Monday match reports

Willie Joe

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Photo: Breaking News/Sportsfile

It’s a bit Arctic out there this Monday morning but inside we should be all warm and glowing due to that positive result down in Killarney. So, sit back and we’ll have a look at what’s being said in the papers and online this morning.

Nationals: Irish Independent, Irish Examiner (match report, quotes from Noel Connelly, quotes from Eamon Fitzmaurice), Irish Times.

Locals: Mayo Advertiser.

Others: GAA, RTÉ, The 42, Hogan Stand, Breaking News.

Photos: Inpho, Sportsfile. (Mayo Mick says he’ll have his collection up later on).

Highlights: RTÉ.

All of the above links and more will, in due course, find a permanent resting place in the results archive on the site. Oh, and by the way, the site turned eight yesterday. I know – I can’t quite believe it either.

There’s not much more to report about yesterday. The quotes, such as they are, are measured and low-key, which is what you’d expect and what you’d want to be hearing at this time of year. It was a good opening performance against ring-rusty opposition, no more and no less, so we just bank it and move on to the next challenge.

The one issue worth zeroing in on is Evan Regan’s condition after what was a really nasty-looking fall. The County Board confirmed last night that Evan suffered a fractured clavicle (which, as you should know from biology lessons, is here – it’s a posh term for your collarbone) and Noel Connelly said after the game (quotes linked above) that the unfortunate youngster will be out for six to eight weeks as a result.

Mind you, Evan himself didn’t sound too down in the mouth when tweeting from his hospital bed last night:

Here’s hoping his recovery is speedy and uncomplicated, which, with a clean break, you’d expect it to be.

That’s your lot for this morning. If you haven’t yet voted in the Man of the Match poll, then please do – Kevin Keane is leading the charge at the minute but there’s a frantic three-way tussle going on for second spot involving Jason Doc, Zippy and Mickey C so every vote counts.

74 thoughts on “Monday match reports”

  2. Thanks Willie Joe – excellent service on a Monday morning.

    Looked at ‘League Sunday’ last night. Judging by the commentary it would appear Canning wasn’t at the game and the treatment was shallow in comparison to Cork v Dublin where the camera work was vastly superior and the analysis that bit deeper.

  3. Nice start. Good intensity from our lads and the match seemed to have a real edge, don’t think there is much love lost between the teams. Too many times we view the glass as half empty but it is a massive boost to be able to spring Colm Boyle and Aiden O’Shea from the bench, not to mention Cillian being back in the mix next week. I know it’s early doors but anytime you beat Kerry is a good days work.
    I don’t know how you’d set up the team, maybe Pebblesmeller or one of the better analysts could figure it out, but if we could leave AoS as an impact sub for the last 20 minutes he’d be devastating. Let Seamie and Vaughan or Parsons run the shite out of the opposing midfield for 50 minutes then spring the beast. The damage he’d do to a tired team would be phenomenal.
    Roll on Tyrone.

  4. Great weekend in Killarney. Great to get the two points and that is what they are, 2 points. No need to panic in defeat or get hyped up in victory at this time of year but still pleasing to get any win on the road.

    Great to see Keane play well and Durkan, Doherty (our moved improved player of the past 2 years) and Stephen Coen done well. Huge shame about Regan and I hope he comes back later in the season as he was the one forward I was really looking forward to getting a run in the team.

    Still plenty to work on and neither team (Kerry especially) were in top gear. Huge credit must go to everyone that traveled down in bad road conditions. Over 8,000 in Killarney and just over 4,000 in Cork. They said the Dubs had around 3,000 down, I reckon we had had many in Killarney and they go on about the great traveling dubs….we don’d do too bad ourselves considering our population. Best fans in Ireland.

  5. Enjoyed the trip down I must say and even met my Galway cousin down there who was impressed with the Mayo lads. Was delighted for Keane to have a strong game. He took no shite from them even though guys hanging out of him at every opportunity. The Kerry bucks love a bit of needle and our lads stood up but didn’t getting dragged into it. Some great fluid moves and speed at times was excellent. A lot of running from end to end will surely flake us out though. Suppose it’s all about equilibrium!

    2 Points, chalk it down.

  6. Should also have added my voice to the Happy Birthday chorus. 8? My word.

    Back to the match if there was a silver lining to the Evan Regan injury (and his tweet is a silver lining all of its own), it was the quick thinking of the management to use a blood sub and stretch the rules to our advantage in the substitutions, all of which were pretty effective.

