Mayo V Kildare

lilywhites on tour wrote:

My final point is in relation to the crowd. That had to be the worst Kildare crowd I have ever seen. Myself and a few mates actually knew all of our own kildare crowd on the uncovered stand side.Very disappointing to see!

Have to agree with this. Such a small Kildare crowd in Castlebar but the minor match in Croke Park yesterday was even more disappointing. I'd say we were outnumbered by Laois supporters, 3 to 1 if not more.

Rewatched the game and I know people in the majority here won't agree but think the corner is in sight, if not turned. Think back to McGeeney's first season, the tactics that didn't work against Wicklow, the change mid-championship for the qualifiers and the build that began then. He just had the fortune of not running into a top-three team so early. Sure there've been disappointments, and in Castlebar was criminal running down blind alleys, shot selection wasn't great and a few players on last legs. But midfield was excellent, Byrne and Feely and Dowling were good, and there was fight regardless of how hard Mayo went at the second half. I saw this as a massive improvement on the Offaly game.

The end of 2011 was the death rattle, and I've a feeling we're beginning to come back to life. The age profile has made it awkward as there've been few leaders. Indeed of the side that started and lost to Donegal back then, really only the O'Flaherys will play a real part next year. That's a criminal turnover and hugely destructive as these things should be staggered (it's why in O'Byrne Cup you mix new faces with a settled team so you can see them properly, yet we've been forced to have a complete clearout in recent seasons). That goes back to our structures which we are finally getting right and now we just need to work out how to turn underage potential into senior competitiveness.

O'Neill has been learning the ropes too but the idea he was out of our reach a year ago to not good enough for us now is dangerous and would set us back further. That game will give us confidence, a sign of how low things have been, O'Neill will grow now that he's had a season, as will his ideas and how to implement them, this team is gaining experience and showing battle, and they'll be supplemented year on year hopefully by a steady stream of underage talent.

Not a great year if you look at results alone, but an important year in terms of our development I feel.

Good post Tommy, if we can get some of the U21's on board next year we could see a big improvement quickly.

Agree with all that Tommy. I would add that there'll be more bumps in the road. Was messing around picking my ideal team for next year earlier. Twelve of the 15 will be aged 21-25 in summer next year. Loads of talent but it's very raw talent.

Ohtoohtobe wrote:

Agree with all that Tommy. I would add that there'll be more bumps in the road. Was messing around picking my ideal team for next year earlier. Twelve of the 15 will be aged 21-25 in summer next year. Loads of talent but it's very raw talent.

Share your thoughts otb

It was nice to see cian congratulating the mayo players after the match.
It was also nice to see the kildare players getting photos with their mayo heroes afterwards in a local tavern.

SeamusMurphy wrote:

It was nice to see cian congratulating the mayo players after the match.
It was also nice to see the kildare players getting photos with their mayo heroes afterwards in a local tavern.

Ah sure it was lovely altogether

If I'd known i would have bought them a few beers and had a picnic....

jim wrote:

If I'd known i would have bought them a few beers and had a picnic....

overthebar wrote:

A bit over the top there Ogie about Mr Hackett. I've seen worst performances from teams coached any managed by some of the names mentioned above and his record speaks for its self. I'd say you may have a bit of a dislike for the man for whatever reason.

I think the irony was lost on you OTB

Don't know if it's been said yet but Neill Flynn is the real deal. Scored 2 excellent points Saturday, the second one was top notch .

SeamusMurphy wrote:

Ohtoohtobe wrote:

Agree with all that Tommy. I would add that there'll be more bumps in the road. Was messing around picking my ideal team for next year earlier. Twelve of the 15 will be aged 21-25 in summer next year. Loads of talent but it's very raw talent.

Share your thoughts otb

Ah sure it's hard to say a year out, who knows what will happen, but if we got everyone back from injury/Australia/u21 I'd be thinking something like:
Donnellan; Kelly, Hyland, Doyle; Byrne, Conway, Lyons; Hurley, Feely; D Flynn, N Kelly, Cribbin, Sherry; Brophy, N Flynn (two man FF).

With Mescal, O'Grady, Houlihan, Ryan, K Cribbin, L Flynn, Moolick, Dowling, E O'Flaherty, Fogarty, Healy etc pushing/on the bench.

