out of the Kildare senior team but who else is out there to come in and replace those who call it a day or are dropped?

Well there needs to be some sort of a clear out, no point going back with the same ones over and over again when they clearly not good enough.

Frankel wrote:

Well there needs to be some sort of a clear out, no point going back with the same ones over and over again when they clearly not good enough.

Don't agree with a complete clearout. There are lads who I believe aren't good enough but the new manager will decide that.

Ideally someone from outside the county who has no ties or allegiances to anyone.

That would sort the the wood from the chaff and everyone in the county should be starting from scratch to impress the new man.

kickingking wrote:

Time to resurrect this thread again with the county championship upcoming. Who should we be looking out for with a view to representing Kildare next year?

Ryan Houlihan and Liam Healy (Moorefield), Luke Flynn (JTB), Pascal Connell (Athy), Wayne Fitzpatrick (Monasterevan), Neil Flynn and Paul Mescal (Maynooth) are a few names who should be looking to make the step up from u21 level. I'm hearing a lot of calls for a clear out of the Kildare senior team but who else is out there to come in and replace those who call it a day or are dropped?

Most if not all of those kkk are u21 again next Year, which is very promising indeed.. Houlihan and Fitzpatrick are currently based in Galway with the Army, which is far from ideal.. Chris Healy and Cien McMonigle are also worth a mention.

We badly need a playmaker at 11, and Eddie Heavey from Moorefield has been impressive in that role for the Moores in the League, when I have seen Him.. He may be currently on the Kildare Panel, but we have yet to see Him.