NFL Division 2 2015

[Put Up That Flag]

Anyone championing Roscommon or John Evans needs their heads examined. Same old shite, absolutely clueless. As bad a performance as the last 5/6 yrs or 20/25 years being honest. Lateral hand passing, senan Kilbride spening his time in our half, no one wining the breaks and backs who cannot tackle and one paced.

It's one game. No need for the childish sniping when every team has lost - we're in as good a position as anyone, bar (ironically) the team we beat.

All any team in D2 can do is focus on next weekend.

Looks like you will have to go back to supporting Mayo and jump on that bandwagon, Ros are heading for division 3 as that is what they are, a bog standard division 3 team, never mind you might get a couple days out in Croker in the summer to cheer on your beloved Mayo.

[Croí na hÉireann]

While a double score 11 point win would suggest a complete mauling the biggest mauling was done on the sideline where we were completely outsmarted. O'Dowd and Giles had their homework done and like Dublin Donegal last year they killed us with goals. We were extremely wasteful in the first half as well and a 2 point half time lead felt like a 5 point deficit such was the gale blowing down the field. No harm to get a lesson at this stage of the year when we can do something about it, there were still some really good performances, particularly McCallon and Sharry. What with Kildare and Laois winning, vital we get points back on the board now against Down next weekend. This division is really wide open.

[An Fhairche Abu]

A decent but not great game in Newry – I must say that it was a great venue for getting in and out of being so close to the motorway – with a big wind blowing which Galway had in the first half to go up by 6, Down managed a point more against the wind than Galway and that was the difference in the end.
Credit has to go to Down for kicking some monster points (one 55 metre effort was ridiculous even with the weather assist) with the wind in the last 5 minutes to win it but this was a game they shouldn't have been given a sniff of winning, the Examiner report headline is "Galway just not ruthless enough" and it definitely nails the game in 5 words.

The Roscommon referee Neilan was overly fussy I thought at times. Some fierce soft frees given to both sides from what I thought was basically players just falling over themselves without any foul being committed, one foul given against Down in the first half that was pointed was particularly harsh.
The one area he was very consistent in was pushing in the back from kickouts, Fiontán Ó Curraoin gained from this a lot but Down also had 2 frees correctly awarded from Galway fouling, it was good to see as it lead to some nice fielding on both sides.
In contrast his application of the advantage rule was all over the shop. Galway given the advantage for a foul on Cummins at the 21 yard line in the first half, he continued and kicked the ball wide. No advantage accrued I would have thought when the free was a gimme tap over, but he let the wide stand. Fair enough if the advantage had gone.
However Down had a free from which advantage was played for a goal chance in the second half, shot was saved by Breathnach and Galway defence recovered the ball, in this instance the game is brought back for the initial free to Down which was then hit over the bar. For the life of me I couldn't see the difference between both advantage plays, the length of time in both cases was practically identical. 
Inconsistent application of the rules like this has to be one of the most frustrating things for players and supporters alike, this example was baffling to me.

Overall performance from Galway was good, the better team in general play if not on the scoreboard and bar some poor finishing (at least 6 clear goal chances, only one converted) would now see them in pole position to get promoted.
Win the remaining home games and we'll still go up I think, however form can change very quickly as we've seen from the results over the past weekend and I hope that the Galway players and management aren't ruing the two points left after them in Newry at the end of the league campaign.

Galway team:
Manus Breathnach – Aside from one terrible kickout in the second half which went straight to a Down player, his restarts were good although the supremacy of Ó Curraoin at centre field undoubtedly helped a lot.
Very unlucky with the penalty as the ball bounced back across his body after the initial save, no chance to get back up in time for the second effort.
Made one great move off the line to fist a very dangerous high ball into the area away in the second period, he was decisive and took ball, man and whatever else was in front of him, good to see in any goalie.
His opposite number was far busier in terms of having to save goal bound efforts, he had a good save from the goal chance Down had as a result of the advantage play.
Unbelievably he is the first Galway keeper to see out the full 70 minutes this year.

