Tyrone v Kildare Part II - The Revenge Div 2 NFL Final Sunday 29th April 2012

[Jinxy]

Enjoyable enough game.  Terrible reffing.  Thought he was equally bad for both teams in the first half and then bad for Tyrone in the second.  Wouldn't be too disappointed.  I thought that Tyrone looked physically sharper and faster to the ball all over the pitch in the first half-just seemed to break down by trying to burst through the middle all the time.    Sean should've been hauled off at half time.  In fairness to Stevie he never got any ball put into him and Mugsy looks sharp enough.  Bar one terrible pass, I thought Colm Cav put himself about well enough.  Disappointing game by McCarron. 
On another day, Tyrone could've been out of sight at half time.
Our game seemed to fall apart when the ref lost the plot while Kildare took their chances well.  Won't do Tyrone a bit of harm to lose this one-they have the basis of a decent championship team on this showing but need to start picking of long distance scores.

   

On another day, a sniper on the roof of the nally stand could take out half the Kildare players.

[maggie]

Any word what exactly happened McRory and how he is?

[Dinny Breen]

That was nice to win but not unexpected too much emphasis was put on the first game played almost 3 months ago in the middle of Kildare's heavy training, Kildare had a much stronger team out today and with the Portugal training camp under the belt they were always going to finish stronger.

Kildare are very familiar with McGoldrick and is no friend of Kildare, he was consistent today and the conditions ensured a lot slow build up which meant lots of tackles and Kildare know from experience how he referee's the tackle and he doesn't often blow for soft/dive frees.

Anyhow good result and beating a side of Tyrone's calibre can only help with confidence levels. Delighted to see Fogarty do so well and his progression could be vital, Conway must be the sweetest foot passer in Leinster, now if only we had some natural forwards.

[Fuzzman]

I'm sorry if this post sounds too critical as I know its only April and it was only a Div 2 final but that was hard to watch.
Maybe it was just the bitter cold weather or the cutting wind but I couldn't help but feel aggrieved at our style of play. I've missed most games in the NFL bar the 1st one so I was expecting to see quite a free flowing match with lots of pace and exciting attack play.
Now I know ye can only play as well as yer let play but lets face it, I'm fed up to the back teeth of seeing the tactic of leaving a 2 man FF line that has 2 men marking them and then a sweeper 20 yards in front of them.
Then nobody else as the rest of the team are back in their own 40.

I was so annoyed back in 2009 v Cork, when time after time we just kept running into tackle after tackle, trying to pass under pressure with 3 men around ye and of course it being intercepted or not reaching it's desired destination.
Here we are 3 years later seeming to be making the same mistakes again.

Stevie O'Neill never touched the ball for the 1st 20 mins. On 23rd min he won a 45. No it wasn't one of Stevie's better days I agree but they lack of quality ball into him was appalling.
Mugsy got a few better passes into him and in all I thought he played quite well.
Sparky was by far the only player in red showing any fire in his belly in my eyes and those around me.

The middle third was a complete washout with Cassidy especially having a nightmare first half.

Yes conditions were poor and yes the ref in the second half didn't give us much (Esp a tackle near the end on Sparky) but I'm really becoming disillusioned with Mickey's tactics the last while.
He was preaching last week about how we're all bad mouthing our own game and saying how negative we make it sound. To me and a lot around me, why would you drive all the way down to Dublin and back on such a miserable day to watch such a dire game.
To me this tactic of playing a running game to counteract the swarm defence is playing into other teams hands. We are not a team to win possession around from kickouts so any possession we get is bloody hard earned.
Therefore it's crucial that we stop running into the brick wall most teams put up now around their own 40 and then getting caught with our defenders out of position.

Maybe it was just another bad day in Croker but when's the last day you can say we played well in headquarters?
With this new square ball rule, I can't see why we persist so much with this run run run game. I'd say Donegal and the Dubs will be glad to see us continue playing this way.

At least Armagh won't be the ones to break our unbeaten run now. 

[bennydorano]

Dose of reality boys, the glory days are over & aint coming back anytime soon. Q/F at best

[Lamh Dhearg Alba]

Dose of reality boys, the glory days are over & aint coming back anytime soon. Q/F at best

It was a bit daft of some people to be talking up Tyrone as All-Ireland contenders on the back of coasting through the McKenna Cup and Division 2 of the league. Equally daft to be writing them off altogether on the back of one game. This team is still a work in progress and overall it's coming on pretty well. Disappointing today but I would say Mickey will have taken a few lesssons from it, no doubt he learned more about his team today than from several easy wins over the past couple of months. I think the loss of Coney is a real blow but still hopeful that Tyrone can have a decent championship.

[Fuzzman]

What do ye think lads of our style of play?
Of our tactics on how to break down the sweeper in front of our forwards?

I think we've still got a descent if not top 5 team there but I just think we play into teams hands with this 1 dimensional style of game. Jim McGuinness was sitting close-by and I'd say he was happy with what he saw.

I don't want to go OTT now with my criticism and Mickey knows a lot more about football than most of us but I can't see the point of having top quality forwards standing up in the FF line and never getting descent ball into them.

[rrhf]

Mc Kenna needs the curly finger!

That happened it didn't make one ball of blue, because he done better than 2  cavanaghs, 1 Cassidy, 1 Harte, 1 full back line etc.  you and Mickey must be on the same wavelength.  Our big players were caught out badly today, and thats why we lost yet it's easy to pick out the fringe players. Stork

[Donnellys Hollow]

Kildare have the added incentive believe or not of a first national senior football title since 1928.

