Kilkenny GAA Thread Part 3 **MOD NOTE POST 1***

kilkennyboy

JJs Left Hand wrote: »

Game. Over.

Physically just blowing them out of the way.bar a slump could be a cricket score

BoroMan32

It's real men against boys stuff out there. Shamrocks came out hitting hard in the early stages and to say the Boro aren't able for it would be an understatement.

I'd fancy the Boro might make a better fist of things in the second half and close the gap a bit, but there's only one winner here.

JJs Left Hand

More than anything what Shamrocks seem to have done (going off the TV only so hard to tell) is hold their half back line so those lovely balls Boro were playing in the semi final can't go in now and the Shamrocks backs are murdering the forwards. There's zero threat from the Boro midfield or half forward line either.

Realt Dearg Sec

The ballyhale forwards were fighting like dogs when they didn't have the ball, totally stopped any decent supply of ball to the forwards, but the boro forwards have been very poor either way. Evan Cody was going well but you could see he was isolated and a goal was always going to be in the cards. Shamrocks are class, the village caught them cold the last day and knocked the complacency out of them.

JJs Left Hand

This is embarrassing now

JJs Left Hand

Spoke too soon. Now it's embarrassing.

BoroMan32

An absolute and total humiliation.

The Boro came out after half time a beaten team; Darren Mullen gave Bill Sheehan a mild shoulder in a race for possession and Sheehan nearly went out over the line, not able for a physical battle at all.

JJs Left Hand

Christ if something happens to TJ

Panic over

conor05

BoroMan32 wrote: »

An absolute and total humiliation.

The Boro came out after half time a beaten team; Darren Mullen gave Bill Sheehan a mild shoulder in a race for possession and Sheehan nearly went out over the line, not able for a physical battle at all.

And Darren Mullen would be one of the smaller built lads on the Ballyhale team.

Every 50/50 physical battle Ballyhale won it hands down.

I remember in 2017 Cuala blew Dicksboro off the pitch physically in Leinster, something they Havnt obviously worked on since.

JJs Left Hand

1-3 from play in a county final ffs

kksaints

That was disappointing. Dicksboro were never in the game. Ballyhale were impressive as usual but we wanted a more competitive contest for the final.

blackcard

I thought that the dry fine day would suit Dicksboro but they were blown out of it by the Shamrocks. Wasn't expecting that amount of hunger from them. 10 different scorers from play. Went for the jugular going for goals. Disappointed with Buckley, Sheehan, Doheny, Walsh etc. Game was over after 15 minutes

BloodyBill

Ballyhale were fantastic but did nothing that they don't normally do. That fiest goal from I think Richie Reid showed up Dicksboro badly. Lose possession in your own fullback line is kindergarten stuff. Dicksboro are the worst type of townie team..soft as butter. I dont know why they would float these aimless balls into the Ballyhale half backs.
Hats off to Ballyhale. What a team.

Village87

Buckley very poor again. No fight. Lacks pace. Can't see him on the Kilkenny team in this form. TJ greatest club hurler ever in Kilkenny imo

conor05

Village87 wrote: »

Buckley very poor again. No fight. Lacks pace. Can't see him on the Kilkenny team in this form. TJ greatest club hurler ever in Kilkenny imo

Agreed. He is nearly man of the match every time he togs out for Ballyhale.

A truly gifted hurler. Works his socks off too.

What a role model for the younger Ballyhale hurlers coming through the ranks.

Alonzo Moseley

Ballyhale are a fine tuned machine.
TJ, quite possibly the most complete hurler I have ever seen
Colin Fennelly emulating his brother Mick in a good steady career till late 20s and then turning in to a beast of a player

Forget club, there isn't a county in Ireland that wouldn't kill to have the pair of them

The Boro will be shattered at the scale of the loss, but the reality is that no club team in Ireland could live with that quality today

I agree that Buckley just hasn't got back to his former self and probably shouldn't start for Kilkenny and it's tough to have to say that

On current form you couldn't see Buckley or Paul Murphy deserving their places against the likes of Darren Mullen or Richie Reid

At this stage it is hard to see how Kilkenny would line out without at least 5 Ballyhale players and as many as 7 if Adrian Mullen is fit


The one sided nature of the final shouldn't detract from a very high quality senior championship with the vast majority of our county squad men's form very good
And on that note, I think Kilkenny are in better position to win an AI right now than at any time in last 5 years

If fully fit, I would rate Kilkenny's likely starting 15 at least as good as any of the top 2/3 contenders.

dastardly00

As another poster said, it was men against boys today.
Shamrocks were harder, better, faster, stronger than the Boro

Billy Ocean

With the benefit of hindsight the village and ballyhale was the sliding doors moment of your championship, its common enough that a heavy hitter like ballyhale has 1 day there vulnerable and weather the favourite can find a way in that game can define the whole championship...

kilkennyboy

Are we looking at ballygunner type dominance. Where
They could put another 2 or 3 titles together .The reality is bar a blip they have a panel to do it and once they get to latter stages seem to improve.