Declan Kyne – Not a good day at the office. Black carded for the Down penalty, was marking a speedy opponent during the game and found it difficult, in mitigation for the entire FB line there was acres of space left in front of the forwards at times, especially in the first half.
Replaced by Kelly who didn't fare much better for the 20 minutes he was on.

Finian Hanley – Assured performance, some great interceptions in both halves. Down brought on much bigger man in McConville to go up against him in the second half but he didn't give him a kick.
Has shipped some criticism but what are the alternatives really? If he is unavailable at FB for Galway we'll be in big trouble.

Cathal Sweeney – Doing all he can to nail down the 4 jersey, another good game again yesterday. Tight on his man, some good tackles and made some nice bursts up the pitch into Down territory.
One caveat is that the pitches are a lot heavier at this time of year and both himself and his twin brother don't have huge pace. It was very noticeable after a Galway move broke down in the 2nd half and he was up the pitch that he had no chance of catching his man on the chase back, come the summer this might prove to be an issue. That said has played well both times I've seen him in the league this year.

Paul Varley – Decent game, had an effort at goal saved in the 2nd half after a great Galway move.

Garreth Bradshaw – Played well, good run and score in the 1st half. I would have said that he had a fairly solid game but what is an old failing came back to haunt at the death.
What's most frustrating is his at times casualness on the pitch. The Down winner came directly from a terrible, ultra careless fist pass at midfield that was left short of his teammate. Down won the ball, raced into Galway territory and earned the free that sealed the game.
Time was up and Galway had the chance to just play the ball into the Down half to look for a shot at the winner, as long as possession was retained a draw was the worst result they were looking at. Instead Bradshaw gifted Down the match, he mightn't have pulled down the player for the free but it was the fist pass that lead to it.

Gary O'Donnell – The least impressive of the HB line, caught well away from the Down player he should have been marking a couple of times when Down on the offensive, not that prominent in general play.

Fiontán Ó Curraoin – Dominant performance. Down made their first change in midfield after only 9 minutes and tried numerous combinations in that area to try and break even, nothing really worked against the Míchael Breathnachs man.
7 clean catches from kickouts to win possession, he was pushed in the back a further 3 times for frees from restarts.
On the ball in general play he had a few excellent long kick passes into the FF line and was very prominent throughout the match.
Galway's MOTM on the day for sure, the Down keeper Kane aside, no one else played to that level in the game.

Enda Tierney – Aside for one good defensive intervention in the first half which stopped a Down goal chance there wasn't much to take away. Like the Westmeath game you would at times forget he was on the pitch, hasn't shown much to indicate that he will hold onto the jersey for the rest of the league.
Replaced by Conroy about 10 minutes into the second half, big differences in general play between the two, a Conroy/Ó Curraoin midfield combination could be a very strong one for Galway moving forward and if he is fit enough I'd expect Conroy to start next Sunday against Cavan.

Sean Denvir – Showed great pace throughout and I'd say this was his best performance in a Galway jersey. Had two goal chances in the first half, made the first by driving through the Down defence on his own at speed, he tried to run around the keeper which was the wrong option and got called for over carrying. Took the correct option the second time and shot low but it was a great save from Kane to deny.
Stuck a great point after another solo run which started inside the Galway half where he left his man for dust. Also won the breaking ball from the final Down kickout, great effort to get it and can't be faulted for the subsequent loss of possession.

Patrick Sweeney – Had the best of it in the 1st half, was the only Galway man to give Kane no chance on the day when he buried his goal. Didn't have as much impact in the 2nd half but wasn't totally out of the game either.
Had to depart with an injury to be replaced by Hoare, only on for five minutes so hard to just him on that. At the match I thought it was Hoare who kicked Galway's final score, the papers have it as Conroy who got it.
Sweeney has been impressive as a sub against Meath, was MOTM against Westmeath and although not as prominent yesterday it was still a decent performance, both Sweeneys have been fairly successful coming in as new players for Galway in the league so far.

Damien Comer – Looked good on his first league start this year. One great fetch at midfield during the first half from a Galway kickout and scored a nice point. Unlucky with a 45 metre free in the second half against the wind that dropped just short, a great effort.