  7. Did anyone notice that kevin mc Loughlain practiced free kicks from wide on the right before the game and yet the free kick after Regans injury was taken short by Conroy when it should have been a tap over for Kevin form the edge of the D.
    A point lost early on .

  8. Catcol, I was impressed by that also. Quick thinking and a smart awareness of the rules. If Fitzmaurice had done that the media would be fawning all over themselves to declare his “cute hoor’edness”. Because our lads did it Brehony maintains that the rule needs tightening up and is open to miss-use.
    Great to see Regans tweet also. Any sort of bone break is 6 weeks minimum so we should see him in action again mid April.

  9. I guess the free taken short he felt a goal chance was on. Maybe they’re being encouraged to setup more goal chances. It would be interesting to see the stats on probability of winning the game if you score one more goal than your opponent. Similar scoring two more goals must surely result in a 90%+ chance of winning the game.
    Sides know now that even an accurate team will still miss around 50% of chances. More important is the volume of scoring chances you create. Dublin are happy to shoot 6 or 7 times for goals in games scoring twice.

  10. Great weekend in Killarney.It was nice to hear some of the Kerrys beside us in the stand complaining about the referee.Maybe we will get most of the 50/50 calls this year.Traffic was crazy after the match.

  11. Happy enough with yesterday’s performance but of course it’s never good to be gettin carried away with ourselves over a league game, so I won’t be. I thought we were pretty much killed in the middle till AOS came in and even at that I’m not sure how you contest with Moran in the air , he’s very very good . If you were to take a negative viewpoint and throw their star forwards into the mix that will be there come the summer with that kind of dominance round the middle it could very well be a different result . SOS distribution off the foot needs to improve .

    Plenty of positives though and one that stood out for me was on at least two occasions Mcgloughlins goal and Conroys point after it , the two boys gained a few inches on their marker and went direct towards goal in front of the chaser , it was great to see as Conroy esp often goes wide . If yea get the half yard , just go , you’ll either get pulled down or create a pop for yourself.

  13. Eight years! Wow! Well done WJ. It doesn’t seem that long ago. I remember another blog from those days ‘tialtngo’ ‘thereisalightthatnevergoesout’. It’s last entry as far as I remember was to do with an u21 match v Leitrim in Cloone under lights. I often wondered what happened to that guy or gal.

  14. Does anyone know if Gavin Duffy travelled yesterday? Supposedly does well in training and it would be nice to see how he looks against Tyrone or the likes. Delighted to see evan regans tweet, he will be back and is a contender for a jersey. The new jersey looks fine too, but I can t help but think the alternative one I’d seen was so much better. Maybe that’ll come out at a different stage?
    Roll on Tyrone

  15. Just a thought on David Moran lording it at midfield – maybe the best way to go is just to let him win the ball and then get a load of bodies round him and strip it off him – I think Tyrone used to use this v Dara O’Shea. If we could get something like this going it would be a huge momentum shift to get him out of a game.

    Just gotta say its great to see Jason Doherty continue to improve – he must be near to one of the first 5 on the team sheet now with the consistency he’s showing

  16. Fundo, Played was stopped for the injury to Evan, and as Mayo had posession when play was stopped they retained possession. The rule states you cannot score from a restarted play after an injury and must kick the ball short.

  17. On the possession after Evan’s injury, Deegan was playing Mayo advantage at the time so he surely should have brought the ball back for the original free. Thought he had a very poor game.

  18. Mickey C looks likely to get GAA player of the week and after all the slagging he got on here about him falling on his hole all the time last year.What we want now from Conroy and all the other lads is CONSISTENCY .Not worth a fuck doing it once every few games. That to me is what has impressed me about DOC.He always had potential he just needed to show consistency and that is what he is doing now.Don’t forget a few years ago he was top scorer in the league and if my memory serves me rite Horan didn’t start him in championship.

  19. Breheny is something else, the Mayo-hating auld miseryguts. Nicely done by the management and demonstrates a smartness that we could do with seeing lots more of.

    It’s good to see notes of caution being sounded here but at the same time, while Kerry would undoubtedly be a challenge later in the year (if we get to encounter them) I don’t feel we need to be showing them any deference either. We were every bit as good as them last year and I am becoming increasingly confident that this year we will be a better, more rounded outfit and crucially, an even tougher team than we were then.

