Cork V Mayo - What odds on a draw?

[Farrandeelin]

Sorry Zulu, but which ones wouldn't come near a starting place on 'other teams'?

Campbell is not U-21 this year, don't think he was last year either if memory serves me correctly. He had great potential. Suppose BJP will be doing his usual grafting around the field... Chris Barrett, whom I made a grave error is well up to it and I acknowledge I was wrong about him.

[macdanger2]

Good point made there by somebody about our "attacking wing backs" - why is it that we have an abundance of these yet no sticky corner backs?

At underage, we probably need to be picking the most suitable players for each position rather than just the best 15 footballers and slotting them into various positions as required, you'll get away with this underage but not at senior level.......

[moysider]

rosnarun claimed they'd make any team in the country and that is simply not true, most starting players from an IC team ranked in the top 10 would make the panel of the other top 10 counties with some of them making the team. But what rosnarun is saying is that these players are excellent IC players, how can you say that about the O'Shea brothers for example when neither of them have started two full seasons of senior IC football?

I think the problem with some lads is they see loads of football in their own county but little in any other county. Look at Micheal O'Se from Kerry as an example, he was the outstanding midfielder for St. Vincents when they won the AI. I saw him play Sigerson with UCC and I thought he'd be a senior Kerry footballer for sure but he can't even make the panel. I can assure you he would be on the Mayo team as he is an outstanding ball winner. I would also wager a small fortune that Aidan O'Shea wouldn't be on the Cork panel at the moment and C Mort wouldn't be on the team. That's not to say i think any of these lads are poor footballers, far from it, they are very good footballers but when you're talking about winning AI's the bar is set very high and I'm not sure some you appreciate that.

I'd liken some of the Mayo players to Ricky Hatton (the boxer), undoubtedly very good but when you get to the very highest levels they don't quite match up. Only Dillion has shown himself to be comfortable at the very highest level for me, C Mort, on occasion, has looked good, Parsons and Kilcoyne look to have the ability but haven't proven themselves yet but the rest aren't quite top level IMO.

If Mícheál Ó Sé is not on the Kerry county panel ( looks a genuine horse of a man) then it s Jacko Connors judgement. He obviously thinks Maher and Moran are better options and if there was a transfer option those two boys would not be on my shopping list. Both fared poorly against a much maligned Mayo midfield of Parsons and Conroy a few weeks ago in Tralee. Ball winners not top of our list anyway

You could be right about Aidan and C Mort. Aidan on this form does nt look great but Counihan always looked a smart type and its only April. He ll also remember, all too painfully how Murphy was scuttled yet again( how does this keep happening the poor fella) O Connor lost his nerve again and Kerrigan had to be rescued against Tomás. I suspect you might be more confident about Cork s season than Conor is. But I see where you re coming from. When they re in a groove they look unbeatable. But its been that way since Anthony Lynch looked like a Hitler Youth leader. Dublin used to have that aura as well with Rhino and Whelo and Jayo and Cosgravo and the handsome Collie ( if he actually played a few games he would probably have as many all stars as darling Clucko, such was his reputation). Look, we all realise that Cork are deadly looking. Your preaching to the converted here Zulu. I have regular nightmares of Cork teams of years ago still, and I see the potential to destroy in this lot, believe me.  But until they actually win the AI (it s been 20 years and back then they needed 2 Kildare men to do it) they re in the same boat as we are, as far as I m concerned. They lose AIs to Kerry- and indeed Meath. And they have no excuse. They know Kerry inside out, usually play each other 3 times a year. You probably think that if they shake off Kerry then they ll bury everybody else? That would be the logical way to read it. I would be kinda goin the same way. That s what should happen. Until it does happen.....
What that means is that Mayo, and others, are in a nice place if they can get things kinda right. There ll always be a Cork, Kerry or Tyrone who look invincible in any given year. Those teams dont always win it. This year there is huge pressure on Cork above anybody else. Most people under 25 remember the other 2 alpha teams winning the bloody thing.

