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

Grats wrote: »

Mullen went on a great run, pulled up and looked straight over to bench while holding his thigh. Then substituted.

Cody said after the game he felt his hamstring & doesn't think it's to serious

mullinr2 wrote: »

Biggest test of the league and they failed. This is a very average Clare team. What does that make us?

Correct. We did fail but we did have chances to pull away when we were 1 point up. We had a goal opportunity when Richie reid tried to hand pass to mossy. Even after that we missed a few handy points.

Delivery into our forwards is one of the biggest obstacle to pass. With few exceptions we are not good fielders of the ball so we have to be a lot cuter in our delivery.
Also we are too open at times. Padraig needs to hold his position more in the centre.
Lawlors place is at no. 3 and not at 6.
Would like to have seen Darren mullen and conor delaney get their runs un but probably not going to happen now.
It was the closest we've had to championship fare and we've a few weeks to get ready for Wexford so improvements in tactics needed, particularly our puckouts as we're not getting close to winning our fair share of high balls.
Let's hope for the best.

Well done to Michael Fennelly & Michael Kavanagh for convincingly winning Division 2A of the NHL

https://twitter.com/Offaly_GAA/status/1404077769592557575

Grats wrote: »

He was with the extended panel in Ennis.

The reason i asked was somebody said to me this afternoon that he had left the panel.

Offaly and Derry have agreed to play their Div 3 football final next Saturday in Croke Park instead of sharing it, despite Offaly playing in the Championship the following weekend.
Fair play to both.

Should Kilkenny and Galway look to play next weekend for the League final with both teams not out in Champ for 3 weeks?

Rosita wrote: »

Yes, would be great.

I think so too, and both teams would surely jump at the chance to play a final in Croke Park next weekend given it is almost certain that's where the Leinster semis will be in 3 weeks' time.

brookville wrote: »

I think the leinster semi is in portlaoise.The antrim Dublin match is in navan I think.
On yesterday's match its a match we could of won and recovered well after them two quick goals We had a few goal chances we didn't take The Richie Reid one I think resulted in a point the other end.Tj missed one and we also drove a few wides at the end.Brassil was very quite.
Hopefully mullen will be fit for the semi final it was his best game by far.Eoin cody was also good.Billy Ryan was sharp.
Leahy got a good half into the legs and Richie Reid was good so these are positive.
It's grand when lads are getting forward but you see yesterday we got sucked up the field and clare had a load of space in attack.The defenders first job is to defend and infairness the space in front of deegan and lawlor its hard to defend.
The concession of 4 goals and our puckouts will have to be priority.
I still think joey is getting a raw deal at the moment.Delaney and Darren mullen would be a help to that defence but time is probably running out.I think we haven't beaten clare since 2015.

Yes, you are correct, both semis in a doubleheader in Portlaoise (ugh!)
But still feel we should knock heads together and play it.
These double-up matches are awful in my opinion, and I imagine the sponsors (Allianz) don't like the degrading of the competition either.


Agree with most points regarding yesterday.

I think 5 forward spots are filled (assuming clean bill of health)
TJ, Donnelly, Mullen, Cody, and Ryan
The last spot is up for grabs but I'd say Keoghan will get the nod.

But we badly need Richie Hogan too
I don't see much scoring threat beyond those seven players (Bergin probably played himself off yesterday) but that 6/7 is a serious forward line so this constant moaning that we are totally reliant on TJ is a bit tiresome.
He's a wizard, let's just accept that and be thankful we have him and stop measuring others by him.


But 2-9 is a mess right now and what has been tried there in the league will almost certainly get shown up if repeated in Champ
David Blanchfield could be a late springer, he looks a real Cody player, big and strong, and covers the ground
I have felt for a long time if Liam Blanchfield is ever to have a serious inter-county career it might be as a midfielder (he played some good games in Fitzgibbon back there and even half back).He is strong nd full of running but he just hasn't the accuracy for a top-class modern forward (neither I am sad to say has Walter Walsh)
I feel Richie Reid probably has one of the mids nailed down but it could be any one of 5 with him
I think David Blanchfield looks the business

If everyone fit I'd go with
Murphy
Browne
Lawlor
Holden
Blanchfield
Walsh
D Mullen
R Reid
Leahy
Donnelly
TJ
Mullen
Ryan
Hogan
Cody

Any updates on Richie Hogan welcome

Also, anyone knows is Ciaran Brennan of Bridge hurling with U20s this year?
I think he's a gem
Has the bit of pace we so badly need and a real eye for goal
I'd have had him ahead of EoinCody up till 2019, but Cody has really filled out

Alonzo Moseley wrote: »

I think so too, and both teams would surely jump at the chance to play a final in Croke Park next weekend given it is almost certain that's where the Leinster semis will be in 3 weeks' time.