Swamp_Cat

Normally I hate blowouts, although it's easier on the blood pressure. But when it comes to Ballyhale, well it's just a joy to watch such talent. Confident, never look like they're panicked, very unselfish every one of them always getting the ball to the man in the better position. Humble guys from what I can tell, just going about their task. Last year I felt like many of us, myself included were looking at some players through 'rose tinted glasses' & forgetting what a huge step up IC is. But w/this Shamrocks team I don't think that's the case, granted they have quite a few top IC players so it's not exactly the same. I really hope Richie Reid is playing championship hurling for Kilkenny. He's been so consistent & his decision making has really improved. Was happy to see P. Mullin not giving away silly frees like he has in other matches this year & Darren had a great match. Joey as steady as always & ...TJ not sure I have to say anything about his form. He's looking fitter than I've ever seen him & feel privileged to get to see him play as I've no doubt he'll be looked back on like DJ or Shefflin & believe he's surpassed them at this point. GOAT in my book. Just don't see any weaknesses. Agree w/a previous comment about the Fennelly brothers though I think Mick was always consistent while inconsistency was a common & accurate observation about Colin. No longer. Dean Mason is class & when his time comes will likely seamlessly take over between the sticks when E. Murphy decides to call it provided he's patient enough as Eoin is @ the peak of his powers. I haven't seen enough of him playing outfield but have listened to many a Glenmore match on the radio & always sounded solid. Curious what those who are more familiar think. How good is he when not in goal? IC level?
Scary to think what would have happened had Mick Fennelly & Adrian been on the pitch? Then again their replacements have been outstanding. Felt for Evan Shefflin, he's usually a decent shooter but just couldn't put one between the posts today. Eoin Reid's been great & an inspiration to us 'old' farts who still feel young. Always love to see him doing his thing.
Congrats to Ballyhale.
I don't think for a second that the boro are as poor a squad as they were today although 1-3 from play is really poor to say the least. They did shoot a ton of wides today & will be back. Not their day. Buckley seemed absent for much of the match especially when compared to the amount of ball he got on in the semifinal. I knew it was always possible but did not expect the hammering we saw today. I know it's no conciliation right now but still an impressive run in such a competitive county championship.
Shame we are robbed of the likely chance to see the Shamrocks win a 3rd AI on the trot & for the players & managment to not have the opportunity. Still, I can't complain having been treated to an amazing summer of hurling when I needed it most & as someone living in the States the fact that COVID-19 forced clubs to stream matches has been a silver lining & has kept me as sane as possible during these insane, scary & frankly embarrassing times. Impressive how well counties adapted.
Thanks to all who made it happen!!
Now we'll see if that can be replicated @ IC.

Got a scare when TJ went down. But picked himself up & got one hell of a score soon after. Was holding my breath.

kkclubhurling

I know Ballyhale were excellent but some of the Hyperbole here is off the wall. I didn’t see any posts looking for 5/6/7 of them to start for Kilkenny after the Village match.

The Boro looked like they totally overthought the occasion and froze, Ballyhale pushed up on the puckout with confidence the Boro didn’t have ball winners on the half forward line. The Boro gave Ballyhale too much respect and pulled their half forward line way out the field, this gave Ballyhale half back line the freedom of the park, you just can’t afford to do that!

To put it into context, none of the Boro forwards will start for Kilkenny this year or have played regularly in the past, the difference between club and county is huge.

larrya

kkclubhurling wrote: »

I know Ballyhale were excellent but some of the Hyperbole here is off the wall. I didn’t see any posts looking for 5/6/7 of them to start for Kilkenny after the Village match.

Shamrocks were poor against the village.where as village hurled to their best but still were not good enough.
But Cody will probably still have as many village as shamrocks players in there.

BloodyBill

Alonzo Moseley wrote: »

Ballyhale are a fine tuned machine.
TJ, quite possibly the most complete hurler I have ever seen
Colin Fennelly emulating his brother Mick in a good steady career till late 20s and then turning in to a beast of a player

Forget club, there isn't a county in Ireland that wouldn't kill to have the pair of them

The Boro will be shattered at the scale of the loss, but the reality is that no club team in Ireland could live with that quality today

I agree that Buckley just hasn't got back to his former self and probably shouldn't start for Kilkenny and it's tough to have to say that

On current form you couldn't see Buckley or Paul Murphy deserving their places against the likes of Darren Mullen or Richie Reid

At this stage it is hard to see how Kilkenny would line out without at least 5 Ballyhale players and as many as 7 if Adrian Mullen is fit


The one sided nature of the final shouldn't detract from a very high quality senior championship with the vast majority of our county squad men's form very good
And on that note, I think Kilkenny are in better position to win an AI right now than at any time in last 5 years

If fully fit, I would rate Kilkenny's likely starting 15 at least as good as any of the top 2/3 contenders.