P Kelly, Doyle and Lyons the only ones of that 15 who'll be more than 25.

I'm not being smart but surprised to see Hurley and Brophy being mentioned so much, not just on this but other places too.

No doubt they would be a help but is there actually a chance they are coming home from Australia? Its just from what I've heard both are doing well out there and there hasn't been any talk of them returning home anytime soon, or maybe others have heard different?

Heard a rumour one of them will almost certainly be home Lily8. Just a rumour mind you.
As for doing well it depends how you look at it. They might be enjoying it but neither of them are anywhere near an AFL debut.
Maybe I'm missing something but if I was them I'd come home. Choice between playing what is in effect second team football or winning with Kildare. Ok, they're getting paid, but they would by no means be getting rich.

Hurley has a fairly persistent hip injury which is holding back his progress.

Ohtoohtobe wrote:

Heard a rumour one of them will almost certainly be home Lily8. Just a rumour mind you.
As for doing well it depends how you look at it. They might be enjoying it but neither of them are anywhere near an AFL debut.
Maybe I'm missing something but if I was them I'd come home. Choice between playing what is in effect second team football or winning with Kildare. Ok, they're getting paid, but they would by no means be getting rich.

Exactly my thoughts. Ok they are enjoying a professional lifestyle/salary and maybe that's enough but they're playing reserve team football at the age of 24. Was never totally convinced by Hurley but Brophy would be a beast in our forward line freeing up Feely to play midfield. At the end of the day it's down to the player and I'm sure there is some tug of home while at the same time he's probably having the life of Reilly down there. Down to the player himself..

You'd know better O2 but is Paddy not going really well? Sean only played his first game recently after being out all year - aren't there contracts up for renewal? My reading, casually in trying to follow, is that Brophy seems to be progressing and at Hurley's age now, they might not bother.

I don't know though would I come home if the opportunity was there. Not unless I was homesick. It's work. And it's not sitting in an office work. And it's not fitting in a professional lifestyle around sitting in an office work. And you're allowed have a beer in Oz while having the professional lifestyle. And there's sun. Etc.

Great point about a few more bumps being on the way given the age profile and the process of developing leaders.

And yes, well spotted tommyoneilletc, overthebar missed the irony - I have nothing but admiration for what Brendan Hackett has done with Kildare's minors of the past two years and before that at U16, with Westmeath's U21s, many of whom have played in the last two Leinster senior finals and indeed, in athletics before that.

lilysavage wrote:

Pretty sure point re Hackett was to illustrate knee jerk reaction of supporters rather than meant as criticism for a highly successful coach who we are lucky to have...

Correct.

Ogie wrote:

 I have nothing but admiration for what Brendan Hackett has done with Kildare's minors of the past two years and before that at U16, with Westmeath's U21s, many of whom have played in the last two Leinster senior finals and indeed, in athletics before that.

Good interview with Brendan Hackett on TG4's highlights programme last night where he talked about installing a winning culture in Kildare where the current team see the previous years team winning things and want to emulate them.

I think we are lucky to have people like him involved with our underage teams and hopefully we can progress at All-Ireland level.

Even if Kildare aren't you can be sure other counties will be looking at what Brendan Hackett has done the last few years and no matter what people think of him (right or wrong) looking from the outside its a results game...

Hackett the perfect example of the pointless nature of knee-jerk reactions and blaming managers rather than looking at their vision and plan and how they are implementing it. Wasn't he run out of Westmeath midway through his first league?

Hackett is dead right when he says that the tackle is a skill and needs to be coached in his interviews. Our latest and former manager don't seem to bothered about it.

It's something that is killing us at senior. Cian would do worse than concentrate on that aspect for the first couple of months until they have perfected it. Until they can tackle and create turnovers we are pissing into the wind.

Tackling and blocking are gone out of our game - 2 of the most important skills that the teams at the highest levels work as much on as passing/scoring etc.
Cant see either at a decent level in Kildare at the moment

It was obvious from the brief highlights that I saw last night that this minor team were well coached in how to tackle. The number of times that they held up Laois attacks with a two handed push to the chest and then forced them to pass backwards was striking. It reminds me of the McGeeney days of 09-10. If O'Neill continues to ignore this skill then there is no improvement likely in our fortunes.