An Mhí v Cill Dara

[Ard-Rí]

So that it is for Meath. Any sign of a decent team underage or is it another decade in purgatory ?

Yeah, there are some good players coming through.

I think we need a less divisive manager, someone who can get the best out of these payers. There's more in them, no doubt.

[AZOffaly]

Really enjoyed that game. It'll do Kildare a power of good, and Daryl Flynn got a good 70 minutes. James Kavanagh made a huge difference. Johnny Doyle is definitely carrying something though.

[Minder]

I think Kevin McStay was either high or drunk tonight.

[squire_in_navy_slacks]

I think Kevin McStay was either high or drunk tonight.

What did he do now

[agorm]

So that it is for Meath. Any sign of a decent team underage or is it another decade in purgatory ?

Yeah, there are some good players coming through.

I think we need a less divisive manager, someone who can get the best out of these payers. There's more in them, no doubt.

I have to disagree. In my opinion he is not divisive. He has made mistakes but no more than previous managers. I think we have made good progress this year, especially in the backs. Granted several of our much lauded forwards have failed to step up to the mark and I am unsure as to how much blame can be attributed to Banty for this.

Overall, however, I hope that he is kept on....we dont need another change and a new management team that doesnt see the latter stages of the club championships.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Really enjoyed that game. It'll do Kildare a power of good, and Daryl Flynn got a good 70 minutes. James Kavanagh made a huge difference. Johnny Doyle is definitely carrying something though.

Johnny got a right clout going for the first ball this evening (a perfectly fair and legal one too) and looked a bit dodgy after it. He ships some amount of punishment but is still able to have a mighty influence on the game. He had no right to win some of the balls he won today.

Any year you beat Meath twice in championship football is a good one as far as I'm concerned. I know Meath posters will say it's a fairly mediocre Meath team but they threw the kitchen sink at Kildare today. Kildare had to grind out a result and they showed that they had the bottle for it in the last ten minutes. Hopefully that bit of momentum now will carry us through a few more rounds at least.

Connolly - made two timely interventions and apart from a couple of wayward kickouts was solid
McLoughlin - Ward had him under pressure for long spells but he really drove Kildare forward with some of his runs
Foley - picked up a few knocks but was still a rock on the edge of the square
McGrillen - effective as usual on his gallops up the field, kicked a classy point with the left foot
Chalky - struggled to put the shackles on Sheridan
M O'Flaherty - one of the most reliable players on the Kildare team, reads the game so well and rarely wastes a ball
Bolton - a goal and two points from a wing-back, what more can you say?
Doyle - probably not as prominent as in previous games but still got through a mountain of ball
Flynn - understandably rusty but will have benefitted from the outing, key player if Kildare are to progress further
O'Neill - mixed the good with the bad, won plenty of ball but made a mess of two good chances in the second half
E O'Flaherty - well held tonight but should hold his place
Callaghan - has been more effective in previous matches but he won some important balls when he switched inside for the last quarter
Kelly - never really at the races tonight
O'Connor - got more change out of Reilly tonight than he did in Croke Park and had a key hand in both goals
Dowling - still a bit light at this level but he never stops showing and he has a bit of class about him

Kavanagh - should have done enough to start next weekend
Flanagan - stuck to Sheridan like shit to a blanket, made one important diving block, best game in a Kildare shirt
Brophy - kicked a bad wide at an important stage, covers plenty of ground though, useful option for the last quarter of games
Sweeney - clearly fired up for it and thundered into the first kickout, kicked a vital point
Lyons - hard on him to be dropped after a fine performance last week but he is a great defensive option off the bench

[AZOffaly]

Jaysus that Brophy lad has some tan, and he was doing some blowing out his cheeks when he came on. He reminded me of a chestnut going into the starting gates for the derby.

[thejuice]

no surprises. Meath gave it a better shot but are far too disjointed to beat a team like kildare. A team who seem to actually have something resembling a game plan,  team work ethic, the ability to find each other with passes and play each other into spaces that allowed them to take scores.

Banty might as well stay on, but if I may be so bold as to suggest I don't think we'll much in a way of innovation in Meath football that was required or expected. Essentially we parted ways with Eamonn O'Brien to find a man who could take us into the top three believing O'Brien wasn't that man. That's the role Banty took on, whether he liked it or even knew it.

But anyway. I think we need to put more focus on our minors and club structures first, that in turn should breed a good county team.

[squire_in_navy_slacks]

Jaysus that Brophy lad has some tan, and he was doing some blowing out his cheeks when he came on. He reminded me of a chestnut going into the starting gates for the derby.

See the socks pulled up to his ball sack practically............................................

[Hardy]

Worst of all possible worlds - we lose, but not by a big enough hiding to get rid of this ludicrous regime. The RTÉ pundits praising our "progress" seals our fate of being struck with this setup.

