Kildare Qualifier Campaign 2012

He refereed our league match against Sligo in Newbridge last year.

Did anyone see the walking injury list in the locals this week. Leper, Flynn, Bolton, Doyle, Chalky, and Lyons. Most from training on Sunday. Have they ditched the football in favour of big sticks and pointy things.

All apart from Leper should be ok, but a rash if key injuries this time of year and it's deja vu time again.

Taibi wrote:

Referee for the Offaly match is Padraig O'Sullivan from Kerry, he reffed the this years U21 All Ireland final. Not familiar with him at all.

Well from what I could tell from the U/21 A/I game in tullamore a few weeks back , he seems to be fair , but very strict on tackles and offences , but does let advantage acrue for teams in posession , then when the ball runs dead , comes back to address any indisgressions , so all depend on how he approaches senior fixtures.

I cant see this been a issue , Kildare will have way to much in ability to be troubled in regards to referee's influence

McNamee out of the game. Big blow for Offaly

Ah ha. Examiner must be mixed up. They have McAllister as ref and I thought he was hurling. He's prob doing the hurling so.

a few people have said to me its all ticket thats not true is it?

If it is all ticket you can get your tickets in your local Supervalue of Centre shops signs up everywhere for them

Really starting to look forward to the game on Sunday and Kildare making their entrance onto the championship stage, We've seen what everyone else has to offer over the last few weeks, so hopefully we will get a really good performance on Sunday to kick off our campaign

Rex wrote:

Did anyone see the walking injury list in the locals this week. Leper, Flynn, Bolton, Doyle, Chalky, and Lyons. Most from training on Sunday. Have they ditched the football in favour of big sticks and pointy things.

All apart from Leper should be ok, but a rash if key injuries this time of year and it's deja vu time again.

Apart from Leper the rest are fine. Bolton didnt train last week but is expected to be available.

McNamee is a doubt, but dont be surprised if he features.

My Kildare team:

Connolly
Lyons
Foley
Kelly
Bolton
Morgan Flats
McGrillen
Flynn
O'Neill
JD
Conway
E.Flats
Jimmers
T.O'Connor
Fogarty

Niall McNamee definitely out, his brother Alan is doubtful, as are Niall Smith, Nigel Dunne and Richie Dalton.

That's pretty much their midfield missing, along with their main scoring threat. Dalton has been playing fullback recently but is more of a converted midfielder so be interesting to see where he starts if fit.

O'Connor could have a field day if they are forced to call up a second or third choice fullback, although possibly Shane Sullivan could be moved in from the halfback line.

Bernard Allen, Graham Guilfoyle and Anton Sullivan caused plenty of problems against our under 21's a few months ago but realistically they won't be able to do much if they're not winning ball in midfield. Our defence improved steadily as the league went on and to be fair won't be severely tested on Sunday, the one thing to look out for though is the number of scorable frees conceded, Ken Casey if on form can be very dangerous from placed balls, and presuming we end up meeting Meath then Dublin, we need to limit the amount of frees given away within 50 yards of goal.

Same team as yourself Fionn but I would have Ollie in the half backs and Hank in the corner. To be honest they will probably swap numerous times anyway as both like to get forward when ever they can.
Both locals mentioned regular players could be on the bench come Sunday. I think Eoin Doyle could be a surprise inclusion but I don't know who would make way.
The player I'm looking forward to watching most is O'Connor. It will be interesting to see with a year under his belt how he has improved. He gave Tyrone a belly full of it in the League final. He is quick and the ball sticks to him, add that to his size and strength you have a serious weapon. No fullback will enjoy the prospect of getting hit and having to fight for every ball for 70 odd minutes by a man that big. Add in the new square ball rule and it's open season.

Offaly will give it their all I have no doubt. A proud footballing county always should and it would not surprise me if it was only in the last twenty minutes Kildare found dominance. However I can see nothing but a Kildare win.

I would hope that the lads don't get to a stage and are happy to have the work done. I would like them to keep hammering away for the full 70, if possible lay down a marker for the year to come. If you have a team down then put your foot on their throats and keep it there until all life is gone. We have a habit of going into a lull for potions of a game allowing the other team to get a run on us.

It will be interesting to see the difference in the Meath v Carlow game and the Offaly game as both Offaly and Carlow would be near enough the same level.

How is all in the camp does anyone know? RE form/ injuries?

Best of luck to the lads Sunday, the year starts now, bring it on.We should easly get over the Offaly hurdle.

Offaly team named:

1Alan Mulhall (Walsh Island)
2 Shane Sullivan (Rhode)
3 John Moloney (Tullamore)
4 Sean Pender (Edenderry)
5 Brian Darby Capt (Rhode)
6 Michael Brazil (Tullamore)
7 Eoin Rigney (Rhode)
8 Alan Mc Namee (Rhode)
9 Richie Dalton (Edenderry)
10 Ross Brady (Clara)
11 Daniel Currams ( Kilcormac / Killoughey)
12 Niall Smith (Gracefield)
13 Ken Casey (St Brigids)
14 Graham Guilfoyle (Clara)
15 Anton Sullivan (Rhode)

Four championship debutants named including the full back, the centre back and the centre forward.

Decent looking full forward line, although I'd guess Guilfoyle might move out to the wing, more room to run and they could take advantage of his pace a bit more, Smith could then provide a the target man option at full forward if so.

Really looks like they're missing the likes of McManus, Slattery, McNamee and Brian O'Connor badly given the amount of debutants named. The likes of Deehan and Reynolds not being there is a different story altogether.

