NFL Div 2 2020

[Countyminor]

Kildare tomorrow (weather permitting) is the ultimate acid test. Cast your minds back to the gentle May sunshine in 2017. They had just been promoted to D1, us relegated to D4. They were better than us in every way. Faster. Better conditioned. Played like an actual team. Lower age profile. In comparison we looked slow. Unfit. Disorganised. Our performance was insipid.

Tomorrow the playing field is much more level. In all honesty we haven't taken a backward step since 2017. We've climbed up two divisions, gotten to the last round of qualifiers in consecutive years and are in with a real shot of promotion to D1.

Seems like the perfect opportunity to avenge that painful loss of 2017.

[High Fielder]

That was a reality check. No complaints. Kildare the better team by more than the 5 points. In fact, credit must go to us for keeping the margin to 5. A small crumb of comfort. Their back line is gettable enough, but Evan was all that they were worried about. They did their homework on that, and the midfield in particular, where they dominated. Feely won't get that sort of freedom against the better teams, but he got it today and was the best player on the pitch.

Our line was slow to react to things that were obviously going wrong. They pushed up on us and forced us to kick long, knowing we rarely compete in the air. I thought Tyrell or Dunne might break through this year, but no sign of it. We need a Feely or Quigley or Clancy for days like today, and if we don't have one, we need to crowd the break.

[The Boy Wonder]

A good analysis High Fielder - we were indeed fortunate to be only 5 behind at the end.
If Kildare can get their act together for the championship I think they could put it up to the Dubs.
In fairness our lads did keep their heads up when 8 points down and pulled back a few - score difference could be very important.

Next day out we will see whether Westmeath or Laois can claim to be 4th best in Leinster.

[Silkyskillssunshinee]

It felt like it was the young lads who were the ones really getting stuck in today. Sean O'Flynn was probably the best Laois player, and Robbie Pigott did well enough marking one of the best forwards in the county in Daniel Flynn.

Big games coming up against Fermanagh and Westmeath. We need to win at least one of them.

[High Fielder]

A good analysis High Fielder - we were indeed fortunate to be only 5 behind at the end.
If Kildare can get their act together for the championship I think they could put it up to the Dubs.
In fairness our lads did keep their heads up when 8 points down and pulled back a few - score difference could be very important.

Next day out we will see whether Westmeath or Laois can claim to be 4th best in Leinster.

I don't see anything to get excited about witn Kildare. Those backs will get a roasting some time. The Number 2 in particular was panicky and his pulling didn't get the punishment it should have. But we won't beat them any time soon and i think some of that is mental. Kildare get bullied themselves a fair bit, but seem to be able to bully us. That disappoints me

[town1980]

I totally disagree the only difference today was the intensity shown by Kildare today they themselves have not being bringing it to games they did today we didn't in any zone of the pitch we did create 3 goals chances I don't remember Corbit having to save any effort on goal so we weren't far off ,, you fail to bring that fight and doggedness into every game at this level then your always gonna drop points,, were a Div 2 team in my opinion

[recyclebin]

One point off promotion, one point above relegation. One things for sure, it's very tight and could go either way.

[Pugwash]

I totally disagree the only difference today was the intensity shown by Kildare today they themselves have not being bringing it to games they did today we didn't in any zone of the pitch we did create 3 goals chances I don't remember Corbit having to save any effort on goal so we weren't far off ,, you fail to bring that fight and doggedness into every game at this level then your always gonna drop points,, were a Div 2 team in my opinion

With Donie Kingston & Paul Kingston involved and then having Cahir Healy, Gareth Dillion and a few others providing that added quality and experience.

[Giovanni]

Agree with HF that Kildare are really no great shakes. Feely is an outstanding player but we had 3 good goal chances and butchered them all. Other teams won't be as kind.

I just feel that our lateral football  that is so much a feature of our play now tends to take the zip and intensity out of our play. I think this lateral play is fine if we want to be patient and to stretch teams a bit but at some point in the play there has to be an injection of energy and pace. We didn't really have that today.

[High Fielder]

It appears as though our options are limited. We seem to have a trusted 15 to 20 players, and nothing outside of that. The stakes are high this year of course, and we have a lot of lads who can't/won't commit. We also have this U20 debate rumbling in the background, and that at least is healthy debate, because it means we're being competitive in that grade. But how many lads are not good enough? Even amongst the subs, there appear to be a number of lads who are not trusted with a starting position.

Outside of the match day panel, how many lads have drifted away or have been deemed not good enough. We have zero cover in midfield despite appearing to have two promising midfielders, and very little cover at the back. I wonder at times what the plan to address these deficiencies is.

