Kildare v Laois Saturday, June 6, 2015 at 7:00pm

Dinny Breen · June 02, 2015, 11:59:04 AM

Heart v Mind.

Heart badly wants a Kildare win but the mind doesn't want to see this shambles of a set-up go to CP and suffer yet another humiliating defeat at the hands of Dublin.

Expect it will be a tight game and in those instances it will come down to mental strength and fortitude, the Kildare players are already looking to who the next manger is going to be. This will be a Laois win, 3/4 points.

AZOffaly · June 02, 2015, 12:06:54 PM

Jaysus!!!! Welcome back! I was getting worried about you...

Dinny Breen · June 02, 2015, 12:09:51 PM

Ha! Just gave myself a little sabbatical and looking at Kildare over the past 5 months I'm glad I did.

macdanger2 · June 02, 2015, 12:22:29 PM

How come Ryan was able to do so well with Wexford and is doing so poorly with Kildare? The players obviously haven't bought into him and his methods

Donnellys Hollow · June 02, 2015, 12:39:10 PM

Welcome back Dinny.

A lot will hinge on the availability of the two Kelly's. If they're out we won't have a full back who can match Kingston and our full forward line won't carry anywhere near the same threat. Great to see Andrew McLoughlin's old friend Mr Reilly will be the man in the middle.

The league match could have gone either way and there probably won't be much in this one again. I'm just hoping Kildare show a bit of fight after such a pathetic league campaign. The amount of players walking away doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

Rossfan · June 02, 2015, 12:45:03 PM

The loser goes into the easier A side of the Qualifiers while the winner becomes the latest bunch of Christians to be thrown to the lions in the Croker Coliseum.
Hmmmmmmm.........

laoislad · June 02, 2015, 12:46:40 PM

Looking forward to this.
Big weekend for Laois as we also play the Biffos in hurling.
It could be the best of weekends..it could be the worst...

It's that time of year to get our impressive cocks out and show them off.....

Dinny Breen · June 02, 2015, 12:50:34 PM

Quote from: macdanger2 on June 02, 2015, 12:22:29 PM
How come Ryan was able to do so well with Wexford and is doing so poorly with Kildare? The players obviously haven't bought into him and his methods

Where do you start with this?

Ryan had some decent Championship performances with Wexford but his league campaigns were nothing special. His star is probably somewhat over inflated.

Look, the Kildare County Board as has been alluded on here for a long top are a shambles, the Kildare team under Jason Ryan merely reflect this. The clubs, KCB, under-age dev squads and the senior football/hurling squads are all pulling in opposite directions, we don't have a clearly defined strategy for games development or promotion within the county.

Kildare has a population approaching 250000 people, it has 50 plus GAA clubs with excellent facilities with thriving under-age nurseries and academies, outside Dublin we have the most competitive under programs in Leinster yet not only have we stagnated at senior level we have gone backwards at a rapid pace. This a county that arguably should have been in the 2010 AI final and the 2011 AI semi-final and will now struggle to make a Leinster Semi.

We are leaderless on the pitch and we are certainly leaderless off it.

Dinny Breen · June 02, 2015, 01:00:55 PM

Quote from: Donnellys Hollow on June 02, 2015, 12:39:10 PM
Welcome back Dinny.

A lot will hinge on the availability of the two Kelly's. If they're out we won't have a full back who can match Kingston and our full forward line won't carry anywhere near the same threat. Great to see Andrew McLoughlin's old friend Mr Reilly will be the man in the middle.

The league match could have gone either way and there probably won't be much in this one again. I'm just hoping Kildare show a bit of fight after such a pathetic league campaign. The amount of players walking away doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

Expect plenty of frees so!!!

Looking at the game in isolation and if the two Kellys are available (is there doubts over Niall?) it would be fair to expect a Kildare win, Laois have some good players but lack dept and on paper Kildare have more balance and dept.

However Kildare apart from Emmet Bolton are lacking leaders and with the rumours circulating
around Ronan Quinn and player fall-outs I think it will be impossible for Ryan to get much out of the team.

Even tactically I have no idea how will set-up against Laois. It might be car crash TV or we might get a performance I just don't know, will be there for my sins. It just reminds me of the last days of the Crofton era.

joemamas · June 02, 2015, 01:06:05 PM

Quote from: Donnellys Hollow on June 02, 2015, 12:39:10 PM
Welcome back Dinny.

A lot will hinge on the availability of the two Kelly's. If they're out we won't have a full back who can match Kingston and our full forward line won't carry anywhere near the same threat. Great to see Andrew McLoughlin's old friend Mr Reilly will be the man in the middle.

The league match could have gone either way and there probably won't be much in this one again. I'm just hoping Kildare show a bit of fight after such a pathetic league campaign. The amount of players walking away doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

Apologies for digressing, Q Is that Cormac Reilly from Meath, from Mayo V Kerry infamy.

Donnellys Hollow · June 02, 2015, 01:10:39 PM

Quote from: joemamas on June 02, 2015, 01:06:05 PM
Apologies for digressing, Q Is that Cormac Reilly from Meath, from Mayo V Kerry infamy.

Unfortunately yes.

Quote from: Dinny Breen on June 02, 2015, 01:00:55 PM
Expect plenty of frees so!!!

Looking at the game in isolation and if the two Kellys are available (is there doubts over Niall?) it would be fair to expect a Kildare win, Laois have some good players but lack dept and on paper Kildare have more balance and dept.

However Kildare apart from Emmet Bolton are lacking leaders and with the rumours circulating
around Ronan Quinn and player fall-outs I think it will be impossible for Ryan to get much out of the team.

Even tactically I have no idea how will set-up against Laois. It might be car crash TV or we might get a performance I just don't know, will be there for my sins. It just reminds me of the last days of the Crofton era.

He didn't play for Athy in their win against Sarsfields. I'm not sure if he has played since he went off injured in the u21 Leinster Final.

You couldn't pm me re the Quinn rumours?

Jinxy · June 02, 2015, 01:39:23 PM

One thing's for sure, Laois won't fear Dublin.

rodney trotter · June 02, 2015, 02:54:38 PM

Wexford had better forwards to work with, Pj Banville, Redmond Barry, Ciaran Lyng, Ben Brosnan.

Dinny Breen · June 02, 2015, 03:12:57 PM

Quote from: rodney trotter on June 02, 2015, 02:54:38 PM
Wexford had better forwards to work with, Pj Banville, Redmond Barry, Ciaran Lyng, Ben Brosnan.

Really, that old chestnut? Kildare have/had much better players than Wexford, the only Wexford forward of note in that period who you inexplicably failed to mention was Mattie Forde.

rodney trotter · June 02, 2015, 03:31:32 PM

Yeah they looked more natural forwards to me anyways,mattie obviously too.

Johnny Doyle was class, and that's who kildare really relied on for a long time. Ryan wasn't helped by him retiring in his first year in charge.

Niall Kelly at the minute, is kildare's .only real top forward. Alan Smith is decent when fit