LSFC v Kildare

[DAF]

A great team performance by Offaly.We have improved by 9 points compared to last year and the showed great heart in the last 10 minutes.We hit the wall at around the 50 minute mark and Kildare looked like they were going to pull away and win by 10 points or so but the team stuck with it and dragged themselves back into the game.There was great fight from the players throughout the whole match and we kicked some fine scores. Niall McNamee was pure class as usual and Alan McNamee and Graham Giuilfoyle kicked a couple of beautiful scores.Johnny Brickland started slowly but really got going after about 15 or 20 minutes and he looks like he will have a good future ahead of him.I thought David Hanlon played well as he has all year and his penalty was class.Ken Casey has looked livelier this year than he ever has.If you consider that 2 of our best players Anton Sullivan and Brian Connor had quiet games it bodes well for us because if they had played well who knows what might have happened.The important thing is not to accept this and to push on a get a few wins in the qualifiers to build confidence in this inexperienced group of players

[Killeighman]

I think it is encouraging to see the likes of Johnny Brickland and Daithi Brady coming in to what was a very important game and the pair gave a good account of themselves. Paul McConway have Johnny Doyle in his pocket for a lot of the game and he was resigned to getting scores by moving further out the field. I thought Michael Brazil was doing very well sweeping up lose ball and bursting out with it but i did not see the logic of him coming off. Well done to all involved

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Most posters have summed up how I felt after the match. Well done to the lads for the effort and committment on the day and still we can see there is so much scope for improvement, but this was a lot better than recent years.

On the game lets face it, no way should we have been within 4 points at the end but we were and lets take that as a positive.
The amount of scores that Kildare got when we coughed up good possession is a real lessson,
-Antons attempt at a free kick off the ground, (Kildare swept down the field to point)
-Johnny B catches a huge one on the midfield, wins a free, retaliates, Kildare sweep down to score
-We are coming out of defence on Cusack stand side and third man tackle allows John D to kick over resultant free
-Peter Cunningham carries the ball into 3 players and is turned over, resulting in Kildare getting another point.
There were more but these are easily things that the guys can learn from.

Allied to the fact that Brian C and Anton had 2 very quite games, plus Casey lost a lot of good ball that was played into him. Eoin Carroll is not ready for this level, but was the victim of a reckless Kildare challenge that ended his game.

On form Alan Mul had a superb game, if justice was done on performances over the last couple of years, this man would be a shoe in for an All star nomination.

We kicked some really good scores also, so he heads up and lets look forward to the qualifier. I am sure we are waking up in a better mood than our neighbours on all sides have after their first round games!
Also we have turned in better performances than Carlow, Waterford, Tipp, Lim, and I do think that Kildare will put it up to Dublin in the next round.

[My Left Foot]

We turned up and did our level best to perform - even when the tide was against us late in the game and some looked really tired , they still tried to make up lost ground and still kept plugging away. Thats what you hope to see at all times. Lose, yes, give in, never !.

We had opportunities in the first half to go for a goal ( one in particular Ken Casey could have gone for , would have at least got a free), and we did contribute to their half time lead with mistakes that ended in scores for Kildare but this is a young team and hopefully they will have learned from today.

Some played very well, some didn't but they all tried really hard so I take nothing away from any of them.
Its great that 20 players now have championship experience of Croke Park. I hope they stick together until 1st qualifier round as a group and continue the work.
It would be great to get a win under the belt if possible before the season ends.

[the bare biffo]

Good outcome to the year so far, but its not over yet. I could never understand why in previous years training was stopped in between losing in leinster and the first qualifier.
I hope that they are back training just as hard this week as they have been up to now, to prepare for the qualifiers. The championship is still on and theres a lot of beatable teams still in it.

Its great to be able to be a little more optimistic about Offaly football.

