Kildare v Mayo NFL 2nd Feb 2014

[Crete Boom]

 I think the mental hangover from the All Ireland coupled with the lack of collective training done will mean we will be very vulnerable for these first two games. I think Kildare looked sharp enough in the O' Byrne Cup to take us as long as the have a fairly decent day in front of goals.

Good to see Tom Parsons back and I would like Horan to have a real look at him and Gibbons in this league because we all know what Moran and O Shea X2 can and can't do at this stage. I would like Andy and Freeman to get the majority of games to gether in the inside line as both were hampered by injury last year and I think they could build a good partnership together for us come the summer. You could use the other spot in the corner to give the likes of Jason Doc , Mikey Sweeney , Darren Coen ,Tommy Conroy etc.. a go at staking a claim. I would also like some real options in the halforward line like Gallagher , Loftus , Cathal Freeman , Gibbons at CHF and maybe even Keegan , to give us a couple of options again as I think Mcloughlin , Higgins and Dillion/Feeney will be the men in the summer time but we had no real cover there last year!

Everyone thinks our backs are in great shape and they are as long as form and fitness doesn't desert any of the starting six from last year which is a big if. I would like Shane MacHale , Keith Rodgers , Kevin Keane , James Burke , Brendan Harrison and Stephen Coen to get some real gametime between them so we have some credible options to moving Keith Higgins back or if say Caff or Vaughan gets injured! A good shout would be Alan Feeney and Eoghan O'Reilly to come back into the fold after the club championship to stiffen competition in the backs and they have experience of being in the squad before. Other players from that Mitchell's set up I would like to see get a chance are Danny Kirby and Patrick Durcan but this year maybe too soon for them.

All in all if Horan could scrape a win out of these first two games and have a look at about half the players I have mentioned above along with winning say four out of the seven games ( getting us to a league semi or final) I think that would be a brilliant start to our season but there are a lot of ifs in my post . Kildare by 3 or 4 in the end!!

[Chimley]

Please...no more of this 'stone unturned' stuff. How the club playwer of the year was left on the bench on final day still gnaws away at me. No stone unturned was the mantra last year too.

True, but you'd hope Horan will have learned from that.....

Regan has been invited back but declined (is he off to the states for the summer?) so we need to move on from that. It was at best unfair and at worst a bad mistake by Horan to drop him off the panel last year but if we can get the players who are on the panel playing to their potential then we have a side good enough to win the AI.

Will the team be announced this evening??

not picking on the lad but has anyone any idea why an unfit Conor O'Se was kept on the panel in preference. And what is the nature of his long term injury?

[Mayo4Sam]

Many mayo lads heading to this?
Any directions from the LWs? Coming from Dublin

[Tubberman]

Team named for Sunday. A fair sprinkling of new/inexperienced players, but still a strong lineup.
What's the story with Parsons - how is he going to manage playing for Mayo if he's living and working in Cardiff!? Does he intend moving home in the near future?

1)   Robert Hennelly - Breaffy
2)   Kevin Keane - Westport
3)   Ger Cafferkey - Ballina Stephenites
4)   Colm Boyle - Davitts
5)   Lee Keegan - Westport
6)   Shane McHale - Knockmore
7)   Brendan Harrison - Aghamore
   Tom Parsons - Charlestown Sarsfields
9)   Aidan O'Shea - Breaffy
10) Cathal Carolan - Crossmolina Deel Rovers
11) Keith Higgins - Ballyhaunis
12) Adam Gallagher - Mayo Gaels
13) Kevin McLoughlin - Knockmore
14) Andy Moran - Ballaghaderreen (Capt.)
15) Darren Coen - Hollymount/Carramore

James Horan - Manager
Tom Prendergsat - Selector
Donie Buckley - Selector
Ed Coughlan - Trainer
Sean Moffatt - Doctor

[Dinny Breen]

I haven't seen the Kildare team yet but I expect it will be very young with 9 players 22 or younger being involved.

We're playing a little bit more direct as much to do with conditions than anything else but I expect we could be looking for big mobile baller winners and Brophy and Fogarty fit that bill both though can shoot with either foot and can pick off scores.

Home advantage to shade it and we need to win this one.

[macdanger2]

Who's our freetaker there? McLoughlin? Or can Coen or Gallagher take them??

[Crete Boom]

Who's our freetaker there? McLoughlin? Or can Coen or Gallagher take them??

Gallagher was a fine free taker with the minors. I don't know about Coen as I have never seen him take frees .

[Chimley]

It would be a big responsibility on a lad in his first outing though.

[Tubberman]

It would be a big responsibility on a lad in his first outing though.

True, Cillian wasn't given responsibilities for frees until after the debacle against Galway in Championship when about 5 players tried and failed.

[From the Bunker]

It would be a big responsibility on a lad in his first outing though.

True, Cillian wasn't given responsibilities for frees until after the debacle against Galway in Championship when about 5 players tried and failed.

Jez, we were a mess that day when you think back to that? That was only post needing extra time to get past London. We seriously came in under the radar that year to catch out AI Champions Cork in the Quarters!

[ross4life]

It would be a big responsibility on a lad in his first outing though.

True, Cillian wasn't given responsibilities for frees until after the debacle against Galway in Championship when about 5 players tried and failed.

Jez, we were a mess that day when you think back to that? That was only post needing extra time to get past London. We seriously came in under the radar that year to catch out AI Champions Cork in the Quarters!

Yes ye couldn't score frees against Galway that day & wasn't it our luck that ye couldn't miss any in the Connacht final.

[Syferus]

Very similar to what we saw in Ballinlough. When are the Tubber men due back?

[From the Bunker]

Very similar to what we saw in Ballinlough. When are the Tubber men due back?

There will be no sign of Cillian or Alan for a while I'd say. Both played through the pain last year and they need time they could not take last year to sort themselves out!

[moysider]

Unless we re struggling for points to avoid relegation I would not expect to see either before championship.

A win here would settle things down nicely. As the first competitive match since the final loss it would be important to win. What we don t want is to lose the first couple of rounds.
But it wont be easy. Kildare gave us a bit of a going over last year in Castlebar in what was probably our worst league game. We could be a bit off the pace and could struggle if they have work done.

It ll be interesting to see how this 15 fare out. Looks like McHale is getting serious consideration as a 6 going forward. Boyle in the corner - no harm to have a look but cant see it last. I dont think marking will ever be his forté. Probably doing the opposition a favour by taking his influence out of the game. He is too good a half back. Just when we got Higgins out we put Boyle back. But no harm and it gives Harrison, who is also a proper player, a run.
Selecting Higgins at 11 is a statement of intent about his future it seems. Great to see Parsons back and I hope he is given games to get the best out of him. With Gallagher it will be be a case of how good can he be, rather than a case of will he be good enough?I d have no fear of him if he taking frees. Lots to look forward to.

[sans pessimism]

Very similar to what we saw in Ballinlough. When are the Tubber men due back?

shud have 7 or 8 come c/ship-shur isn't Jamsie in charge