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Post by haryegsnbaken on Feb 1, 2015 16:58:54 GMT
Well said Ballintoy. We were poor & sloppy at times and we were a good bit off the pace. Does it really matter? In the context of what we have come to expect of Kerry under Eamon Fitz, not a jot. Any idea how serious Tommy Walsh's injury is? Looked to have hurt his knee. I agree , as most on here will....hope tommy is ok.
More to the point I hope young Egan? from Mayo is OK? had a VERY heavy auld fall. Especially for a young fella.
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Post by Deise Exile on Feb 1, 2015 17:21:41 GMT
Great to have the football back all the same . It'd be good to get a win in Derry
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 17:24:30 GMT
You could tell Kerry had played no football . Mayo were away fitter team . It will a few weeks for them to get to that level . They will struggle next week too . It will probably be the end of march or april before they start to get back into it . It's hard to se where they will get enough points to stay up . If they lose next week it will be very difficult . Dublin , Cork , Tyrone , Donegal , and Monaghan will be really tough to beat .
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Post by Deise Exile on Feb 1, 2015 18:38:07 GMT
Deja vu!!!
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Post by Mickmack on Feb 1, 2015 18:43:13 GMT
TG4 has provided fantastic knockout club championship games all winter. Every Sunday. Then along comes the first day of Spring and its back to poor, off the pace, inter county fare.
At least there is the club hurling and football semi finals to look forward to as well as the finals not to mention the Sigerson cup and the Fitzgibbon too. And the U21s.
Games that aren't do or die knockout championship don't really do it for me. I watch them. Just about.
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Post by westarebest on Feb 1, 2015 19:53:41 GMT
I know its only the first game in the league but todays performance was awful! The only positives from today I thought were our full back line and David Morans performance! I thought the full back line were left so exposed throughout but I thought they did reasonably well! David Moran plucked ball after ball from the sky such a serious operator! Our half back and half forward line were desperate and the full forward line were not much better! Barry John and Kieran Leary are just not doing it for me! I think its great that lads from small clubs are getting the chance but Philip O Connor is along way off this level! Cant see why the likes of Conor Cox and Gavan Grady wernt there today these are the games that will benefit them! Anyway look I hate to be so negative the first day out but lets call a spade a spade today was very poor performance and we need to be better than that!
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Post by hurlingman on Feb 1, 2015 20:19:24 GMT
Has Philip O Connor played minor or Under 21 with Kerry?
BJK seems to be a better to bring on over the course of a game rather than from the start. Kieran O Leary is a fella whos never really done it for him. Hes been in and around the panel now for the best part of 9 years and hasnt mamaged to hold down a starting place, and hes been given a lot of chances. I think its time to start looking at others at this stage
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Post by fenit67 on Feb 1, 2015 23:05:29 GMT
Mayo just looked sharper today and we can have no gripes. David Moran, Paul Murphy and Johnny Buckley all showed well with Jack Sherwood well involved. The rustiness was there for all to see but it was not unexpected. I see us having a very good year with a stable as fit as possible and raring to go. Whether we like the league or not it is here to stay for the moment until we have a meaningful championship structure that our players deserve. The league amounts to a series of challenge matches which means that they will never carry the thrust of more serious matches but this is a discussion for another time. Any thoughts on the new chanhe geansais sported by both sides today? I think the Kerry kepper's jersey should be our new change kit for the future.
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Post by sullyschoice on Feb 1, 2015 23:29:12 GMT
Where I was sitting you could have been forgiven for thinking they were filming a new series of Hardy Bucks. If I heard another gob*e shouting "where is Cormac Reilly" i thought I would go mad. I can only presume they hit the pubs early.
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Post by westarebest on Feb 2, 2015 0:17:11 GMT
Mayo just looked sharper today and we can have no gripes. David Moran, Paul Murphy and Johnny Buckley all showed well with Jack Sherwood well involved. The rustiness was there for all to see but it was not unexpected. I see us having a very good year with a stable as fit as possible and raring to go. Whether we like the league or not it is here to stay for the moment until we have a meaningful championship structure that our players deserve. The league amounts to a series of challenge matches which means that they will never carry the thrust of more serious matches but this is a discussion for another time. Any thoughts on the new chanhe geansais sported by both sides today? I think the Kerry kepper's jersey should be our new change kit for the future. How can you possibly say Paul Murphy and Johnny Buckley played well today! It was the worst game ive seen Paul Murphy in a Kerry jersey, defensively he was poor he was caught for the second goal and seemed at times as if he didn't want to be there! Johnny Buckley ran into trouble several times fair enough he made a few nice cathes but his overall ground play was poor! And im sorry but Jack Sherwood is another man whos just not up to Inter County level he may be good to go forward but when it comes to defending he's very dodgy and its not just today ive seen it, in several games he does alot of running into lads causing turnovers rather than letting the ball go fast I know hes young and I hate to be criticising a young lad trying his best but for be hes just not good enough for this level.. I may be wrong but from what I have seen I just dont think he is!
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Post by Mickmack on Feb 2, 2015 8:10:18 GMT
Mayo men rise above Kerry as spoils go west
Monday, February 02, 2015
By John Fogarty
Kerry 0-10 Mayo 2-11: Allianz Football League Division 1: A new league but nothing novel and almost as little to see here.
Eamonn Fitzmaurice suffered his third opening Division 1 defeat as manager. Mayo beat Kerry for the fourth consecutive occasion in this competition. And yet what exactly did it all amount to? Should Kerry lose in Celtic Park next Sunday, let’s hope the last two championships have taught us that the All-Ireland champions and crisis should not be mentioned in the same breath.