[summerindublin]

I think that Anton should go and have his operation as he has been non existant in the last few games, he will be out for up to a year but he'll be a better player for it, as for the game on Saturday, i felt proud leavin Croker knowing that we are now on the right track, hopefully we'll get a home tie in the qualifiers, thats more important than who we get imo.

[summerindublin]

I see on the HS Team of the week that 2 offaly lads made the best 15, Mulhall in goals (outstanding) and B. Darby at number 2, now I thought that Brian had a poor game and Niall Kelly ran him around the pitch also scoring 4 points.

[Killeighman]

In the GAA team of the week Alan Mulhall and Shane Sullivan was included

[Bord na Mona man]

I see on the HS Team of the week that 2 offaly lads made the best 15, Mulhall in goals (outstanding) and B. Darby at number 2, now I thought that Brian had a poor game and Niall Kelly ran him around the pitch also scoring 4 points.

Darby was named as corner back on that HS team, which was nominally his starting position.
I'd say there was an element of picking the HS team by numbers there.

Overall, the Kildare full forward line was kept quiet - McConway marshalled Johnny Dial well (Doyle got 2 play from play in about a minute but otherwise McConway was on top). Shane Sullivan kept Tomas O'Connor quiet and Daithi Brady played well also.

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Would love to have a look back at the video of this game and analyse how Kildare worked 12 points from the half forward line. In theory in the modern game it should well be the case that the half line should be runners off the full forward line when they are getting good ball inside, and should kick a few scores.
Would be interesting to see was there any different movement they did to get these guys onto the ball. Would like to think that after 5 years McGeeney has a plan of attack.
On Dublin's movement, their pace is incredible. I think Kildare will give them a game but think Dublin will have too much pace, but should be a good game.

[summerindublin]

Brian Connor and John Maloney have now departed the squad and have gone to the States for the Summer, maybe thats why Connor never got into the game on Sunday and also Anto is havin his operation, will the three boys be asked back in, I see that Hurley is back on the Kildare squad after been dropped for the Offaly match.

[Bord na Mona man]

Brian Connor and John Maloney have now departed the squad and have gone to the States for the Summer, maybe thats why Connor never got into the game on Sunday and also Anto is havin his operation, will the three boys be asked back in, I see that Hurley is back on the Kildare squad after been dropped for the Offaly match.

I presume the 3 lads who were dropped will be brought back in now?

[Killeighman]

McDonnell did say they were gone for this year and could come back next year and i dont think he would go back on his word

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Whats the thoughts on lads headin off after the first round? Disappointing to see Brian Connor going and Maloney also. You would have to wonder what in the name of God was he thinking of. Lets face it, we were always unlikely to beat Kildare. So was he getting himself fit in order to pocket a Summer of money in the States?
I know, i know, guys are amateurs and all that, but its hardly right though is it?

Personally, I think that a guy who plays in the first round cant play for 6 weeks after in the States. Counties ar einvesting too much on terms of preparation to have lads drop out. You can understand some of the guys in Laois leaving after a dismal performance when they would have had strong hopes of progressing.

And on the other hand, 3 guys were lambasted by all of us for missing a training session, and kicked off the panel. Now the manager may have no choice but to revisit 1 or 2 of them.

[Lone Shark]

My thoughts would be very simple - lads are free to do whatever they want and whatever chance there was of winning a Leinster medal, there's little or none of winning an All Ireland. It's disappointing from a county point of view of course but lads have lives to lead and just like half the people on this board or more will save turf to prepare for the winter, so it is that these lads might feel that the few bob they earn now will make the next winter bearable.

I don't think too many people "lambasted" the three lads either. They made a decision to go drinking, the manager decided that they were no longer living up to the standards he would expect of his team, so he let them go. That's it, justice done, of a sort. I'd say whether or not they'll be allowed return will be largely down to how they've acted in the meantime.

I don't agree whatsoever that the manager has "no choice" though. He has a squad there and those who have put the work in so far deserve the chance to finish out the year. We're not going to be stuck for 24/26 names to field a team and fill out a bench.