Fermanagh Football & Hurling

[inisceithleann]

As regards McGurn, I believe he's piled on a few pounds in the close season. He's a good player but not very mobile. Quigley is a class player. I stood watching him destroy Enniskillen in Roslea a few years ago when he was only around 17. Apparently he can take it or leave it with the football and is fond of the sauce from all accounts. i remember him putting over sideline balls in Clones, playing for the minors against Armagh. I've never seen someone so young who could boot a ball that distance.

[FermPundit]

In my opinion Johnny McGurn isn't county standard. He's a decent enough player at club level and that's it. I thought I heard a few months back that Seamus Quigley was going back training to Roslea and was going to give this season 100% commitment. I could be completely wrong on this though.

I think we are just going to accept that we don't have any big strong mobile forwards. To my mind there is no point sticking big guys in the forward line just because of their size. We have what we have and it's up to management to get the most out of the players at hand. I don't think this has been the case the last few seasons when Mulgrew was in charge. The noises that I've been hearing from the county set up so far this year have been very positive. Apparently it is a very professional set up and approach from O'Rourke and his management team. With such a small pool of players it is all about utilising your lmitied resources. I don't think any of us will complain if Fermanagh struggle this year just as long as everyone is giving 100% commitment. As a supporter this is all you can ask.

[FermGael]

Went to Omagh last night and have to say on reflection we did all right on very limited possession.
From the playing point of view i thought that D Reilly(Until he went of injured) and S Goan played very well.  D Kelly had a good game and up front it was good to see M Lyttle back.  He ran all night long and i really did feel sorry for the derry WHB.
Our forward line problems are well documented.  But what worried me was CHB. 
Felt that we were very naive by leaving Paddy Mohan completely isolated on Paddy Bradley. Any back in the country would have struggled and i actually think he did all right considering the lack of help he received.
We need a better reader of the game at CHB who can anticipate the breaking ball, and give good quality ball into the forwards.  Felt that we could have given Shane Lyons another run there to see how he could have went in a more competitive game.
Cadden showed well last night but his finishing was poor.  At least he was getting himself in the right positions and a bit more experience of playing at this level will help

[ExiledGael]

Here's my rant for what it's worth . Attended the game last night and have to say the same old failings came back to haunt us. We simply cannot score from anything over 30-yards out. Great work up to there but it's naturally too tight  at that point and we get turned over constantly.
Derry scored their entire total from play and simply tagged on scores far easier than us. We had a number of encouraging performances and had at least 50% of the ball but could not convert that into scores. Mohan was again good on Bradley but it's suicide to leave Bradley one on one with anybody.
We responded brilliantly after the half, though still don't know how the ball broke to Doc for the goal. After that we were really buzzing but the game changed in a minute after that.
After we got ourselves in front Derry drew level and we bulit up a decent attack. Ball was worked the entire length of the field and eventually found Matty Keenan on the 21 about half way to the sideline on his good left side, his effort fell woefully short and the 'keeper picked it up and the next time the ball went out of play it was in our net. Just no excuse and a huge swing in the game. Maguire and Little were both guilty of this weak shooting aswell. Guessing the McBarron experiment has been scrapped??
Chris Breen: Could do little with either goal, looked assured and his kick-outs were huge, though lacked any variation. Will be a fight on for the No 1 jersey. 6.5
Declan O'Reilly: Pretty solid before he went off apparently struggling with injury. Certain for the NFL squad but probably better in the half-back line, always a decent passer of the ball. 6.5
Paddy Mohan: Done as well as anybody could on Bradley but must be sick of the sight of him. He only needs a yard on either foot. Definitely a good option at full-back and has certainly earned his squad place at least. 6
Shane Goan: Was picking up Collie Devlin early on and he really struggled I thought. Good coming forward and always an option coming out but needed to be tighter on who I thought was MOTM. 6
Tommy McElroy: Wasn't given very long and didn't feature much in his 25 odd minutes. Still should make squad but will have a battle to start. 5.5
Shane McDermott: Distribution at times was awful but his strength was crucial on an awful night for football. Took and threw out the hits but was marking 'loose' at best. 6.5
Damien Kelly: Not ideal conditions for him but did well and pushed forward for a good point. Another on the fringe of the first 15. 6.5
Mark Murphy: Made one good catch in the second half but the game totally passed him by. The conditions meant it was always going to be messy at midfield with very few clean catches. Would have been better used in full-forward for a while. 5
Marty McGrath: Growing in strength and stamina again but didn't get involved as much as you'd like to see him. Showed flashes of his old form though and just needs to keep playing full games. 6.5
Mark Little: Shocking turn of pace even on this ground but just doesn't convert possession into scores enough. Unmarkable at times and drifts everywhere but needs to get a few scores from play. 7
Shaun Doherty: Totally fluffed a few early frees but was always an option for a pass and was rewarded with a ball just landing at his feet in front of goal. Cartain starter for the year just needs to grow in confidence and read the ball off the smaller men. 7
Ciaran McElroy: Works hard and picks up a lot of ball but seems unsure under pressure and gets turned over. Will make squad but not final team. 6
Eamon Maguire: Amazing fitness levels, seen him taking a free out from our own 14 yard line at one stage and picks up tonnes of possession but again doesn't get scores. Guilty of poor shooting, arguably should have had 1-4, but the conditions were awful for his game. 7
Matty Keenan: Didn't do enough from open play or from frees, hopefully he can push on but he should have done better on Hinphey who was unsure of himself at full-back, few bad misses. 6
Pat Cadden: Struggled through the game, but most would with McGuckin chasing them. One especially bad miss on his right foot bearing down on goal in second half summed up Fermanagh. 6