[moysider]

We need a full-back who can mark the Eoin Bradleys, Bernard Brogans, Stephen O'neills. We have Kieran Conroy to mark the Donaghy's/Bergins (if FF). These first 3 mentioned are all no. 14's  who are all strong men capable on winning their own ball. Ger Cafferkey is not strong enough or aggressive enough to mark these type of players. He is a good defender but not at no.3.
Kevin Keane appears to be an aggressive no. 3 in the mould of Kevin Cahill. Surely he has to be brought in. I think we must be the worst county for not recognising players  who should be in our panel. I follow other counties threads and speak a fair bit with lads from other counties about football stuff. Why do Mayo above any other county (i know it happens in all counties) have so many players not on the panel that should be.
If you were to run a poll Aidan Higgins would top it as the player who most would want to see in the panel, let alone the team. Kevin keane and Shane Mchale to a lesser extent are now mentioned as players who should be on the panel. Aidan Campbell and the Kilcullens are players who have had problems with management but are needed if we want to get competition for all places on the team.

Is JOM not a good manager that he can't deal with these players??? To manage involves looking after ego's etc. You see this year we have a new Conor Mort. He has finally copped on after sitting down with JOM. I dont think we'll be seeing any MJ Mort stuff. And i don't even mind that stuff (it does get people talking about the game) It was Conor's absolute shit attitude and arrogance that bothered me but i think he has seen the light and fair play. He is a good player and has done good things for Mayo but i think he prevented himself from being a great. He has time perhaps to rectify this.
Now why cant JOM bring in Campbell and sit him down. I'd say his wild days are behind him now. Tell him to put his mind on the football and see if he is good enough. Campbell made mistakes but he's not the first one. Is his punishment now never to play for Mayo. He has represented Mayo at all underage groups so surely his dedication there entitles him to a second chance?
There is undoubtedly a new vibe within the Mayo camp this year. Keith Higgins spoke about them being less reliant on Dillon etc. It is true. Seamie O'Shea, Varley, McLoughlin have been a breath of fresh air. Mcgarrity and Parsons look up for it. D Vaughan is looking like an absolute top player. Conor is running around tackling. There is a good attitude amongst the players. They look like they have bonded with each other as a team. I hate saying it but maybe with Nallen and heaney gone the last links to 96 & 97 are gone and this has released the team. The huge cloud of the Nineties may have shifted. Its a little baggage that the panel has had to carry.

Liked this post. Great antidote to my misery to see an upbeat poster that nails things.

However I just highlighted a couple of things.
  Your correct in saying we need a full-back for Brogans, Meehan, Bradleys etc. But nobody can mark top forwards given good ball one-on-one.
As regards Conroy marking Donaghy in a Championship match. Dont think so to be honest, and I like Conroy. But his feet are all wrong to mark Donaghy. Against Monaghan was left like a trailer, twice. What makes Donaghy probably the scariest 14 of all time is that he brings foreign abilities to the position. He plays like a basketball player under the boards in there. His footwork is like nothing gaelic footballers ever do in drills. Tall with longer than normal reach, moves differently than a gaelic player - does nt need to turn his back to keep the ball. Off loads like hes laying it up for somebody else and can kick the ball excellently as well. There is nt a back in the country that can survive against him ,if he s healthy, one-on-one. Ask Francy Bellew. And that was obvious in 06. Mayo management at the time almost nailed it but probably didn't fancy they might upset more people than they had done already. Tyrone got a solution 2 years after. Cork didn't even try I d say- cant remember but probably Derek Kavanagh  ffs. Kavanagh a good type but needs likes of Austy to flourish. Good managers find a way. There s an obvious answer in the Mayo v Kerry match-up. And a sweeper of course as well - like Enda Mcginley did for Tyrone when Tyrone played rope-a-dope and Canavan applied the coup-de-grace. That s what we have to do.

[Lar Naparka]

Good point made there by somebody about our "attacking wing backs" - why is it that we have an abundance of these yet no sticky corner backs?

At underage, we probably need to be picking the most suitable players for each position rather than just the best 15 footballers and slotting them into various positions as required, you'll get away with this underage but not at senior level.......

