Under 20s 2023

Incredible?

Delighted, incredible stuff never say die attitude
well done lads. Go on and win it now yous have it to do it.

As the old saying goes "balls on them boys like bengal tigers"

Flanagan’s stock is seriously going up by the week, like Burke, he’s going to be in demand after this campaign. They’ll probably be vying it out to be next senior manager, although if we beat Dubs in group stages, I’m certainly not averse to current mgmt having run extended.

Between last year’s team & this year’s there’s a lot of talent coming through, we just need to keep the shoulder to the wheel & keep the faith at senior. We will surely get there & win something eventually - and I don’t mean Tailteann Cup!!

Now to figure out how to get to Cavan, which is I think one of 3 counties I’ve never been in. Christ it’s better to have an AI final & Sam group stages to look forward to, it just is.

Hopefully it’ll be a good long year before we experience a spring as grim as that again.

I see final as 50/50, the want & desire of Sligo is going to be unreal. Wouldn’t surprise me if we’re looking at third nerve-shredder in a row. Honestly, you can’t enjoy these games as they’re happening, they put years on you.

It’s only when you go back & watch again that you can relax!!

For most of that first half we couldn't shoot and Down couldn't defend.

3rd time in a row now we've improved as the game went on.

Subs had a positive impact and helped step it up for us, particularly Mountaine and Hanafin.

Was it Dolan with the sideline point off the outside of his right? If David Clifford or Conof McManus scored something like that we'd be seeing it replayed all year.

At times this year we've looked overly reliant on Shane Farrell but in the 2nd half tonight he was superb. Leadership and work off the ball were great to see.

We gave up the 2 goals way too easily which is a worry. Down looked incapable of creating anything from play that didn't involve a long ball right down the middle.

Could have folded after going 2 up and being sucker punched with the 2nd goal but showed real character to come back into it and controlled the ball well when needed.

Special mention to Harry O'Neill, who knows where he gets his energy levels from but it's something else.

We win far too few All Ireland semi finals to focus on the negatives. If someone isn't happy because of the skill levels or the mistakes made then surely they can take pleasure from the grit, attitude and ability to never give in after going behind, moreso after losing the 1st match against Westmeath.

Back to back finals is really special, and hopefully it's one step further this time around for this group.

- [ ] First time poster, 45 years supporting, and long time reader of this forum. Tommy your post and recent posts over the last couple of months persuaded me to eventually register. You honestly need to relax, the senior bunch put in savage effort and deserve respect. I know Newbridge and Ardee this year was hard, but don’t take it out in players. Now earlier you take aim at the young lads, 2 in a row Leinster U20 champions and you call their performance “scutter” in the first 15 minutes when down 1-3 to 0-0. Seriously chill and park the negativity and give the players and management a chance. I know being a Kildare supporter is not easy which makes days like this all the better. Go watch the full game on TG4 player and give the team and some praise of it not don’t post. Let’s have some positivity.

It’s actually an achievement to be negative after that so fair play Tommy. Unreal heart and balls shown by the lads, which is something Kildare teams can often lack. 3rd final in 5 years, the Kildare job will be sought after if Glen goes this year.

A throughly un-Kildare Kildare performance. Multiple players taking on the game and trying to influence it, instead of being influenced. That’s the signs of a well coached team.
It’s also a sign of how well they’ve been coached in their schools, clubs and minor set ups.
A lot of solid work being done. But it’s not time to rest on your laurels. The county needs to push on and continue to develop. We owe our young players that. The best sets up we can give them, the best care, the best facilities that we can afford. And our support.
It’s vital the CB make the right decisions in the next few months/year. It’ll have a lasting effect on the coming generation of players. That will include a full review of the senior set up. Players and coaches. We need to get it right for these lads coming through.

TommyKeegan wrote:

I'd to switch off after 15 minutes. They might win in my absence but life is genuinely too short to work all week to spend your Saturday watching that scutter.

Best stay switched off for the final too

Also a special shout out to the Down maor uisce on the terrace sideline.

Spent the entire 1st half in Gough's ear and the only tactical instructions or advice he seemed to offer to his own side resulted in them dropping off and giving us an easy way out for our 1st point.

Hard to beat pricks like him in better circumstances.

Yeah Tommy , normally I actually agree with most of what you say but think you might change tack when watching the game back if indeed you did switch off after 15

What another gutsy display from a group who have shown time and again how to cope when the game is in the melting pot.

I felt we were far and away the better team and just wore them down .. easily could have lost it and to be fair we have an awful record of getting all Ireland semi finals done over the years

Tommy I recall an earlier post where you felt we were the weakest of the 4 remaining Leinster teams , yet here we are

Credit where it’s due .

Fantastic guts and determination to drag that out .. those last few points we kicked were sensational , they really were …

Well done all involved , a marvelous achievement .. let’s get another one over the line lads

Special mention for flanno .. if you have not heard his post match interview , I suggest take a listen .. calm , collected , knowledgeable .. I was very impressed

Cil Dara abu

Watching this back & second half is even better than I remember it - points from Fanning, Cully, Farrell & McKevitt all utterly brilliant. Dolan’s simply one of the greatest points kicked by a Kildare player in past 35 years, fucking unreal.