And while the game did ensure Pat Holmes’ second coming alongside Noel Connelly began in style, there wasn’t much given away about their blueprint for Mayo.
Their men did succeed in soaking up Kerry pressure and quickly converting it into fruitful attacks but against such mild-mannered opposition, it’s a qualified endorsement.
A look back at Mayo two goals would highlight unforgivable flat-footedness from the home side. Alan Freeman in the first half should never have been allowed to burrow his way across the end-line before he found the net. Kevin McLoughlin’s 52nd minute score, which virtually confirmed a Mayo victory and tasty in its execution, was the sum of an almost uncontested passage of play.
Aside from a few tetchy moments, what was offered up between this pair had as much in common with what they provided in Croke Park and the Gaelic Grounds as the sun that graced those occasions and the snow that blanketed the overlooking MacGillycuddy Reeks yesterday.
Shane Enright’s late withdrawal meant just six from each team were on the field for throw-in yesterday although Mayo’s half a dozen looked sharper than their Kingdom rivals.
Donal Vaughan and Seamus O’Shea looked a fine complement in midfield although the Kerins O’Rahillys’ partnership of David Moran and Tommy Walsh gave them a more honest battle in the second half.
Walsh, in his first appearance for Kerry since the 2009 All-Ireland final, caught two Mayo kick-outs one after the other shortly after coming on at half-time.
He later moved into the full-forward line but was replaced late on after picking up a leg injury.
Moran too looked good claiming ball but found himself surrounded with no way out on too many occasions by the more beaverish Mayo middle third. It was their endeavour, particularly in the first half, that saw them best Kerry, especially on their own kick-outs.
Kerry had put together a 0-3 to 0-1 lead by the 19th minute, the early stages having been held up for a period due to the troubling injury to Evan Regan, who had scored Mayo’s opener. Jason Doherty added another for Mayo before Freeman forced his way past Mark Griffin to slot the ball past Brendan Kealy. Four minutes, Regan’s replacement, Michael Conroy, then availed of a Keith Higgins break from a misplaced Bryan Sheehan hand-pass to dissect the posts. Vaughan found his range in the 31st minute and Mayo had established a four-point lead. Barry John Keane ended a painful 13-minute barren patch for Kerry with a fisted score only for Mayo to reel off another hat-trick of points before the break to lead 1-7 to 0-4.
After a Seamus O’Shea score, points from Michael Geaney and Keane followed by a David Moran 45 and a Keane free gave most of the 8,123 crowd (although Mayo were supported in numbers) something to shout about.
By now Kerry had jettisoned their first-half tactic of trying to isolate Paul Geaney on Kevin Keane in the inside line.
“We felt we would try it,” remarked Eamonn Fitzmaurice. “Paul is strong over his head. To be fair to Kevin Keane, he did very well. He was strong in the air and it didn’t work for us. We possibly didn’t vary it and it wasn’t coming off. We’re ring-rusty and that decision-making and (lack of) chemistry I keep referring to, hopefully we can improve on it.”
Just when Kerry looked to have purpose, they lost focus when Mayo won a free 30 metres out. Perhaps assuming a shot at goal, the free found Mark Ronaldson who was given too much space to find McLoughlin and he placed his shot perfectly to a top corner.
Mayo joint-manager Noel Connelly acknowledged it couldn’t have come at a better time. “Alan had a lot to do but he showed great composure,” Connelly said of his team’s first goal. “Kevin is always capable of scoring a goal like that. We needed it at the time.”
Mayo followed it up with Conroy’s fourth point and saw out the remainder without Rob Hennelly ever being troubled. They themselves came close to a third goal when Mikey Sweeney’s pass across the goal went untouched in the 65th minute. By that stage, several Kerry fans had already or were leaving the premises but not too despondent. Mayo’s meanwhile enjoyed the scoreline, yet not too triumphantly. Each set mindful they were treated as much as subjected to a phoney battle.
Scorers for Kerry: BJ Keane (0-4, 1 free); P Geaney, D Moran (1 45, 1 free) (0-2 each); K O’Leary, M Geaney (0-1 each).
Scorers for Mayo: M Conroy (0-4); J A Freeman, K McLoughlin (1-0 each); J Doherty (0-3, 2 frees); E Regan, D Vaughan, S O’Shea, D O’Connor (0-1 each).
KERRY: B Kealy; M Griffin, P Kilkenny, F Fitzgerald; J Lyne, J Sherwood, P Murphy; D Moran, B Sheehan; M Geaney, K O’Leary, J Buckley; S O’Brien, P Geaney, BJ Keane.
Subs for Kerry: T Walsh for B Sheehan (h-t); Philip O’Connor for K O’Leary (48); J McGuire for J Lyne (blood 54-56); C Keane for BJ Keane (57); J McGuire for P Geaney (61); D Casey for S O’Brien (65); A Fitzgerald for T Walsh (inj 68).
MAYO: R Hennelly; S Coen, K Keane, K Higgins; L Keegan, C Barrett, P Durcan; S O’Shea, D Vaughan; K McLoughlin, A Gallagher, J Doherty; E Regan, M Ronaldson, A Freeman.
Subs for Mayo: M Conroy for E Regan (blood 11); D O’Connor for A Gallagher (44); A O’Shea for A Freeman (48); M Sweeney for M Conroy (inj 58); C Boyle for C Barrett (58); E Varley for M Ronaldson (61); B Moran for S O’Shea (69).
