General GAA - AOB

I edited my post...I wanted to make a joke but...

Jesus that was the worst one yet for Mayo. They were on top for so long and had the majority of the Dubs on the ropes.
Even in the second half the Dubs did not fully fire and they still won somehow. They must be sickened.
On another note I think this idea that Andy Moran might walk is a bit mad just because he is 34. The man was their best forward all year. He is in serious nick and his own boss, in the gym he owns...surely he will go again. The man is a Mullane type who loves his county.

It'd be a travesty if Moran doesn't get Player of the Year. He has been carrying that Mayo forward line all year. Disappointed with Cillian O'Connor yesterday, he's a player I have huge admiration for but the occasion seemed to get to him. That free at the end should have been taken off the ground.

Had to laugh at Jack McCaffrey's inclusion in The Sunday Game's team of the year. He has been decidedly average this year and went off early yesterday. Paul Murphy should have gotten the nod at wing back instead. Also, Clarke was better than Cluxton. Some of his saves throughout the year were top class.

Clarke
Fitzsimons O'Sullivan Higgins
Keegan Boyle Murphy
McCarthy C Cavanagh
McLoughlin O'Shea O'Callaghan
Moran Geaney Rock

I'd have Aidan O'Shea at full back Taibi

kildaregaa365 wrote:

Cluxton's sister Avril also won an All Ireland a number of years back.

McCaffreys sister Sarah is there this year as well as a Caffrey (Niece of Pillar) and a Kilmacud McGee, daughter of recent Wicklow manager............ Family rules !!!!

I wouldn't argue to much with your selection taibi, however I'd go with Cluxten as his kick outs are far superior to Clarke's.. watch back Clarke's last couple of kick outs last Sunday.
I would also have Kilkenny in the half forward line.. other than last Sunday, he has been unreal.

Fitzsimons ahead of Barrett? Cavanagh ahead of Feely? Paul Murphy ahead of anyone? He was totally destroyed in semi final replay, surely the most inept attempt at sweeping we have seen from a top level team in a big game this decade. Positively Kildare-like in its lack of defensive nous, in fact. I honestly think people forget that the All Stars are individual awards - they're not supposed to be exclusively about the teams with the trophies. Anyway...

Cluxton

Barrett
O'Sullivan
Hurricane Higgins

Lee Keegan
Boyle
Durcan

Feely
McCarthy

McLoughlin
Aidan O'Shea
O'Callaghan

Rock
Moran
Geaney


Andy Moran clear FOTY. As Colm Parkinson pointed out, Sunday Game went overboard on McCarthy's two points. Dublin midfield destroyed by Feely in Leinster final and in first half on Sunday. Yet again a non-Kildare person pointing it out! Tough crowd.

good picks HG . would nt change any of that 15.

Funny as well with Dubs - six subs another aspect that benefits them hugely. As if money, resources, pick and home advantage not enough. Three or four subs makes beating them more manageable - but hey, we're all enjoying the slaughterings right? Certainly the GAA thinks we are.

sarsno1 wrote:

good picks HG . would nt change any of that 15.

You are maybe the second or third Kildare person I've met who agrees with Feely. Plenty of people outside, even Dubs, saying he merits inclusion but Kildare, no. And we're actually trying to sell this game to youngsters in our county, and add a bit of glamour when we have the Dublin operation next door. Jesus wept.

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

Fitzsimons ahead of Barrett? Cavanagh ahead of Feely? Paul Murphy ahead of anyone? He was totally destroyed in semi final replay, surely the most inept attempt at sweeping we have seen from a top level team in a big game this decade. Positively Kildare-like in its lack of defensive nous, in fact. I honestly think people forget that the All Stars are individual awards - they're not supposed to be exclusively about the teams with the trophies. Anyway...

Cluxton

Barrett
O'Sullivan
Hurricane Higgins

Lee Keegan
Boyle
Durcan

Feely
McCarthy

McLoughlin
Aidan O'Shea
O'Callaghan

Rock
Moran
Geaney


Andy Moran clear FOTY. As Colm Parkinson pointed out, Sunday Game went overboard on McCarthy's two points. Dublin midfield destroyed by Feely in Leinster final and in first half on Sunday. Yet again a non-Kildare person pointing it out! Tough crowd.

Barrett and Fitzsimons was a close call but I just felt Fitzsimons done more overall throughout the year, Barrett was a bit quieter up until last Sunday.

Cavanagh was superb in Ulster and against Armagh in the QF and actually managed to win silverware. No contest.

Paul Murphy was a no-brainer, a player who rarely gets a mention, very intelligent. Against Galway in the QF, he was fantastic. His job against Mayo was to nullify Lee Keegan, and he did it brilliantly. They lost that game but so did Kildare against Dublin, by 9 points.