Heard tonight that it's our first national title since we beat Dublin in a Division 2 final in 1974.

[LAP THE LOUGH]

you will win nothing important with 3 forwards

and fellas running down blind alleys loosing the ball

if mickey went 6 on 6 they would fair alot better

best form of defence is ATTACK ATTACK

[cadhlancian]

Tyroneman and Fuzz , I agree wholeheartedly! David Coldrick was simply put, not good. Tyrone made it easy for him by continually carrying the ball into the tackle. Sean Cavanagh is seems to have lost a considerable amount of pace, and seems to struggle to blow by players they way he used to , after dropping his shoulder. Bottom line, you wont be winning any All irelands with Colm Cav in the middle of the field, I strongly believe , that if he wasn't Sean's Brother, he wouldnt even be on the panel! Aidan Cassidy is average, as is Cathal McCarron. Mark Donnelly as stated was the standout performer, for the most part ploughing a lone furrow. Curran in goals hardly inspires confidence either. Young McKenna was also very average and for all the hype its games like today that he should be showing in.......should have been gone a lot earlier. Freetaking is at best sketchey! We are probably a coin toss everytime we get a free , whether we will score it or miss! The pace that had been evident throughout the league was not on show today, perhaps we got our pace a little earlier than most teams this year? Only positive....a good kick in the whole before the applemunchers!

[cadhlancian]

Mc Kenna needs the curly finger!

That happened it didn't make one ball of blue, because he done better than 2  cavanaghs, 1 Cassidy, 1 Harte, 1 full back line etc.  you and Mickey must be on the same wavelength.  Our big players were caught out badly today, and thats why we lost yet it's easy to pick out the fringe players. Stork

McKenna was equally as bad as any you have mentioned. He was taken off with 5 mins to go, have yet to really see him shine. You talk about the bigger names, maybe he is getting on because of his own name??

[ONeill]

As Fuzz pointed out - you keep thinking back to Cork '09, Dublin '10 and Donegal/Dublin '11. I know Tyrone could easily have won a couple of those but the point remains.

Tyrone play a running game and have talented enough players to do to and beat 27-28 of the other counties on form. However, Kildare, Dublin, Donegal and Cork are big physical sides who'll soak that up all day long. There HAS to be a plan B. Late in the second half, after the umpteenth example of not being able to pass through the busy half back line of Kildare, Mugsy came out and played (footpass) a clinker on top of O'Neill which should have resulted in a goal. He showed the way. No one followed. He can't play it to himself. Last year v Donegal, everything Tyrone hit from distance went over in the first 20 mins. That'll rarely happen.

We don't have the players who can hit something from distance outside of Sean Cavanagh who'll never be afforded that space. Dooher was another who'd have a crack. Coney's a bit of a loss in that regard. He was the something new we needed from previous squads even though the jury hasn't delivered a verdict yet. That means when Tyrone come up against the brick wall, O'Neill and whoever else is in there needs to be used. Stephen was scratching his hole for the first 35.

Tyrone aren't far away and with a few more sessions in the tank I think they'd have handled Kildare ok. They can blitz teams with that passing game - Harte, Penrose, McCarron, Donnelly, the Cavanaghs etc are all capable of breaking the tackle and delivering a quality finish. When that's not working though we appear clueless - it is happening earlier every year now.

Colm Cavanagh gets a lot of stick and he can be frustrating with turnovers. His first three possessions in the second half ended with the ball in Kildare hands. I'd still persevere with him. He does a lot of simple good work too and when the team's flying he's a great man for providing an outlet. Cassidy had a mare but is better than that. Silly errors today cost Tyrone - misplaced passes from Colm, PJ and Curran stand out.

If Mickey can bring something different to the table when things aren't working out, Tyrone will not be far away at all. It'll be hard to stomach all the old frailties being played out against a good, physically strong team again this year in Croker. There are 4-5 better sides than Kildare who'll soak up the current style.

Well done to Kildare - fitness told and there must've been little SuperBock consumed. Some excellent point taking at the end but that was simply down to the state of the challenge, late on.

[cadhlancian]

Shane a very generous assessment I would say! Sean Cavanagh was poor and looked uninterested, perhaps thats why, in his 10th year now on the Senior team , he has never been made captain , lacks leadership and when things are not going well , disappears! Honest question..........would Colm be on the team if Sean wasn't? You say Aidan Cassidy is better than that, why? here and when has he produced the type of performance that would justify overlooking that display today??

[Whishtup]

Enjoyable enough game.  Terrible reffing.  Thought he was equally bad for both teams in the first half and then bad for Tyrone in the second.  Wouldn't be too disappointed.  I thought that Tyrone looked physically sharper and faster to the ball all over the pitch in the first half-just seemed to break down by trying to burst through the middle all the time.    Sean should've been hauled off at half time.  In fairness to Stevie he never got any ball put into him and Mugsy looks sharp enough.  Bar one terrible pass, I thought Colm Cav put himself about well enough.  Disappointing game by McCarron. 
On another day, Tyrone could've been out of sight at half time.
Our game seemed to fall apart when the ref lost the plot while Kildare took their chances well.  Won't do Tyrone a bit of harm to lose this one-they have the basis of a decent championship team on this showing but need to start picking of long distance scores.

   

On another day, a sniper on the roof of the nally stand could take out half the Kildare players.

'Pale' humour?