Referee: M Deegan (Laois).
60 SECOND REPORT
Game-changer
Kevin McLoughlin’s 52nd minute goal. Mayo’s lead grew to six and Kerry weren’t doing enough to trouble their opponents’ goal to mount a fightback.
Talk of the town
The return of Tommy Walsh would have topped the agenda but for the result and his injury. Instead, it was Mayo’s hunger which was most appealing.
Did that just happen?
Those Mayo jerseys. Glorified training tops. Seems to us a cynical means of picking up a few more bob from supporters.
Best on show
Donal Vaughan provided the Mayo midfield with a great dynamic and worked well with Seamus O’Shea. Jack Sherwood performed well for Kerry.
Sideline superior
Kerry had to resort to short kick-outs such was Mayo’s ferocity on their restarts. The long ball to Paul Geaney wasn’t so effective.
The man in black
Maurice Deegan played the advantage rule extremely well. Coped well in a difficult, edgy game but players winning kick-outs were given little consideration.
What’s next?
Kerry visit Derry on Sunday on the same day Mayo entertain Tyrone in Castlebar.
© Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved
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Post by buck02 on Feb 2, 2015 9:45:31 GMT
Its all well and good saying it was the first game, they are only back from holidays and so on but yesterday was about a few lads who weren't on the starting 15 last year sticking up their hands and claiming a jersey this year. Unfortunately that didn't happen for any of the lads in question. Other than David Moran I'm not sure did many others win their direct battle.
Nice to see Jack Sherwood get a full 70 minutes under his belt, he looked nervous on the ball but he should give another option this year. Pity Kerry couldn't get a ball to kick into Tommy Walsh when he went in full forward, as soon as he went off then a big high one was kicked in which epitomised the day for me. Hopefully Tommy's injury wont be serious.
Mayo's ability to tackle was something that our management will have noted once again but they were assisted in this by a referee who, in my view, decided to allow Mayo to tackle in 3's or 4's (and turned a blind eye to jersey pulling in the process), while when our fellas did it the whistle was blown - and not for over-carrying.
Huge crowd from Mayo in Killarney yesterday, out of the 8,000 I would say there was surely 2,000 from Mayo. They do tend to get very excited about a league game though.
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Post by themanhimself on Feb 2, 2015 9:55:16 GMT
Massive crowd in Fitzgerald stadium for the game yesterday, great Mayo support AND they all managed to stay in their seats.
Mayo have a lot more work done, that's what it boiled down to IMO,
Kerry full forward line had Mayo in trouble early on but didn't make it count.
Gave away a few sloppy early scores but sure how bad, Its only the 1st of Feb.. What does Joe Brolly think?
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Post by kerry97 on Feb 2, 2015 10:45:04 GMT
We will walk this All Ireland in 2015 if we have 36 better players than Gavan O'Grady, Conor Cox and David Culhane.
Objectively analysing the previous two leagues and yesterday we don't.
Then again the management know best.
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Post by veteran on Feb 2, 2015 10:48:13 GMT
Kerry started brightly and kicked some nice scores. In the meantime, Pa KIlkenny decided to do a little hornpipe in possession, lost it and Mayo were given a present of a point. A signpost of what was to come for Pa and indeed Kerry. Mayo were relentless, as is their wont, in tackling, surrounding and, as a result dispossessing an opponent. That modus operandi was employed from start to finish and had Kerry gasping at the end. From the point of view of surrounding and smothering Kerry players it was an unhappy throwback to the 2003 Tyrone semifinal. Seven points was the winning margin and it could have been greater.
One has to hand it to the Mayo supporters. In spite of experiencing endless heartbreak, they keep on loving the old game. Leaving aside Cork, who live just up the road, I don't think I have ever seen a larger support for a visiting team. They gave a thundering welcome to their team and , needless to say, they acknowledged a superb victory with a more raucous outburst. It is unlikely, that any county love football more than Mayo when you consider their lack of championship success for a generation. God only knows how they would greet that championship success. If they achieve it this year, even at the expense of Kerry, I will be the first to applaud them.
The one thing I will not applaud them for is this new fangled jersey. predominantly black with the merest of nods to one of their traditional colours, green. It is gaudy. Whatever happened to the rule that teams revert to their provincial colours when there is a clash of jerseys. To compound my annoyance, Kerry played in blue even though there was no need to in the circumstances. Jettisoning the green and gold for frivolous reasons irks me like few other things do. Tradition and soul is not for sale.
What of Kerry? Well, once Alan Freeman got his goal it was apparent that Mayo's attitude was more ferocious than Kerry's and this became more apparent as the game went on. Our corner backs, beaten all day, looked woefully vulnerable and while we were getting ball at midfield the delivery in was substandard. While we struggled, two unwelcome manifestations of Kerry football over the past couple of years came to the surface. One was the high, poorly directed ball into the forwards and the other was the falling back of our half forward line so that there was acres of space not being occupied by a Kerry forward. It is very difficult for halfbacks, and indeed midfielders, to connect with inside forwards in a meaningful way when you have such a prairie to traverse. That prairie was more often than not filled by the fitter, full of running Mayo lads.Conversely, guys who are labouring on winter fuel haven't the acceleration or indeed the will to power into those spaces. Hence, yesterday's debacle. It is not Eamon's philosophy to tolerate that approach and we can safely assume that he will not be advocating more of the same in 2015.
