NFL Division 2 2010

[thejuice]

An Dún v Tiobraid Árann (by 3-5pts)
Laois v Ard Mhacha (by 2-4pts)
An Mhí v An Iarmhí (by 5-7pts)
Cill Dara v Dún na nGall (by 1-3pts)

[Trevor Hill]

Down (NFL v Tipperary) - Brendan McVeigh, Daniel McCartan, Brendan McArdle, Damien Rafferty, Kevin McKernan, James Colgan, Conor Garvey, Ambrose Rodgers, Kalum King, Conor Maginn, Martin Clarke, Paul McComiskey, Conor Laverty, John Clarke, Brendan Coulter.

Subs - Declan Alder, Aidan Brannigan, Stephen Kearney, Peter Fitzpatrick, Paul Greenan, Mark Poland, James McGovern, Gerard McCartan, Mark Doran.

[western exile]

Down (NFL v Tipperary) - Brendan McVeigh, Daniel McCartan, Brendan McArdle, Damien Rafferty, Kevin McKernan, James Colgan, Conor Garvey, Ambrose Rodgers, Kalum King, Conor Maginn, Martin Clarke, Paul McComiskey, Conor Laverty, John Clarke, Brendan Coulter.

Subs - Declan Alder, Aidan Brannigan, Stephen Kearney, Peter Fitzpatrick, Paul Greenan, Mark Poland, James McGovern, Gerard McCartan, Mark Doran.

obvious omission there is Danny Hughes.  Is he unavailable?

[Trevor Hill]

Down (NFL v Tipperary) - Brendan McVeigh, Daniel McCartan, Brendan McArdle, Damien Rafferty, Kevin McKernan, James Colgan, Conor Garvey, Ambrose Rodgers, Kalum King, Conor Maginn, Martin Clarke, Paul McComiskey, Conor Laverty, John Clarke, Brendan Coulter.

Subs - Declan Alder, Aidan Brannigan, Stephen Kearney, Peter Fitzpatrick, Paul Greenan, Mark Poland, James McGovern, Gerard McCartan, Mark Doran.

obvious omission there is Danny Hughes.  Is he unavailable?

Daniel is on best man duties at Ronan Sextons wedding tomorrow.

[RMDrive]

Donegal team for Sunday

M Boyle
J Keaney
N McGee
K Lacey
A Thompson
F McGlynn
K Cassidy
N Gallagher
B Monaghan
F McNulty
D Walsh
S Griffin
C McFadden
M Murphy
C Dunne

[Dubh driocht]

Down, Laois, Meath and Donegal all to win.

[Onlooker]

According to Aertel the game in Newry ended as a draw - Down 0-14; Tipperary 1-11.  That is a fine performance by Tipp, especially as Down had lost to Tipp in extra time in the Div. 3 Final last year and would be taking nothing for granted tonight.

[Dinny Breen]

Down, Laois, Meath and Donegal all to win.

After those predictions I'm now actually confident Kildare will win 

[Donnellys Hollow]

Here's hoping.

Pity for us Westmeath and our neighbours from down the M7 couldn't hold out for draws tonight. Must win game tomorrow. Puts us right back in the hunt for promotion if we win it. Lose and we might as well forget about Div1 football for another year.

[Dinny Breen]

Here's hoping.

Pity for us Westmeath and our neighbours from down the M7 couldn't hold out for draws tonight. Must win game tomorrow. Puts us right back in the hunt for promotion if we win it. Lose and we might as well forget about Div1 football for another year.

Absolutely, not confident at all but it is imperative we get off to a good start, quite an attacking side but have a feeling Newbridge will suit Donegal and could be a 2 point swing either way kind of game.

[Onlooker]

An Dúnv Tiobraid Árann
Laois v Ard Mhacha
An Mhí v An Iarmhí
Cill Dara v Dún na nGall

I think the Saturday night games are bankers for Down, Armagh and Meath, but I think Kildare may be in much better shape for the visit of Donegal than they were for in the opening round. There will definitely be a surprise result after the 3 week lay off, I hope this is the game that gives it to us.

You were really on the button regarding the probability of a surprise result after the 3 week lay off.  Thankfully, for Tipperary that surprise was in Newry.  I did not expect that Tipp would get a draw, but that result gives us an outside chance of avoiding relegation, by finishing ahead of Laois and Westmeath.  It is still a long shot, but not impossible.  After tonight Down and Tipp have played 3 times in the league in the last 2 years, with 1 win each and a draw.  You can't get much closer than that.  Down are still very much in the promotion mix IMO.

[J70]

Here's hoping.

Pity for us Westmeath and our neighbours from down the M7 couldn't hold out for draws tonight. Must win game tomorrow. Puts us right back in the hunt for promotion if we win it. Lose and we might as well forget about Div1 football for another year.

Absolutely, not confident at all but it is imperative we get off to a good start, quite an attacking side but have a feeling Newbridge will suit Donegal and could be a 2 point swing either way kind of game.

What, given our "superb" record in Newbridge!

I agree that it'll probably be very tight, with only a point or two in it. Donegal do have some unbelievably awful days in front of the posts though, so it is always hard to predict how we'll do. Plus Westmeath were awful the first day, while Laois's shocking performance in Ballyshannon can be at least partially excused given the numbers they were missing. Two or three point win for Kildare for me. If it was Ballybofey, I'd be tipping our boys by the same.

[J70]

Rude awakening for Donegal.

FT Kildare 1-17 Donegal 1-9

Gap far bigger even than the score suggests however as we tagged on a few scores after McGeeney make a rake of substitutions. Second best all the way through. McHugh reckons we're far to timid in the midfield area and too individual up front.

[RMDrive]

Christ, that was a hammering. From what I could gather on Highland we didn't compete in midfield at all. One point from play from McFadden and Murphy (I'm excluding the point that Murphy got in added time when Kildare had already switched off). Lacey switched off his man. 7 points from Doyle - 4-5 of which were from play.
Not a lot to be happy about this evening.

[J70]

Christ, that was a hammering. From what I could gather on Highland we didn't compete in midfield at all. One point from play from McFadden and Murphy (I'm excluding the point that Murphy got in added time when Kildare had already switched off). Lacey switched off his man. 7 points from Doyle - 4-5 of which were from play.
Not a lot to be happy about this evening.

Maybe it'll be the kick in the bollocks they need. I don't what it is with Donegal teams but they always seem to follow up a couple of good performances with an absolute hammering (although everyone seemed to admit, at least in public, that the performances against Westmeath and Laois were nothing to write home about). Whether that is us being brought down to our proper level or whether its the players and public losing the run of themselves and getting arrogant, I don't know. Once again though, midfield looks to be a big problem and whatever about getting the forwards to click, there isn't much you can do if you just don't have the necessary players in the county, as is the case with our midfield. Ever since Gildea and McGuinness retired, its been Neil Gallagher tried with one player after another, none of whom ever seem to work out for more than a few games, while Gallagher is rarely able to dominate in the packed midfield areas you invariably get in intercounty football.