What progress have we made? Is being beaten by Kildare in the qualifiers progress from being beaten by them in the QF? What's the game plan? Where is the coherent strategy? Do the players know what they're supposed to be doing? Last week a target man at full forward. This week Graham Reilly! Is that a U-turn or just random nonsense? And then Graham is taken off for not achieving something he can't have comprehended. The players nearly managed to get a result despite the absence of any direction or tactics that I could see. And no doubt the little spoofer will claim that as evidence of his restoring something to Meath football that he doesn't even understand. And it looks as though it'll be more (or less) of the same next year.

[DB_An_Mhi]

Progress? The introduction of Lenehan, Gilsenan and (presently injured) Menton as first team players. McAnarney has improved greatly. Meath as a collective team also have a bit more fight in them.

As for qualifiers v QF defeat ... you could say we narrowed the margin and manner of the defeat, even if home advantage and Kildare injuries were a part of that so-called improvement.

Our midfield problems while by no means fixed, are at least been addressed. No progress has been made where the forwards are concerned. In fact this area has been seriously neglected. No real tactics or nurturing of talent, coaching existing players to play football as a team not individuals (with good build-up and support play). We have been "winging" it all year. Forwards coach badly needed.

If Banty and his management team get to see the latter stages of the club championship with the intention of introducing some new players to the squad (with specific positions as a priority) and get working with them before and the winter break, will that improve things somewhat next year.

Is there any point getting rid of the present set up unless you have someone better lined up to replace them. If not you could really go backwards. There is something to be said for continuity.

[thejuice]

Liam Harnan maybe 

[seafoid]

Worst of all possible worlds - we lose, but not by a big enough hiding to get rid of this ludicrous regime. The RTÉ pundits praising our "progress" seals our fate of being struck with this setup.

What progress have we made? Is being beaten by Kildare in the qualifiers progress from being beaten by them in the QF? What's the game plan? Where is the coherent strategy? Do the players know what they're supposed to be doing? Last week a target man at full forward. This week Graham Reilly! Is that a U-turn or just random nonsense? And then Graham is taken off for not achieving something he can't have comprehended. The players nearly managed to get a result despite the absence of any direction or tactics that I could see. And no doubt the little spoofer will claim that as evidence of his restoring something to Meath football that he doesn't even understand. And it looks as though it'll be more (or less) of the same next year.

That all sounds very like the IMF bailout, Hardy.

These post mortems are more interesting than the fuball.
Getting dumped out of the championship is one of the worst markers of the year for a county with expectations. 

[Lily4life]

Delighted with the win last night. It's great to come out of Navan happy, doesn't happen too often. Some great performances from our lads.

Connolly was very solid in the goals apart from that one dodgy kickout.
The full back line did very well I thought. 
McGrillen got a great point. Foley's definitely one of the best full backs in Ireland and I thought McLoughlin did well too.
Gary White was quiet enough, wasn't surprised to see him taken off.
Morgan O'Flaherty had a fine performance but Emmet Bolton was the best at the back.
What price would you have got him to score a goal? He's having a great year.
Flynn did well in the middle considering it was his first match back. Thought he looked a little bit rusty at times but it's great to see him back.
Doyle was a bit quieter than usual but scored some great points.
In the half forward line O'Neill did well. Eoghan O'Flaherty has had better days. I think he holds onto the ball too long at times.
Leper was quieter than usual but he's still one of our best players.
Rob Kelly was quiet, thought he looked a bit sluggish.
Tomas O'Connor had another fine performance, involved in both goals. Wasn't as dominant as in the Laois match but he was on one of the best full backs in the country last night.
Fionn Dowling lacks the experience needed for these big games in my opinion although he didn't do too bad.

Was impressed with the subs.
James Kavanagh made a big difference when he came on. He showed for every ball and there'll be lots of supporters left scratching their heads if he's left on the bench again next weekend.
Flanagan was great when he came on too, did a good job on Sheridan.
Brophy, Sweeney and Lyons all played their part when they came on as well. It's great to know we've such a strong bench.

Roll on next weekend now! Come on the Lilies!

[Dinny Breen]

Just watched a re-run of the game, didn't realise how influential Kavanagh was after his introduction.

Our defence is playing very well our biggest improvement from last year and I think Connolly in goals is a massive factor in that, the full back line seem very confident in him and they are allowed focus on their own roles. Mick Foley was the best full-back on the pitch last and that says something when Kevin Reilly is playing. Midfield is a worry but Flynn (who showed his worth last night) will help solve that and young Brophy might allow JD move into forwards.

Still to go to Navan play a Meath time who were hurting, who didn't give up and still come out with the victory will mean a lot more than the facile win over Laois.

Pundits seem very b-polar and all of sudden we are the flavour of the month, it annoys but I doubt the Kildare camp pay any attention and just focus on the next game.