Because it's the position where you need the least grey matter and depend more on fitness and athleticism than anything else. It's also the position in which you can pass the buck on to someone else as quickly and as painlessly as possible!
For my money, Noel Connelly was the only top class 'attacking wing back' we have had in a long, long time. Knowing when to go forward and when to attend to the primary duty of defending, many others fall, or fell, short.
Despite his many fine qualities, Peadar Gardiner is not a good defender and he moves up field far too often, leaving gaps behind him. Centre half backs were prone to this also and James Nallen comes to mind. In his prime, he was an inspirational player but his accuracy let him down badly even back then. David Heaney would move forward at every opportunity – no matter what position he was listed to fill and his shooting skills were on par with my own.
Remember the '07 game in Salthill, when Mayo were piling on the pressure coming up to the end; Heaney suddenly materialised in front of goal and took a pot shot at something or other. He was probably trying for a point but his shot was blocked down easily and he surrendered hard-won possession without a bother at all. He was supposed to be FB at the time!
We presently have a surplus of lads who can play at half back and this has been so since the late 90s. All seem willing and able to run themselves into the ground and link up and handball all day but damn few are confident enough to take on an opponent in a one to one and dispossess him.
Like you say, we need the best fifteen as a unit and not for individual talent. Someone else made the point recently that Kevin Cahill was our best full back in ages, in part because he has two superb corner backs alongside him. Keith Higgins apart, I haven't seen a corner back with the self-discipline necessary to stick to his primary duties since the days of Mortimer—and Flanagan in '96 anyway.
Maybe Johnno is up to something as he seems reluctant to make sweeping changes in his defence any more. I'd imagine that the Cork game will reveal a lot about his plans for the summer.

[IolarCoisCuain]

Great discussion here boys.

I wonder is Zulu correct in setting the bar for players as high as he sets it? We set it very high at home too. We look at this player and that player and say "he'd never survive the white heat of the third Sunday" and rend another garment. But if you look at All-Ireland winning teams, you'll see gluggers and passengers in there among the stars too.

You only have to beat what's in front in you. If you set a new standard in football like Down in the 60s, Kerry in the 70s and 80s, Meath in the late 80s or Tyrone in the last decade, good for you. But I'd be content for Mayo to just win an All-Ireland, and be the 126th best team to ever win one, than to be sitting here crying in the ashes as usual.

Analysing players is something we do badly. See how Moysider put the fine tooth comb through Kieran Donaghy, and how Donaghy uses his basketball skills as a footballer? Whereas in Mayo we use basketballer as a term of abuse, synonymous with "soft lad." Who's right?

Moysider makes another interesting point about team composition, to do with how some teams are more than the sum of their parts because of heart (Harte?), belief and sideline acumen, while some are less, like Cork, Mayo and Dublin. Some of that has to do with football culture, but a lot of it has to do with management too. And that's why Johnno gets such a hard time.

If you treat someone as shabbily as John Maughan and Mickey Moran were both treated by the Mayo County Board it doesn't make sense that the same standards aren't applied to their successor, Johnno, as were applied to Maughan and Moran.

Johnno says this criticism is unfair but he was much less coy about accepting the Messiah mantle before he got the job – or was elected to Dáil Éireann, for that matter, as Rosnarun isn't shy about reminding people. It's was only after he had his shoes under the bed we heard all this chat about rebuilding and patience and lowering expectations.

Johnno's done well this year but he did well his first year in charge too, when Mayo got to the League final. Here's the team that started that final against Donegal (with all praise and thanks to Willie Joe of the Mayo GAA Blog http://mayogaablog.com/):

MAYO: D Clarke; K Higgins, J Kilcullen, L O'Malley; E Devenney, BJ Padden, P Gardiner; J Nallen, D Heaney; P Harte, G Brady, A Dillon; A Moran, C Mortimor, M Conroy. Subs: A Higgins for Kilcullen (19 mins), K O'Neill for Conroy (42 mins), T Howley for A Higgin, A Kilcoyne for Dillon (both 71 minutes), A Campbell for Nallen (75 mins).

So I don't think we'll go counting any chickens just yet. Anyway. There it is. Go n-éirí linn cois Laoi. Maigh Eo abú.

[Mayo4Sam]

I'll start: Paddy Navin - excellent reader of the game. Got injured in 05/06 and curtailed his progress. They say he has lost a bit of pace but if he was training with Mayo his sharpness would improve. He is 26 years old now.
P.S. - only Mayo player to make his debut in an All-Ireland final

Not sure thats true, thought Ray Dempsey did also

I thought Dempsey definitely played before the final in 1989 maybe in the Connacht Final. There is a picture of him with Willie Joe leaving the field after the Tyrone game. In fact I believe he didn't start that one only due to a personal bereavement.

I didn't think so Muppet but I'm open to correction.


Ros ur an awful man for the anti JOM, so I wont bother arguing with you over it, theres a lot of FFs in Mayo who dont like JOM for his politics and slate him whether he's doing well or not.

