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Just putting this thread up here as I believe we have a lot of coaches on the board and not just GAA coaches. So it's just an opportunity to share ideas and opinions.

My own background is that I have coached rugby for the last 10 years, I am level II (highest amateur level) qualified and have coached underage (16s-20s) club and rep and have coached club senior men's club and rep. Next year though I will be coaching boys u6s rugby and hopefully girls u8 football and maybe boys u6 football. That will be an interesting transition for me but I already have ideas formed and hopefully I can develop a philosophy that ensures everyone has fun but learn new skills as well.

I am a firm believer in a multi-sports approach for kids, and they should be at least 16 before specialising in one sport. Studies have shown that kids who play multiple sports staying playing sport longer into their adulthood, get injured less and have a wider skill base.

A bone of contention for me is the length of season for all sports. For u6-u12 I would limit a season length to 4 months and for u13-u18 6 months maximum. Of course this would be a Utopian dream as it would involve respective sporting bodies sitting down and working on a calendar that fits all, considering most struggle to get any kind of calendar out at all it would probably take divine intervention.

Also if anyone is thinking of coaching stick to underage, to coach adult men not sure about women you need a Phd in Psychology, ironically I have more success in terms of winning trophies at this level but find it the most demanding and least rewarding. Most players at that level at times are quite simply selfish c**nts. Excuse my language.

Certainly didn't expect this but lovely all the same. The Kingdom v The Kings of the Qualifiers/Kings of January, a real battle royal.

Kildare are the GAA equivalent of a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. We are certainly one of those sides that can't seem to marry League success and Championship success. Take 2012 as example, won Division 2 but well beaten by Meath in the Leinster semi-final and went out tamely to Cork in the AIQF. In 2013 we spent so much energy in trying to stay in Division 1 that we were a busted flush come the championship and 2013 is the root of our issues with Dublin.  Dublin hammered Kildare twice in 2013, League and Championship, the league one is pretty annoying as we conceded home advantage to play in CP, allied to these 2 defeats was another hammering in 2014 to Dublin in CP.  Dublin have always had a mental edge on Kildare, just look at the first coming of Micko and Dublin were always there to put us back in our box, people talk about Dublin need a strong Meath or Kildare/Offaly, do they f*ck they love lording it in Leinster, as far as they are concerned it it their divine right, and you know what they are dead right. When it comes to Leinster Dublin are an arrogant shower of wankers but they deserve to be, there is many reasons resources etc but mentally this confidence is a major factor too. So when Kildare played Dublin this year, the media narrative is Kildare will be hammered, Leinster is a mess, fans have no belief, it all becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy aided by a Kildare stuck between a defensive game and our natural game, two bar stools and all that. Now this Dublin have some exceptional footballers and if you were to pick a genuine Ireland team, Brogan, Connolly, Flynn and MDA would be starters and O'Sullivan and McGrath would be on the bench. Still on paper and looking at underage in Leinster over the last 5 years I would expect Kildare to be a lot closer and least look like winning if not winning the odd game in 4.

So coming into the Cork game our wonderful media narrative was Dublin hammered Kildare therefore Kildare are shit, is any other sports media in the country as negative as our GAA scribes (the real keyboard warriors)? Kildare stuggled past Offaly, all the while ignoring the 5 1/2 day turnaround we had but offered to Cork as an excuse on a plate. In the game against Longford many had tipped us to be beaten, we destroyed them but again only lip service, it was after all only Longford. We then go out and destroy Cork yet still many in the media are using Dublin as our benchmark, Dublin are an exceptional team, bar Kerry and maybe Mayo no team would have sustained success in Leinster against this Dublin.

So what's this random collection of thoughts got to do with Kerry, maybe none really but when Kildare are playing with the level of confidence that we have seen over the last 2 games, we can perform. Zero expectation, I give us a tiny chance because Kerry look slightly out of sorts, do they prepare for Kildare and hold something back or do they show their hand. Funny the rebels were saying all week they didn't fear Kildare but Kildare certainly didn't fear Cork, why would we they are probably more mentally brittle than Kildare and Roscommon combined. Do we fear Kerry, of course but we would fear Dublin more.