Here’s a thought experiment: imagine David Clifford kicked that score at underage, we’d still be hearing about it. Anyway fantastic performance all round.

Was in Parnell Park tonight, when Down got their second goal I remarked to my Dublin cousin "What could be more Kildare". Score a sensational point to go 2 up and be sucker punched like that.

The reaction however put me back in my box.

While long suffering Kildare fans might have been replaying Downs goal in our heads, they simply parked it and drove on.

There is a generational fatalism in Kildare football which Micko arrested briefly in his second stint, and maybe, just maybe we should do upcoming players the service of not assuming they should inherit ours.

Watching them stick to the process, drive on and ultimately win a match in which they didn't play well in was the most un-Kildare of experiences. But maybe it's not un-Kildare, but "old" Kildare. Here's to the future.

It was a brilliant second half performance, I thought we were too cautious in first 15, but listening to the post match interviews, that seemingly was intentional ( not to go 1-03 down) but to hold possession slow the game down because being their 5th game in 5 weeks, they didn't think they could go flat out for 60 minutes, and then as Flanagan said to 'go through the gears' as the game progressed, which they did, so credit due even if it was a bit close for comfort. It is a very talented bunch and they seem driven and level headed. Hopefully we can finish the job.

Imagine being so fucking miserable and in need of attention that you can’t enjoy your team reaching an All Ireland final. 1-11 scored in 40 odd minutes, and a team that fights tooth and nail to the end, that’s the kind of “scutter” I could get used to.

flourman wrote:

Imagine being so fucking miserable and in need of attention that you can’t enjoy your team reaching an All Ireland final. 1-11 scored in 40 odd minutes, and a team that fights tooth and nail to the end, that’s the kind of “scutter” I could get used to.

It's crazy 1 11 in 40 minutes against a crazy defensive team, usually Kildare teams aren't great at breaking defensive structures down or don't have the heart to come back from 6 points down. Savage stuff from the 20's last night.

The thing about this team that makes it a bit different is that there a no real standout players. Seems like different players step up each week. Also when called on the bench doesn't weaken the team. Overall a good solid squad.

Cassanata wrote:

The thing about this team that makes it a bit different is that there a no real standout players. Seems like different players step up each week. Also when called on the bench doesn't weaken the team. Overall a good solid squad.

Don't think this can be emphasized enough.

The spread of scorers is also very encouraging to see over the last few games.

Against Dublin, Ryan Sinkey scored 4 points, Callum Bolton scored 2, and Colm Dalton scored 3. 9 points from play in a Leinster Final from your half forward line.

Last night our half forward line scored nothing, admittedly Sinkey went off with about 15 minutes to go but even without those players not scoring we still had 7 different players kick 1-8 from play.

Good balanced team all right but having said that James McGrath is the classiest Kildare underage player I’ve seen in a very long time.
Thought Ryan Burke wasn’t far behind him for motm mind you

I really like the look of Harry O Neill, Ryan Burke, all 3 half backs, James McGrath is special though as said above. Looks like a young Glen Ryan, tough as nails in defense and always powering forward. Like both wing forwards and Fanning as well. Tbh the whole team is very good and if managed right we get a lot of players off this team.

Fantastic result last night. Not much I can add to what has already been said. The couple if things I would like to say is the two best attributes this team have is it's never say die attitude and calmness when they need to be.. They just never accept they are beaten and are able to stick to their game plan even in the most intensely pressurised moments in games.
Just look at the score in injury time against Dublin and last night. Kildare teams don't do that. It usually gets happens to us.

Go and finish the job now.

Not much more to add. Some of the points kicked yesterday from lads in white were stunning, Dolan and McKevitt's in particular. Brian Flanagan has done a great job. Sligo looked very good yesterday so the final is by no means a done deal.

I get what Tommy is saying, Gaelic Football in it's current state is a borefest. So many stoppages and long periods of mindless handpassing. Sitting here watching Galway v Sligo, a non-event in a half empty stadium.

Great game to be at! Once Kildare went more direct towards the end of the first half, it turned into a better game, and what a last few minutes. Great second half performances from several players, but in particular I think our no. 4, Fionn Burke deserves a call out for a couple of great interventions when Down could have punished us!

Lads can you beat that feeling of coming into summer, there’s a bit of a buzz around Kildare football, an All Ireland final & Sam campaign to look forward to… I’ve a hectic schedule this week but I know I’ll be looking forward to travelling up to game, experiencing the atmosphere, occasion & hopefully a right good battle.

Reminds me of 2018 when we were in despair but between U20s & seniors we turned it around. My god a second All Ireland in five years would be something special but of course a lot of hard work to do first. But me give that over where we were a few weeks ago any day of the week.