Kildare v Wicklow - 11th May

No idea what to expect with this one. Assume we won’t see anything too different from the team that played most of the league.

There’s work being done to the pitch in Dr Cullen Park at the moment, should be ok for the first round of the Leinster hurling championship though according to this link

Considering that takes place a week after our game against Wicklow it’s not inconceivable that A; our match gets moved to Portlaoise or B; it goes ahead in Carlow and the pitch does its best Páirc uí Chaoimh impression.

We’ve a team of flat track bullies. Carlow should be still fresh enough in their minds to get over this one... But it’s nothing to celebrate.
Don’t be at all surprised if they put up a good score against them and start blowing kisses to the crowd “world beaters” again...

What a bizarre post. Have never, ever seen a Kildare player blow kisses at the crowd and surely it's supporters that can get a tad overexcited beating the likes of Laois and Meath in the past by big scores when they were suffering, albeit missing the danger signs from those games regarding weaknesses that would be subsequently exposed by better teams.

They'll beat Wicklow. Carlow were a good team last year. Wicklow are not and from what I'm hearing both players and Evans want out of that particular marriage.

Anyone know whether it’ll be on tv?

Ohtoohtobe wrote:

Anyone know whether it’ll be on tv?

I think Dublin v Kilkenny is on at the same time and that one is on T.V. ( Sky Sports).

Wicklow are dreadful. Way below the level Carlow were at last year. We should win by 8 to 10 points.

And are we any better than the level we were at against Carlow?

For the record, I think CON should have been replaced by an interim manager for this campaign.

Nonetheless, I'm parking that for rest of the summer as I, like everyone else, only want to see Kildare be successful.

I still CANNOT believe that other Leinster counties stand over Dublin playing all their games in Croke Park. And when exactly did they last play an AWAY game in the province...

Anyway, you'd imagine we'd have too much for Wicklow. It's good Niall Kelly is back onboard. I actually just find it bizarre that Daniel Flynn is back playing club football and not involved with Kildare... We'd still love to have you back Dan!

If team gets on a bit of roll and starts playing to its potential again, we MIGHT make Super 8s.

Team I'd go for, injuries allowing...

Donnellan

Dempsey
O'Grady
P Kelly

O'Donoghue
Doyle
K Cribbin

Feely
Moolick

Conway
P Cribbin
Slattery

N Flynn
B McCormack
J Hyland

Eoin Doyle and Paul Cribbin are definitely out. Big ask starting Ben after only making a return with Sarsfield’s.
Brophy appears to have hit some decent form with Celbridge in recent matches so I’d have him in there.
The big question will be who’ll play at centre back? It’s a gaping hole for us during O’Neill’s entire time. Could be a great opportunity for somebody (not having a go at Doyle, just think the position doesn’t suit him).

If Doyle is out, I think David Hyland might be our best bet at centre back, is probably more natural as a half back anyway, so I would go with, Kevin Flynn got injured last week too so he must be a doubt as well.

Donnellan

Dempsey
O Grady
P Kelly

K Cribbin
D Hyland
O' Donoghue

Feely
Moolick

Tyrell
Conway
Slattery

N Flynn
P Brophy
J Hyland (he didn't play for Ballyteague, is there any need to be concerned re his fitness)

Ben hasn't got enough recent football behind him to start this one in my opinion.

I'd be surprised if Chris Healy doesn't start. He was one of the few who impressed in the last few league games.

Kevin Flynn on one leg hobbles on to any Kildare team ahead of K Cribben

I find it very frustrating going into this campaign – if we'd been promoted and had a bit of momentum, I could really have seen us putting it up to the Dubs and closing the gap further.

Instead, we have a situation where the psychological and tactical failings in this side STILL haven't been rectified, four years into CON's reign.

Anyway, not much we can do about league campaign now. Hoping – rather than expecting – players can bang heads and get a few performances out of themselves this summer.

If Doyle's out, possibly Hyland or Conway are the solution for centre back. Healy actually a good shout to start... Brophy, I dunno. He has so much ability but he really did nothing in league. You'd say he can't play half-forward but who can forget that sublime pass to P Cribbin v Mayo last year. He does need to start producing again tho, and quickly.