    And let’s not forget we still also have a sharp-shooter of our own to return!

  20. Strong performance. Although one big negative for me was the performance of Seamus O’Shea. Holding onto the ball too long, picking impossible passes that never came off, going into contact over and over. Numerous times Kerry were closing in on him in numbers and he just kept the head down and carried on soloing. It cost us against Dublin in the league last year when Connolly dispossessed him, it cost us in the championship at vital times against Kerry and if left unchecked it will cost us again. Id be leaning towards Vaughan replacing him tbh, who put in a more measured and intelligent performance yesterday.

  22. On the kickouts, the Cork goalie kept them short to ensure possession. I was surprised that we kept kicking long, when we were not winning possession. That apart, a fine performance with lots of positives. Roll on Tyrone.

  24. Happy 8th Birthday WJ!
    Thanks for keeping us all so up to date on the goings on of Mayo GAA!

  26. MayoForEver, Keane did well on Donaghy when he was brought on in Limerick.

    I have criticised the man before but he deserves nothing but praise and encouragement when he plays well, keep it up Kevin.

  27. Presume we will see some more new faces against Tyrone. Douglas? Dravins? Darren McHugh? Caolan Crowe? A couple of these should be worth a chance based on FBD reports. And what of U21s?: Irwin? Roughneen? Reape?

    And we still have Cathal Carolan to come back. His speed, aggression and ability to score are all important assets.

  28. Congrats WJ great site and great to have football back. always nice to beat Kerry .Lads looked well up for it. Looking forward to a great year. good to hear about Regan as that looked nasty. Great stretch in the evenings too. role on

  30. True Grit and Mayoforever – you obviously didn’t read the post I wrote on Sunday morning concerning what’s okay and what’s not okay to say about particular players in the comments in the 48-hour post-match window. I’ll repeat what I said then, i.e. anyone making criticisms about particular players following a match is required to stick to specifics about the game in question. You clearly failed to do this in the comments you both made and so I’ve deleted them. House rules 11 and 17 apply (and please take the time to read the rules – they’re here). Any further infractions on this point from either of you will see you suspended from commenting for a 2-week period.

  31. That’s a fantastic photograph. Look at the intensity on Barrett’s face. No Mayo man getting pushed around there – and the ball isn’t even in play.
    Mayo’s soft centre is gone. It says good to witness it’s passing.

  32. Mayoforever, sorry to read you’re in such despair after three wins from four in Noel and Pat’s first month of management. I can only imagine how desolate you must have been in the days when we were losing championship games to Longford. They must have been hard days for you indeed! They’ve tried 50-odd players but learned no lessons? Well, that’s just plain lazy of them really!

    Given your frustrations, it stands to reason that you *must* have some credible alternative suggestions. For example, where is the 6ft 2′ full back that should be wearing the no. 3 jersey hiding? And for om where is this much-needed second Padraig Joyce-esque marquee forward going to magically appear from? Under what bench in what quiet clubroom are these shy messiahs hiding and how on earth can we coax them out into the light?

    Noel and Pat are awaiting your call! 😀

  33. Its the 3rd of Feb first trip out in League how could anyone be too negative?
    I’d be expecting to see some more experimenting for Tyrone game.

  34. I have to say the lads are looking particularly bulked up this year.

    The likes of Freeman and McLaughlin who previously were maybe considered to be some of our less physical players looked much bigger than their Kerry counterparts. Freeman was very strong for his goal.

    All of our under 21s looked massive too. Adam Gallagher was a physically slight guy this time last year while Partick Durcan wasnt the biggest guy when he played with Mitchels in the final.

    By contrast the Kerry 22 when he came on looked more like an under 16 footballer getting his first run out for the senior team. Most of our lads biceps were bigger than his legs. I can’t imagine a similarly slight footballer no matter how talented being selected for Mayo. I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing ?

    Barry Solan having a positive impact?