Michael Martin – Kicked over the frees he should have scored and got one from play but I thought he was quiet in general play. He did show some vision with one outstanding cross field kick pass to Cummins in the first half that led to a fisted point. Will be kept on as he looks our most reliable free taker but needs to have more of an impact in general play, Cummins and Adrian Varley were on the ball far more than him yesterday.

Adrian Varley – Always out in front and well able to win his own ball. Looks more settled in front of the posts than some of the other forwards, got two from play and stuck a nice score in the first half that was a very composed finish.

Danny Cummins – If his finishing matched his general play would have been the Galway match winner. Wasn't beaten to any ball played in, he toasted his marker all day and got in behind several times.
Mixed the good with the bad in finishing, couple of times in the first half he got in and kicked wide of the goal when he should had fisted over. One miss wide of the near post from about 15 yards out at the start of the 2nd half was particularly poor.
Against this he kicked a free from near the sideline, on the 21 line and into a stiff breeze in the 2nd half which was the most difficult chance he had all day.
It has to be said that he is a great outlet up front for Galway, we have no one else with that raw pace and if he could just show the type of finishing he displayed in the first two league games more consistently he would be a huge threat for Galway.
Replaced by Shane Walsh with 15 left. Aside from a nice take and quick hand pass to setup Varley's goal chance, Walsh didn't really feature in the minutes he was on the pitch. In retrospect I'd say Kevin Walsh probably regrets not leaving Cummins on as he was offering more from play than his replacement.

[Put Up That Flag]

Anyone championing Roscommon or John Evans needs their heads examined. Same old shite, absolutely clueless. As bad a performance as the last 5/6 yrs or 20/25 years being honest. Lateral hand passing, senan Kilbride spening his time in our half, no one wining the breaks and backs who cannot tackle and one paced.

i've never understood the hype surrounding Roscommon personally.

When was the last notable championship win at senior level? Must be pre 2007

To the best of my knowledge it was 12 years ago in 2003 when they beat a Cork team in disarray in the second round of qualifiers, think it was Thompkins last game as manager. 12 years ago since a victory in the championship against a division 1 team, they really are a super power alright as billed up by SOME of their supporters.

[Hardy]

Anyone championing Roscommon or John Evans needs their heads examined. Same old shite, absolutely clueless. As bad a performance as the last 5/6 yrs or 20/25 years being honest. Lateral hand passing, senan Kilbride spening his time in our half, no one wining the breaks and backs who cannot tackle and one paced.

i've never understood the hype surrounding Roscommon personally.

When was the last notable championship win at senior level? Must be pre 2007

To the best of my knowledge it was 12 years ago in 2003 when they beat a Cork team in diseray in the second round of qualifiers, think it was Thompkins last game as manager. 12 years ago since a victory in the championship against a division 1 team, they really are a super power alright as billed up by SOME of their supporters.

Funny, I would have sworn that match was in the Hyde.

[Captain Obvious]

Anyone championing Roscommon or John Evans needs their heads examined. Same old shite, absolutely clueless. As bad a performance as the last 5/6 yrs or 20/25 years being honest. Lateral hand passing, senan Kilbride spening his time in our half, no one wining the breaks and backs who cannot tackle and one paced.

i've never understood the hype surrounding Roscommon personally.

When was the last notable championship win at senior level? Must be pre 2007

To the best of my knowledge it was 12 years ago in 2003 when they beat a Cork team in diseray in the second round of qualifiers, think it was Thompkins last game as manager. 12 years ago since a victory in the championship against a division 1 team, they really are a super power alright as billed up by SOME of their supporters.

In fairness Armagh were a division one in 2012 when they lost to Roscommon in championship.

[seafoid]

It's a cracking division for unpredictability

Saturday March 14th: Meath v Laois.
Sunday March 15th:  Galway v Cavan; Kildare v Roscommon; Westmeath v Down.
Weekend of March 22 :  Galway v Laois;  Roscommon v Meath.
Saturday March 28th: Cavan v Westmeath; Down v Meath; Laois v Kildare.
Sunday March 29th: Roscommon v Galway.
Sunday April 5th: Down v Laois; Galway v Kildare; Meath v Cavan; Westmeath v Roscommon.

