Cill Dara v Áth Cliath Cluiche Ceannais Laighean 12/07/09

[Donnellys Hollow]

while he improved, bolton was a disaster in the first 10 mins and effectively cost kildare the game

the game was there for the taking and with an extra man kildare just seemed to stop attacking , pass and move and as an example of bottling it see the free that john doyle missed that would have levelled the match.this kildare side will learn from that and their exp will improve with more big games in croker.
Not a stereotype this time, they choked when the finish line was in sight.

no my dislike of kildare is more or less gone - it was on;y the bandwaggoners I didnt like anyway (kildare had as few fans pre odwyer era) , if they had won on sun I wouldnt have been too unhappy

That's nonsense to suggest that Johnny bottled that free. While it was a kickable one and you'd normally expect him to get it, he had shipped an awful belt to his head only a few minutes previous. It was clear to everyone at the game that he was very groggy at the time. All the lads that I went to the match with agreed that either Mikey Conway or Chalky White should have kicked it.

Talking to some Cork football people today- they now feel they'll beat Dublin because we ONLY beat kildare by a few points. Didn't take long for their well known arrogance to surface. I think Kildare will surprise a few people.

Hmmm, obviously those Cork football people weren't in Newbridge when they went toe to toe in the league and after another poor start Kildare gave Cork a footballing lesson only to throw away the lead and settle for a draw, it was an even better game than Sunday's. The same Kildare also beat Limerick in Limerick last summer, Kildare are definitely the most improved side this year, nobody could deny that. The only teams I fear in the qualifiers is Derry, Donegal and Kerry, simply because the Divsion 1 form line is standing up, Tyrone, Dublin, Kerry, Derry, Galway, Mayo and Donegal are all still in the championship with only the abysmal Westmeath knocked out whereas only Cork, Kildare, Meath and Wexford are left from Division 2 and Wexford are blessed to be there.

The Cork footballers have only around two or three thousand genuine fans from West Cork. The rest of their crowd that show up at their big matches are from the city and east of the county. They'd march down Patrick Street for their hurlers but they probably wouldn't turn up to watch the footballers if they were playing a league match in their back garden. Once they get a sniff that the footballers might be on the rise though then they're out like a big red rash. You only need to recall how many of them were in for the start of the football 1/4 final last year. By the start of the hurling the place was teaming with them.

I know we've a considerable bandwagon ourselves so we're probably in no position to throw stones but I've very little time for Cork. I had a clown beside me at a league match in Newbridge around ten years ago. Everytime either Lacey or Karl Dwyer touched the ball he'd be calling them mercenaries. Where the fcuk did he think Tompkins and Fahy came from I don't know!

[lynchbhoy]

he wasnt the guy on sherlock was he - that fella should have been taken off after 10 mins. Someone in the commentary box said that he was a wing half back and it showed, the poor lad hadnt a clue how to mark as a corner back.

Other than the goal Bolton had a fine game, considering he's a natural wing back he did very well, very highly rated by the Kildare management so much that they even though he missed most of league they brought straight back into the team for the championship

Kildare fell asunder when they knew they had the game for the taking. Lost the bottle.

Ah Lynchbhoy didn't have you down as you one who would throw out such a stereotyped cliche as that, not even worth commenting on

Maybe yesterdays experience will bring them on. Beaten in midfield badly.

No maybes, Earley dominated midfield first half again and the 2nd half was more even, don't know what game you were watching, obviously your dislike for Kildare is affecting your imparitiality

while he improved, bolton was a disaster in the first 10 mins and effectively cost kildare the game

the game was there for the taking and with an extra man kildare just seemed to stop attacking , pass and move and as an example of bottling it see the free that john doyle missed that would have levelled the match.
this kildare side will learn from that and their exp will improve with more big games in croker.
Not a stereotype this time, they choked when the finish line was in sight.

no my dislike of kildare is more or less gone - it was on;y the bandwaggoners I didnt like anyway (kildare had as few fans pre odwyer era) , if they had won on sun I wouldnt have been too unhappy

Not often we disagree lynchy but I thought Bolton broke 50/50 with sherlock when he went off. It was some pass from Brogan and the keeper should also have done better the ball actually goes through him. In other words Cluxton would have saved it.