[BallyroanAbu]

We don't have a plan, counties like Laois  simply trundle around with no plan.  Always bowing to some new thought process of a manger or CB.  We have never sat down and worked out a youth development strategy with all the stakeholders.  We have constantly prioritised winning what turn out to be insignificant games over long term player development.  Like a lot of small counties we simply exist never evolving, rarely questioning the process.  I love Gaelic Football and Laois did surprise me with 5 points so far but yesterday and the Cavan game highlight a basic lack of skill.  We have a lot of players whose skills fall off heavily under intensity.  I personally think the outlook in the long term is bleak as we continue to fire fight instead of taking a long term solution to our problems.  I do hope I'm wrong.

It's simply untrue that we are competitive in every grade,  getting to a final at underage and losing by 10-15 points is not competitive.  I do hope on Friday we buck this trend.  Even saying that I doubt
any of those teams had player development as a core objective with winning a significant by product.

[High Fielder]

Good post BA. It does feel at times like it's one big game of Laois" Got Talent, with the weakest getting eliminated. It is however becoming more apparent that lads are falling off a cliff after Underage, unless they show themselves to be exceptional; then everyone wants them. If we continue to play that game, the eventual drop to Tier 2 will happen anyway. Our resources are too limited to write off players in this way. We're not Dublin or even Kildare or Meath, who can all afford to lose players along the way.

[The PRO]

What's really concerning is the guys from last year 20 team who are already slipping down the pecking order. Some like Kinsella, Tyrrell and Whelan are on the panel but not getting any game time. Others such as Eoin Dunne, McCormack, Doran and Seamus Lacey seems to be discarded.

You'd like to think that a really good junior set up would bear benefits. Let the lads train away with their clubs but play regular games with a junior team.

If it only unearthed one good player for the seniors, it would be worth it. And there are numerous lads out there. Now, I'm not saying there are a whole load of brilliant inter county players out there just waiting to be discovered but who knows?

I could name 10 lads who could be as good as or better than some of our current starting team. Again, it has to be qualified. Some just may not want to commit. And that's fine. It's not for everyone.

I really like Aaron Dowling of The Rock. He is suffering badly by not getting to play a decent level of club football. Hitchcock of Park Ratheniska is another. Kevin Byrne of Ballylinan I like a lot. Both of the Murphy brothers from Emo are excellent. Aston had a great year last year for Killeshin. Hatch Finlay. I would give Adam Campion another chance. O'Halloran of Courtwood was one of the best full backs in both the senior and divisional championships last year. And Bolger of Graigue as a goalie. Makings of a decent team there.

[oneflewoverthecuckoonest]

given that we are without 3 or 4 of our best players from recent years and the new manager has been forced to try younger lads, you have to be happy about 5 points from 5 games. Admittedly we were poxxed to get a draw in Roscommon and very lucky to nudge a win in Ennis.
With a relatively novice side you tend to get inconsistency from game to game, and Laois have kept to that script.
We may need a point to survive the drop. Our fate is in our own hands. Lady luck could also visit us, because it is quite feasible that Fermanagh could already be relegated by the time we travel to Enniskillen.

[on the hop]

What's really concerning is the guys from last year 20 team who are already slipping down the pecking order. Some like Kinsella, Tyrrell and Whelan are on the panel but not getting any game time. Others such as Eoin Dunne, McCormack, Doran and Seamus Lacey seems to be discarded.

You'd like to think that a really good junior set up would bear benefits. Let the lads train away with their clubs but play regular games with a junior team.

If it only unearthed one good player for the seniors, it would be worth it. And there are numerous lads out there. Now, I'm not saying there are a whole load of brilliant inter county players out there just waiting to be discovered but who knows?

I could name 10 lads who could be as good as or better than some of our current starting team. Again, it has to be qualified. Some just may not want to commit. And that's fine. It's not for everyone.

I really like Aaron Dowling of The Rock. He is suffering badly by not getting to play a decent level of club football. Hitchcock of Park Ratheniska is another. Kevin Byrne of Ballylinan I like a lot. Both of the Murphy brothers from Emo are excellent. Aston had a great year last year for Killeshin. Hatch Finlay. I would give Adam Campion another chance. O'Halloran of Courtwood was one of the best full backs in both the senior and divisional championships last year. And Bolger of Graigue as a goalie. Makings of a decent team there.

I was thought we should have entered the junior championship. There was enough interest in the divisional games to put a team together to keep players involved and hopefully develop a few who wouldn't have the option of colleges football. Their is a huge jump from the u20 to senior at present, it was noticeable that Kildare won it two years ago and their best player Jimmy Hyland was only a sub yesterday and very few others have even made a championship appearance. Any I saw this year in the Sigerson are not going to make it either. We had a decent enough group last year and hopefully some thing can be done to bring them along.