As for Keane being the next Cahill, isn;t that exactly what we said about Caff? I think we're too quick to write off Caff, he style is different to what we've seen before, he's never likely to beat his man to the ball everytime but what he does do is get a hand in where he shouldn't or stick to them like glue when they have it. I'd stick with him, he'll learn and grow.
2 seperate notes, we see have to have kevin cahill up on a pedestal, yes a great full back but i think he's getting better with every failed FB we get. Also current FBs have probably the toughest full forward to deal with since the Bomber, maybe ever, I think Donaghy will be viewed as the outstanding footballer of his generation, ahead of O'Neill, Gooch etc.

[Foreverhopeful]

If ye were to find someone to mark Donaghy on the current Mayo squad who would it be? I see your point about Conroy and his feet. He seems to take a lot of smaller steps. He doesn't seem to have a long stride. He got burned a good bit against Monaghan for that.
Thing with Donaghy is that he pivots off this standing position. He has such a huge frame and his step is massive. His style of kicking is funny. Funny in that for such a big man he fairly wraps his foot around the ball, curling it over.
What height is Conroy? He does seem the best equipped to try and break ball away from Donaghy. The think with Kerry is they play it in diagonally to Donaghy. That way its harder for a full back to break it. Thats Mayo's problem with the ball into A O'S is that its too straight. It allows the full back to attack it head on and get a fist onto or else put him off. Donaghy knows from basketball that he's better getting it diagonally. It allows him to catch turn and fire with his right foot. You watch the goal he got against Heaney, the one against bellew. It's the same side. The defender gets caught out on the wrong side because of the way they try and attack it. Donaghy has the option of shooting himself or laying it off which he does so well.
In order to defend Donaghy you have to stop the likes of Galvin who angles in the ball from his position. You do need a sweeper. Someone like Seamie O'Shea maybe even Pat Harte. Strong Athletic types

[muppet]

If ye were to find someone to mark Donaghy on the current Mayo squad who would it be? I see your point about Conroy and his feet. He seems to take a lot of smaller steps. He doesn't seem to have a long stride. He got burned a good bit against Monaghan for that.
Thing with Donaghy is that he pivots off this standing position. He has such a huge frame and his step is massive. His style of kicking is funny. Funny in that for such a big man he fairly wraps his foot around the ball, curling it over.
What height is Conroy? He does seem the best equipped to try and break ball away from Donaghy. The think with Kerry is they play it in diagonally to Donaghy. That way its harder for a full back to break it. Thats Mayo's problem with the ball into A O'S is that its too straight. It allows the full back to attack it head on and get a fist onto or else put him off. Donaghy knows from basketball that he's better getting it diagonally. It allows him to catch turn and fire with his right foot. You watch the goal he got against Heaney, the one against bellew. It's the same side. The defender gets caught out on the wrong side because of the way they try and attack it. Donaghy has the option of shooting himself or laying it off which he does so well.
In order to defend Donaghy you have to stop the likes of Galvin who angles in the ball from his position. You do need a sweeper. Someone like Seamie O'Shea maybe even Pat Harte. Strong Athletic types

Why not the guy who is a better basketballer?

[Zulu]

Sorry Zulu, but which ones wouldn't come near a starting place on 'other teams'?

I'm just looking back at my posts there Farrandeelin and I don't see where I said that. I said Aidan O'Shea wouldn't make the Cork panel and that C Mort wouldn't make the team and I'd stand over that. I don't want to focus on other teams as I feel that they also have players that aren't up to it, Ger Brennan in Dublin or Alan O'Connor in Cork for example but I do think the supporters of those counties recognize that, whereas Mayo supporters might be a bit less circumspect.

From reading the Mayo threads over the years I think there is a trend, when you do well you elevate the players beyond what most of them deserve. And when things are going wrong you hammer the players and management far more than they deserve, probably because you built them up to more than they ever were.

The only point I've tried to make is that JOM hasn't done too bad so far because he hasn't had a brilliant squad of players to work with and it takes time to learn about players at IC level and it takes time for them to adapt to what you want them to do. IMO JOM is doing a far better job in Mayo than Counihan is doing in Cork who is probably getting 4-5 players wrong and 3-4 positions wrong. This weekends game will be interesting but if they both make the league final a game in CP could really tell us a thing or two about Mayo.