In fairness to Kerry, they did increase the tempo for a while in the second half, inspired by the herculean David Moran, and at one time the deficit was reduced to three points. Shrewdly, Mayo brought on a fresh and eager Aiden O'Shea and he played a prominent role in repelling Kerry's fight back. Kevin McLoughlin rounded Paul Murphy for a great goal. That was it. The tent was now folded.
Pa Kilkenny struggled badly on his opponent. If he is retained for the trip to Derry, he will need to play it simply and dispense with an inclination to get involved in rows. Fionn Fitzgerald played in the corner and surprisingly conceded four points to Michael Conroy. The mode of the concession of the goal to Alan Freeman looked bad for Mark Griffin but I will say two things in his defence. Football is a strange game in the way that what was once a rule infraction now, due to the infringement being ignored by referees, becomes an integral part of the game. I speak about the handing off of an opponent. It is rampant and Alan, in the process of scoring his goal, judiciously handed off Mark and got away with it just as other players employ the same tactic with impunity. Now it maybe that this particular rule has been revoked but I cannot recall that happening. The other defence I would make of Mark is, that incident aside, I felt he did well. Indeed, as far I can recall Alan Freeman was replaced later.
Jonathan was solid without being spectacular. He was up against a good opponent in Jason Doherty ,who scored four points in Limerick, and conceded little. I was very pleased with Jack Sherwood at CHB. He was excellent in the first half, perhaps less so in the second half. His direct opponent was replaced. Paul Murphy was below his high standards. I wouldn't worry too much about this little ferret.
David Moran was colossal at times. He made some remarkable catches and pointed two forty fives. Mayo seemed to employ a tactic of surrounding him when he came down and too often for me the referee gave a free against David for over holding. He deserved better from an unsympathetic referee. Bryan Sheehan made a modest contribution in the first half and did not come out for the restart. Did he get any opportunity to kick a free? I cannot remember one. Amazing.
I felt Kieran O'Leary did well on the forty and was surprised when he was replaced. I certainly would have replaced his two colleagues in the half forward line before him.
BJK scored three points and, again, I was surprised when he was replaced. Paul Geaney was supplied with ball that not even KD could manage. He did kick a great point in the first half. Stephen O'Brien never took off.
Tommy Walsh came on at midfield in the second and, considering all the circumstances, I was delighted with him. He looked lean and mean and climbed up for a few skyscrapers. Worryingly, he limped off with an ankle injury. It would be a shame if he misses out on a few games which he desperately needs before things starting getting serious.
One of the subs Kerry brought on was Philip O'Connor from Cordal. Philip is a tall, rangy, skillful player and he has impressed me on the few occasions I have seen him play. But sweet Lord, he desperately needs to get into the gym in order to strengthen those pins before he is ready for this level of football.
So, a disappointing day out. Before the sages say it, I know it is only the first game of the year. The problem about losing the first game at home is that you are putting yourself under immense pressure, as the NFL progresses, to retain your division one status which is vital in my view. As that pressure increases the temptation is to prematurely bring guys who need a rest and who may be recuperating from an injury. The other downside is that by bringing back the established guys an opportunity is being lost to apprentice others. And finally, winning is a good habit. But I concede the sky will not come tumbling down because of yesterday.
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Post by northkerry4ever on Feb 2, 2015 10:58:33 GMT
Morning all,
Sure the evenings are gently starting to linger on a while longer and Competitive football is back. Lovely crowd in Killarney yesterday. Sadly the game only amounted to a few moments of intensity but Mayo are 2 weeks ahead of our boys and it showed. Whenever Kerry were getting going they took the sting out of it and got easy scores. The full back line got a roasting, Fionn Fitz was still in Cape town id say but no worries about him for the year. David Moran was a marvel to watch and when his legs were gone after about 55 mins the game was up. He single-handedly kept us going and is in my humble opinion our most important player and has been from semi-final time on last year.
Roll on Derry next week, if we could squeeze something out up there we well not be too badly placed. They have a couple of weeks to get lads back into it after that so lets not push the BIG RED BUTTON yet.
Ciarrai Abu.