Subs: Raymond Johnston: Great player to have in squad and always gives his all. Done well on Wilkinson with one excellent dispossession. Probably frontrunner for half-back slot by now. 7
Peter Sherry: Was easily turned in his first minute on pitch for Devlin's goal but done well thereafter, another on fringe of final team. 6.5
Ciaran Boyle: Struggled at full-forward to secure any ball, could be fortunate to survive the cut.
Ryan Keenan: Looks slightly unfit but did get on scoresheet at least. Proven finisher but if he'd put as much effort into his attacking game as he does fighting with opposition marker he'd be some player. Always niggling away. 6.5
Barry Mulrone: Not on very long but made a few good runs in possession and could force his way into team. Never shys away from ball and should suit the summer sod, good find. 7

[FermPundit]

I have to agree that the same problems from the past few seasons still exist. Plenty of possession but the inability to take scores, especially at crucial times of the game. Is there anything more annoying than watching a guy kick a ball into the keepers arms from 14 yards?? Fair enough if he kicks it wide but dropping it short is criminal.

Overall I thought last night was a decent enough performance given the conditions. The soft ground meant there was no bounce on the ball which didn't suit the small Fermanagh forwards. When they did get possession there was usually 3 or 4 defenders surrounding them. One thing that pived me last night was the short passing in front of goal. Not only were some players avoiding responsibility to shoot but they were giving other players hospital passes as well.

I thought Shane Goan was very impressive last night. Surely he must be one of the best corner backs in Ulster at present. Paddy Mohan battled hard at full back but he  lacks pace and he was always constantly left exposed by the Fermanagh half back line. If Shane McDermott isn't going to man mark then he has to sit in front of the full back and offer some protection. In midfield I thought Marty got through a huge amount of work but where was Womble?? The game passed him by. If James Sherry is fit he has to start in my opinion.

Up front the lads tried hard but time and time again they refused shoot and insisted on the short passing game. This tactic really annoyed under Mulgrew and I think O'Rourke needs to try remove this from the team if we're to make any progress this year. Shaun Doherty showed well last night but I was very impressed to see him being taken off. Eamon Maguire had a quiet game but he's a quality player and he'll show it when the weather improves.

