Waterford v Kerry Munster SFC

[Kerry Mike]

A poor game for the neutral last Sunday and not the best of Live games to be showing on RTE but lots of positives from our point of view.

Corks rout of Tipp also showed up the lopsided effect in Munster but that's the system and you play what's put in front of you, and until someone comes up with a viable alternative we are stuck with it.

Given the debacle that was Kerry approach to the Munster championship last year its good to get a good win under our belts and hopefully get a head of steam up for greater challenges ahead.

Kerry's approach was spot on on Sunday in the first half, they went out with the intent to nail the game early and once we got the goals it was game over. Similar to the tail end of last year once the early goals came, there was no way back for the opposition.

A surprising choice by Waterford to hand Kerry the advantage of playing with the strong wind in that first half, in the papers today the manager said it was the players choice and the captain said he was instructed by management to do so. Someone fecked up.

I think the whole hype and history about 1957 got to Waterford as well and they were very poor in the first half. I was expecting a sterner challenge from them, given that a lot of that team had beaten Kerry in a U21 match a few years ago, but few besides Aherne and the full back put in decent performances for them.

From our players point of view, Diarmuid Murphy kept a clean sheet though Waterford were unlucky in the 2nd half not to goal , hitting the post and crossbar in succession, he swept up a few ball coming behind the full back line but otherwise had little to keep him occupied.

Padraig Reidy: Very impressive first outing for the Kingdom, he read the game well and had a few great interceptions at the start of the second half. Will face a tough battle against Cork and will be interesting to see if he gets the marking job on James Masters.

Tom O'Sullivan: Again covered well and did nothing wrong, still early days yet and still prove himself as Mike McCarthy's replacement at full back. 6 foot 7 Michael Cussen will be a huge battle for him in the Munster final and I am sure Tom will be getting plenty of high balls in training against Donaghy to build himself up for the that challenge.

Marc O'Se: A committed display again from the classy O'Se, kicked a fine point but there was not a Waterford man within 20m of him. Defended well when needed to.

Tomas O'Se: An excellent performance from Tomas and good to see he has the hunger for battle this early in the year, drove at Waterford at every opportunity and got up for a point near the end.

Aidan O'Mahony: Got on plenty of ball and distributed well but did not exert himself, didnt have to.

Killian Young: Another new starter from last year and good to see an assured performance from the Renard man, got up well in attack and made Brosnan's first goal when he might have had a chance to shoot himself. Has plenty of football in him and now needs to continue his growth in the Kerry no 7 jersey.

Michael Quirke: Got on the ball from the throw in, won plenty of primary ball with his height and strength and laid it off quickly basketball style, his kicking game is still suspect, and he should have nailed a fairly easy chance of a point in the first half, his mobility is not great but is a good option in Midfield if needed, expect Tommy Griffin to be back for the Cork game though.

Darragh O'Se: A very quite game by his standards but still pushed on the team from Midfield when needed, His presence around the middle is vital. Cork beckons and that always get O'Se blood boiling.

Declan O'Sullivan: Looked rusty after being out of the game for a few months but worked hard and made it difficult for the Waterford backs when they had the ball. Will have a battle on his hands for the Cork game to hold a place on the team with either Darren and Sean O'Sullivan pushing hard for inclusion.

Eoin Brosnan: 2 Trademark goals, he is nearly unstoppable when he comes onto the ball at speed like that and feeds off the full forward line well. Centre forward is is best position but was wroking really hard all around on Sunday. Just a pity he did not bury that chance he had in the 02 final !!!!

Paul Galvin: Back to his terrier like self, must be a hoor to play against, always tackling and causing problems and he can kick a few good points too when the mood takes him. Needs to keep a clear head on the football and not get sucked into the tricks the Langers will have lined up for him. A vital part of the team even though he faded in the second half when the game was won and we were only winding down the clock.

Colm Cooper: Started well when he was used as a decoy target man but was well held by the corner back. Will rise to the challenge of the Cork game. has had a long season already so needs now to focus on the Kerry jersey.

Kieran Donaghy: Well off the pace and little things did not work for him, had a few shots blocked and intercepted, worked hard for the team when the ball was with Waterford. Seemed to be lacking confidence, and seemed to pull out of a few challanges because of his shoulder injury, but he has 4 weeks to get right for the huge figure of Graham Canty looming large in the Munster final, Should be one of the key clashs. in fairness Kudos to the Waterford full back for playing him well.

Mike Frank Russell: was buzzing about for the first few minutes but after the goals he seemed to lose interest, will needto contribute in training over the next few weeks to make the team for the final.