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Post by wornout2 on Feb 2, 2015 11:58:30 GMT
Baffling why Conor Cox wasnt in the squad at the very least. Obviously fit and in good form given that he kicked 9 points for UCC during the week. Game was disappointing but we've been here before and it's nice to give Maypo their annual win over the kingdom. Thought Jack Sherwood was a positive despite not looking too confident on the ball. Moran was good too in patches against a strong mayo midfield. Thought a lot of aimless passes were lofted on top of Paul Geaney throughout but he battled hard
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Jigz84
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Post by Jigz84 on Feb 2, 2015 12:18:34 GMT
Kerry started brightly and kicked some nice scores. In the meantime, Pa KIlkenny decided to do a little hornpipe in possession, lost it and Mayo were given a present of a point. A signpost of what was to come for Pa and indeed Kerry. Mayo were relentless, as is their wont, in tackling, surrounding and, as a result dispossessing an opponent. That modus operandi was employed from start to finish and had Kerry gasping at the end. From the point of view of surrounding and smothering Kerry players it was an unhappy throwback to the 2003 Tyrone semifinal. Seven points was the winning margin and it could have been greater. One has to hand it to the Mayo supporters. In spite of experiencing endless heartbreak, they keep on loving the old game. Leaving aside Cork, who live just up the road, I don't think I have ever seen a larger support for a visiting team. They gave a thundering welcome to their team and , needless to say, they acknowledged a superb victory with a more raucous outburst. It is unlikely, that any county love football more than Mayo when you consider their lack of championship success for a generation. God only knows how they would greet that championship success. If they achieve it this year, even at the expense of Kerry, I will be the first to applaud them. The one thing I will not applaud them for is this new fangled jersey. predominantly black with the merest of nods to one of their traditional colours, green. It is gaudy. Whatever happened to the rule that teams revert to their provincial colours when there is a clash of jerseys. To compound my annoyance, Kerry played in blue even though there was no need to in the circumstances. Jettisoning the green and gold for frivolous reasons irks me like few other things do. Tradition and soul is not for sale. What of Kerry? Well, once Alan Freeman got his goal it was apparent that Mayo's attitude was more ferocious than Kerry's and this became more apparent as the game went on. Our corner backs, beaten all day, looked woefully vulnerable and while we were getting ball at midfield the delivery in was substandard. While we struggled, two unwelcome manifestations of Kerry football over the past couple of years came to the surface. One was the high, poorly directed ball into the forwards and the other was the falling back of our half forward line so that there was acres of space not being occupied by a Kerry forward. It is very difficult for halfbacks, and indeed midfielders, to connect with inside forwards in a meaningful way when you have such a prairie to traverse. That prairie was more often than not filled by the fitter, full of running Mayo lads.Conversely, guys who are labouring on winter fuel haven't the acceleration or indeed the will to power into those spaces. Hence, yesterday's debacle. It is not Eamon's philosophy to tolerate that approach and we can safely assume that he will not be advocating more of the same in 2015. In fairness to Kerry, they did increase the tempo for a while in the second half, inspired by the herculean David Moran, and at one time the deficit was reduced to three points. Shrewdly, Mayo brought on a fresh and eager Aiden O'Shea and he played a prominent role in repelling Kerry's fight back. Kevin McLoughlin rounded Paul Murphy for a great goal. That was it. The tent was now folded. Pa Kilkenny struggled badly on his opponent. If he is retained for the trip to Derry, he will need to play it simply and dispense with an inclination to get involved in rows. Fionn Fitzgerald played in the corner and surprisingly conceded four points to Michael Conroy. The mode of the concession of the goal to Alan Freeman looked bad for Mark Griffin but I will say two things in his defence. Football is a strange game in the way that what was once a rule infraction now, due to the infringement being ignored by referees, becomes an integral part of the game. I speak about the handing off of an opponent. It is rampant and Alan, in the process of scoring his goal, judiciously handed off Mark and got away with it just as other players employ the same tactic with impunity. Now it maybe that this particular rule has been revoked but I cannot recall that happening. The other defence I would make of Mark is, that incident aside, I felt he did well. Indeed, as far I can recall Alan Freeman was replaced later. Jonathan was solid without being spectacular. He was up against a good opponent in Jason Doherty ,who scored four points in Limerick, and conceded little. I was very pleased with Jack Sherwood at CHB. He was excellent in the first half, perhaps less so in the second half. His direct opponent was replaced. Paul Murphy was below his high standards. I wouldn't worry too much about this little ferret. David Moran was colossal at times. He made some remarkable catches and pointed two forty fives. Mayo seemed to employ a tactic of surrounding him when he came down and too often for me the referee gave a free against David for over holding. He deserved better from an unsympathetic referee. Bryan Sheehan made a modest contribution in the first half and did not come out for the restart. Did he get any opportunity to kick a free? I cannot remember one. Amazing. I felt Kieran O'Leary did well on the forty and was surprised when he was replaced. I certainly would have replaced his two colleagues in the half forward line before him.BJK scored three points and, again, I was surprised when he was replaced. Paul Geaney was supplied with ball that not even KD could manage. He did kick a great point in the first half. Stephen O'Brien never took off. Tommy Walsh came on at midfield in the second and, considering all the circumstances, I was delighted with him. He looked lean and mean and climbed up for a few skyscrapers. Worryingly, he limped off with an ankle injury. It would be a shame if he misses out on a few games which he desperately needs before things starting getting serious. One of the subs Kerry brought on was Philip O'Connor from Cordal. Philip is a tall, rangy, skillful player and he has impressed me on the few occasions I have seen him play. But sweet Lord, he desperately needs to get into the gym in order to strengthen those pins before he is ready for this level of football. So, a disappointing day out. Before the sages say it, I know it is only the first game of the year. The problem about losing the first game at home is that you are putting yourself under immense pressure, as the NFL progresses, to retain your division one status which is vital in my view. As that pressure increases the temptation is to prematurely bring guys who need a rest and who may be recuperating from an injury. The other downside is that by bringing back the established guys an opportunity is being lost to apprentice others. And finally, winning is a good habit. But I concede the sky will not come tumbling down because of yesterday. Can't agree with that. O'Leary was awful, his distribution in particular shocking. Mikey Geaney was the best performer in the half-forward line.