Cluxton over Clarke?

Cluxton is the greatest keeper in the history of the game and the single most influential footballer of the 21st century. His kickouts generally are decent. As for shot-stopping - Daniel Flynn?

Not going to discuss Barrett/Fitzsimons, it's a non-debate.

To take Cavanagh v Feely's performances v Dublin, which is the acid test for a footballer these days. Feely was in a team that played much better, scored more and lost by less - which he played a huge role in. Also scored more than Cavanagh, linked the play better and made more fetches. And as I, Eamon Donoghue and many others have said, he mastered the mark in season it was introduced. The silverware argument is irrelevant - as I pointed out earlier, the All Stars are individual awards. Definitely, 100 per cent Feely deserves it more. Incidentally - is this still a Kildare forum?!

I do agree on Paul Murphy - it is a no-brainer, in the sense that in Mayo replay, he played like a footballer with no brain.

Incidentally, if people are going to hammer Feely over missed free v Armagh, then please be consistent and say Cillian O'Connor is a choker for continually missing big frees against Dublin.

I definitely don't believe that but I'm sorry, that is the level of your argument.

Argument for Feely: outstanding against Dublin, consistent brilliance in league and championship, regular scores from play, frees off both feet (not even primary role in team!), excellent link man and mastered mark in inaugural season.

Argument against Feely: he missed a free against Armagh.

And if we're going down the silverware route, we ended the season with the same number of trophies as Mayo - zero.

I give up. Someone give Feely his damn All Star! Eamon Donoghue (who?) said so after all.

No interest in posting my team seeing the abuse people are getting for deigning to have a contrary opinion.

A contrary argument is hardly abuse.

Underlying message that you're not a Kildare fan if you don't think Feely deserves a spot. Belittling the opinion of the poster re Paul Murphy. Maybe abuse is over-stating it but it's disrespectful of other genuinely-held opinions.

No - I definitely don't think you're not a true Kildare fan if you do not think Kevin Feely should get an All Star. The Paul Murphy line was a joke (much like Kildare defence etc etc).

Sound.
Doesn't read like a joke but maybe I've lost my sense of humour. Made the mistake of re-watching the Armagh game again to help with writing a season review and that (combined with seeing how far the top 2 are ahead of us on Sunday) has me in the doldrums. I still can't understand the collective malfunction (even from our All Star candidate).

HG, All-Stars are given for performances in the given year. Who gives a fuck what Cluxton did in previous years.. It's irrelevant. Clarke is the best shot stopper in the country, by a mile.

The rest of that post is utter horse shit of the highest order.

You need to be sectioned.

^ Possibly more like actual abuse. I don't mind, I'm thick-skinned.

When you take Sunday's game, versus the level aspiring teams like us and Galway generally produce, it's almost like a different sport.

The pace, aggression, the actual sharpness and intelligence in how they play the game under the most severe pressure... If we'd stepped out there it would have been like walking in front of a freight train.

So we need to attain those qualities. On the vexed issue of our defending, it's not one or two tweaks required - we need to rip it up and start again. It is that fundamental. O'Neill should show them Mayo v Kerry and Dubs and say, "That's real defending."

But we need to work on all this pretty sharpish because Div 1 is going to be unforgiving. Realistically it is going to be two of us, Galway, Monaghan and Donegal for the drop. But we can be competitive against them, and Mayo and Kerry are usually sluggish early doors.

Can we break the habit of a lifetime and develop a ruthless streak?

I know that sounds like a rhetorical question but I still genuinely believe there is a lot more in this group. I probably should be sectioned tbh.

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

^ Possibly more like actual abuse. I don't mind, I'm thick-skinned.

No possibly about it. Play nicely lads.

HG, on the defending issue it needs to start in the development squads I think. The absence of a ruthless streak has been evident there even while we've been producing successsful underage teams. Witness our defence giving Longford forwards free reign in Hawkfield at u-21 this year. Total naivety and absence of smarts on the pitch and sideline to leave a huge gap in front of the full back line and no one with the ruthlessness to put in a hard hit. Similarly the minors allowing Kerry to waltz through them in the semi final last year and the same with a bang average Tipperary outfit the year before. It's unfortunately endemic to the way we play the game in the county. Don't get me wrong - I think the development squads are doing great work in producing better quality in better numbers than we've ever had coming through but it's a very "pure" (naieve) type of football. Mayo didn't get there overnight either and have a very special group of defenders (Golden Generation!) but I think we need to up our game from a coaching perspective at all levels.

All Star nominations coming out today.

Scenes on here if Kev Feely not among them..

Andy Moran is 4/9. and James McCarthy at 15/8 for foty.. I thought Ciaran Kilkenny would be in the mix.. am I the only one who thinks he's a nailed on all star ?.