Subs: Was impressed with Paul O'Connor, has bulked up since I seen him last and scored 2 good points, seemed to have jumped up the queue ahead of Bryan Sheehan and Declan Quill to be the inside line replacement and could be a dark horse of the summer.
Darren and Sean O'Sullivan will add pace to the half forward line and any tiring wing back will not want to see them coming on to the field. Both can score too.
Seamus Scanlon got a brief run at midfield but expect Tommy Griffin to be back for the Langers.
Mossy Lyons will be the odd man out again at wing back if Young continues his form, but Lyons is an able replacement.

Overall, a good performance from us, but poor opposition on the day, but we will only rate our chances after the Munster final. Pat O'Shea has got his championship career off to a good start but we will have to win 4 more games to retain Sam so there is a long road ahead with lots of room for improvement.

The lads look fit, strong and hunger which is good to see at this time of the year, and I am sure they will be knocking lumps out of each other over the next few weeks in training.

So we've cleared the first hurdle and the road to Sam is one little step closer, but there is a Beecher's Brook coming up in the form of a Munster final between the bitter rivals and we will not look beyond that. Bring on the Langers....

[AZOffaly]

Did you notice the Waterford trainer was wearing a Rangers jersey when they did the intro piece at the training session before the game? Mr. Fearon mustn't have seen it or there'd be a thread here

[mannix]

This lark of waterford and co getting battered makes for poor entertainment and the further weakening of the game in those counties.Tipp and waterford looked so weak it was annoying, a change is needed, this crack of 2 teams winning the province every year bar 2 since 1935 is not good.
Any ideas?

[Declan]

Any ideas?

Yeah disband the Munster championships and put Cork and Kerry into Connacht and Ulster respectively

[armaghniac]

Did you notice the Waterford trainer was wearing a Rangers jersey

If he had worn a Crossmaglen Rangers jersey, they might have given Kerry a better game!

[Kerry Mike]

If he had worn a Crossmaglen Rangers jersey, they might have given Kerry a better game

Maybe if the Armagh gang wore them last August they might have given us a better game too:
Kerry 3-15 Armagh 1-13

[AZOffaly]

Maybe if the Armagh gang wore them last August they might have given us a better game too:
Kerry 3-15 Armagh 1-13

Ouch! The word here is, I believe, 'Touché'.

[darbyo]

This lark of waterford and co getting battered makes for poor entertainment and the further weakening of the game in those counties.Tipp and waterford looked so weak it was annoying, a change is needed, this crack of 2 teams winning the province every year bar 2 since 1935 is not good.
Any ideas?

For entertainment the game was rubbish but it was never going to be anything else. If Waterford were going to be competitive then they would have to play with  most of their team behind the ball, in saying that the obvious lack of any kind of game plan or tactics to nullify Kerry was shocking to say the least. The beating both counties suffered won't help football in the counties but it won't weaken it either. The best way to give Munster counties some kind of a championship is through the round robin system they use in the minor grade. The 4 weak counties play each other once thus guaranteeing 3 winnable games for each county and the top two meet Cork and Kerry in the semi's. All the counties can still go into the TM or the quailifiers dependent on there standing, which means that Waterford for example will play at least 4 games even in a bad year. This would be better than what went on last Sunday I think.

[Billys Boots]

Can you see Frank Murphy allowing anything like giving a sucker an even break, darbyo?

[darbyo]

Probably not BB but I think there's positives for Cork/Kerry in the proposal aswell, they'll play the 2 best of the rest who'll have played 3 games already, as a result they should get a reasonsbly competitive game in the semi's. And of course the final would be competitive. I think it's the only realistic competition within the provicial system. It's already up and running at minor level and has helped the weaker counties become more competitive without breaking the Cork/Kerry domination.

[bombidal]

Is Eoin Brosnan the best goalscorer of all time in this code ?

[AZOffaly]

I certainly think Brosnan is the best goalscoring threat from Centre Forward in my memory. He is certainly more of a goal threat than a playmaker.

[Kerry Mike]

yerra don't be swelling his head, I'd say he has a long way to go yet.

EB's Championship goals:
2001 - zero
2002 - 2 v Wicklow, 1 v Kildare
2003 - zero
2004 - 1 v Clare, 1 v Limerick
2005 - 1 v Tipperary, 1 v Cork,
2006 - 3 v Longford, 1 v Armagh, 1 v Mayo
2007 - 2 v Waterford

[AZOffaly]

That's some average for a centre forward though. 2 goals a year for 7 years so far.

[BallyhaiseMan]

That was John Kiely the manager wearing the Rangers shirt wasnt it?
Not that it makes one iota of a difference anyway.
I was very disappointed in Waterford Sunday,i have taken an interest in the development of football there since they ruined our promotion dreams last year.
They were competitive in the league, and done well against Clare,but just didnt have it on Sunday.

Brosnan has ridiculous timing when making his runs through the heart of the defense,He always seems to be coming through at full speed in space at the right time.