  36. The more I look at the new away top, the more I like it. Thought it looked top class yesterday.

  37. No need for anyone to criticise players or management.we had a good win yesterday away to kerry.its early days yet no all Ireland was won or lost in February! Noel and pat will be trying to make some changes to both playing style and playing personnel over the league that’s what it there for to get us ready for championship battle.it seems our half back line won’t be bombing forward at every opportunity this year theres a time to hold and a time to press.quick delivery of the ball and not carry into tackles needs to be worked on as does hitting every kickout down the middle.but it’s early days the daffodils aren’t out yet! Some great positives to take some younger lads Like Coen and Durkan and d o Connor and regan have a lot to offer and some of our other lads like Mickey c but in a massive performance as did Keane who deserves massive credit .great to see Doherty playing great what an all round footballer.final note to anyone criticising players or management no player goes out to play a bad game no manager goes out to pick a bad team and if Ya think Ya can do better get a pair of boots and head up to mchale park training on tue night!

  39. Apologies Willie Joe! Did not intend to offend! Will observe the rules of engagement in future! To be honest I was not aware of them! Fully supportive of players and management. Kevin Keane is a terrific footballer but has not the physique for edge of the square! We are close to getting it right in Mayo but will only do so with ‘ eyes wide open’

  40. Willie joe I was wondering what the general supporters thought of an alarmingly high number of Mayo supporters constantly shouting sarcastic and indeed abusive slurs and insults at a number of Kerry players yesterday, also the constant shouting of Cormack O Reillys name when there was any type of a tackle or contact on the field. I only say it because almost everyone was commenting on it afterwards, about ten feet to me left yesterday in the stand a Mayo supporter challenged another Mayo man in relation to his constant jibes etc, it got a little heated and the complainant told the loudmouth to shut his f**k*** mouth and not to make a laughing stock out of the Mayo people ahd he told him a few other home truths as well, !! I am sure there are a few of your bloggers that must have seen it as it got a little heated, anyway it worked as he quietened down. Nobody minds a little heckling when the players are hot and heavy at it on the field but these ongoing jibes when there was no tussle or critical exchanges taking place on the field. ?? There are always a small handful of these kind of supporters at games from all counties and more particularly from the ulster Provence, what I am saying is it is not something you would associate with mayo on this particular scale.

  42. Sorry to hear that Gamechanger10,
    I don’t agree with anyone abusing any player on the pitch. No doubt the offender would say , he had his reasons, like some Kerry players and supporters treatment of our players and supporters in Limerick. As you say , we all have them and I was really surprised at the venom of some of the Kerry supporters , when they had just won the game.Ill never forget the abuse dished out to an old Mayoman on the street , by a gang of thugs. I never expected that from Kerry and hope we don’t have it from our own again.

  43. I wasn’t there, Gamechanger, so I can’t really commment on who was saying what in the crowd yesterday. Limerick last year is, as you’ll understand, still a very raw wound from our perspective but, as the saying goes, I reckon revenge is best served as a cold dish.

  44. In front of me there was a Mayo and Kerry man getting fairly heated. From what I recall was that the Mayo lad turned to the Kerry .an and expressed his satisfaction of the second goal. The Kerry man then got up and grabbed him by the shoulder. I don’t condone any of that shite. Ya have to keep a cool head in the heat of the moment. If you can’t you have no place in the stand.

  45. Hi Gamechanger10 and apologies for a Dub and a Kerry man talking on this site but there are good and bad in every crowd. I have been embarrassed by what I have seen on the Hill over the years and I am sure at times we all want to tell some of our supporters to shut the F”*K UP. I have been abused with my sons and wife for being a Dub by country people in Croker and I am sure the opposite is the same for some country families but you know that’s fairly rare and the majority of all fans are sound and good people, cheers.

    Kind Regards,
    Martin the Dub

  46. First and foremost I have always thought kk had a lot to offer, as I remember him when he was a minor marking bj keane and keane was taken off, obviously his confidence suffered after donegal, but last year he played well when he came on, so full marks to jh and now pat and noel for staying with him, I think we will see the best of him this year. Now I would not read too much into yesterday, only to say any time we beat kerry is good not because they beat us last year but because they are a very good team . Also I have always found kerry supporters very fair and good sportsmen and ladies, so while banter is part of going to matches, blaguarding is not on . anyway hopefully I will be proved wrong in my pessimism for this year . finally wj congratulations on eight years it is a brilliant site

  47. @The Maestro
    Seamie O S he maybe had an off day yesterday but the lad doesn’t owe us anything.
    In my view and I’m sure its the same for many supporters is that SOS has been our most consistent midfielder if not one of the most committed all round players for the last few years.
    And to echo some of the sentiments above this is February, Mayo have just played their first competitive game, we need some perspective on all notions regarding management, tactics, player positions,etc. etc.

