Kilkenny GAA Thread

He was good the last day too. Cork 3 couldn't handle him at all it was strange they made no change.

It was a fine game made good by the ref throwing in the ball and getting out of the way. Some recent games have been free fests. Not this one

"Cheapaim go bhfuil an feadog caillte ag an reitoir". Brilliant

I said the same about our seniors. I think when we breeze through Leinster and then meet a battle hardened Munster team we struggle to match that intensity for 70 mins.

Possibly it is that the current kilkenny team is one of yere poorest in recent memory and it has nothing to do with being untested in Leinster. The great Cody team had no issue waltzing into semi after a break and sailing through lenister most years albeit different format.

That's the point though if you are good enough you will win. Trying to blame the format for being too easy to get to the penultimate stage as an issue is a bit of a reach for failing to win semis.

Guaranteed qualification is the advantage. You can't win an All Ireland if you're knocked out in the province, a fate every Munster team has had bar Limerick (and only barely in 2023).

The idea that Kilkenny are undercooked and at a disadvantage, wouldn't explain Kilkennys defeats to Waterford and Cork in 2020 and 2021 when there was no round robin, or their wins against Limerick in 2019 and Clare in 2022 and 2023 either.

Ah I know what you mean but we arguably should have won the last two semifinals from the position we were in in both games so there is an argument to be made that lack of intense competition has been hurting us. To be honest I would blame it more on lack of impact from the bench or managements lack of trust in the bench. Not to mention absolutely criminal unforced errors in both games…. and I’m not taking away from either Clare or Tipp when I say that … ye both deservedly won those All-Irelands I’m just speaking from our own perspective.

on the U20 Clare were the minor champions three years ago. We met them in a semi final in Thurles where the great Jesse Owen’s got Bill mc Dermott sent off, and I think we were only bet in extra time and Clare went on to shock Galway in the final. I think Wexford are after getting it together and might give Galway a run for there money Galway seem a bit cocky for me.

Thank God Galway are in Leinster or they'd be little or no competition at all. Was at 2nd year Leinster final today between Good Counsel and St.Kierans. Of the starting 15 for GC, 13 were from Kilkenny clubs Tullogher, Graignamanagh, Rower, Mullinavat.....not a good luck from a Wexford point of view. Good spread of clubs on Kierans team Freshford, Lisdowney, Gowran, Carrickshock, Ballycallan, Clara, St.Martins & 3 city clubs. Good standard of hurling from both teams. Kierans finished 1st half & start of 2nd very strong, 11pts ahead at one stage. GC got it back to 2pts following a black card for Kierans. Kierans finished out winning by 4pts I think.

ye that’s good for KK with so many players on the good council team.

What a lot of people might not realise is a lot of the clubs who supply good counsel with students are primarily football clubs. Horeswood,gusserane, adamstown, fethard,etc . Although most have come on in leaps and bounds in hurling in the last 10 years or so.

Not really, it's schools hurling and they are only 2nd years for christ sake. The Leinster schools hurling competitions are a bit of a joke, outside of Wexford and Kilkenny schools their are usually no other schools from other counties competing. This competition really had only 4 teams in it. That is a piss poor competition. It's the same the whole way up with Leinster council introducing roinn b's into the A competition but keeping them schools away from Kierans and CBS who nearly always end up playing each other in a senior Leinster final.

Everything seems rosy when a Kilkenny school wins a Leinster A title but it is not hard won.

Minor Game on g 4 YouTube

Why are the minor and Celtic Challenge teams always playing on the same day! Makes no sense!

My thoughts on how to improve Kilkenny's performances:

1 S&C has dominated the last 10 years and along with handpassing is just boring. Cork are beating Limerick with speed and close quarter touch - moves you learn u12.

2. Kilkenny is not presently producing "artists" that change how the game is played. DJ used explosive speed from a ruck or starting position plus powerful short grips that couln't be hooked. Like Ritchie Hogan, he excelled at handball. Ritchie Power had incredible touch. Tommy, JJ, Larkin etc had their unique styles. Same was true of Keher, Chunkie, Ollie Walsh and other greats. Is it just that S&C has smothered that development? I expect someone will come with an answer. Cork have done so and Tipp may get there too.

3. The requirement for high work rate, energy and intensity is robbing players of their unique style. Cookie cutter coaching improves teamwork but standardises everything and robs teams of surprise moves to create goals. Michael Fennelly created goals in AI finals with the speed of winning a turnover and rapidly delivering a 70 yard pass to Ritchie Power. Ditto Cha in the 1st quarter of the 2007 final.

4. Cody's mantra was successful for 20 years. But we need a new model focused more on speed and artistry. Maybe a greater focus on speed, first to a ball (aka 100 yard race training) back to training with lightening fast, new hard type balls in handball alleys. I realise that club hurling styles are major influences on our players. Hopefully, they will change.

5. Kilkenny produces a lot of unknown talent. As a youngster in 1960s St John's Parish, I am reminded of our 2 best players who left at u16. Ok we (OLG) won minor without them in 1972. But they played a huge role in making us good. There was another extraordinary skillful player who was just too small.

6. Its a time for change. Please dont look for money and cash investment to solve our current situation. That's not sustainable and robs us /pisses off of our greatest asset - the countless unpaid volunteers coaching underage at schools and clubs. As a US exec, I figured iut how to compete by reading self help books in a US bookstore. Led me to Lauer & Schwartz and their work on energy and high performance for tennis and golf stars. Still applies when you see Cork and Limerick burning tjemselves out in the Munster round robin or the Irish Lions rugby players trying to peak within months for the 6 nations or club.

7. The only hurling panel which has the diet and S&C work done from age 14 is Limerick. Cork has a lot of the 2021 AI panel. The diet is old science and should be taught in schools for health and wellness reasons never mind sports.

8. Here's hoping Huw Lalor comes back forh the LF or AI QF. If Limerick and Cork knock each other out again, there is an AI up for grabs.