Kildare saw the finsihing line but the players tightened up. Some of them started dropping balls they never dropped earlier in the game. Some fo them also played in the wet with no gloves- crazy stuff. They'll learn from it though. They need another corner back though.

Talking to some Cork football people today- they now feel they'll beat Dublin because we ONLY beat kildare by a few points. Didn't take long for their well known arrogance to surface. I think Kildare will surprise a few people.

wouldnt disagree that after the first 10 mins that Bolton actually dominated the position, but in all, his man got 1-1 or was it 1-2 that was just a dreadful start. Would have thought Kildare should have brought ronan Sweeney out to midfield in the second half as they were devoid of ideas. Gilroy won the battle of the line as Dublins formation wiped out Kildares first half last 15 minute dominance and turned it around.
McGeeney didnt have an answer.
I still think Kildare with more exp of croker and a bit more belief in themselves could beat Dublin and be in the top 5 teams in the country.
Dublin still a long way from the finished article imo.

Cork are a supreme talent but are just crazily inconsistent. The jekyll and hyde of football.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Some of the Dublin folk on here might want to read John Crofton's views on the match after his article last week. In fairness to him, I think he's quite gracious and complimentary to the Dubs here:

Lots of reasons to remain very optimistic says Crofton

Published Date: 15 July 2009

By JOHN CROFTON
THE bookies got it right but very few round here could have predicted the ebbs and flows of what was surely the best contest of this year's championship so far. If we were told before throw in that we would score 18 points from play and not come out victorious we would not have believed it. So for all concerned, management, players and supporters, the outcome generates all kinds of mixed emotions.

Our minors set the standard in the curtain raiser. Made of stern stuff, they recovered from a nervous start. Having conceded early scores to Dublin, a goal before half time changed both the scoreboard and the mind set for Kildare.

Generally during the second half we looked more composed, battled really hard and when Darroch Mulhall converted an awkward free in to Hill 16 as normal time elapsed Kildare supporters erupted. A point up and time up, we surely had them beaten?

Dublin corner back Alan Carr, for the umpteenth time, got on the ball from the kick out and was awarded a free for what this observer considered a good tackle. Dublin got the equaliser from the resultant free. Probably a fair result on the day.

A brave performance from Kildare and I'm sure Brian Murphy will hope injured defenders Dowling and O'Shea, whom I thought was outstanding, for next Saturday's replay in Carlow.

Back to the senior match.

It was an epic contest.

Dublin, as they did against Westmeath, opened with a flurry of scores. There will be serious disappointment with the concession of the first goal. The recipient of a quickly taken free, Barry Cahill ran from the half way line unopposed before planting the ball in the Kildare net. After five minutes we were six behind and the Hill was in fine voice.
There were questions being asked of Kildare players all over the field, a far more difficult examination that was offered by Offaly, Wexford or Laois in the previous rounds.

What would our response be?

Calm, courageous, intelligent and very confident football is the answer. The end product was on the scoreboard at half time, twelve points and all from play.

It had taken Meath the full 70 minutes to get that score against Dublin in the first round. All of those scores came from a combination of support play, foot passes and shooting that was a joy to watch.

Our backs turned over ball and drove forward at pace with Dermot Earley, again, involved all over the field. Paudie O'Neill was getting oceans of room at centre forward with Roli, Kavanagh and Smith in particular having pace advantage on their markers.

Ken Donnelly more than justified his inclusion in the first half weighing in with three priceless points. The quality of supply to the attack, from Mikey Conway in particular, was first class and they made it count on the score board.

Dublin's second goal against the run of play was a match saver for them. Emmet Bolton, who otherwise was excellent, got caught out by a long Alan Brogan delivery and in fairness Sherlock finished brilliantly, spinning away from his marker and shooting home with his left foot.

Ger Brennan's straight red card for a strike on Ken Donnelly meant Dublin played for 50 minutes with 14 men. A point down and a man down at half time, it was Dublin's turn to answer the questions but having recovered brilliantly from a disastrous start we were in the driving seat.

Whelan replaced Magee for Dublin at centre field at half time and he had an immediate effect, scoring from long range to tie up the scores. They tagged on three more points and the game had taken on a different complexion altogether.

Bryan Cullen, in at centre back for the dismissed Brennan was a man on a mission.