    Gamechanger1
    I Wasn’t in Killarney myself, but I’ve seen this shite actin at other games unfortunately there is always a few, and as you say this exists in all counties mind you I’ve often heard supposed Mayo fans shouting serious abuse at their own players as well; its probably got something to do with the frustration of not getting over the final hurdle after so long, might make for interesting PhD on Psychoanalysis or something, inside the mind of a negative Mayo fan.

    Anyhow the few with this chip on their shoulder just need to let it go and move on, that’s what the players do committed people that they are and of course most supporters as well.
    We’ll get there yet!

  48. Was at the match with a couple of buddies and a couple of Kerry guys as well. Only banter and craic was had by us. We had a great night the night before.

    Scotts first for a bit of grub. off up to the Laurels for few and then had a look in The tatler. Didn’t think much of the tatler so went up to Courtneys. Great spot. Finally ended up in the middle in the porter house where bumped into Lee keegan’s oul fella as well as James O’Donoghue and his buddies on a night out.

    O’Donoghue is a sound young fella. No airs or graces about him.

    Capped it off with a fine victory the following day. But I don’t think Eamonn Fitzy is too bothered considering all the panel he has yet to call upon into that team.

    all in all though overall a great weekend. Only drawback was traffic outta Killarney which was a bit of a balls. But sure nothing in life is 100%.

  49. Thanks Willie Joe for providing such a great site and service. Happy Birthday.
    Great start and good to see the lads with a bit of an edge to them. They stood up to pulling and dragging and disruptive stuff Kerry went on with. Good to see Keane have such a good game, Doc. too. Was disappointed to see no variation to the kick-out’s with Moran lording it around the middle especially after what he did to us in Limerick.
    Best wishes to Evan Regan was looking forward to seeing him stake a claim on that No 13 jersey.

  50. Well folks it is refreshing to see that the realistic people that travelled acknowledge the failings of the constant abusers. I am not prudish and I fully understand the explosive nature of watching one of your colour bearers being upturned or tackled unfairly, it is tribal and it evokes unexpected and strange responses in us all.
    The point I am trying to make is that sometimes victory and defeat are hyjacked by emotions that do not realistically represent our characters and can then be snatched and sold as the supposed reflection of a team and those that support them. I have no doubt that there are many Mayo supporters that have very negative experiences with opposing supporters and we are no different believe me. Nephin, that story about ignorant thugs abusing an old Mayo supporter suggests to me that those pr**ks should have saved their dole money to travel to a rangers V celtic clash no time for those types or their ilk, size ten and a good days work comes racing to mind.

    I know that limerick was a difficult pill to swallow for Mayo and that regardless there will be a bit of bite between these two two teams but hurtful and personal insults are never acceptable from any quarter and especially when the fat is NOT in the fire. The general consensus from most Kerry and Mayo fans in this guys vicinity was thank Christ someone shut him up and I thinK it was more celebrated due to the fact that it was a genuine Mayo supporter that challenged him.

    Now that we are being honest ,,, what’s the opinion on Freemans trip on Griffin before the first goal,,, I must say it was outrageous but fair play to him he got away with it, it is actually hilarious and I must say a skill of its own ?? Don’t get me wrong as sometimes you get away with the odd one but this is really worth a look and a hats off to him it was a beauty ….

  51. Ps. Willie Joe I forgot to congratulate you on a great site, well done it is always interesting even when the Kerry folk are in the cross hairs ,, I know it must take serious time and effort so congratulations and hats off for the effort and professional control you exert over your site..

  52. Gamechanger10, love your rant there on the dole collectors needing a size 10 and a good days work lol. Your spot on to be fair.

    Hope to see darren coen get a run against Tyrone, i dont know what it is, but every time i see him im convinced he has all the attributes to be a top class Inter county forward. He jus needs to piece it all together. With regards to the bulking up of certain players, i certainly noticed gallager has swelled and donie an doc have gone up another notch too, not so sure bout kevin mc, hes a hardy little fucker so i dnt think he needs to pump much iron (like dillon).