[moysider]

If ye were to find someone to mark Donaghy on the current Mayo squad who would it be? I see your point about Conroy and his feet. He seems to take a lot of smaller steps. He doesn't seem to have a long stride. He got burned a good bit against Monaghan for that.
Thing with Donaghy is that he pivots off this standing position. He has such a huge frame and his step is massive. His style of kicking is funny. Funny in that for such a big man he fairly wraps his foot around the ball, curling it over.
What height is Conroy? He does seem the best equipped to try and break ball away from Donaghy. The think with Kerry is they play it in diagonally to Donaghy. That way its harder for a full back to break it. Thats Mayo's problem with the ball into A O'S is that its too straight. It allows the full back to attack it head on and get a fist onto or else put him off. Donaghy knows from basketball that he's better getting it diagonally. It allows him to catch turn and fire with his right foot. You watch the goal he got against Heaney, the one against bellew. It's the same side. The defender gets caught out on the wrong side because of the way they try and attack it. Donaghy has the option of shooting himself or laying it off which he does so well.
In order to defend Donaghy you have to stop the likes of Galvin who angles in the ball from his position. You do need a sweeper. Someone like Seamie O'Shea maybe even Pat Harte. Strong Athletic types

Why not the guy who is a better basketballer?

Nailed that in one. Abc really when you think about it.

[Lar Naparka]

Colm O'Rourke, the poor hoor, let off a bit of steam last Sunday when he gave out about the upsurge of GAA-related sites that allow anonymous posters put up scurrilous comments about players, managers and officials that are unfounded and insulting. I fully accept that what he wrote of is a most unwelcome and ever growing menace but he was way off the mark when it came to making suggestions as to what should be done about it.
That's a horse for another course however; it's the fact that Paidi's piece at the top of the same page generated no tangible reaction at all. For those who didn't read it, Paidi's banner headline was:
'Confidence boost can fire Mayo to All-Ireland glory'
He went on to tell us that he feels it in his bones that Mayo are going to break the jinx this year.  I sincerely hope he is right but somehow I think the only thing Paidi will feel in his bones will be breaks of a different nature—if John O'Mahony ever manages to get within ass-kicking distance of him.
If it were to come to a matter of stating the obvious and missing the point, I'd find it impossible to separate O'Rourke and O'Shea last Sunday.
Years ago when O'Rourke began writing his Indo articles, he did pass a very insightful comment about the nature of Mayo football. Mayo, sez he, were lovely to watch but had no self-belief whatsoever. The Meath players and management knew they had always the beating of Mayo—all they had to do was to stick with their own game plan and leave the showboarding stuff to their opponents until the final stages.
Automatically, when Meath stepped up the pace, Mayo heads would all drop.

Moysider makes another interesting point about team composition, to do with how some teams are more than the sum of their parts because of heart (Harte?), belief and sideline acumen, while some are less, like Cork, Mayo and Dublin. Some of that has to do with football culture, but a lot of it has to do with management too. And that's why Johnno gets such a hard time.

That's from moysider, via Iolar, and it sums up the Meath team of O'Rourke's time to perfection. Meath had a number of genuine artists but they had a larger number of equally genuine artisans. They were widely unpopular and unattractive to watch but they were also very successful.  They number of times they managed to come back from the dead by their refusal to accept defeat until the final whistle was astounding. Mayo will long remember Colm Coyle and the drawn final of '96. Mickey Harte managed to bring out the same qualities, more than a decade after Sean Boylan turned his sows' ears into silk purses.
Pat Spillane may have fumed about 'puke' football but the pukers had the last laugh.
But Meath, and later Tyrone, didn't succeed purely on their work ethics alone; each was blessed with having a shrewd and forceful manager who made the best sum of the individual talents at his disposal. You could add in the fact that they also had plenty of hard men who weren't averse to stepping outside the rules, whenever they got a chance to do so.
Paidi may indeed be more than just a pretty face but I'd need a hell of a lot of convincing that he would ever turn out to be the real Messiah. Diagnosing our problem is one thing but coming up with a cure is quite another.

[Foreverhopeful]