Left off the Dublin starting XV for the campaign to date, Cullen had an outstanding second half and combined with Cahill and Griffin to form a dominant half back line.

For some reason we chose not to seek out our extra man with our kick outs and while Tom Corley achieved length with his deliveries, more often than not the aforementioned Dublin half backs cleaned up the breaking ball. We continued to enjoy a considerable amount of possession with Mikey Conway the extra man. You could say we retained that possession well but unlike the first half it was often shoveled cross field, giving the Dublin defence and midfielders time to re-group and deny Smith, Johnny and co the space they enjoyed in the first half.

Still, we kept our collective nerve and when Conway equalised with ten to go surely the energy reserves would be in our favour for the closing stages?

In fairness Dublin showed a remarkable will to win and Bernard Brogan in particular tormented us with the last five Dublin scores, all from counter attacks and frees. I have to say I thought both of those late frees were of the dubious variety but Brogan's nerveless conversions left us chasing a goal at the end. It wasn't to be but Dublin held out in the end to win their fifth Leinster title in a row.

I know for players and management this will feel like the one that got away. How many times in recent years has that been the case where the team with the extra man can't make it count the depleted team finds that extra gear to hold on.

With two weeks to recover and prepare for the qualifiers, despite the disappointment of not landing the title, there are more grounds for optimism than ever.

New leaders are merging with old ones and are exposure to the big day here should bring us on in leaps and bounds.

Every reason then to believe that we can be there at the business end of the All Ireland competition.

Page 1 of 1

Last Updated: 15 July 2009 11:31 AM
Source: Leinster Leader
Location: Kildare

http://www.leinsterleader.ie/sport/Lots-of-reasons-to-remain.5461088.jp

[Doire abú]

That's the 7th Leinster Championship Dublin have won since Jayo came on the scene in 1995. I assume he was part of all these triumphs and has 7 Leinster medals....I was just wondering is there any player in history with more Leinster SFC medals than him?

[micka the dub]

Have to be happy with that. The defenders played pretty much to the best of their ability, and you can't ask more than that. The desire shown by the likes of Henry and Griffin was fantastic. Cullen was super, the type of game that really suited him, and with Brennan's idiocy, he's clearly now the man in possession of the 6 jersey.

The Brogans put in some shift, another day when they couldnt miss. Long may it continue!! Sherlock and Keaney both did fine, Flynn won a plenty of ball though two bad wides stick in the mind. Connolly is so frustrating. So much talent, yet so lacksidasical and so easy to dispossess.

A bit worried about midfield. I don't rate Magee. Whelan did quite well, got a great score and neutralised Early, but clearly doesnt have 70 mins in him. I didnt think Ryan contributed much, he couldnt get into the game. Think I'd start McConnell and Whelan next time.

Kildare are a fine team, and if they can get their heads together after the disappointment they'll be well capable of a good run. The players and management should have learnt a huge amount, which should stand them in good stead.

Talented or not, he shouldn't be anywhere near your first 15.

why

[micka the dub]

a lot of dublin players geting a gaa board pat on the back but aside from berno the most impressive dublin player so far this year has been paul flynn imo.this boy is an animal,one of the toughest footballers we have had in a long long time.typical workhorse,i have kept an eye on him the last 5 years and have been hugely impressed.the amount of breaking ball this fella wins is unreal and imo his form this year has really helped our forward unit move up a level with flynner winning the breaks and foot passing it inside with great accuarcy and speed.an all star wouldnt be far from him this year if the dubs do well.

[Jinxy]

Because he hasn't impressed me in a single championship game since he came on the scene.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

I think the most praiseworthy aspect of Pat Gilroy's management is that he has produced a very solid and coherent unit of a team, where northsiders and southsiders are prepared to spill a gut for each other, without so much as a second's hesitation. No mean feat.

[Jinxy]

I think the most you can ask of a manager on matchday is that he identifies problems and rectifys them.
Gilroy did this by bringing on Cullen (albeit his hand was forced), shoring up the defence and introducing Whelan and Ryan.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

True, the big bonus is that he seems to be able to think on the line too. As I said when he was appointed: "a good move for Dublin", to no little ridicule 

[laoisgaa]

http://www.avenirsports.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=124&Itemid=174