Interesting hearing Paul Flynn on Off The Ball this morning, saying epic 2011 battle against Kildare was one of his career highlights.

That was the thing about Geezer – for all his flaws, we always played like we had a pair.

How many times in the post-Geezer era have I ACTUALLY looked forward to the summer. 2017 – that's it. You'd really miss that Geezer era.

It's absolutely pitiful stuff for a county our size and so fanatical about football... anyway, that's a rant for another day!

To be fair to Brophy I think he found it a lot tougher in the more advanced role during the league than the deeper role he player a lot of last year.

It was a big change up from dropping back and getting on the ball starting attacks when you've the likes of Dan and Niall making runs up front, with Paul Cribbin, Kevin Flynn and Johnny Byrne running off your shoulder too.

If Doyle is out then Hyland seems the best option to go to 6. Conway has played there before but we need him in the forwards, there were times last year when he was arguably our best player - the amount of work he gets through around and the middle and his strength in holding onto possession and beating a man would be seriously curtailed if he was played in a more defensive role.

Slats, McNally and Healy would offer serious pace and a goal threat in the forwards but you'd be relying on the likes of Neill Flynn, Brophy and Hyland (if fit) to pop the ball over the bar for you as the first 3 aren't exactly going to get you 4 or 5 points per game.

At least there's no reports of players dropping off the panel recently I suppose...

That's true. I was worried we were going to have to withdraw from the competition at one point.

Slightly off point but here goes: As a proud Kildare man, living in the north of the county, I become accustomed to the large amount of immigrants from the west of Ireland wearing the county colours of Galway, Mayo etc... Totally acceptable and it’s their choice to do so.
Recently I noticed more and more maroon tops around the place. Was their a sudden influx of Galway men, women and children? No. It’s just that O’Neills have decided that they should only sell Kildare (the Lilywhites) merchandise in every colour, other than Lilywhite. I’ve seen luminous green, red, maroon, dark green, pink, yellow... Everything except white!
It’s only a minor issue compared to the goings on with the setup, however, if we’re trying to raise “brand Kildare” and get some of the newly moved to the county people to consider supporting Kildare, why the hell would the county board allow O’Neills to move away from the one thing that the entire country associate with the Kildare football team, their WHITE JERSEYS.
We’re The Lilywhites folks, not the lily-luminous or the lily-maroons...
Rant over!
Oh, and bring back the snake!

Should we ban all non all white Kildare gaa regalia Badger?

Not at all. Just think that o’neills should stick to white being the primary colour... This multi coloured, as long as it’s not white is a move away from what we’re best known for. As I said, we’re not the Lily-maroons.

Even further off point, Sean Hurley has been named on the New York team to face Mayo. I think John Comerford is still over there as well and was on the panel previously.

Is Gary Whyte over with London now?

Bigfullforward wrote:

Wicklow are dreadful. Way below the level Carlow were at last year. We should win by 8 to 10 points.

Have we lost to Wicklow prior under mcGOD and Micko ? .

Yeah lost in first round 1990. Yet another of the "all-time lows" that ironically kickstarted Micko era.

In fairness was a stronger than usual Wicklow team with Baltinglass being All Ireland club champions.

Micko wasn’t manager in 1990. 1991 was his first year and we lost to Louth.

Wicklow beat us in McGeeney’s first championship game in 2008.

If we’re missing Eoin Doyle, Kevin Flynn, Paul Cribbin as well as Daniel Flynn from last year, this one could be a struggle.

Yeah, duh – I meant defeat resulted in Micko being drafted in. Pat Fitzgerald was manager.

JohnnyC wrote:

Micko wasn’t manager in 1990. 1991 was his first year and we lost to Louth.

Wicklow beat us in McGeeney’s first championship game in 2008.

If we’re missing Eoin Doyle, Kevin Flynn, Paul Cribbin as well as Daniel Flynn from last year, this one could be a struggle.

Jimmy and Ben doubtful aswell.