Expect our mobility and off shoulder running to ask a few questions. Great to be playing Kerry in Croke Park in an All-Ireland Quarter-Final all the same, the spirit of 98 to drive us on...

This will probably be played in Thurles, not a happy venue apart from a league win over Tipp a few years ago and the Trip to Tipp in 90 and 91, our knock-out record here is not great. Kerry beat us in the qualifiers in 2002 with a Brosnan wonder goal the highlight, Kerry beat us in u21 AI final in 2008, Tommy Walsh being the destroyer and last year in the minor AI quarter final beaten again by Kerry. Jesus hopefully the game will be against Cork.

The reward if Kildare win a quarter-final away to Dublin or a quarter-final at a neutral venue against Cork/Kerry. Sure if you're not in the game you can't win.

1/500 Dub
66/1 Draw
25/1 Westmeath

The handicap is 16 points.
4/5 Dublin -16
13/1 Handicap (16) draw
11/10 Westmeath +16



Dublin still look tempting at those odds

From a Kildare perspective this is all about performance, staying within 5 would be good and that's what I would be looking for.

Another double digit defeat to Dublin will be hard too swallow regardless of the gap in standards.

Heart v Mind.

Heart badly wants a Kildare win but the mind doesn't want to see this shambles of a set-up go to CP and suffer yet another humiliating defeat at the hands of Dublin.

Expect it will be a tight game and in those instances it will come down to mental strength and fortitude, the Kildare players are already looking to who the next manger is going to be. This will be a Laois win, 3/4 points.

5 All-Ireland finals in 6 years. Hard to believe he's a Kildare man 

Moving on from fish-hooks, biting and world dominance this is a great story and deserving of it's own thread

the Dublin team took their now very familiar lap of honour around the pitch. But when they came to the spot where super fan Molly McNally was sitting in the stands they made sure to single her out.

Molly was diagnosed with neuroblastoma last year and the Ballbriggan five-year-old has travelled to games with the team in the past.

Paul Flynn, Cian O'Sullivan, James McCarthy and a few more of the team made sure Molly got to hold the cup and feel part of the big win, a really fine gesture by the team.

The video can be seen here..

http://www.joe.ie/gaa/gaa-news/video-dublin-players-take-time-to-celebrate-leinster-win-with-ill-five-year-old-super-fan/

Interesting! Revenge for Monaghan? Venue? Can Monaghan recover mentally? Have Kildare momentum? So many questions!

From here to there.

First ever meeting and a banana skin written all over it.

Couldn't find a thread on this.

Anyhow semi-final stage on Saturday and next Thursday.

Kildare v Laois in Newbridge this Saturday at 3pm and Offaly play Dublin next Thursday night 7 30pm in Tullamore.

Outright Betting

Dublin 4/6
Kildare 11/4
Offaly 4/1
Laois 8/1

Not sure what to expect from the Laois minors, they went down to Wexford Park as underdogs and came away with the win against a fancied Wexford team. Kildare were far from convincing against Westmeath but beat a strong Longford team in Longford. Would be confident of a Kildare victory but with minor teams you can never say.

In the other game I think Offaly might spring a surprise, they have been going well and there are signs that the Dublin conveyor belt is starting to dry up a little.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cHsvXx_vCU

Use the ball or lose your life.

Plenty of ground football, no soloing, no bouncing just let it long and if that doesn't work just let in long....

I'd say it was genuinely brilliant to watch.

Meath after their demolition of Carlow will be strong favourites. Should cover the handicap.

Healthy rivalry!

Louth have played a game.Hard to gauge where Kildare are. Not confident at all.

http://balls.ie/gaa/dublin-hill-16-bandwagon-fans-encapsulated-one-cheeky-video/

We are a bunch of grumpy whingers on the whole so let's share some happier moments...

 Convicted criminal John Gilligan has been shot in Clondalkin. Gilligan seriously injured. Being treated in Blanchardstown hospital

Any good apps out there for stating a live game?

Welcome to hell aka St Conleth's Park!!!