We've dropped as short as 1/25 in the betting stakes, same as Meath were to beat Carlow, draw is 22/1 if anybody fancies lightening to strike twice. The handicap has us set as -10 at evens, can't remember seeing odds like that for us before.

Championship feeling finally starting to set in, be great to see how we get on now after watching most of the other contenders play over the last few weekends.

Offaly are a proud county who always believe they are mentally tougher than Kildare. They'll be well up for it and are sure to give us our fill of it early on. However we should be beating them relatively comfortably if we have serious ambitions of being a contender later in the summer. Fully agree with Rex here. Keep on them for the full seventy and no let up. That's exactly the way it should be and lads should be fighting for their places for the next day. None of this going to sleep for fifteen/twenty minute spells like we did in some games in the league. Hopefully we'll get a good crowd out because Offaly are bound to have a decent following with their hurlers playing off the back of a good win against Wexford.

Kildare:
Connolly,
Andriú M, McGrillen, Kelly;
Bolton, Mor O'F, Lyons;
Foley, O'Neill;
JD, Eog O'F, Smith;
Kavanagh, O'Connor, Conway

mclachlan is a strange pick in my opinion considering the only action he has seen so far in 2012 was as a sub againt Louth??


if all is going well on Sunday, Hope to see mcgeeney use all 5 subs, fingers crossed it will be a good chance to give flynn, lynch, doyle, fogarty some championship time!

I'd be amazed if that team starts

That's true.....I should learn by now not to question any team named by mcgeeney 5 days in advance of a match!!

I'm hearing Niall Mac scored 2-2 as a sub against Waterford on Sunday, which if true means, he will definitely see some action, if not start - unless of course he has suffered a recurrence of his injury problems during that bit of action.

They'd need at least two of him - and that's him at his brilliant best - and maybe three to have any chance of beating a fully-focussed Kildare on Sunday. That means Kildare can't be thinking like I am! But as long as they're not, they will (follow that?!)

I'm a bit disappointed with the team selection if I'm being honest. I was hoping to see one or 2 new faces.

This is the team that lost to Cork in 2008 1/4 Final:

E Murphy, M O'Flaherty, K O'Neill, A McLoughlin, E Bolton, M Foley, M Scanlon, K Brennan, D Earley , J Kavanagh, P O'Neill, E Callaghan, A Smyth, K Donnelly, J Doyle.

This is the team that is named for Sunday:

Connolly,
Andriú M, McGrillen, Kelly;
Bolton, Mor O'F, Lyons;
Foley, O'Neill;
JD, Eog O'F, Smith;
Kavanagh, O'Connor, Conway

Cork 2008:
A Quirke, D Duggan, D Kavanagh, A Lynch, B O'Regan, G Spillane, K O'Connor, P O’Neill, A O'Connor, D O’Connor, J Masters, S O'Brien, D Goulding, M Cussen, J Hayes

Cork 2012 v Kerry
1 A Quirke; 2 R Carey, 4 E Cadogan, 3 M Shields; 5 P Kissane, 6 G Canty, 7 N O’Leary; 8 A O’Connor, 9 A Walsh; 21 C Sheehan, 12 P Kelly, 15 P Kerrigan; 13 C O’Neill, 17 N Murphy, 14 D O’Connor.



There is an over lap in 5 seasons of 8 players. Whilst Cork have 3. I suppose my point is have we done enough to bring lads through year on year. Various times over the last number of years, against Tyrone, Dublin, Cork, Down some of these lads weren't good enough. I just hope later in the season against better opposition that they are not left short once more.

Just a thought.

Ogie wrote:

I'm hearing Niall Mac scored 2-2 as a sub against Waterford on Sunday, which if true means, he will definitely see some action, if not start - unless of course he has suffered a recurrence of his injury problems during that bit of action.

They'd need at least two of him - and that's him at his brilliant best - and maybe three to have any chance of beating a fully-focussed Kildare on Sunday. That means Kildare can't be thinking like I am! But as long as they're not, they will (follow that?!)

I was reading the Offaly forum since and one of them said that he was injured during the Waterford challenge. Just one lad making a throwaway comment, doesn't mean it's true, but there you go.

I think that comparison with the Cork game is a bit skewed Fionn. Both Canty and Nicholas Murphy who started for them on Sunday would have featured that day but for injury. Shields, Paddy Kelly and Noel O'Leary also came on as subs for them in that game. Cork have had some good u21 sides in the interim producing Walsh, Sheehan and O'Neill whereas we have regressed at that level since our All-Ireland appearance in 2008.

Dowling has been injured while Fogarty and Moolick only featured sparingly during the league. Eoin Doyle may well be considered an option off the bench this summer but it's difficult to think of any other young lads who might break into the team this year. Brophy and Hurley are no longer on the panel and Kevin Feely isn't available due to his soccer commitments.

kickingking wrote:

I think that comparison with the Cork game is a bit skewed Fionn. Both Canty and Nicholas Murphy who started for them on Sunday would have featured that day but for injury. Shields, Paddy Kelly and Noel O'Leary also came on as subs for them in that game. Cork have had some good u21 sides in the interim producing Walsh, Sheehan and O'Neill whereas we have regressed at that level since our All-Ireland appearance in 2008.

Dowling has been injured while Fogarty and Moolick only featured sparingly during the league. Eoin Doyle may well be considered an option off the bench this summer but it's difficult to think of any other young lads who might break into the team this year. Brophy and Hurley are no longer on the panel and Kevin Feely isn't available due to his soccer commitments.

It was just a thought kickingking, when I have time later I might look at other teams.

I think however it is a valid point that we are going back to the old guard again. I'm a big fan of Andrew McLoughlin but would it not be more beneficial to try Eoin Doyle at wing back and Lyons in the corner.