The GAA site

Edited by DONDON

Good days for us Blues - we need to win this Sunday. Cork are missing a few, but so are we. I've said for a long time now that I didn't feel that we should ignore a league so I want us to go and win it. Get the confidence of winning on a big day against a big team. That Cork team is so strong, fast and has some serious stamina. They were toying with armagh for the last few minutes. But they wouldn't be the most gifted set of footballers the world has ever seen - let's go for them

Hurlers should not be scared of the cats - these lads have beaten KK at underage. Keep the attitude right and we have a chance. That's all we want. Keep progressing - last year was a bad blip but let's put that behind us and horse on as the counthry lads do be saying

Dublin came up short again.

Watched the game, they played some super football and scored some great scores but alas faded in the second half.

Listened to it on radio - suffice it to say that Ger Canning and Pete McGrath are not Micheal and Len Gaynor. They make a great match sound like a sleeping tablet.

Cork are a seriously strong team and win so many games in the last few minutes. But we were gradually losing this from a long way out. Same as last August - could see it happening.

Disappointing - but at least we're only getting bet as opposed to getting whipped like happened only a few years ago.

Giller is a top quality manager, and the team seem now to be fully bought into what he's at. He has made some big calls and I think the players now know that it's his way or the highway.

But, this year we're more attacking but conceding too much. Last year we shut up shop but didn't score enough. So he now has a little thinking time and hopefully time to tweak and adjust.

Last year Cork seemed to have a great squad but not to be sure of their first XV - Dublin seem to have the same issue. Is Murray or Paul Brogan really champo fullback?

We're not far off but still not there.....

Right, composure finally recovered after a thrilling if ultimately disappointing afternoon in the Big House on Sunday.

For 50 - 55 minutes we were outstanding,solid at the back,moving the ball well and looking a real threat every time we went forward. With a bit more composure we could have had two more goals when we opted to take points instead.

The injuries to Cullen , Connolly and especially to Berno just killed us. These fellas are irreplaceable when we have everyone fit but the decisions to replace them with the unfortunate Darren Daly, with Pat Burke and Dean Kelly, three decent good club footballers, but all unproven at this level was very unfortunate.

No matter what possession we managed to gain in the latter stages of the game we never looked like holding on to our lead once Cork got the smell of victory. We had no one to hold the ball,to create decent scoring chances or to recycle possession in the last fifteen minutes and Cork just went for the jugular.

What could have been done differently ?

Our game plan revolves around the midfielders and wing forwards bursting their collective guts for 50 - 55 minutes in the knowledge that there are fellas of similar calibre to replace them when their lungs and legs give out.

On this basis we knew that Cullen wouldn't last the game and were probably looking at replacing Flynn, Maxi and Bastic. We might have hung on to the lead if this had been the case as Berno and Connolly would have been still available to take scores while the likes of Daly, Burke and Kelly are perfectly capable of doing the donkey work but fall short in the creativity department. Any time Kelly got near the goal he panicked and kicked the ball away.

In hindsight,perhaps the plan might have been to move McCauley to Centre Forward,Cahill to Wing Forward and replace them with Murray and Lally/Casey instead of Burke and Daly. This would have left us with a front three of Kelly, Mossy and Maxi backed up by Flynn ( who will run all day ) McCauley ( who needed a rest from a great shift at midfield ) and Cahill who can play there as he showed during other games. Would it have made a difference...........who knows but just that Murray, Casey and Lally all played plenty of games in the league and all did well.

Looking forward,if we can keep everyone fit and can get Henno, McConnell, O'Sullivan, Dias and Rory O'Carroll up to match fitness we will be stronger in the business end of the championship and if Kerry and Cork ( who are both still better than us ) manage to have an off day or two who knows ?

Don't rule out Tyrone for Sam this year. They respond well to tragedy and they had a real bad one this year. Not being cynical or horrible, but just feel they are a spiritual team and they need a cause. Peter Canavan's da, Errigal Ciaran and the split in the parish, Cormac, John Devine's da - seems they have had an awful lot of hassle as a group.

The county was probably the location for the most bitter bit of the troubles - East Tyrone saw a fair amount of assassinations. Coping with tragedy is part of the DNA

Don't rule out Sam for Michaela.....

Really looking forward to Sunday - asked kids did they want to go, but they didn't so feel I should probably have a scoop or two afterwards. Twould be only right.

I hope we give it welly and play to our ability. That's all you can ask of anyone, especially amateurs.

We have a chance, a right good one - but we need to keep our heads. Antrim is less than a year ago after all.

Come on the blue.....

I'm just going to enjoy the experience but we have a right chance. So excited.
Will have to curb it tomorrow morning or I'll lose the run of meself and start lamping the five year olds out of it down in Barrog

KK have named a very strong team considering their injury situation
and will be really,really hard to beat. Cody will be trying to put us "
back in our box " before the Championship and has named his
strongest available side.

We are going with McCrabbe and Rushe in midfield with McCaffrey
at wing back which is a little strange considering how well McCaffrey
has played at 8 throughout the league.

Having said that we've loads of options for change with O'Brien,
Ryan, Gough,Treacy ( hopefully ) Lambert and Schutte all on the
bench if things go awry.

Really need big games from Ryan O'Dwyer, Keaney and Dotsy to
put up the scores and from Brady and Boland down the middle at the
back to make sure they aren't allow run thoughh us for handy
goals.

Like I always say to the kids on Christmas Eve, the sooner you go
to bed the sooner Christmas will be here so I'll be off now.

Up The Dubs.

 

Edited by Rolo

Dublin 0-19 Kilkenny 1-07

After 72 mins.

Edited by monarch