New players for 2018

TommyKeegan wrote:

I was thinking about this thread as a whole and intercounty football and not saying definitively but wondering what people think... Has the game (sadly if so) moved beyond for the most part lads who have a good club championship coming in and making an impact. Just looking at the best counties, doesn't seem to work like that so much anymore. You almost need to have been within the system for a few years, getting the benefit of a different level of preparation and competition via development squads and underage and then a couple of years in the senior panel before making the breakthrough. Maybe I'm wrong but seems this is how the elite sides replenish and keep fresh and young. Maybe I'm wrong.

You have a point Tommy although with so many guys coming through development squads then going to 3rd level and many of out top minors on scholarships they have been exposed to the rigours and requirements to some extent. The question is do they really want to put themselves through it. It's very much a personal decision and if a guy feels it's not for him that's OK.

Strong looking half forward line Tommy, although KK does tend to hold onto it a bit to long..

TommyKeegan wrote:

I was thinking about this thread as a whole and intercounty football and not saying definitively but wondering what people think... Has the game (sadly if so) moved beyond for the most part lads who have a good club championship coming in and making an impact. Just looking at the best counties, doesn't seem to work like that so much anymore. You almost need to have been within the system for a few years, getting the benefit of a different level of preparation and competition via development squads and underage and then a couple of years in the senior panel before making the breakthrough. Maybe I'm wrong but seems this is how the elite sides replenish and keep fresh and young. Maybe I'm wrong.

That’s just the way elite level sport has been going really, look at the Irish rugby team or the Olympic sports.

Pretty much any player breaking into the national rugby team will have come through a provincial academy and will have played for one of the four provinces before getting capped - I wouldn’t compare the provinces to the club scene and the national team to county side. I’d imagine if you looked into it any of the lads under the age of say 24 who have made their debut at senior level for Ireland over the last few years would have all been involved at U20 and U18 schools level as well.

The only real exceptions there are going to be, will be guys like Tadgh Beirne (who would have come through the Leinster academy anyways) who may feature for Ireland over the coming years and the likes of CJ Stander and others who’ll transfer nationality (questionably in some cases).

In sports like boxing, our Olympic team in 2020 won’t be made up of talented club boxers in their mid to late 20’s who just happen to get a chance due to members of the 2016 team turning pro – it’ll be the ones who have been involved in underage teams and have already competed around Europe who’ll get a chance. Same goes for athletics etc.

A player like David Slattery is the opposite – wasn’t involved with underage or development squads but after a couple of good years with Confey he finally got his chance at 26/27, and he put in a hell of work to get there. How many more like him there is in the county is another matter but each year it seems like there’s a smaller and smaller pool of untried players to introduce.

You’ll always get exceptions in certain sports – Damien Shaw was selected for the Irish team at the World Cycling Championships this year but he didn’t turn pro until he was 30, a few years ago he was still racing domestically as an amateur. Wes Hoolahan took the long way round to representing Ireland, and an increasing number of players have progressed from the LOI to the national side recently. Hopefully this will become more of a platform for a professional career in the future instead of kids heading over to England with only their Junior Cert behind them.

There’s other sports where talent transfer initiatives might open a door for an athlete to take a bit of a shortcut to a higher level in another sport. But apart from the IRFU going down this road for the women’s 7’s team this isn’t really the done thing in Ireland for some reason.

Westside wrote:

Rex wrote:

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

2018 Team


Murof

Sarsno1
Big Full Back
Gaa1928

Botch
Centreback
Westside

Kevin Feely
HauntedGraffiti

Kicking King
Seamus Murphy
Johnny Doyle

Rex
Kildare365
Tommy Keegan

Manager: Jason Ryan

Selectors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Trump, Mayo Lad Who Ran Onto Pitch In 2014

Mentor: Roy Hodgson

Strong full forward line there. Midfield could struggle don't thing HG has the pace when the ground hardens.

Tommy Keegan could be a disruptive force in the dressing room and difficult to manage.

