Kildare GAA General Discussion Thread

Kildare U21 HC Final:

Celbridge 2-13 Naas 0-9


Leinster JFC Final:

Moate 1-11 Straffan 0-10


Fantastic achievement by Celbridge to complete the double. Straffan left themselves with too much to do in Mullingar by the sounds of things.

McMahon took on the role in very difficult circumstances after Ashe’s resignation. I’ve met him on a few occasions and he is a very nice and genuine man with a great passion for Naas and Kildare. Unfortunately his reign as chairman was quite a turbulent period for the county board. The financial state of Kildare GAA was not altogether healthy prior to 2011 so it would be unfair to lay the blame at his door for that but the deterioration of the relationship between the county board and Club Kildare is hugely regrettable. The adverts in the local papers appealing for sponsorship after the Tegral deal ended were embarrassing. Heads were buried in the sand during the Johnston transfer when it seemed as if the county board were unwilling to rein in McGeeney. We had the hurling management resign in December 2012 due to a lack of county board support only to be reinstated the following month. The split in the county executive over the McGeeney vote in 2013 was probably the beginning of the end. The top table should always present a united front no matter what. After that episode the county board was described as: “dysfunctional and lacking in both leadership and unity” by the 2013 Kildare senior football panel.

Donnelly is another good man but I don’t envy the job he has ahead of him. I cannot understand how we struggle so much as a county to generate income considering Kildare led the way as far as supporters clubs and fundraising were concerned in the early 1990s. We have a relatively large support base compared to others and we are quite an affluent county for the most part. The entire organisation of Club Kildare needs a thorough review as far as I’m concerned. It doesn’t seem to tap into the large support base to anywhere near the extent that it should. The response to fundraising efforts like the raceday at Punchestown in May and the ballroom dancing in the Killashee in October is believed to have been very disappointing which is no surprise given how poorly publicised those events were.

Barney Rock is the new Two Mile House manager. Declan Cryan got the Monasterevin job.

The O'Byrne Cup throws in two weeks from today when Louth visit Newbridge.

Hugh McGrillen is taking a year out from inter county football. Daryl Flynn will miss the league campaign and Paul Cribbin is also doubtful. Jonathan Byrne is going to concentrate on hurling.

There is a big panel training at the moment and it will be cut at the end of January. One group is doing gym work in Newbridge and another in Celbridge. Kevin Croke from the National Athlete Development Academy is the new s&c coach.

The O'Byrne cup starts on Sunday, Kildare will play Louth in St Conleths Park at 2pm.
The panel of players for the O'Byrne cup will be:
Mark Donnellan
Tom Corley
Shane Connolly
James Robinson
Colin O Shea
James O Connor
Mick O Grady
Ciaran Fitzpatrick
Ollie Lyons
Peter Kelly
Willie Burke
Sean Campbell
Daryl O Brien
Cian O Donoghue
Gavin Farrell
Brian Kinahan
David Slattery
Seamus McNally
Keith Cribbin
Kevin Murnagahan
Eoin Doyle
Hugh Lynch
David Whyte
Gary White
Paidi O Neill
Eamon Callaghan
Eoghan O Flaherty
Fionn Dowling
Tomas O Connor
Eamon Murphy
Seamus Hanafin
Danny Egan
Darroch Mulhall
Podge Fogarty
Cian Bolton
Niall Kelly and Tommy Moolick will be playing for UCD, while
David Hyland, Paul Cribbin and Fergal Conway are tied to playing for Maynooth.

I haven't heard anything official anyway but he has been a shadow of the player he was before all his injuries. No Mick Foley or Emmet Bolton for the O'Byrne Cup either. Alan Smith, Daryl Flynn and Hugh McGrillen has been flagged up beforehand.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/ryan-line-is-open-for-new-additions-to-kildare-squad-30872428.html

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/jason-ryan-optimistic-as-kildare-injury-worries-ease-1.2055746

Kildare 1-5 Carlow 0-4 Half Time

Fogarty (1-2, 1f), Mulhall (0-2, 2fs), O’Neill (0-1)

Stevecw wrote: »

Hopefully that might happen. We in Carlow have for 1st time in a few years got a committed panel of 35, most of who are the best players. Had a few playing this evening where we were very unlucky not to win.
Our new manager is a local guy and he really cares. Making massive effort to get the best players in Carlow available.

Home game in DCP v Laois is seriously attractive tho and is the best draw we could have got.

There's no reason why Carlow can't have a good year. Plenty of good footballers there but they could never manage to get them all to commit to the panel at the same time. Very little between most teams down in Division 4 and if Carlow are tuned in this year then they should go well there. Laois' state of mind could well depend on their league campaign. A bad league campaign and they might not be in very good shape travelling to Carlow.

homeofhurling wrote: »

was in Athy last year for kildare again offaly in the under 21 theres not a whole lot coming through in kildare either. i think Dublins second team would win leinster.

Leinster minor, u21 and junior champions in 2013. Now there have been some very mediocre underage teams over the last few years too but to suggest there is not a whole lot coming through in Kildare isn't true.

Reaching Dublin's level is an unattainable goal but there is no reason to suggest Kildare can't be fairly competitive at national level - All Ireland quarter finals, NFL Div 1.

leinster minor under 21 junior but no all ireland in any grade after, not running down kildare but even the club champions moorefield were blew out the gate by Rhode in the leinster club. Jason Ryan has a big job on his hands with kildare losing a few to aussie rules wouldn't have help either
can't see kildare in the All Ireland Quarter finals bar a handy draw,

homeofhurling wrote: »

leinster minor under 21 junior but no all ireland in any grade after, not running down kildare but even the club champions moorefield were blew out the gate by Rhode in the leinster club. Jason Ryan has a big job on his hands with kildare losing a few to aussie rules wouldn't have help either
can't see kildare in the All Ireland Quarter finals bar a handy draw,

We were only seconds away from a quarter final spot last year and that was after quite a poor year by recent standards.

I wouldn't read too much into Moorefield's display. They were extremely fortunate to win the county championship this year somehow beating Celbridge and coming back in injury time against Sarsfields the first day. They have also no players who will start championship football for Kildare.

Losing the three lads to Australia was indeed a big blow to our prospects but there are strong rumours that one of them is returning home for good which would be a big fillip to Kildare.

I think Kildare are still a good few years away yet and we need to be a lot more consistent at u21 level. Bryan Murphy's appointment there is a step in the right direction. One of the biggest indicators of an improvement at underage level is colleges football and Kildare schools seem to be on the up after decades of being non entities at these grades. Ardscoil na Trinoide are doing well this year and Scoil Mhuire are also on the up. Maynooth PP and Salesians of Celbridge have had great success in the Dublin Colleges competitions recently and a lot of St Mary's Edenderry's successful teams were backboned by Kildare players - Dan Flynn, Paul Cribbin, Dan Grehan, Cein McMonagle.

I would be inclined to agree on Foley unfortunately and I doubt we will see Flynn or Conway play for Kildare again either. It's symptomatic of the way the game has gone with Flanagan and James Kavanagh also packing it in this year. I was surprised that Callaghan came back to be honest. The demands placed on these guys are extreme and it must be very difficult to balance training with trying to hold down a full time job. In ten years time there will be practically no players continuing on into their thirties and county panels will be made up almost exclusively of third level students.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/kildares-hurlers-are-fighting-to-escape-the-backwater-30897732.html

Sad to lose Paudie Reidy, David Harney, Tony Murphy and Richie Hoban. It does give an opportunity for some of the u21s who have done so well over the last few years. Johnny Byrne declaring for the hurlers over the footballers says a lot about the progress Kildare hurling is making.