Kilkenny GAA Thread

Wonderful feeling to be back in an AIF.

I've been very critical of Cody's tactics for the past few years. I stand over my opinion and to be honest he would be a mere onlooker today had the decision been mine.

However, credit where it is due. Kilkenny were sublime today. And the tactics were flawless.

Important not to get ahead of ourselves. Clare were absolutely hopeless. In part due to the relentless pressure our lads were applying, but in part down to their own failings and poor decision making.

We were good, no doubt, excellent in fact. But we must also keep in mind Clare didn't show up.

TJ was simply awesome. Huw Lawlor, Mikey Butler, Cian Kenny and Adrian Mullen not far behind. Indeed everybody involved can be proud of themselves tonight. Thank you.

The best performance we've put in for a number of years. What makes it sweet and also hard to defend against is that when we lost our way for 10 mins in the 2nd half when Murphy went long we changed and started carrying out of defence where we started to control things again. Fair play to management to allow snd train us to vary our play. There could have been another 2 or 3 goals there for us today.

I was roaring at Billy Ryan to get the ball in hand but to be fair to him he was being dragged at every opportunity and got no fair play from hogan. Everyone fought like troopers.

Wally excellent in fielding and setting up kenny for the 2nd goal.

Mouthwatering to be looking forward to a final.

If it was a close game horgan would be in the firing line for some ridiculous calls but today was about a super performance and once again fair play to the management and players.

I have enormous time for Tony Kelly (and Shane O'Donnell) and others but it was such a pity that Mikey Butler's shot was wide. Imagine outscoring TK from play?

Huge credit to kk today - unreal performance. Wonder will people get caught missing going to the final with foreign hols booked

Fantastic KK performance yesterday, best this year for sure. TJ, apart from his own scores, how many did he set up? But he wasn't the only one, stars all over the field.

But my God, didn't Clare have a stinker? Work rate was way down and shot selection criminal, admittedly a lot of that was down to KK pressure. I guess all that Junior Hurling throughout the Munster Championship wasn't much preparation 😉

We absolutely would have won any way we chose because we outfought Clare pure and simple. Case in point if we weren’t winning primary possession off puck outs into the Clare full back line, we were winning secondary possession. Clare had a purple patch in that second half yesterday which for them put on a gloss on what otherwise was a brutal day.

Nowlan Park looks absolutely fabulous on telly for the minor game.

A lot of good aspects to the play yesterday but plenty to work on. Were asleep for a lot of the clare puckouts, need to get a lot more from the subs, some of them still not going well. Wally did ok for a few minutes and drifted out of it. None of them looked good enough that they should have started. Disappointed not to see Richie but game was over, wasn't much to be gained bringing him on

Im not sure there is any defender in Ireland that can handle Gillane in the form he is in, they dont go for many goals they are happy to score points all day.

Limerick are a very good outfit but Galway really got at them today but David Reidy is causing huge problems when he comes on so we have to plan for their subs too.

I think we can match them for workrate but we will need all forwards and midfield chipping in with scores.

Mullen, Cody and TJ gave me great hope yesterday up front.

It is going to be some final.

Great win on Saturday. Our best performance for a number of years and much more variation to our game. I thought Mullen was superb throughout. He was available as an exit for the backs on numerous occasions and took his scores really well. Lawlor was also magnificent. Limerick will be ready for a war and will not fear the physicality we will bring. Congratulations to the mgmt and panel on reaching the final. Limerick will rightly be favourites but I am feeling more positive then I have all year about this KK team.

Depends on who else starts.

I could see lynch (if fit, cos he wasn't fit yesterday) start corner forward instead of mulcahy in that free roaming role and butler might be needed to mark him.

If not I'd go butler on gillane and lawlor on Flanagan and walsh on mulcahy.

They had 4 weeks..I'm sure they could work on a number of things..most 12 year olds work on 9 subjects a day in school .. 😀

Can't wait for the final....Its going to be some occasion you'd feel, Limerick will enter game as hot favourites I imagine when going for 3 in a row.

Everything will have to go spot on for us and some players will have to have the game of their lives, Hard to see any changes happening either for us, Mossy Keoghan might be under some pressure alight but he's a great knack of getting goals so for that reason alone I think he should start.

Adrian Mullen has really come into his own now and playing hurling of his life but Limerick will be out to get him like a pack of dogs. Likewise TJ and E Cody will be closely monitored.

Lawlor probably best suited to Gillane but Cody could have Butler in mind for that, Limerick would love taking Huw out of full back to exploit us that's where R Reid would be crucial if so.

I doubt Kilkenny has ever gone into an AI Final as such outsiders, we are as much outsiders as Waterford were when we were going for 3 in a row in 2008. We need a performance similar to that in 2006 when we stopped Cork competing their 3 in a row.

Great to be back in a final as you said, very little discussion during the past weeks about Kilkenny as it was all about Clare so will be interesting how the build up for the next two weeks goes. This 'Underdog' view on Kilkenny and waiting in the long grass has been an advantage for us.

Will be interesting the support for the final with the fewer number supporters at the All Ireland Semi vs Clare, still reckon their will be a healthy demand for tickets but will be people be less likely to travel since it's against this Limerick team. I for sure will be in Croke Park on All Ireland final day.

It's a funny one, there's a lot of factors that come into attendance numbers, and this year in particular with petrol and diesel prices.

One or 2 on here have stated they won't travel to any more Kilkenny games as long as Cody's in charge and I'm sure that's probably true for a wider cohort of supporters also (and I'm not passing judgement on that, each to there own). I was at all the games this year, apart from Gal v KK round robin game, and the biggest support we had percentage wise was against Wexford in the park and that wouldn't have enticed anyone on the fence to attend the Leinster Final, there was a lot of heads hanging low leaving that game.

We've a smallish population, certainly the smallest of the teams competing for Liam McCarthy at present, bar Laois and Westmeath.

I think the fact it's Limerick will put some people off, but if we listened to that narrative we need not have turned up for last Sundays game. Having poor support seems to always be leveled at Kilkenny, and possibly there's a bit of truth to it, but myself and the few I go with will be there hail rain or shine and there's plenty more like that and that's alright by me. You'll always have a handful that will only go for finals, but that's the same with all sports.

We'll certainly be outnumbered at the final, Limerick have nearly twice the population we have, but that's just more people to say hard luck to on the way out😉

Let's face it. We have one of the worst support of all the teams. Alot only appear for a final. Galway likewise. Wexford, Cork and Limerick have always had great support.