I'm happy with that. Sars you might be a little exposed lol

delighted to get the start. can we go back to smoking in the dressing room ?

SeamusMurphy wrote:

Strong looking half forward line Tommy, although KK does tend to hold onto it a bit to long..

JD will have to do the work of three men. No bother to him.

Rex wrote:

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

2018 Team


Murof

Sarsno1
Big Full Back
Gaa1928

Botch
Centreback
Westside

Kevin Feely
HauntedGraffiti

Kicking King
Seamus Murphy
Johnny Doyle

Rex
Kildare365
Tommy Keegan

Manager: Jason Ryan

Selectors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Trump, Mayo Lad Who Ran Onto Pitch In 2014

Mentor: Roy Hodgson

Strong full forward line there. Midfield could struggle don't thing HG has the pace when the ground hardens.

Agree on the full forward line. Serious fire power.
Midfield a problem area need to find a better partner for HG.

Westside wrote:

Rex wrote:

HauntedGraffiti wrote:

2018 Team


Murof

Sarsno1
Big Full Back
Gaa1928

Botch
Centreback
Westside

Kevin Feely
HauntedGraffiti

Kicking King
Seamus Murphy
Johnny Doyle

Rex
Kildare365
Tommy Keegan

Manager: Jason Ryan

Selectors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Trump, Mayo Lad Who Ran Onto Pitch In 2014

Mentor: Roy Hodgson

Strong full forward line there. Midfield could struggle don't thing HG has the pace when the ground hardens.

Tommy Keegan could be a disruptive force in the dressing room and difficult to manage.

I'd see Tommy as more of a sticky, gnarly, corner back. Would get right stuck in. Exactly what we need actually.

Forget smoking in the dressing room, can we drink?

Will be awkward when ye all have to come on here on a Monday morning and berate yourselves.

Boo-hiss. That's an absolute joke of a team! Shambles!!! The manager has favourites! Feck this, I'm outta here.

*storms out of dressing room and slams door*

Taibi and fone will be disappointed, as both have been going well in training... Ogie is out with that niggle again ffs.

Ohtoohtobe wrote:

Will be awkward when ye all have to come on here on a Monday morning and berate yourselves.

Sounds like a lad who didn't commit fully during the year but come championship expects a place. Not while I have a breath left in me after 15 mins will that wash.

Fone has discipline issues, Taibi "work commitments"

I hear Glenn Ryan is coaching Maynooth Sigerson team with John Doyle as manager.

That's typical of JD no commitment. He may go from the half forward line.

With the season almost up, not to many new lads stood out over the term.

Well from what I say at intermediate yesterday no one stood out really. A lot of good solid Intermediate players on both teams. Raheens have youth on their side maybe a few of them may develop into senior Kildare players?

Woodgate has serious senior potential. But – for the first time in my life – we have a surfeit of classy young forwards.

The next few months all about uncovering hard-bastard, tough-tackling defenders who can also play. You know one player I was thinking about recently who fits the bill - Cian O'Donoghue from Clane. Very aggressive player but can also get forward and score, exactly what we need.

Personally I'd stick him in there in January and see how he gets on.

Is Woodgate that good HG ?.

Definitely has senior potential. Obviously a long way off the finished article but has the flair, no doubt. Plus a left-sided free-taker always welcome.

Has a good bit to go my Friend.

courtney , l flynn , mulhall , masterson , hurley , murray, healy 
  i d invite them on board and see what happens in addition to last years panel .

Jack Robinson and brain mc Loughlin get called UP.jimmy hyland will available next year. From reports in papers we looking at national football League starting in January as All Ireland Final on 26 August

That trio are A-list. From that minor team so too are Shaw, O'Toole, Archbold and Masterson. That minor team was as good as 2010 side. I know we got hockeyed by Kerry but that Kerry side was honestly best minor team I've ever seen.

Seriously, if we can sort out defence - easier said than done I know - we can go places. Potentially we have better forwards than Mayo.

Re League in Jan, thank Christ as O'Byrne Cup is biggest load of rubbish I've ever seen in my life.