Kilkenny GAA Thread

Timmy Clifford should not be ruled out either. He has that scorching pace that is now needed in the modern game with off loads and working the ball short, he will not be stopped if he gets running 40/50 yards out. As for Huw Lawlor and Billy Ryan on a return, it looks very unlikely now, we have championship in 6 weeks and unless they are back by April it will be very hard to get them up the speed, they would have missed out 5/6 months of work the panel have put in.

If we have had a large amount of lads sick in the panel over the last few weeks as has been suggested on here, then the last two performances can be looked on in a different light. That's not to say we can forgive all issues and think all is wonderful but if we had a handful of starters both days who were not feeling 100% then the collective and individual performances could be judged with that in mind. It's not an excuse for the performances but just a fact that guys were limited in how well they were. I think the management perhaps should have let it be known in some of the post match interviews that given the numbers of lads sick during the week that they were very happy with the performance and effort lads put in. I think it changes the narrative among the locals as well, if that news turns out to be true.

Before the season started most on here accept that we're in a rebuild this year and that it is likely to be a tough year that young players were going to have to be blooded and often a few together. Given the huge negativity on here after any bump in the road its hard to know what people expect. Very few if any players come into intercounty hurling hitting the ground running in their first 10-15 performances, with all displays at a very high rate and no mistakes. We have to accept lads are learning the speed (of thought and action) required to succeed at intercounty hurling. Lads will make mistakes that's how you learn, we have to allow them to make those mistakes and sometimes it will cost us results. As long as lads are continuing to give it full effort and the over all trend is up, then that's what I'm looking for. As the great Paddy Grace said you've no place being out on the pitch in Croke Park before the age of 25 unless your exceptional. We're judging an awful lot of these lads against greats of the game and what we expect, also forgetting that Henry, JJ, Tommy etc made plenty of mistakes or didn't choose the right option, in their careers, especially at the start.

Overall I think we have to be generally happy with what we've seen so far. Garrett and Bolger have shown they have the ingredients, they now just need game time and experience. Cillian Doyle has loads of hurling and did huge covering especially in the first half of the match against Cork, I'm happy with his progress as long as it continues. Darragh Corcoran while not new is back in for a proper run this time and been given a settled position. I would have liked to see him in a few years ago but I think he is thriving and while there's tougher days ahead but I think he is learning the position well so far. Will he get caught and turned at times of course he will, every centre back does but as long as most of the time he's blocking it up the centre that's what I want. Blanchfield again while not new, took a hammer blow to his confidence last year but I think is settling back into the team well and has loads of room to improve as his confidence grows. Liam Moore is providing something different and just needs to be a bit more confident in his own ability to shoot. Opportunities he's passing away too lads, are ones he easily scores for the Boro, so he has it in his locker and hopefully he will take on some of those opportunities himself causing defences more headaches. McDermott is big and is fast across the ground but has plenty more to learn. Unless he catches fire I think he might struggle to start championship this year but he has loads of time and ability to make it in the next few years. Timmy Clifford is fast, strong and direct with the ball in hand and if he gets his first shot or two on target the rest generally tend to go over.

These lads have all started to step up, are they finished article? Not in the slightest. Can the contribute come Championship? 100% they can and some will have to start. Add in the likes of Cathal Bierne, Michael Brennan, Marty Murphy, Harry Shine & Eoghan Lyng and there should be plenty of competition for places. We don't need to have guaranteed starters at all this year. That doesn't mean we can't have a settled team but if you don't perform for a couple of games you should be looking over your shoulder wondering when the curly finger is coming. Your on the bench for the next day and you need to fight to get your place back. This is what any healthy squad has, where training sessions are ferocious with lads trying to get onto the team and others trying to keep their place. I think our starting team over the last 3 years has been far too comfortable with their status and they had little fear they would be dropped other than for injury and when healthy they walked straight back into the team by and large.

Some will say that's because the backups weren't good enough or pushing hard enough, my belief is that no matter what the bench and panel did or how good they played in training they were never trusted or deemed good enough in the managements eyes. The problem with that is that the bench and panel don't push as hard because they know they can't dislodge a starter and the starters ease off a few percent because their confident of their place. We need to make the whole thing a lot bit more uncomfortable especially for established starters. In fairness this seems to be happening this year to a degree but if I was a young forward last weekend I would have been pissed to see Paddy Deegan starting up front instead of me or one of the other forwards being given a shot.

I've outlined the problem above and to be honest this was a problem during Cody's last few years and I think it stems from the managements belief that they don't have the players and as I've said many times on here you have no place managing a team where you don't believe the players are good enough. Management teams can be found who will believe and motivate and work on improving players. This comes about when you expect players who come into the set up to be fully ready to play at that level, which is a ridiculous notion to have and one that has crept into Kilkenny's thinking because of a fabulous group we had from 06-16. For all the times before that Kilkenny managers had to work with what you had, you had to make them better or coach them to play a different role that the team needed them to fill. We don't have that same level of ridiculous talent falling in the door at the minute but that doesn't mean with the right approach that we can't get more out of the players we have. When you consider we lost too the last two All Ireland champions by a total of 4 points in two semis a small thing could have got us there. Now without Huw Lawlor I think it's a bigger task but I think Huw has done Kilkenny a favour where he's forced our hand to start to expand the pool of players that the management are trusting and that can only be a good thing down the road.