  53. Gamechanger10, I had a pretty nasty experience in Limerick last August when we were playing Kerry. A guy sitting behind us hit me from behind (yes, hit me) and roared at me to “sit the f**k down*. (Bear in mind the gradient (or lack of!) in that stand in Limerick, and the fact that everyone in front of me was also standing to see what was going on down the far end of the pitch.) Now I made sure to let everyone around me know what he had done and made a bit of a show of him, but I got one hell of a shock.

    He eventually sheepishly apologised and slunk off after the final whistle but it was probably the most unpleasant experience I have ever had at a game in over 25 years of attending. I pitied his wife.

    But it wasn’t a Kerryman who was responsible, it was one of our own, which proves that class isn’t exclusive and that imbeciles come in all colours.

  55. John Fogarty would be better employed investigating how Mayo have been abused by inept referees not applying the rules in either the letter or the spirit of those rules rather than bladdering on about how Mayo have cynically exploited a loophole in the blood sub rule.

  56. Hi.WJ. I too like Mayoforever had not read the rules. I apologise. I too am a supporter of the team and management,and looking forward to the year ahead.

  57. **************** Happy Birthday MAYO GAA BLOG **************************

    We had a fantastic win in Kerry and we deserve to be happy about it. We have some promising new players coming up and generally speaking look to be in fairly good shape. I am pleasantly surprised by our new look team and very happy.

    That said no one is getting carried away. We had some glaring problems around midfield but as a blogger recently said, a Tyrone surround approach may be the only answer for dealing with the likes of Moran. He is truly a fantastic player.

    It was wonderful to beat Kerry by 7 points in Tralee but it in no way settles the score for Limerick last year. The Stats were bandied here earlier that Kerry have beaten us 7 out of 9 times in the Cup, we have done the same to them in the League. The Sam Maguire is the only place to get revenge and even meeting them this year will be tough task.

    As for John Fogarty and the media in general. All they spoke about last year was the shocking Dublin defeat. While the reality was they were well and fairly beaten on the day by a switched on Donegal. Mayo however, were unfairly beaten in an All-Ireland Semi Final. The Ref played to an agenda and Kerry used every dirty trick in the book and even invented some. E.g. Fat Arse lying on the ball, the masqueraded time wasting brawls etc. The Ref gave them the game and essentially handed them an All-Ireland. Our friends in the media awarded Fat-Arse a MOTM and spoke about that shocking Mayo fan and how he should be banned from life.

    While I don’t want to harp on about last year – it is important we do not forget. The media should be criticised for not highlighting what happened. Our team were good enough to win last year but being good enough is not enough. There seems to be other battles that need to be won also.

  58. Yes Anne-Marie, crap from Fogarty. But, we should be careful here about the road ahead. Mayo have handed out serious hammerings to a number of teams – Cork and Donegal especially and have put Dublin, Tyrone, Down, to the sword. Not to mention our Connaught rivals.

    These teams are out to get us, Cork especially. Make no mistake we are seen as street wise and tough and that provides serious motivation for opposing sides. We have to anticipate this and counter it. Kerry were prime examples of this – all because they were underdogs!

    We need to be even tougher and smarter, but we shouldn’t be surprised if the opposition spend a lot of time on our case.

  60. Yew-langer , in fairness I never said he owed us anything either, so I don’t know what that is about. Im simply commenting on his performances, both this one and a few previous ones. I have outlined what I believe is a problem, there is nothing personal there, nor should people assume there is any time someone has some constructive criticism to add. That is how you improve both individually and as a unit. Both O’Shea’s have a tendency to take 4 steps, a solo, and another 4 steps before they get their heads up and survey what they need to do. Aidan is bigger so doesn’t get turned over as often, but can still be slow to release to a runner. I don’t see what purpose ignoring this serves. Do you?

    We are in the business of being the best we can be. The time for standing back admiring great works of the past is when guys are retired.

  61. What I think we need is to see is Patrick Durkan , Diarmuid o Connor and I had included Evan Regan to play every single minute of the league . Get them ready . Pat Durkan has a great attitude and will step up and O Connor is a great athlete and needs matches to toughen up mentally but it had to be in the DNA

  62. Just Watched the game back there and noticed the Co- commentator kept referring to Mickey Conroy as ”Mickey Conway”…. Surely TG4 would have provided them with programs for the game beforehand. There seems to be a Lazy Attitude shown towards this team year on year by the national media.

