Kilkenny GAA Thread

KK is like a red flag to a bull for Wexford. With the team named by Derek he was not taking it seriously and i dont blame him. We have enough injuries to be taking risks with players that dont need game time.

What Derek needed was to get game time into Mullen Reid Blanchfield which he did. He also got to have a good look at the rest of the squad against a wexford team who would come out all guns blazing. This game will have done all the players good.

I do think if we are going to have a chance of winning we need to solve that no6 position. The jury seems to be out on Mullen at 6. Also and probably more important we need all these injuries to clear up. We probably have only 20 players in the squad capable of influencing a game at inter county. IMO we need the folling players fit and 100% to have any chance. Butler, Lawlor, Blanchfield, Carey, Kenny, Molloy, TJ, Cody, Mullen, J Donnelly, Ryan. I think the No 6, Left Corner Back and a forward jersey are all still up for grabs on what i have seen so far. ATM i would think Walsh or Deegan would get that corner back spot while Reid will probably get the No 6 and S Donnelly the forward spot.

I want KK to win Leinster and always will but losing would not be the biggest disaster if we got game time into players like Cody that he will badly need. Playing Tipp( logical oppostion) in a Q/F could be better path than going to a semi against Cork or Limerick with players badly needing game time.

It's very hard to draw conclusions when you put together a team that has never played together and add in a gale force wind which makes it even harder to get any cohesiveness. Kilkenny had no plan for the wind whereas Wexford managed it fine in both halves - being more used to the local conditions. Even on the freetaking, Lee Chin curled one in during the second half using the breeze expertly whereas TJ and Mackessy struggled to get a handle on it.

Most of the points I would have made have been already well covered by other posters but here are a couple of additional ones:

Mullen went 'fine' at CB and if that is where we want to land him then he's going to need more games there to get the feel for it and for us to optimise how to use him. He sat back a lot due to the wind, trying to get on the breaks and it seamed to be Blanchfield that spent more time delivering into the forwards, with mixed results. That to my mind shouldn't be the idea of Mullen at CB. We're looking for someone who reads as well as Ritchie Reid, can knit things together and step forward if needed - but also a bit surer in the defence. He stepped forward and scored a good point in the second half which perhaps reminded us of what we were missing further up. As per above, when things are very disjointed and the team is struggling it's really hard to judge the impact.

TJ was on his own and stuggling with two lads swinging out of him up front. The corner forwards didn't get close enough to him to support and take the breaks and as a result our full forward line was well beaten. I noticed Wall standing on his own at the edge of the square in the first half - kinda like one of those under age games where all the play is one side of the field and a young lad who's told to 'stay up' is standing there on his own. I think he should have been brought right out the field and told to run off the shoulder through the middle. We really had no plan his for assets. Or at least no plan B.

Few lads said Cleere made no impact but he was absolutely bodied with a frontal charge on the way through on goal which the ref made nothing of. He still managed to get through before missing a pull on the open net and the Wexford goalie being adjudged of picking up the ball with his hand which gave us a 21 which TJ didn't convert.

Similarly for Cian Kenny, yes he hit some wides but it was with a gale into his face and he looked a level above any of our other forwards.

I thought Mackessy was really really laboured. I can see what he brings, but he didn't bring it yesterday, touch off and couldn't break a tackle (seams to be really upright when he gets on the ball). On top of that missed two decent goal chances. It was a learning day for him.

Lee Chin went to town on our half back line in the air.

I'm struggling to think of much else to say other than Wexford are 7 points better than the Kilkenny subs.

In fairness Wexford were down Shane Reck, Liam Ryan and Richie Lawlor yesterday and Damien Reck went off in the 1st half so it was realistically 11 Wexford starters v 5 Kilkenny starters.

I think hurling as a spectacle has been poor even though teams are scoring up to 30 points in a game. Throwing the ball, too many steps, ball travelling too far and too many rucks are issues.