On Billy Ryan and Huw Lawlor, Billy had only ever planned to go for 6 months from what I've heard, so I think he's time is up in April or May. Now whether he plans on coming back to the intercounty scene or go to America at that point I have no idea and sure you never know he could be loving it and might not come back at all. Huw Lawlor is 100% gone for 1 year. From someone who talked to him in the last few weeks, he's having a great time out there loving his job etc. He's plan when leaving was to be back after one year but god knows what might change in that time period but any thoughts of Huw riding back into town for the Championship seem to be a fever dream of supporters and have no basis in his plans up to this point anyway.

Great post

Anyone Know if cillian Hackett is injured or what's the story with him forwards who have that spark and skill like him and niall shortall,joe healy should be given the sane chances as Connellan moore Clifford beirne have got and if they're not good enough fair enough at least give them the chance. I'm not even sure If healy Is still on the panel I presume brian staunton,brian kavanagh and some other lads who got time in challenge matches and walsh cup are gone anyone know this? Also anyone know what's happening with marty murphy,Rory Glynn,killian Corcoran,Peter mcdonald Ian byrne?

I have to agree with village and mikey carey is being used as a bit of a scapegoat. Kk have much bigger problems than mikey. The goal against limerick i think it was shane murphy who didnt track his man and made it a 2v1 absolutely nothing he could do. It was of course very preventable like every goal but mikey and shane murphy were scuttering around. Killian doyles side got absolutely bombarded against waterford it was very obvious they targeted him and the goal waterford got started on killians side Bennett drew mikey and again a 2v1 situation finally last sunday Alan connolly won the ball with butler and off loaded it to Brian hayes who got the goal.tallis saved his bacon when he fumbled a ball fitzgibbon broke onto.Its being well highlighted here that richie reid was weak as a kitten in that challenge and barcoe got caught rotten for the 3rd goal.Plenty of bugs going around the last few weeks. Mikey butler was fierce sick before the waterford match.stephen donnelly as we know had pneumonia. Tallis was sick for the waterford game. Galway can be hot and cold but they have being consistent this year and id be suprised if they aren't really up for this and its great preparation for a few weeks down the line when kk have to travel to Salthill.kk will always hang in there even when they aren't hurling well. Cork hammered tipp and waterford already and beat galway comfortably enough. Cian kenny had a great goal chance he should of done better and there was a good goal chance in the first half and tom phelan had a chance to be the hero but he never connected wit it at all and tbf kk didnt deserve anything out of it. Inexperienced from ivan bolger who hurled well everyone was looking foward to see him getting game time. Corks two corner backs were very good. Hopefully cody will go back to 11 although there will be shadow boxing against galway even though they know each other very well at this stage. If cathal mannion is giving the freedom of the park he will make hay.With only 2 games left we could see tj on the bench.its very dissapointing with the frees and teams are happy enough to foul because theres a good chance it will be missed.i would much rather see brennan getting the game time connellan is getting but derek seems to really like connellan. To anser the question above ian byrne is working his way back from injury he is a useful. Eoghan lyng,Kerry man foot injury,moylan collar bone,Marty Murphy injured.brian staunton gone i think kavanagh is aswell. Sam byrne and joe healy travel up from college and often be a sub during the avb match but both deserve to be in there. Killian corcoran hasn't being seen since the kildare man made light work of hin for that goal in the wash cup in callan.

I think if we can retain div.1 status and keep progressing with the new lads I think everyone on here would be happy enough.

Killian Corcoran is stood down with concussion, picked up his second in the last year against Kildare in Callan. I think the rule is 12 weeks without contact.

The rumour about Billy Ryan is not true. He's in Australia at the moment and is going to the States for the summer with his brother-in-law, Conor Fogarty, to hurl for the summer. The club are hoping that he might come back for a few months to hurl with them as the American season finishes just as the club season starts here but are not too confident as the girlfriend has little interest in hurling and will more than likely want to go back to Oz.

Never knew Connor fogarty was a brother in law of billy Ryan

Billy Ryan's girlfriend played camogie for ballycallan do imagine she has an interest in hurling.

I have a load of nieces who have played camogie with different clubs in Kilkenny including Ballycallan and have little to no interest in hurling or camogie for that matter.

I presume the team will be out this morning?

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Paddy Deegan was adjudged to have fouled Tommy Monaghan underneath a dropping ball, it was Tom Phelan who picked up the break and scored. And to confound matters, Conor Cooney scored the resultant free and they won.

it all becomes clearer, I knew he could have let it go and everyone would have been happy but put a man in charge!

I don't post much here of late but I do read it occasionally. I agree entirely with your post and am particularly disappointed with the unnecessary cheap shot from that poster. I expect better from that poster and would suggest the post be deleted.

Decent team, looking toward to seeing Tom Phelan