Down have 2 difficult matches against Westmeath and Meath   
Laois and Kildare would need to get another 3 points at least to be safe.
Cavan have a tough run-in, as do Ros.

[Syferus]

You'll need at least six points to be safe in this division. I doubt five will cut it.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Think Galway are still in a pretty decent position with 3 home games left. Unlucky to lose up in Down yesterday. Cavan and Laois at home up next. Two games they would be fancied to win although Laois showed yesterday that you can't write any team off in the division. Should have the Corofin lads back for the final two games up in Roscommon and at home to Kildare. 3 wins would probably get them promoted. 2 wins would probably see them safe enough in mid table. Seems like teams will continue to take points off each other.

Actually possible that 8 points might get someone promoted this year depending on their points difference.

[giveballaghback]

The real div 2 table ie points dropped. Total available to each team 14
down         2
galway       2
meath        2
ros            3
wmeath     4
laois          4
cavan        5
kildare       6
So now lads resharpen yere pencils, as as for the ros naysayers well the Rossies are well used to it, some of them will not even register their county name, are they afraid to put up the flag? Time will tell but over the years ros have punched way above their weight, recent history has been poor at senior level but we are coming with a good competitive footballing team, it will take a little time but not too many will fancy meeting us even this year, yes we are still on a learning curve but we have top class young players that will only improve. 

[Aristo 60]

The real div 2 table ie points dropped. Total available to each team 14
down         2
galway       2
meath        2
ros            3
wmeath     4
laois          4
cavan        5
kildare       6
So now lads resharpen yere pencils, as as for the ros naysayers well the Rossies are well used to it, some of them will not even register their county name, are they afraid to put up the flag? Time will tell but over the years ros have punched way above their weight, recent history has been poor at senior level but we are coming with a good competitive footballing team, it will take a little time but not too many will fancy meeting us even this year, yes we are still on a learning curve but we have top class young players that will only improve.

Disagree. Points on the board and a bird in the hand and all that. An Dun abu.

[seafoid]

The real div 2 table ie points dropped. Total available to each team 14
down         2
galway       2
meath        2
ros            3
wmeath     4
laois          4
cavan        5
kildare       6
So now lads resharpen yere pencils, as as for the ros naysayers well the Rossies are well used to it, some of them will not even register their county name, are they afraid to put up the flag? Time will tell but over the years ros have punched way above their weight, recent history has been poor at senior level but we are coming with a good competitive footballing team, it will take a little time but not too many will fancy meeting us even this year, yes we are still on a learning curve but we have top class young players that will only improve.

The top 4 teams are Down, Westmeath, Meath and Galway. Only points dropped by them are between each other apart from Down losing to the Rossies. So who played going forward is as important as points on the board.
Eg down have still to play Westmeath and Meath

[twohands!!!]

At the moment given how the division has gone so far, I would see whoever does end up getting promoted from Division 2 struggling massively to pick up points in Division 1 next year.

None of the likely contenders look like being up to the standard to compete against Division 1 season, or developing into that by the time the next season rolls around.

Normally you have at least 1 team who looks like they would be capable of giving survival a decent shot if they get promoted but this year it looks very much like the standard is very even and that it looks a fair way of Division 1 fare. - I'd also be tipping whoever does get relegated from Division 1 to be very strong candidates for promotion.

[Syferus]

Doubt anyone relegated from D1 will be all that special next year. D2 is a good division for developing a team. D1 seems to be about giving fringe lads a run out before the real matches start.

[twohands!!!]

Doubt anyone relegated from D1 will be all that special next year. D2 is a good division for developing a team. D1 seems to be about giving fringe lads a run out before the real matches start.

I don't know - Monaghan and Derry have both been missing a fair chunk of lads and Tyrone if they went down would surely have a new broom in charge and I think they would benefit from that. Right now I'd be backing pretty much all 3 of them in games against any of the likely promoted candidates.

Very much idle speculation on my part I know but just thinking promotion to Division 1 could be a bit of a poisioned chalice in the longer-term for whoever goes up.