Quote from: muppet on Today at 02:28:46 PM

    Quote from: Foreverhopeful on Today at 01:37:15 PM

        If ye were to find someone to mark Donaghy on the current Mayo squad who would it be? I see your point about Conroy and his feet. He seems to take a lot of smaller steps. He doesn't seem to have a long stride. He got burned a good bit against Monaghan for that.
         Thing with Donaghy is that he pivots off this standing position. He has such a huge frame and his step is massive. His style of kicking is funny. Funny in that for such a big man he fairly wraps his foot around the ball, curling it over.
        What height is Conroy? He does seem the best equipped to try and break ball away from Donaghy. The think with Kerry is they play it in diagonally to Donaghy. That way its harder for a full back to break it. Thats Mayo's problem with the ball into A O'S is that its too straight. It allows the full back to attack it head on and get a fist onto or else put him off. Donaghy knows from basketball that he's better getting it diagonally. It allows him to catch turn and fire with his right foot. You watch the goal he got against Heaney, the one against bellew. It's the same side. The defender gets caught out on the wrong side because of the way they try and attack it. Donaghy has the option of shooting himself or laying it off which he does so well.
        In order to defend Donaghy you have to stop the likes of Galvin who angles in the ball from his position. You do need a sweeper. Someone like Seamie O'Shea maybe even Pat Harte. Strong Athletic types


    Why not the guy who is a better basketballer?


Nailed that in one. Abc really when you think about it.

Mcgarritty is a different type of basketballer lads. He isn't the power forward like Donaghy! Did he not say he would quit Mayo football if he was moved to no.14 around the time the furore arose over Donaghy's switch there. So i suppose no.3 means the same!
Ah no i suppose he is the obvious one but i don't know if he is strong enough.
Is Deora still around??!!

[moysider]

Quote from: muppet on Today at 02:28:46 PM

    Quote from: Foreverhopeful on Today at 01:37:15 PM

        If ye were to find someone to mark Donaghy on the current Mayo squad who would it be? I see your point about Conroy and his feet. He seems to take a lot of smaller steps. He doesn't seem to have a long stride. He got burned a good bit against Monaghan for that.
         Thing with Donaghy is that he pivots off this standing position. He has such a huge frame and his step is massive. His style of kicking is funny. Funny in that for such a big man he fairly wraps his foot around the ball, curling it over.
        What height is Conroy? He does seem the best equipped to try and break ball away from Donaghy. The think with Kerry is they play it in diagonally to Donaghy. That way its harder for a full back to break it. Thats Mayo's problem with the ball into A O'S is that its too straight. It allows the full back to attack it head on and get a fist onto or else put him off. Donaghy knows from basketball that he's better getting it diagonally. It allows him to catch turn and fire with his right foot. You watch the goal he got against Heaney, the one against bellew. It's the same side. The defender gets caught out on the wrong side because of the way they try and attack it. Donaghy has the option of shooting himself or laying it off which he does so well.
        In order to defend Donaghy you have to stop the likes of Galvin who angles in the ball from his position. You do need a sweeper. Someone like Seamie O'Shea maybe even Pat Harte. Strong Athletic types


    Why not the guy who is a better basketballer?


Nailed that in one. Abc really when you think about it.

Mcgarritty is a different type of basketballer lads. He isn't the power forward like Donaghy! Did he not say he would quit Mayo football if he was moved to no.14 around the time the furore arose over Donaghy's switch there. So i suppose no.3 means the same!
Ah no i suppose he is the obvious one but i don't know if he is strong enough.
Is Deora still around??!!

Not sure its a question of strength and mcgarrity is no weakling. Besides he has the better of Star anytime they meet on the court and I would fancy him to take Donaghy around the middle as well. Ronan has good defensive instincts too and would have the instinct to cover Donaghys moves and not end up on his hole. Only McG has the feet to go toe to toe with Donaghy. And the height as well. Funny you mention Deora. A coach once told me the only reason he wasn't an NBA player was because his defensive game was weaker than his offensive game. And that he claimed was down to his footwork. Ronan I believe is considered better defensively. Not that I m suggesting he should mark Paddy Bradley.

[Zulu]

The Cork Senior Football team to play Mayo:



Alan Quirke Valley Rovers
Eoin Cotter Douglas
Michael Shields St. Finbarr's
Anthony Lynch Naomh Aban
Kieran O'Connor Aghada
Ger Spillane Ballygarvan
Graham Canty Bantry
Aidan Walsh Kanturk
Derek Kavanagh Nemo Rangers
Fintan Goold Macroom
Donncha O'Connor Ballydesmond
Kevin McMahon Carbery Rangers
Colm O'Neill Ballyclough
Ciaran Sheehan Eire Og
John Hayes Carbery Rangers

That's a pretty strong team on paper but Lynch and Canty will be seeing action for the first time this year so it may not be as good as it first appears. Ciaran Sheehan at FF has been tipped for stardom from a long way out so it will be interesting to see how it gets on, it's a very strong full forward line anyway with O'Neill and Hayes there. Spillane, K O'Connor and Shields are weak links though and will struggle I suspect.