Jason Ryan has this morning named his team for Sunday’s league opener with our lads. Here it is:
Kildare (NFL Division One v Mayo, 2/1/2014): Shane Connolly; Mick O’Grady, Mick Foley, Hugh McGrillen; Kevin Murnaghan, Emmet Bolton, Paul Cribbin; Tommy Moolick, Gary White; Cathal McNally, Eoghan O’Flaherty, Sean Hurley; Paddy Brophy, Darroch Mulhall, Padraig Fogarty.
There’s not a huge amount more I can tell you about this team, to be honest (I can’t even list their clubs – I hate it when official teamsheets omit these details). What I can say, though, is that apart from swapping out goalkeepers – with Shane Connolly coming in for Mark Donnellan – it’s the same team that started last Sunday’s O’Byrne Cup final against Meath, a match that the Lilywhites won by four points. Compared to their last properly competitive match, however – their Round 4 qualifier loss to Tyrone in late July last year – there are just five survivors for Sunday: Shane Connolly, Hugh McGrillen, Emmet Bolton, Eoghan O’Flaherty and Paddy Brophy. So we can safely conclude that it won’t be just us that’s experimenting with new players at St. Conleth’s Park the next day.
Think kildare half backline is very attacking, midfield is mobile and ff drops very deep leaving a two man ff line. They handpass a lot and try and work it up the pitch. They work hard when not in possession and generally make life hard. The kickouts are aimed to the wings. They are ahead of us in fitness and gametime so may not go out way. But still hopeful……
Higgins v Bolton should be interesting as Keith will be more than comfortable tracking Bolton back if he decides to leave his position. I don’t think he will though because Kildare will be very aware of the dangers of leaving Higgins unattended to on their own 40. McGrillen v McLoughlin looks like a total mismatch though, I cannot see Kevin getting much there.
Andy is a great leader and an asset on any team. He is a real nice guy also, fully dedicated to the cause. He is not for giving up on this quest, lets hope he can inspire his team mates in 2014. When he spoke in Castlebar on Sept 23 last year you would believe every word he said. It came from the heart.
Interesting reading the poll, most supporters believe a Kildare victory is on the cards – had to agree. They had a comfortable win against the Royals. Big, physical side with a hard-working midfield and the young lads coming through the AFL programmes have added to that. Cribbin looks like All Star material.
They did give away a lot of ball, handing Meath some easy scores but that might just be O’Byrne cup syndrome. Keep an eye out for Darrach Mulhall, no.14 but more of a roving centre-forward who can point from distance. Colm Boyle should be picking him up.
In regards talk about freeman think we will have to wait and see if Freeman is named on the subs sunday, if not i think there is something wrong and unfair is going on, if he is named fair enough no one is entitled to guaranteed starting place
Its actually very interesting to note that three of Mayo’s forwards for the game on Sunday, started out their football careers as defenders. Keith Higgins, Kevin McLoughlin and Andy Moran all played in defence in the past. We’d all love to see Keith Higgins having a great game but its interesting to note in his time (limited so far) as a forward, he has scored one point from play against Dublin. He also hit the post against Tyrone and had one wide, checked by hawkeye against Dublin again. He did set-up Donal Vaughan’s goal against Donegal too. As a defender he was probably averaging almost a point a game. Now is the time to experiment so we’ll see how it goes. Last year Aidan O’Shea was tried at CHF and it didn’t really work for him. Lee Keegan was tried at LHF as well, and that didn’t work out for him either. I suppose its better, to try and fail rather than not having tried at all. I often think that defenders or midfielders should only be used up front as a last resort. Maybe in the last 10 or 15 minutes of a game, if your chasing a result at that time. Interestingly Keith Higgins actually scored a great goal against Tyrone in the league last year, when coming forward from the back in the last few minutes of that game. It shows that he has a scorers instinct too, maybe he will be a great success. Time will tell, how the experiment will go. IMO I’d prefer to have Andy Moran playing on the half forward line (fitness permitting, he played very well against Roscommon in the FBD league game at CHF, scoring two points) and Alan Freeman at full forward. In an ideal world I’d like to see a forward line of McLoughlin,O’Connor,Moran,Regan,Freeman and Coen in the championship…..
How will tickets be for it?
I think only four of that Kildare team M Foley, H McGrillen; E Bolton P Brophy started the league game against Mayo last year.
