NFL Divsion 2 2017

[Farrandeelin]

Who needs RTÉ when we have AFA.

[galwayman]

Very good summation of our lads there AFA.
You should be on the big bucks in the Indo rather than Breheny 😀

[mouview]

With regards to the Galway players, Sweeney had a decent first 15 minutes and a couple of good interceptions/pass breakups towards the finish but he got the run around for a large part of that match, being easily turned and left for dead numerous times. He hasn't got back to the heights of his 2015 campaign for Galway by any stretch at this point. Who is there to come in place of him though at the minute?
Kyne was the best of the FB line, wasn't on a power of ball but a good first half block down and a number of decent interceptions.

Not been hugely convinced by the Farragher experiment at CHB, some good aspects but there hasn't been anything leaping out either to suggest that he's the answer there. The entire HB line is in the main good going forward in fairness and I can see the logic in persisting with HB line players who are willing to sally up the pitch at speed, breaking onto hand passes from inside forwards and able a kick a point at the end of the move. The scores that O'Donnell and Heaney (one of Galway's more impressive performers on Sunday) have been consistently getting in every league match from these types of plays are the proof.
Getting turned and having to go back towards their own goal while defending though is a different matter and the FB line are still being put in difficult positions where the HB line isn't able to either track the runner on an attacking move or stop the attack with a dispossession out the field. Galway are still too reliant on turnovers from players being caught by the mass defence instead of individual tacklers gaining the dispossession further out the field from the Galway goal area.
Bradshaw had a massive impact on the match when introduced with intelligent passing, direct movement forward at pace and good support play breaking off the shoulder of the possession holder.
Like the rest of the half backs he is far too loose in general when having to defend though. Mightn't be the worst idea ever to keep him in an impact sub role for when the game gets stretched in the final 15 minutes although I'm sure the player himself would want be on from the start, given that Farragher hasn't nailed down the 6 jersey this could be the case.

Good analysis AFA. Not at all convinced by Sweeney myself; I think his displays 2 years ago were an outlier, he played above himself. Just looks very shaky at corner-back and is very slow and rather cumbersome. I think you're also answering your own question a bit re: Farragher - he's there simply because he isn't like any of the other 3 HBs (Heaney, GOD, Bradshaw), he tends to hold the position and kick pass rather than motor upfield at every opportunity.

I think also the first half has been over-criticised a little; not great football for sure, but the preventable wides both sides kicked made it look worse than what it was. Scores at ht should have been more like 0-10 each which would put a better complection on things. Don't forget also Galway scored 16 times from play, 1 point more than either Dublin or Kerry, which isn't bad going.

[Maroon Manc]

Excellent post AFA and spot on with most of your comments.

We'll still be having the same conversation about no 6 all summer, I'd probably start Farragher against Mayo as he offers something different to Bradshaw, Heaney & O'Donnell.

Despite having 12/13 players inside our own 45 Kildare managed to kick far too many scores. There's  a lack of concentration from our lot, part of the problem is that their are too many of them back there and you can see the problems its causing and players just passing their man onto the next man. On so many occasions Kildare didn't have to do anything special to score a point, players just weren't reacting to runners and it led to Kildare finding enough space to kick a score without any pressure been applied. It was part of our downfall against Tipp and something that needs to be worked on and we simply just don't make enough turnovers given the numbers we have back.

[Dinny Breen]

Poor championship so far for us. Cork and Clare beat Waterford and Limerick by a point, Fermanagh and Derry hammered.

[OgraAnDun]

Poor championship so far for us. Cork and Clare beat Waterford and Limerick by a point, Fermanagh and Derry hammered.

Should be 3 wins for the Division 2 teams this weekend.