Overall I don't think O'Rourke will be annoyed to have not made the final as expectations have not risen. When we look back at the McKenna cup I don't think we have unearthed any new talent with possibly young Mulrone the exception. If you put the likes of Clucker and Tom Brew into the mix I need we have the bones of a decent  enough side just as long as the management get the tactics right. Let's hope that the weather stays dry during the NFL or we might really struggle.

[Fermanaghandsam]

The previous posters seemed to have summed up the game pretty well. Fermanagh played ok, but the same old problems came back to haunt us, with the forwards over playing the ball.

The full back line played well enough, but got little protection from the half back line, which was unable to told the derry forwards. However in general this is not a problem  for fermanagh, as they will come good, defense is not the issue, except for the centre half position, which is a big worry. Frog does not seem to have the legs for it anymore. If clucker was fit, he would be my choice

Marty was good in the middle, however womble had a poorer game.

The forwards lacks size as usual, with only "little" providing any "go forward", however in saying that, we did create 3/4 goal chances. Free taking is also a major issue, too many were missed last night if we are to win many games. 1 worrying thing is the lack of forwards left on the fermanagh squad, apart from who played last night, i think only Mcbarron and Ward remain on squad.

Fermanagh had a full training session the night before the game as well, so this might go some way to explaining what seem to be a few tired displays.

My fermanagh team for 1st round of league would be (assuming clucker, brew and owens injured).

Breen
Goan
Mohan
Bogue (d o'really unlucky)
McElroy
Lyons
Kelly
McGrath
Sherry
Little
Doc
Matty
Maguire
McBarron
Ward

I would even be tempted to try Pete sherry or mulrone in half forward line.

[FermGael]

Dom Corrigan is officially the new Gaels manager.  On the bbc ni website this morning.

[FermGael]

The full Fermanagh NFL squad is:
Goalkeepers: C Breen (Enniskillen), R Gallagher (St Gall's), F Murphy (Irvinestown)

Defenders: S McDermott (St Patrick's), D Campbell (Tempo), P Sherry (Roslea), R Johnston (Newtownbutler), N Leonard (Belcoo), S Lyons (Erne Gaels), P Johnston (Newtownbutler), T McElroy (Brookeborough), D O'Reilly (Teemore), H Brady (Teemore), N Bogue (Kinawley), R McCluskey (Enniskillen), B Mulrone (Devenish), S Goan (Irvinestown), P Mohan (Brookeborough), D Kelly (Tempo)

Midfielders: M Murphy (Derrylin), J Sherry (Roslea), M McGrath (St Joseph's), C Boyle (Brookeborough)

Forwards: M Little (Lisnaskea), N Keenan (Enniskillen), S Doherty (Kinawley), T Brewster (Enniskillen), Ryan Keenan (Tempo), M Keenan (Enniskillen), E Maguire (St Patrick's), C McElroy (Ballinascreen), P Ward (Derrygonnelly), P Cadden (St Patrick's), L McBarron (Kilmacud)

I take it that Owens will be added when he recovers from injury.
The squad really sums up Fermanagh's problems. Loads of defenders, not a lot of forwards

[FermPundit]

Dom Corrigan is officially the new Gaels manager.  On the bbc ni website this morning.

Good luck to Dom with the Gaels. There's loads of work to be done to rebuild the squad but there's plenty of young talent to work with. I think a long term plan is required if the Gaels are to get back to the dominance they enjoyed over the last decade or so. I don't think Dom will enjoy instant success but if given a few seasons implement a plan Enniskillen have every chance of achieving success.

