The throw-in up in Letterkenny takes place in around 5 hours so that makes this review of the previews very much an eleventh hour exercise, if that bit of metaphor-mixing makes sense.
Not surprisingly, given (a) our dismal record against them in recent times and (b) our failure to record a single win on their patch over the past fifty years, the Herrin Gutters get the nod from most quarters in advance of today’s encounter. RTÉ backs them, so too does Hogan Stand and Paddy Power has the home side on offer at only 8/11. But the normally cautious Sean Moran in the Times gives us his tentative backing and the straw poll on this site is evenly split between the cup-is-half-full and the cup-is-half-empty camps. So it’s not all doom and gloom – anyone for a draw?
We’ll be doing well to get anything out of today’s game, I reckon, but it’s still a match we could and should win, given that we’re putting out what is probably our strongest side right now against a team showing wholesale changes following the heavy beating they got from Kerry in the opening round. I just hope that everyone else on the team remembers that Barry Moran is that big guy in the no.14 shirt who enjoys having Hail Mary balls pumped into him all day long.
A win would be nice – it is almost eight months since we won our last competitive fixture, after all – but equally important will be the kind of performance the lads produce. We all know they’re capable of far more than that disjointed, insipid effort against Derry and it’d be nice to see them providing some proof if this today.
I’m feeling withdrawal symptoms already over missing today’s match and, given my domestic arrangements for the day, I’m not even sure I’m going to be able to follow the action from Letterkenny in real time. In the hope, however, that I’ll be able to keep an ear reasonably well tuned into the live commentary on Madwest (assuming there is live commentary on Madwest), I’ll shift the Twitter widget back up to top-of-the right for the afternoon and do what I can to provide updates via this medium on how the match is progressing.
I’ll also be back later with a match report (of sorts) but given that I won’t be at the game, my report on it will, by necessity, be far less than the usual first-hand multimedia extravaganza. Instead, it’ll be more like a rag-bag of reheated second-hand observations. Still, if they win you won’t be complaining, now will you? Till later.
For those trying to listen to the match, Highland Radio is streaming it from their website.
http://www.highlandradio.com/streaming.php
following your first half online updates here in Vienna. Looks like the poor mouth chickens are coming home to roost. The lads are beginning to believe Johnno’s bullshit. Playing down expectations is dangerous. Hope the second half is better
Hats off to the lads what a comeback, I’d almost given up hope at half time.
Great commentary and matchplay updates as well WJ.
The world feels a little better than 1/2 hour ago.
great second half by the sound of it. Looks like they finally found the bit of balls that seemed to be missing. i was getting worried about all of the good footballers that might be looking for work in New York there for a while.
Good Stuff. Some comeback..
Thanks for the updates WJ
It was an incredible second half from the sounds of it and the guys who came in really took the game by the throat. It looks like we all need to think again about what our starting fifteen should be – Harte, Sweeney, Ronaldson, Kelly and Conroy all did enough to deserve a starting place next time out.
Hi AFL Scout
Apologies for not getting that comment from you up before the game – I only realised after the match was over that it was there. There was live commentary of the game on Madwest so those of us beyond its broadcasting reach should have been able to tune into that on the internet. I’d say the lads on Highland would have been fairly bemused at full-time!
All the best
WJ
No Bother WJ.
We were streaming Madwest here just after 1pm. When the host gave the rundown for the afternoon, it didn’t include the match, So the rush was on to find another station broadcasting. It was only at Half-Time we realised Mad-West was indeed broadcasting, so we listened to the second half there. Stunned Silence would have been my call from the Highland box..
Cheers..