  63. Nice to see us keep a clean sheet with not even a hint of a goal scoring chance for the opposition. Good to see the aggression in the No.3 shirt & the composure in the No. 6 shirt. Could these two be related I wonder. I guess we will have to wait for other days to see if this set-up is a runner going forward.
    We do have a problem with our ball transference by foot extending all the way from kickouts to transference into the forwards from midfield.
    Our midfielders have a huge workrate & are an incredible nuisance for the opposition but footpassing is not their strong point.
    This is putting a big strain on our forwards in comparison with the other top contenders.
    TheMaestro is correct in identifying the problem. The level of turnover we had on Sunday will kill us later in the year if repeated.
    However last Sundays’ effort was more than satisfactory.

  64. Anyone know the deal on the following guys?

    Parsons,
    Feeney,
    Cunniffe,
    Harrisson
    Drake
    Jason Gibbons
    Cathal Carolan

  65. As far as I know JPM, the position with the players you mentioned are as follows:

    Parsons (injured)
    Feeney (available, I think – hasn’t been selected yet by new regime)
    Cunniffe (injured)
    Harrison (injured)
    Drake (available, played against Roscommon in FBD)
    Gibbons (available, started in two FBD matches and featured in all three)
    Carolan (close to being available again, exactly a year since his cruciate injury).

  66. Gibbons and Drake played in the FBD. Did I see Feeney down for one of the colleges teams or did my eyes deceive me? I assume Carolan is still rehabbing from his cruciate, no more than Colm “The Knee” Cooper. Haven’t heard anything about Cunniffe, Parsons or Harrison, although I’m sure Cunniffe’s squad place is not in any doubt.

  67. Well done WJ on your great service to all of us. I usually check in several times a day. Couldn’t live without it now.
    JPM, I know Cathal Carlon is on the way back and saw Tom Parsons just before the new year with his ankle in a plaster. Don’t know anything about the other lads.

  68. Thanks for the update on the guys.

    And by the way Willie Joe happy birthday. At this stage it might sound like old news but this is a Fabulous site and fair play to ya for having the hard work, patience and perseverance to keep it going through thick and thin.

    Regards
    JPM

  70. Happy Birthday WJ and thanks for all your hard work. Eight years old – you’ll soon be out of the short trousers ! The site is absolutely invaluable now and the first port of call for anything to do with the Green and Red.

    I agree with you Maestro re SOS – a player I really admire and one of our best over the past few years but he needs to let the ball go quicker, particularly when he gets the ball in defensive positions. My heart is in my mouth when I see him soloing from deep as a turnover there can lead to a goal chance.

    Adding to that list of players up there, does anybody know the situation with Conor O’Shea and Danny Kirby ?

    Maybe we need 3 O’Sheas and 2 O’Connors to finally lift Sam – just a thought !

  72. Just a point on Kevin Keane to those who reckon he “has not the physique for a full back”. Stand beside him. That will tell you all you need to know.
    For any further doubters regarding his “lack of physique” read the match report from the New York game. His double hook to the Yankee full forward was a thing of beauty. He hit him so hard that his grandparents felt it! Skill level, footballing ability or difference in experience had nothing to do with it. It was sheer brute strength in a 1-on-1, man-to-man, exchange.
    I’m delighted to see him coming back to form (albeit it is only the first game of the season yet) because before the Donegal final I reckoned he was a nomination for an All-Star. People forget how good he was that season. Hopefully we will see it again this season.

  73. I think Pebblesmeller he was showing hints of that form last season too. I’ll hold my hands up and say I was a doubter but I’m delighted to see him proving his ability. Looking forward to seeing more.

  74. Agree that kevin Keane is an excellent player and has a fine physique but has he the height for full back? It’s alright arguing that a player is playing his position

    well at the moment and indeed against certain opponents might fill the full back role well but I trust that NC and PH will have a contingency plan if faced with a Murphy, a Star or a Brogan in August or September. JH was a brilliant manager but not having command of the square in big matches cost us dearly! By the way I think Ger Cafferty is too good a footballer not to have on our team. We should also resurrect the spirit of a Eugene Lavin or a Martin Furlong who both commanded the square and took man and ball if their space was invaded! By the way I am also aware that Roscommon andGalway are a real danger this year.

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