[ExiledGael]

Not much NFL build-up here lads. Big game for us on Sunday, really important to get two points and get off to a good start. It's going to be a tight division with a real panic to avoid the drop. A loss to start would have us on the back foot, but it's a tough place to go as Leitrim proved against Donegal last year in the Championship. A narrow win would do nicely, I see the bookies have us 8/11 on.
As for the team few surprises in there but there could be slight injury problems we don't know about. Interesting that Gallagher starts ahead of Breen, that's probably his position to lose now, he'll need to be on his toes. No real surprises in the back line, maybe Tommy McElroy and Shane Lyons a bit unlucky, but I would go with Frog myself for his strength and experience.
Good to see James Sherry fit again and in at midfield, he was very impressive there against a big Derry midfield in Maghera before his injury.
Surprising that Womble has been thrown in at half forward but it will be interesting to see how he fares there. Mark Little must have a knock, probably our most dangerous forward.
Matty Keenan will probably be annoyed not to get a start but he was very hit and miss in the McKenna Cup, Pat Cadden looks a better reliable option from frees so he gets his chance. Needs to impress more from play to keep the shirt.
McBarron deserves a chance in the NFL. Can't see it being the long term option but he could cause havoc in there messing about and the wee men could feed off that, here's hoping anyway.
We need the points here, Fermanagh by four.

Ronan Gallagher; Shane Goan, Paddy Mohan, Niall Bogue; Damien Kelly, Shane McDermott, Peter Sherry; Marty McGrath, James Sherry; Ciaran McElroy, Shaun Doherty, Mark Murphy; Pat Cadden, Liam McBarron, Eamon Maguire.

[FermPundit]

A bit surprised with that line up to be honest. It wouldn't have been the team that I would put out for sure. I can't see why Shane McDermott is playing at CHB. He left Paddy Mohan exposed in the match against Derry last week. I hope he is under strict instructions to hold his position. Great to see James Sherry back in midfield with Marty. The best partnership we have IMO. I'm extremely worried about that half forward line. Talk about a lack of pace. If Eamon Maguire isn't on fire on Sunday I can't see us getting many scores, I hope Im wrong though. I would have thought Paul Ward deserved a starting place as well. Boiler must be carrying an injury as surely has to start if fit. Why have McBarron and Murphy in the forward line? Surely they are too similiar a player. They're not there for their scoring ability anyway. 2 points is essential on Sunday and I'm not overly impressed with this starting 15 

[FermGael]

Right i need to get this of my chest.
How in the name of God is McDermott still playing CHB.  He does not mark his man or hold his position.  Tommy McElroy and Lyons most both feel hard done  because they have played well this year so far and would both be far better options at CHB.  He would need to show a serious improvement on Sunday.  I hope he proves me wrong
Playing Womble, McBarron and Doherty means that fermanagh will be a bit more physical which is exactly what we are going to need in Carrick on Sunday.  The weather forecasts are not good so big men will be needed.  We still have to small and quick corner forwards so hopefully they can expose the space.  Give us a few good options from kickouts and hopefully Cadden will take more of the chances he missed the last day. 
Matty Keenan must feel hard done by but Ciaran McElroy has been around the county panel for a few years and it is time he was given a fair run in his more natural position.

[tintin25]

I think the team for Sunday is reasonably solid. Just the one new face in Cadden but I don't think we can afford to experiment too much in this Division. Would have some doubts over McElroy and Mohan in the big games. Every match will be competitive and all sides will fear the drop to the Tommy Murphy which would be a dark day if that ever happened to us, so we really can't afford to be complacent.

[Fermanaghandsam]

I am very disappointed with the side picked. Shane has given alot of service to Fermanagh but I think his time is up, with shane lyons now being the much better option, Tommy McElroy can also count himself very unlucky not to be picked. The midfield is our best duo, but I think we are going to have big problems in the half forward line. Ciaran McElroy has never impressed for Fermanagh and womble is no half forward, Is Mark Little injured??

Full Forward is prob as good as we have, but who will be taking frees on sunday???/

[inisceithleann]

I have to say lads that I'm a bit disappointed with this line up for tomorrows game. Definitely not the best team O'Rourke could have selected. McDermott has consistently proved that he's not a centre half back. Shane Lyons is the best man for this position. As regards the forwards, where do you start? Having Mark Murphy, Shaun Doc and McBarron in there, it's not you would describe as a mobile attack. Boiler must be injured and Paul Ward is extremely unlucky not to have started. The McKenna cup was the time for the experimenting. Big risk not going with the tried and tested tomorrow.