Cill Dara v Uíbh Fhailí - 17/6/12

[Donnellys Hollow]

GAA: Kildare Injury Worries Ease Slightly 
Kildare's injury worries have eased slightly ahead of Sunday week's game against Offaly with Dermot Earley, Daryl Flynn and James Kavanagh returning to training last night (Thursday June 7).
 
Eamonn Callaghan returned from America on Thursday following a groin operation and immediately commenced his rehab. Hugh Lynch has been participating fully in training in recent weeks having overcome various minor injuries that have affected him since his return from a cruciate ligament injury.
 
Emmet Bolton continues his rehab following a hamstring injury and is unlikely to return to full training until next week at the earliest.
John Doyle is also suffering from a quad injury, but he will hope to recover in time to continue his ever present run in the Kildare team since making his championship debut in 2000.
 
Gary White suffered a bad dead leg in training last weekend, but should be fit for Offaly, though Paddy Dunne of Athy looks set to be an absentee due to a hamstring injury. Fionn Dowling has also been suffering with hamstring trouble, but hopes to recover in time.

http://www.kfmradio.com/kfm-radio/sports-news/gaa-kildare-injury-worries-ease-slightly.html

[Donnellys Hollow]

Cill Dara:

1 Shane Connolly (St Laurences)
2 Andriú MacLochlainn (Ellistown)
3 Hugh McGrillen (Celbridge)
4 Peter Kelly (Two Mile House)
5 Emmet Bolton (Eadestown)
6 Morgan O'Flaherty (Carbury)
7 Ollie Lyons (Celbridge)
8 Mick Foley (Athy)
9 Pádraig O'Neill (St Laurences)
10 Johnny Doyle (Allenwood)
11 Eoghan O'Flaherty (Carbury)
12 Alan Smith (Sarsfields)
13 James Kavanagh (Ballymore)
14 Tomás O'Connor (Clane)
15 Mikey Conway (Nurney)

Uíbh Fhailí:

1 Alan Mulhall (Walsh Island)
2 Shane Sullivan (Rhode)
3 John Moloney (Tullamore)
4 Sean Pender (Edenderry)
5 Brian Darby Capt (Rhode)
6 Michael Brazil (Tullamore)
7 Eoin Rigney (Rhode)
8 Alan Mc Namee (Rhode)
9 Richie Dalton (Edenderry)
10 Ross Brady (Clara)
11 Daniel Currams (Kilcormac / Killoughey)
12 Niall Smith (Gracefield)
13 Ken Casey (St Brigids)
14 Graham Guilfoyle (Clara)
15 Anton Sullivan (Rhode)


One change for Kildare from the Tyrone match with McLoughlin in for Éamonn Callaghan. Bit of a surprise choice considering he saw so little football during the league but he must be going well at training. Looks a strong enough team on paper but I'd hope that Daryl Flynn is back fully fit asap because I'm not convinced that the midfield pairing will cut it later on. Neither are natural ball winning midfielders and this was badly exposed in the second half against Galway. I think we got away with it to a certain extent against Tyrone who have always favoured mobility over high-fielding players at midfield under Harte.

[Onlooker]

Still no sign of Seanie Johnston (St. Kevin's).

[Blowitupref]

Like Leitrim on their trip to Castlebar Offaly will hope to be competitive in this game & without Niall McNamee the task will be even more difficult.

[Captain Scarlet]

lads a few pairs of tix going on @gaaleinster . just send a message and use #tweetseats and winner announced on friday.

[Dinny Breen]

Amusing reading the comments on uibhfhaili, some posters there certainly living up to I in Biffo. Offaly can demonstrate all the fighting spirit they can muster and that's the least their supports can expect from Sunday but this isn't the 80s, football has evolved and Offaly are the worst championship side in Leinster. Kildare should win and cover the spread anything less would be disappointing and a defeat would rank as a bigger shock than Wicklow in 2008.

[AZOffaly]

Who over there is predicting an Offaly win Dinny? Any post I've read, but I haven't been back there in a while, is that we would be lucky to beat any side in Leinster at the moment. But even with that, we will demand heart and fight.

I suggest ye worry about yourselves. We'll lick our own wounds.

[AZOffaly]

I just posted this to one of the more optimistic posters over there, who suggested the worst case would be a late Tomás O'conner goal to win it for the Lilys.

****************************

I don't think that would be worst case scenario Biif. That would imply we gave it a right good go and could have won. Worst case scenario is that it plays out as the form book suggests it will.

That being said, with all the nonsense going on, all we can as is that our lads go out and give everything they have. Games are played on the field, not on paper, and while we should be soundly trounced, there have been big shocks before this, and will be again. Not many people would have thought Sligo, Longford and Antrim would give Kerry so much trouble in 2009 or whenever it was.

Do your best, leave everything on the field and on the day anything can happen.

The main point however, is that our preparation and approach is so far behind everything else that anything good that happens is a pure fluke. That's what we need to sort out before we can start approaching games like this as 'should win' games. It's not that long ago since the 6 Subs debacle. Or even since we scutched Kildare down in a qualifer for 50 minutes before letting them make it closer than it was. Problem is they, and a lot of others, have progressed. We have regressed dramatically.

[western exile]

The bookies don't seem rattled after giving 5/1 against Sligo beating Galway.  They are content to offer 7/1 against Offaly here.

[AZOffaly]

ONE 'L' Jaysus.

[western exile]

ONE 'L' Jaysus.

not fast enough!  I had edited it as soon as I realised my typo, and before you posted! 

[AZOffaly]

I'm hyper sensitive about that We might get the mother and father of all hammerings, but jaysus spell our name right, we deserve that much at least!

[Dinny Breen]

Who over there is predicting an Offaly win Dinny? Any post I've read, but I haven't been back there in a while, is that we would be lucky to beat any side in Leinster at the moment. But even with that, we will demand heart and fight.

I suggest ye worry about yourselves. We'll lick our own wounds.

No one is calling an Offaly win, the ignorance is A. Not knowing Seanie 'Straffan Johnson is not eligible and B. Actual calls to boo him or shall we say make him feel welcome, now that is embarrassing and frankly pathetic. The lad is an amateur and what gripe would Offaly have with him, really sad so see things like that creep into the game, but sure that must be part of the ethos and up there with diving as well as no one seems to have interest in cleaning these things up.

We have enough to be worried ourselves as well, there is only some many moral victories one can take.

[AZOffaly]

That's only winding Dinny. The first lad hadn't a clue, but lads responding are only messing. I think you should look at the thread about Offaly v Kildare for a more accurate representation.

If ye don't beat us by a point a man ye may give it up.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Kildare haven't really hammered anyone under McGeeney. I suppose our biggest wins have been against Laois (x2) and up in Derry in the qualifiers in 2010. Even those three matches were quite tight in the first half with Kildare only pulling away in the last quarter when the opposition just threw in the towel and that would not be a characteristic of Offaly teams.

It wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if this match on Sunday followed a similar pattern. Kildare are notorious slow starters in the championship. We struggled for long periods against Wicklow in or first match last year. Offaly have nothing to lose and should have a good cut at it whereas Kildare are on a bit of a hiding to nothing. Most supporters will travel expecting a cricket score and the critics will be out if we labour to victory. If we do get an easy win people will claim Offaly weren't up to much. I'd be satisfied with a straightforward win and no further injuries. If anything it might help quell expectations which appear to be higher outside the county than within. It's great to have an actual football match to talk about rather than the never ending transfer soap opera.