How competitive would it be though? I'd imagine both sides would be wary of incurring injuries and afraid to show a full hand ahead of a likely championship encounter. At least a 'double' final would have a good edge to it.

Comerman wrote: »

@Alonzo
Conor Delaney? ?

Good Lord, sorry for any offence to Comer
Yes of course, number 4 for Holden
Any word on his recovery?

Also
Backed Dessie Hutchinson at 80/1 for HOTY
He is some bloody handful

Great win for Deise today against a pretty much full-strength Tipp.

How are they looking at Paddy Deegan every week.
This Wexford match is massive, losers will find it hard to beat a couple of Muster teams in the back door. Could be end of a cycle for Kilkenny to if they lose. TJ, Richie Hogan, Wally Walsh, Fogarty, Holden, Buckley not getting any younger

Re Deegan, we don't have another back who covers as much ground as he does. I'd say his stats on distance covered during a game is insane. Endlessly running off the shoulder, driving forward and creating space for others by drawing the attention of an opposition player. He definitely has his weaknesses but the alternatives aren't there.

Tommy Walsh a good defender but not great on the ball.
Wallace came on Saturday and got absolutely dusted at one point (could've been the 4th goal).
Joey is probably the best hurler of the lot and I'd like to see him get more time but athletically wouldn't be as good as Deegan for those runs.

Who else is there?

We can only play the players we have and if we have designs on playing more of a running game then Deegan is probably a lot more crucial than people want him to be.

But other than the 4th goal on Saturday the full back line wasn't to blame. The Deegan penalty was probably a foul but just unlucky. Nobody tracked Kelly for his first goal bar Mullen who was way too far off him but why didn't anyone in the half back like pick him up when he basically just ran down the centre? And Reidy just ran straight through a non existant half back line for his goal.

Someone suggested David Blanchfield to start in championship. He has loads of potential but he's nowhere near ready. Raw out. And couldn't have Liam Blanchfield as a midfielder at all. Doesn't have the athleticism for it. In my opinion.

JJs Left Hand wrote: »

Re Deegan, we don't have another back who covers as much ground as he does. I'd say his stats on distance covered during a game is insane. Endlessly running off the shoulder, driving forward and creating space for others by drawing the attention of an opposition player. He definitely has his weaknesses but the alternatives aren't there.

Tommy Walsh a good defender but not great on the ball.
Wallace came on Saturday and got absolutely dusted at one point (could've been the 4th goal).
Joey is probably the best hurler of the lot and I'd like to see him get more time but athletically wouldn't be as good as Deegan for those runs.

Who else is there?

We can only play the players we have and if we have designs on playing more of a running game then Deegan is probably a lot more crucial than people want him to be.

But other than the 4th goal on Saturday the full back line wasn't to blame. The Deegan penalty was probably a foul but just unlucky. Nobody tracked Kelly for his first goal bar Mullen who was way too far off him but why didn't anyone in the half back like pick him up when he basically just ran down the centre? And Reidy just ran straight through a non existant half back line for his goal.

Someone suggested David Blanchfield to start in championship. He has loads of potential but he's nowhere near ready. Raw out. And couldn't have Liam Blanchfield as a midfielder at all. Doesn't have the athleticism for it. In my opinion.

It's easy to see why Cody likes Deegan, strong and brave and athletic, great verve.
But much of what he offers is negated by our current tactics on puck outs
ie
What is the point of having a strong athletic ball carrying and distributing corner back if we never puck short?

Most of the ball he is hurling now is handy loose stuff against likes of Wex and Laois who play two and even one man full-forward lines

What happens against the really good teams when the ball is being zinged into Gillane and Conor Whelan?
That's when the fun starts
Trying to contain players like that in the modern game with all the advantages those forwards now have (and the penalty awarded against Deegan was cruel and goes against the ethos of hurling) is bloody difficult.
So you need top-class hurlers in your full-back line and even with that, you need a bit of luck just to keep likes of Gillane and Whelan etc semi subdued.

I was really happy with Lawlor, Shanagher is a right handful but he had a great contest and despite his tap in goal, I think Lawlor hurled him really well.

But the rest of 2-9 is a shambles at moment for me
I havent confidence in two or there at all, while at least three more are clearly not being played in their best positions.

greenspurs wrote: »

Well, for some good/bad reason the Camogie league final between Kilkenny and Galway is on in Croke park next Sunday, with a 19.30 throw in !!!!!!


:rolleyes:

Isn't that one of the trial events for the return of spectators?