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Post by kerrygold on Feb 2, 2015 12:58:38 GMT
Kerry started brightly and kicked some nice scores. In the meantime, Pa KIlkenny decided to do a little hornpipe in possession, lost it and Mayo were given a present of a point. A signpost of what was to come for Pa and indeed Kerry. Mayo were relentless, as is their wont, in tackling, surrounding and, as a result dispossessing an opponent. That modus operandi was employed from start to finish and had Kerry gasping at the end. From the point of view of surrounding and smothering Kerry players it was an unhappy throwback to the 2003 Tyrone semifinal. Seven points was the winning margin and it could have been greater. One has to hand it to the Mayo supporters. In spite of experiencing endless heartbreak, they keep on loving the old game. Leaving aside Cork, who live just up the road, I don't think I have ever seen a larger support for a visiting team. They gave a thundering welcome to their team and , needless to say, they acknowledged a superb victory with a more raucous outburst. It is unlikely, that any county love football more than Mayo when you consider their lack of championship success for a generation. God only knows how they would greet that championship success. If they achieve it this year, even at the expense of Kerry, I will be the first to applaud them. The one thing I will not applaud them for is this new fangled jersey. predominantly black with the merest of nods to one of their traditional colours, green. It is gaudy. Whatever happened to the rule that teams revert to their provincial colours when there is a clash of jerseys. To compound my annoyance, Kerry played in blue even though there was no need to in the circumstances. Jettisoning the green and gold for frivolous reasons irks me like few other things do. Tradition and soul is not for sale. What of Kerry? Well, once Alan Freeman got his goal it was apparent that Mayo's attitude was more ferocious than Kerry's and this became more apparent as the game went on. Our corner backs, beaten all day, looked woefully vulnerable and while we were getting ball at midfield the delivery in was substandard. While we struggled, two unwelcome manifestations of Kerry football over the past couple of years came to the surface. One was the high, poorly directed ball into the forwards and the other was the falling back of our half forward line so that there was acres of space not being occupied by a Kerry forward. It is very difficult for halfbacks, and indeed midfielders, to connect with inside forwards in a meaningful way when you have such a prairie to traverse. That prairie was more often than not filled by the fitter, full of running Mayo lads.Conversely, guys who are labouring on winter fuel haven't the acceleration or indeed the will to power into those spaces. Hence, yesterday's debacle. It is not Eamon's philosophy to tolerate that approach and we can safely assume that he will not be advocating more of the same in 2015. In fairness to Kerry, they did increase the tempo for a while in the second half, inspired by the herculean David Moran, and at one time the deficit was reduced to three points. Shrewdly, Mayo brought on a fresh and eager Aiden O'Shea and he played a prominent role in repelling Kerry's fight back. Kevin McLoughlin rounded Paul Murphy for a great goal. That was it. The tent was now folded. Pa Kilkenny struggled badly on his opponent. If he is retained for the trip to Derry, he will need to play it simply and dispense with an inclination to get involved in rows. Fionn Fitzgerald played in the corner and surprisingly conceded four points to Michael Conroy. The mode of the concession of the goal to Alan Freeman looked bad for Mark Griffin but I will say two things in his defence. Football is a strange game in the way that what was once a rule infraction now, due to the infringement being ignored by referees, becomes an integral part of the game. I speak about the handing off of an opponent. It is rampant and Alan, in the process of scoring his goal, judiciously handed off Mark and got away with it just as other players employ the same tactic with impunity. Now it maybe that this particular rule has been revoked but I cannot recall that happening. The other defence I would make of Mark is, that incident aside, I felt he did well. Indeed, as far I can recall Alan Freeman was replaced later. Jonathan was solid without being spectacular. He was up against a good opponent in Jason Doherty ,who scored four points in Limerick, and conceded little. I was very pleased with Jack Sherwood at CHB. He was excellent in the first half, perhaps less so in the second half. His direct opponent was replaced. Paul Murphy was below his high standards. I wouldn't worry too much about this little ferret. David Moran was colossal at times. He made some remarkable catches and pointed two forty fives. Mayo seemed to employ a tactic of surrounding him when he came down and too often for me the referee gave a free against David for over holding. He deserved better from an unsympathetic referee. Bryan Sheehan made a modest contribution in the first half and did not come out for the restart. Did he get any opportunity to kick a free? I cannot remember one. Amazing. I felt Kieran O'Leary did well on the forty and was surprised when he was replaced. I certainly would have replaced his two colleagues in the half forward line before him. BJK scored three points and, again, I was surprised when he was replaced. Paul Geaney was supplied with ball that not even KD could manage. He did kick a great point in the first half. Stephen O'Brien never took off. Tommy Walsh came on at midfield in the second and, considering all the circumstances, I was delighted with him. He looked lean and mean and climbed up for a few skyscrapers. Worryingly, he limped off with an ankle injury. It would be a shame if he misses out on a few games which he desperately needs before things starting getting serious. One of the subs Kerry brought on was Philip O'Connor from Cordal. Philip is a tall, rangy, skillful player and he has impressed me on the few occasions I have seen him play. But sweet Lord, he desperately needs to get into the gym in order to strengthen those pins before he is ready for this level of football. So, a disappointing day out. Before the sages say it, I know it is only the first game of the year. The problem about losing the first game at home is that you are putting yourself under immense pressure, as the NFL progresses, to retain your division one status which is vital in my view. As that pressure increases the temptation is to prematurely bring guys who need a rest and who may be recuperating from an injury. The other downside is that by bringing back the established guys an opportunity is being lost to apprentice others. And finally, winning is a good habit. But I concede the sky will not come tumbling down because of yesterday. Fully agree regarding the jerseys. I don't get the obsession with changing the Kerry jersey at the drop of a hat. When we go to see Kerry playing we want to see some form of the Green and Gold on the players backs. Mayo's jersey is now predominantly red while Kerry are predominantly green, what is the fuss all about? I agree re the new Mayo second kit, it is a shocking attempt............... Hard to read too much into the game with only about 4-5 of Kerry's championship 15 starting.