Interesting to see Darroch Mulhall playing (I know he played the last day for Kildare and by all accounts played quite well). I saw him play for Athy in the County semi final against Moorefield late last year, he started the game like he was going to destroy Moorefield on his own (had scored 4 points by the 15th minute I think) but then he lost the plot (looked like there was a bit of sledging going on) to such an extent that his performance dropped considerably and he got himself sent off in the second half of the game.
It will be interesting to see how he performs at this level, he is an undoubted talent but volatile.
So long as he’s rediscovered some of his mojo, I wouldn’t worry too much about Mcloughlin. At his best he’s very hard to mark, will probably move out the field from the start and be more of a play-maker. This should release Higgins to use his pace and run at the defence at every opportunity. If we can win our fair share of ball in the middle and our forwards take their chances then a win is very much on the cards.
It’s a small ground I think, so you might be better buying in advance – you can get them in most Supervalus and on GAA,ie. Plus they’re €5 cheaper if you buy before Sunday 🙂
Try Aldi or Lidl.
Kildare snr footbal team has a history of fragility and based upon last weeks match v Meath the present lot has very little tactical awareness (stuck in the 50s) This is Mayo’s easiest away match so if the Mayo boys have any ambition they should have Kildare beaten by halftime. Kildare always strikes me as a team of fancy footballers who do not relish the going when the going gets tough so not an inch and they will wilt as usual.- just ask Meath.
Yeah Mayo Mchale, it would be great to see Kevin McLoughlin get back to his best form alright! I’d actually prefer if he didn’t have the added responsibility of the left sided free taking duties, maybe that affects his performances as well. Remember the 14 yards free that he missed against Tyrone in the All-Ireland semi-final. I’d actually love to see him banging in an odd goal too, he scored a class one against Cork in the 2011 All-Ireland quarter-final. He scored a nice one for Ireland too, in the International Rules series last year. So he is well capable of scoring goals, when he puts his mind to it.
I agree with you on that and hope mayo win I could be wrong though,
Kildare reached the semi final in the league last, i think Westmeath looks the easiest away tie they are really div 2 team.
Cheers.my post should have wrote.how much.I have my own season ticket but my brother s coming with me.wanted to price it for him.
I think your pulling my leg Joe about Aldi and Lidle 🙂
Well you sure dont leave us guessing about how much you think of Kildare
Remember last years league against them?
I would think that Colm Boyle is well equipped to follow any roving full forward and probably do more in attack than the guy he is following. Hand passing is all very well but if it involves defenders moving up in support it can leave big gaps to be exploited by good kick passing and ball winners in the full forward line. Should be interesting.
Disagree strongly with that argument. Kildare have some seriously high quality young players in the 18-22 age bracket. Mulhall, Hurley cribben, fogarty all top class. Much more talent at their disposal than Meath. Plus did they not beat the royals fairly comfortably last week?
Andy Moran is a natural half-forward but moving him inside was a stroke of genius from Horan. Great acceleration, aggressive ball winner and crucially – a goal scorer.
Cillian O’Connor looked lost at 11 last year, give him that free role on the forty and he looks much happier. This will likely be McLoughlin’s role tomorrow with a two man full-forward line – Moran and Coen. Come championship, it should be O’Connor playing off Moran and Freeman and McLoughlin restored to his half-forward role. Mayo need a settled forward line, injuries prevented that last year, that cost us.
make sure to hedge your bets 🙂
Meath had a very experimental team out, with the exception of their full-forwards. Kildare’s team to face Mayo is largely the same one that beat the Royals but remember, a goal could have swung it and they gave Meath enough chances to win it.
Their workrate and pressing was very impressive and I just think that the momentum coupled with home advantage will swing it for them. They destroyed Meath on breaking ball but Higgins and Keegan will make a difference here.
Meath have some serious young players coming through. Leinster championship will be interesting this year.
Its very easy make an argument that we have a history of fragility and tactical awareness as well.
If there as good as the expects say how is it that the dubs hammered them in leister I think it will be a draw
Agree about Higgins. Lots of people here thrilled about his move to CHF but I definitely more comfortable with him at corner back where he has been brilliant for Mayo. He moved to forwards at half time v London was there v tyrone and Donegal and first half v Dublin. He did ok but was not outstanding. I remember Mayo did same thing with Ken Mortimer in 1999 another brilliant corner back. I suppose it reflects the problems we ve had with forwards down through the years Sure we even tried Lee Keegan up front in some league games last year.