The format would suit Kilkenny aswell. Back to the 4 matches to win an All Ireland. Theyve every chance. The longer format doesn't suit them

JJs Left Hand

Just to give my two cents worth

Richie Reid is not intercounty standard
Eoin Murphy is not an intercounty outfield player

Darren
Joey
TJ
Adrian (if fit)
Colin
Cody

are all legit starters for Kilkenny

If Buckley is given the correct role then he can still make an impact for Kilkenny but that would require an element of tactical nous that I don't think we possess.

Alonzo Moseley

Sad News that Billy Dwyer (AI's 57 and 63) has died in Dublin
A legendary figure on and off field, he was much respected and feared by some of the greats of the era.
Keher has frequently lauded him
John Doyle too
And was one of the few who regularly discommoded Nick O' Donnell

In an era when some still considered Kilkenny a bit on the soft side, Dwyer was fearsome and formidable

The best description I have seen of him was in Enda Mc Evoy's Tommy Maher book when he was labelled "the sawn off shot gun from Foulkstown"

Sad that such a character will be buried during lockdown up here without a chance to give him an appropriate send off
The Faughs old timers he hurled with when he left Kilkenny are a crowd I run in to a bit up here and are a great crew
The stories and yarns would have been epic.

RIP

citykat

Alonzo Moseley wrote: »

Sad News that Billy Dwyer (AI's 57 and 63) has died in Dublin
A legendary figure on and off field, he was much respected and feared by some of the greats of the era.
Keher has frequently lauded him
John Doyle too
And was one of the few who regularly discommoded Nick O' Donnell

In an era when some still considered Kilkenny a bit on the soft side, Dwyer was fearsome and formidable

The best description I have seen of him was in Enda Mc Evoy's Tommy Maher book when he was labelled "the sawn off shot gun from Foulkstown"

Sad that such a character will be buried during lockdown up here without a chance to give him an appropriate send off
The Faughs old timers he hurled with when he left Kilkenny are a crowd I run in to a bit up here and are a great crew
The stories and yarns would have been epic.

RIP

I’ve no doubt he’ll be remembered in the Village. His grand nephew played against the Shamrocks a couple of weeks ago.

brookville

Hard to know what happened the boro yesterday.Did they over think it or show them to much respect but the shamrocks just tore into them from the get go.Anyone watching all the club matches know that the boro are better than what they gave yesterday.I think one of the problems with the boro is they are producing alot of the same player.
Good to see adrian mullen togged out yesterday and on the extended panel.There is speculation he could be back in a few weeks.
Congrats to ballyhale yesterday a joy to watch in full flow.They hammered everyone except the village en route to the final.you would fancy the shamrocks to beat a few county teams at joe mcdonagh level.
Eoin cody and darren mullen will probably start for kilkenny later in the year.Eoin cody isnt a speed merchant but he would be an addition and well able take a score.

conor05

brookville wrote: »

Hard to know what happened the boro yesterday.Did they over think it or show them to much respect but the shamrocks just tore into them from the get go.Anyone watching all the club matches know that the boro are better than what they gave yesterday.I think one of the problems with the boro is they are producing alot of the same player.
Good to see adrian mullen togged out yesterday and on the extended panel.There is speculation he could be back in a few weeks.
Congrats to ballyhale yesterday a joy to watch in full flow.They hammered everyone except the village en route to the final.you would fancy the shamrocks to beat a few county teams at joe mcdonagh level.
Eoin cody and darren mullen will probably start for kilkenny later in the year.Eoin cody isnt a speed merchant but he would be an addition and well able take a score.

Not sure about the Joe McDonagh, Laois, Carlow & Kerry are good but they would definitely beat all the teams in the Christy Ring cup. Without a doubt.

JohnCougar

conor05 wrote: »

And Darren Mullen would be one of the smaller built lads on the Ballyhale team.

Every 50/50 physical battle Ballyhale won it hands down.

I remember in 2017 Cuala blew Dicksboro off the pitch physically in Leinster, something they Havnt obviously worked on since.

I have to agree, Dicksboro were way behind physically and tactically that day in 2017 v Cuala. As you said they have not learned from that. A poor show in 2018 v Shamrocks in Callan and a worse one in 2019 in Nowlan Park v Erins Own should have shown warning signs.

They were way behind tactically and physically on Sunday again and it was frightening at how good Ballyhale were but how easy they fended off all the Boro players was testament to their training regime. It was like Kilkenny in 2008.

The Boro have a fantastic underage structure and for the past 20 years and all those players have won many county titles and have won many games by 21 points themselves and have hammered my club many times. They need to look at the transition from underage to senior and look at a different model if they want to be another Ballyhale at senior level.

Fred Daly

Well done Conahy made up for last year dissapointment, great heart fight by the two teams.