Enforcing hand pass and steps rules and modifying the sliothar would help. Allowing a maximum of 2 consecutive handpasses might help. Possibly having a minimum of 3 players inside the 45?

Corcoran isn't unavailable he was dropped by Derek Lyng

Hurling has been unbelievable the last 7-8 years on the whole maybe everyone is just a bit spoilt, the only issues for me are the handpass not being policed properly and lads diving or buying soft frees, Clare have been brutal for that.

Agree, being allowed handpass ball back to the keeper after a puck out should not be allowed. Personally I'm not a fan of the quick puck out immediately after a ball goes wide. Teams forward lines are not set after a shot on goal and it allows the opposition to work 2 or 3 handy passes to a wing back who then booms the ball over the bar from 80 yards. Completely takes physicality out of the game. Limerick have been experts at it with working ball to Byrnes and Hayes over the years. For me game should always restart after 5/10 seconds to allow structure to redevelop. Get your point on the sweeper but if a team is sitting a man back the short puck out option will still be on to one of the defenders.

Fair point lob it in. Refs are obviously being encouraged to allow it from powers that be. Whole game plans are based around getting the ball back onto the pitch the split second it crosses the white line. All Ireland Final a few years ago v Limerick. KK should have had a 65 to bring it back to a point with 10 to go. Umpire gave a wide and before he was finished waving, Quaid had the ball in Byrnes hand on his own 45 and he drove it over the bar. A 2 point swing in that instance. Limerick began to kick on from there.

I'd be looking at enforcing the rules we have first, to make retaining possession more difficult, before anything else.

Coaches have changed hurling by focusing on possession and reducing in game jeopardy for their teams, naturally enough, but the GAA, referees and the media have needlessly facilitated them in doing so by ignoring breaking of the very rules that should make the possession game more difficult, steps and throwing.

Just to also mention, I'm sick of looking at replays of scores and these instances of obvious rule breaking going unmentioned, it just takes from my appreciation of the scores and the game itself.

As for having the intelligence of people who have played and watched hurling all their lives, being insulted on a almost regular basis by the likes of Donal Og Cusack and Derek McGrath claiming that there is no problem with throwing in the game, instead there are "fast transitions" "quick releases" etc. , don't get me started!

Donal Og has a clear agenda there as Cork, like Limerick, rely more than any team on refs turning a blind eye to throwing. To say refs letting go an odd red card offence is a bigger issue than the throwing epidemic that has turned hurling into a rugby/basketball hybrid is wilful ignorance on his part. He's a shocking analyst, full of personal agendas and contradictions. If he was a bar of chocolate he'd ate himself.

I wouldn't worry too much about yesterday at all. Very hard for fresh and inexperienced lads to all of a sudden get to the pitch of championship hurling especially against a hurt Wexford, in Wexford. No injuries so happy to move on.

Minors showed great steel I thought on Saturday evening. Conditions were way worse than they looked on TV but they weren't found wanting. Some super athletes there, backs absolutely outstanding and excellent and exciting forwards who appear to have substance to them. 2 Village lads were exceptional I thought. Things are beginning to look up in Kilkenny hurling. I have a feeling we'll turn over Tipp in the 20's on Saturday so fingers crossed we can get a huge crowd in to support.

I think we were a bit spoiled the last 2 years but there have been a lot of one sided matches in both provinces the condensed schedule is definitely a factor it’s very hard for amateur teams never mind professional outfits to be at it week on week physically mentally and emotionally it takes a toll any little knock and players can’t recover quick enough to regain there fitness or form

Some many games have not lived up to the billing even gal vs Dublin was set up for Dublin yesterday to really perform and lay down a marker for the year but they couldn’t

It depends on which county is breaking the rules. If KK were doing this and winning AI Donal Og would be organising a march on Croke Park with the rest of the media. Its like the premier league. The commentators are biased towards certain teams.

Bang on 👍

anyway Comerman this weekend we’re Northmen Southmen comrades all .