Yeah, when you think about it, Mayo and Kildare are two teams that have been there or thereabouts in terms of striving to win some major silverware in recent years but have not been able to get over the winning line in the end. Over the past 25 years all of the top teams have managed to win, during the periods when they have had strong teams, except for Mayo and Kildare. Dublin, Kerry, Tyrone, Cork, Meath, Galway, Armagh, Down, Derry and Donegal have all achieved the ultimate in terms of winning All-Ireland and League titles during their periods of dominance. Maybe it will be a Mayo and Kildare All-Ireland final this year. One of us would have to fall over the line then!
Yeah Mayo3G, I always think that the teams that are most successful in whatever sport, they are involved in, are the teams who have a very settled line-up and each player is totally comfortable in their position and are playing in their best position, that will benefit the team overall. In fairness, our injury problems over the past few years have prevented this happening in Mayo. You’d really hope that this will change this year. Playing the best players in their best positions is key to us being successful in 2014. With the Mayo forward line, there are so many players, combinations etc. that can be tried. I suppose now is the time to try these formations and hopefully the right formula will be settled on by the time the really big games come around, later in the year.
The dubs are the best team in Ireland in fairness! Beat us 3 times last year
We own the dubs big time they beat 3 times so it our turn one overs sorry dub fans
In fairness, you’re promoting Kildare to a higher level than they deserve. To say they were ‘there or there abouts’ in the same arena as Mayo is stretching it. I’d say we’ve walked out of Croker heartbroken as many or more times contesting AL semi-finals and finals than they have Leinster championship finals in the last 25 years.
For me, they’re the perennial moneybags under-achieves right back to the days they poached Fahy and Tompkins from Cork to more recent episodes.
And Kieran McGeeney turned them in to serious muscle men but not a serious football team that could beat the best when it mattered. Felt sorry for the likes of Johnny Doyle through that era!
mayomaningalway
It’s all the TV advertising, I’m losing the run of myself. Many a man developed a high voice from that!!!
You know Meath missed five open goals!!!
Cait, there’s no need to apologise to them Dub, the’re a thick skin’d lot and will take no offence – and you’re right, we do owe them one…….
Remember we lost most of our ‘easy, should win’ games in the league last year. We beat one of the worst Kerry teams ever. (they changed that). So, it’s seriously important to win this year against Kildare, Westmeath and Derry if we really want to stay up. The others, (the stronger ones) will be, as they say, waiting in the long grass.
Yeah in fairness Cloud9, we have been a lot closer to the promised land, than Kildare have been. You’d wonder too if Mayo were playing in Leinster and Kildare in Connaught, they would probably have a slightly better record and ours would be slightly worse, over the past 25 years. When it has come to the crunch both teams have suffered from the same problems, not been able to score enough. Missed chances have cost both teams dearly. If Mayo had Padraic Joyce or Kildare had Bernard Brogran, both teams would probably have got over the line more often. In relation to Shy Fahy and Larry Tompkins, they were actually Kildare men who went to Cork. They were a really big part of why Cork won All-Ireland titles. Both men retired with two All-Ireland medals in their back pockets. Would they have won those if they stayed in Kildare, who knows….
That should be Shay Fahy above…
Your right on Fahy and Thomkins. it’s too early for me to be day- dreaming. What high horse was I on? Apologies to Kildare and indeed yourself on that one!
That’s a fair point, even if its hard to take.
When it came down to it in September it was inches separating both teams, Mayo are very close if they can just find that little bit more all over.
Might also reflect an abundance of attacking half-backs, at least in Horan’s era?
Higgins at 11 is a ball-winning midfielder. Richie Feeney has played this role before to good effect but Higgins probably offers more here. If O’Shea rampages forward, or Vaughan, Higgins can plug those gaps. He’s also very dangerous running the ball down the middle. It suits Horan’s running game even though I’d like to see us mix it up and use the long ball more often.
Mayo have produced more than enough footballers over the years to win an All-Ireland. Kildare have only recently started to get their act together with some promising u21s coming through.
The manager and his backroom team make a huge difference. Horan is a driven man who only wants the best. Mayo can be very thankfull he’s there. Jason Ryan has shown real promise, plus he’s taking over a Kildare team settled in Div.1. That’s essential – Meath, for example had some very talented footballers but they spent years farting about in Div.2 eventually getting relegated before Mick O’Dowd took the reins. Good players went backwards and were eventually dropped, in their prime years.
There’s a moral in that story stay in Division 1 – blood the young lads there.