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seamo
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Post by seamo on Feb 2, 2015 13:01:12 GMT
Baffling why Conor Cox wasnt in the squad at the very least. Obviously fit and in good form given that he kicked 9 points for UCC during the week. Game was disappointing but we've been here before and it's nice to give Maypo their annual win over the kingdom. Thought Jack Sherwood was a positive despite not looking too confident on the ball. Moran was good too in patches against a strong mayo midfield. Thought a lot of aimless passes were lofted on top of Paul Geaney throughout but he battled hard On talent/skill/form you are right...but intercounty football is about far more than that. Does Conor Cox and some others actually have the bottle and commitment to go the extra mile to win an All Ireland? He didn't last year! Backs were against the wall last year, Star could have retired at the same time Cox left the panel by choice but he stuck it out and got his reward. Kieran O Leary has been on the Kerry panel sacrificing a lot for many years now without much recognition. He stuck it out when times were sh!t for him not getting game time; he got his reward last year. If Eamon doesn't trust Cox's commitment yet because of last year then it's understandable.
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Post by kerry97 on Feb 2, 2015 14:44:36 GMT
Baffling why Conor Cox wasnt in the squad at the very least. Obviously fit and in good form given that he kicked 9 points for UCC during the week. Game was disappointing but we've been here before and it's nice to give Maypo their annual win over the kingdom. Thought Jack Sherwood was a positive despite not looking too confident on the ball. Moran was good too in patches against a strong mayo midfield. Thought a lot of aimless passes were lofted on top of Paul Geaney throughout but he battled hard On talent/skill/form you are right...but intercounty football is about far more than that. Does Conor Cox and some others actually have the bottle and commitment to go the extra mile to win an All Ireland? He didn't last year! Backs were against the wall last year, Star could have retired at the same time Cox left the panel by choice but he stuck it out and got his reward. Kieran O Leary has been on the Kerry panel sacrificing a lot for many years now without much recognition. He stuck it out when times were sh!t for him not getting game time; he got his reward last year. If Eamon doesn't trust Cox's commitment yet because of last year then it's understandable. Did Barry John Keane not spend the Summer of 2013 in Boston... On the basis of what you've said above should Barry not have had the bottle and commitment and toughed it out we were only two minutes away from beating Dublin. I like Barry and felt they were dead right to bring him back in straight away.I feel Cox is deserving of the same.
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G_S_J
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Post by G_S_J on Feb 2, 2015 14:48:44 GMT
Barry John and Kieran Leary are just not doing it for me! BJK seems to be a better to bring on over the course of a game rather than from the start. I think it's probably worth reminding, Barry John scored three very good points from play and was our best forward. Taking him off I think Fitz seen enough and was happy with what he got out of him. You could fault him other days, but not yesterday.
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Post by gamechanger10 on Feb 2, 2015 15:08:30 GMT
Pa Kilkenny struggled badly on his opponent. If he is retained for the trip to Derry, he will need to play it simply and dispense with an inclination to get involved in rows. Fionn Fitzgerald played in the corner and surprisingly conceded four points to Michael Conroy. The mode of the concession of the goal to Alan Freeman looked bad for Mark Griffin but I will say two things in his defence. Football is a strange game in the way that what was once a rule infraction now, due to the infringement being ignored by referees, becomes an integral part of the game. I speak about the handing off of an opponent. It is rampant and Alan, in the process of scoring his goal, judiciously handed off Mark and got away with it just as other players employ the same tactic with impunity. Now it maybe that this particular rule has been revoked but I cannot recall that happening. The other defence I would make of Mark is, that incident aside, I felt he did well. Indeed, as far I can recall Alan Freeman was replaced later.
Veteran you posted this earlier and I am at a loss as to how Freeman got away with that exchange, he literally foot tripped griffin before he scored the goal. I suppose they are the breaks in the game sometimes you get them and some you don't. Mayo were crowding the mid field area and we were repeatedly running into the quagmire, our delivery was poor and a few guys had bad days but after all it is the first of February so don't press the red button Fr Dougal...
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Post by givehimaball on Feb 2, 2015 15:17:52 GMT
Worth remembering how inexperienced our 6 defenders were as a unit - the following is the number of league games they have featured in prior to yesterday
Pa Kilkenny 4 Mark Griffin 9 Jack Sherwood 6 Jonathan Lyne 18 Fionn Fitzgerald9 Paul Murphy 7
Now that's league games featured in, so you can be sure that there is a serious chunk of 5/10/15 minute sub appearances in there. If it showed number of games started I think the point would be even more stark, in showing that the defence as a whole was very much closer to the inexperienced than experienced side of the scale.
As a comparison the defenders that were missing have the following number of league appearances
Marc Ó Sé 79 Aidan O'Mahony 78 Killian Young 36 Shane Enright 25 Peter Crowley 20
That's just league figures, things would look much starker if i bothered to look at the championship figures or number of minutes of intercounty experience.
Even in terms of subs - out of the 5 subs brought on - 3 were making their debut for Kerry at senior, 1 was playing in his 2nd game for Kerry, while the other was making his 7th appearance at this level which meant the lad who has been in OZ for the last 6 years was by far and away the most experienced of our subs.
The transition doesn't end just because Sam is back home again. Eamonn is still very much in the process of building a team at the moment.
