Oh No.
Although it's not quite time to start the 'bring back Barry' campaign, I've never been more depressed as a Meath supporter leaving a match.
Yes we were missing Crawford, GG TD and Bray, but the most worrying aspect for me is the reversion to limited players already tried and discarded by previous regimes. Michael Burke continues to look like a player that won a competition in the Chronicle to play for his county. What people see in Peadar Byrne is beyond me. Rory Maguire didn't get a kick. The two new Rathkenny boys were quiet, but in fairness to them it was their first time out and they need experience.
The most disappointing aspect for me is that the players that seemed to be making progress last year have been either discarded or dropped - I'm thinking Peter Curran, Mairtin Doran, Barry Lynch (not even on the panel I believe), Niall McLoughlin (although he came on as sub). How Mark Ward isn't one of the first names on the team sheet I don't know.
The less said about the match the better - outplayed, outfought, Meath were shapeless and clueless. Only Moyles and our goalie stood above the morass, although young Eoin Harrington showed enough to indicate why he won player of the year in Meath last year and could be a real prospect.
The forwards were badly off colour, Farrell and Sheridan won a lot of ball, but wasted it.
To summarise on the team:
Murphy - class act, always assured
King & McKeigue - we know they are both too loose to be corner backs - why are we persisting with him
Fay - Welcome back - didn't have too much to do
Kenny - How long must this go on?
Reilly - OK, but gave too many frees away
Harrington - a welcome addition
Moyles - good performance, but patently not a midfielder - perhaps a centre forward a la Cassells ?
Donegan - quiet
Byrne & Burke - ran and ran, but most often without the ball, and when they had it wasted it
Meade - big presence, good goal, little else
Farrell & Sheridan - lot of ball ,wasted most of it, no evidence of a plan or pattern of pla
Maguire - didn't get a kick
Things improved significantly when Mark Ward came on at midfield and started kicking long balls in the full forward line, McLoughlin also looked good in the half forwards and Cian Ward didn't get too much ball.
For the next game, to see some progress I'd like to see Ward and Crawford at midfield, Moyles at Centre forward, Sheridan Full Forward with Bray and Farrell in the corners. McLoughlin and Curran as half forwards. Half back line of King, Reilly and Harrington and Full Back line of Fay and two others that would have to be found before Sunday.
One other thing - anyone else surprised that the likes of Alan Nestor and Shane O'Rourke are not getting a call from Coyler?
Although it's not quite time to start the 'bring back Barry' campaign, I've never been more depressed as a Meath supporter leaving a match.
Yes we were missing Crawford, GG TD and Bray, but the most worrying aspect for me is the reversion to limited players already tried and discarded by previous regimes. Michael Burke continues to look like a player that won a competition in the Chronicle to play for his county. What people see in Peadar Byrne is beyond me. Rory Maguire didn't get a kick. The two new Rathkenny boys were quiet, but in fairness to them it was their first time out and they need experience.
The most disappointing aspect for me is that the players that seemed to be making progress last year have been either discarded or dropped - I'm thinking Peter Curran, Mairtin Doran, Barry Lynch (not even on the panel I believe), Niall McLoughlin (although he came on as sub). How Mark Ward isn't one of the first names on the team sheet I don't know.
The less said about the match the better - outplayed, outfought, Meath were shapeless and clueless. Only Moyles and our goalie stood above the morass, although young Eoin Harrington showed enough to indicate why he won player of the year in Meath last year and could be a real prospect.
The forwards were badly off colour, Farrell and Sheridan won a lot of ball, but wasted it.
To summarise on the team:
Murphy - class act, always assured
King & McKeigue - we know they are both too loose to be corner backs - why are we persisting with him
Fay - Welcome back - didn't have too much to do
Kenny - How long must this go on?
Reilly - OK, but gave too many frees away
Harrington - a welcome addition
Moyles - good performance, but patently not a midfielder - perhaps a centre forward a la Cassells ?
Donegan - quiet
Byrne & Burke - ran and ran, but most often without the ball, and when they had it wasted it
Meade - big presence, good goal, little else
Farrell & Sheridan - lot of ball ,wasted most of it, no evidence of a plan or pattern of pla
Maguire - didn't get a kick
Things improved significantly when Mark Ward came on at midfield and started kicking long balls in the full forward line, McLoughlin also looked good in the half forwards and Cian Ward didn't get too much ball.
For the next game, to see some progress I'd like to see Ward and Crawford at midfield, Moyles at Centre forward, Sheridan Full Forward with Bray and Farrell in the corners. McLoughlin and Curran as half forwards. Half back line of King, Reilly and Harrington and Full Back line of Fay and two others that would have to be found before Sunday.
One other thing - anyone else surprised that the likes of Alan Nestor and Shane O'Rourke are not getting a call from Coyler?