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seamo
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Post by seamo on Feb 2, 2015 15:30:41 GMT
On talent/skill/form you are right...but intercounty football is about far more than that. Does Conor Cox and some others actually have the bottle and commitment to go the extra mile to win an All Ireland? He didn't last year! Backs were against the wall last year, Star could have retired at the same time Cox left the panel by choice but he stuck it out and got his reward. Kieran O Leary has been on the Kerry panel sacrificing a lot for many years now without much recognition. He stuck it out when times were sh!t for him not getting game time; he got his reward last year. If Eamon doesn't trust Cox's commitment yet because of last year then it's understandable. Did Barry John Keane not spend the Summer of 2013 in Boston... On the basis of what you've said above should Barry not have had the bottle and commitment and toughed it out we were only two minutes away from beating Dublin. I like Barry and felt they were dead right to bring him back in straight away.I feel Cox is deserving of the same. BJK did spend a summer in Boston. I didn't say Cox didn't have the bottle and commitment for intercounty football!! I said he didn't have it last year. Retirements, Star and Declan struggling with injuries, Colm out for the season; there were places to be won last year. The panel and manager were under ALOT of pressure last year due to poor performances early on. If I was the manager (and lets face you'd feel the same way) I'd feel more than a little bit let down if a guy decided to head away on holidays (yes heading to the states for ~3months is a holiday)rather than show a certain level of commitment. Conor Cox and anyone else is more then entitled to do as they wish, but don't expect to have it both ways. Last years win was so satisfying because it was so hard won, that unifies a panel. I'm not saying Cox shouldn't or never will play for Kerry again, just that he needs to work damn hard to do so and if Eamon feels that he can never trust him in this respect then he's perfectly entitled to do so.
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keane
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Post by keane on Feb 2, 2015 15:47:18 GMT
On talent/skill/form you are right...but intercounty football is about far more than that. Does Conor Cox and some others actually have the bottle and commitment to go the extra mile to win an All Ireland? He didn't last year! Backs were against the wall last year, Star could have retired at the same time Cox left the panel by choice but he stuck it out and got his reward. Kieran O Leary has been on the Kerry panel sacrificing a lot for many years now without much recognition. He stuck it out when times were sh!t for him not getting game time; he got his reward last year. If Eamon doesn't trust Cox's commitment yet because of last year then it's understandable. Did Barry John Keane not spend the Summer of 2013 in Boston... On the basis of what you've said above should Barry not have had the bottle and commitment and toughed it out we were only two minutes away from beating Dublin. I like Barry and felt they were dead right to bring him back in straight away.I feel Cox is deserving of the same. Barry John was dropped from the panel before he went to America, I believe it was after being battered by Donegal in one of the early league games although I wouldn't swear to that. Not sure what the Cox situation is, people probably reading too much into the panel selection for one game tbf.
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Feb 2, 2015 15:52:09 GMT
Veteran you posted this earlier and I am at a loss as to how Freeman got away with that exchange, he literally foot tripped griffin before he scored the goal. I suppose they are the breaks in the game sometimes you get them and some you don't. Mayo were crowding the mid field area and we were repeatedly running into the quagmire, our delivery was poor and a few guys had bad days but after all it is the first of February so don't press the red button Fr Dougal... Refs are never going to give a free out for a defender being handed off... I had a good view and I couldn't see any trip.
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G_S_J
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With greatness already assured, history now awaits.
Posts: 647
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Post by G_S_J on Feb 2, 2015 16:15:58 GMT
On the issue of new jersey's, I don't see any problem with county's branching out and trying to sell a few of them. Both shirts looked well I thought yesterday. As for the people buying them they're hardly being held at gunpoint to do so, believe it our not a nice new shirt is something that can be enjoyed, you might see them as suckers, but they can chose how to spend their money anyway the please. There is a demand for merchandise, county boards would be very foolish to ignore that.
The cost of running an inter-county team is going up every year, jersey's are another revenue stream and if people want to buy them I see no issue with that whatsoever. The current shirt deal is three years, compared to soccer or rugby that's hardly over kill.
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mandad
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Post by mandad on Feb 2, 2015 17:08:58 GMT
Undoubtedly the performances of some players was a good bit below what is required at this level. Most of them have been panel members for a while now and deserve their opportunity to show what they are made of. I think its fair to say that Kerry were putting up a decent fight back until Aidan O'Shea and a few other of the established players on the Mayo side were introduced.
The most disappointing think that I brought away from the game yesterday was the awful mess that persistently occurs when a player fields a high ball or goes to the ground in possession. As far as I can see the tactic seems to be that the opponents crowd in on top of the player with one handed tackles that some referees regard as acceptable but others adjudicate on totally differently. In my judgment high fielding is probably the finest skill in the game but is now more of a liability in the inconsistent way it is being refereed. I think we are fast approaching the stage where the 'mark' will be introduced or maybe that when a player in possession goes to ground he should be allowed to regain his feet within a limited period of time without being challenged -IMO.
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Post by fenit67 on Feb 2, 2015 17:40:37 GMT
westarebest please highlight in my post where I said that I thought any of the players played well, the exact words please! What I did write was naming some players that showed an eagerness to be involved in the play. Despite this being a performance below his own standards I saw Paul Murphy being ever willing to get involved although he was rounded too easily for the goal. Johnny Buckley and Jack Sherwood also got involved despite the latter being handicapped by a yellow card. David Moran had a fine game but it is difficult to name other players who were willing to get stuck in apart from those mentioned. Carrying the ball into contact has given us many problems before but it has been remedied and Kerry do have the muscle but there seemed to be a certain lethargy yesterday. I trust Eamonn to have the plan for the year already worked out. What is important is game time for those returning from injury and those that are in the 30.
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