SearingDrive wrote: ↑Wed Sep 13, 2023 10:42 am
Rhode never put Ferbane away on Saturday, even when 4 points ahead in the second period. Ferbane got back level, and outscored a tiring Rhode in extra time. I found Ferbane’s slow, handpassing tactics frustrating to watch at times.
There were certainly times when Ferbane had a runner inside and rather than kick it in, decided to hold the ball for long periods of time but overall when you’re playing against a team with 14 men behind the ball who are waiting to pounce on the counter from any wayward pass, what other option do you have but to be cautious and try to work a percentage shot?
Last edited by Anonymous1 on Wed Sep 13, 2023 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
bracknaghboy wrote: ↑Tue Sep 12, 2023 11:42 pm
Can't understand Rhodes tactics from Saturday.
You've got the best forward the county has seen in 40 years in the county in your ranks and you play him tracking opposition players up and down the pitch. He was ran into the ground. Had they isolated him and Anton in close to the goal they'd have won this by 5 or 6 points in normal time. Anton was doing serious damage but they stopped kicking into him. Strange stuff indeed. Opposition managers surely can't believe their luck seeing Nialler banjaxed running up and down the pitch......you wouldn't ask him to it 15 years ago never mind now thats he's approaching 40!
It was a strange one alright, they obviously decided isolating Anton 1 on 1 inside was their best route of scoring and while he kicked 6 points, the two times Niall was isolated inside he scored a goal and won a penalty. In hindsight it seems a mistake not to have Anton playing out the field and Niall inside. I can understand why they didn’t leave both of them inside together as Ferbane could’ve doubled up on both and left Rhode toothless in attack. I’m not sure they would’ve won by 5-6 points though, as SearingDrive said they never put Ferbane away and it was actually their kickouts that ended up costing them not their attacking strategy.
Anyone at the intermediate semi finals at the weekend.
Daingean look to be the better set up team also have some serious talent at their disposal but can they back that up on the big day. Croghan won’t fear them.
Offalyblueboy wrote: ↑Wed Sep 13, 2023 10:43 pm
Anyone at the intermediate semi finals at the weekend.
Daingean look to be the better set up team also have some serious talent at their disposal but can they back that up on the big day. Croghan won’t fear them.
There won't be a whole pile between them but I think Daingean will just get over the line by a point. St Brigids while marginally the better team could easily have been knocked out by Erin Rovers, their attacking talent leaves a lot to be desired and I'd back Daingean's forwards to outscore them. Daingean have yet to face a proper test this year though so all in all it should make for an entertaining opener for the Senior.
Why wouldn’t they? 6 changes in personnel since the group stages, beat the reigning champions in the semi-final, Tullamore were lucky to get over the line against an edenderry team in disarray. This is a 50/50 game anyone who thinks Tullamore will win easy is living in the clouds
This Tullamore’s 4th county final in 4 years. They won just once, in 2021.
They won’t want to lose again, it could motivate the blues. Ferbane will make it difficult for the town team.
Clonbullogue and Ballycommon in Senior B final. Good teams playing well for each other.
Both teams well balanced and play good brand of football. Ballycommon very impressive in 2nd game but to be fair, Cappincur were poor and too reliant on elder statesmen.
Declan Kelly likely to pick up few new players from each for Senior panel. Guing and Ruairi O Neill possibly from Clonbullogue and maybe one or two more. From Ballycommon, Conor Dunne gave an exhibition of forward play and was best for them and everything should be done to get him in with county senior team even if he has preference for rugby.
There were notable performances too from Aidan Bracken who negated Bill Carroll and Karl Dunne who probably won more kickouts than Eoin Carroll while marking him with Ballycommon clearly having good bit of work done on kickouts (own and opposition) in comparison. That said, Cappincur had change in gk before game so that might have affected Cappincur. Generally, Ballycommon moved ball very well and always looked more comfortable in posession than Cappincur and were full value for comprehensive win.
The final will be close and no matter who wins, both clubs are examples to other bigger clubs who are underperforming in relation to how they can do things better and improve themselves with both having come up from Intermediate in last 2 years - and now one will be up in Senior A next year.
County final day is upon us and I'm finding it very difficult to call. I think if this game was played 100 times, Tullamore would win 30, Ferbane would win 30 and there'd be 40 draws.
I expect this to be a very cagey affair with few risks taken particularly in the first half. Both teams will hold the ball for long periods of time, probing the opposition's defence in hope of finding a way through the line to get a percentage shot off. Goal chances will be few and far between and this game could come down to whichever team converts these chances into 3 points. One mistake could be the difference between winning and losing. Getting the matchups and kickout strategy right will be key for both managements.
There are so many reasons to favour one or the other but to simplify it I feel Tullamore have the better defence and shade the midfield battle but Ferbane have a superior set of forwards.
Just like the semi finals, the impact both teams get from the bench will be crucial and I think Ferbane shade it when it comes to their subs.
The predicted rain and more importantly wind could be a huge factor in determining where the Dowling Cup is heading later tonight, whichever team deals with the conditions better and makes better use of the wind could decide this game. The cliché "A game of two halves" could well be the defining one.
Prediction: Ferbane to win by a point but it could finish any range of scores between 1-09 to 1-09 and 1-13 to 1-13.
Tullamore win today by 1-5 to 0-6, in a poor game. The winners led 1-2 to 0-3 at the break. Cian Johnson scored 0-3 for Ferbane in the second half, but Tullamore got a late free to win by 2 points.
SearingDrive wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2023 5:38 pm
Tullamore win today by 1-5 to 0-6, in a poor game. The winners led 1-2 to 0-3 at the break. Cian Johnson scored 0-3 for Ferbane in the second half, but Tullamore got a late free to win by 2 points.
Ferbane lost that game on the sideline. To leave Cian Johnson sitting on the bench is astonishing to say the least, kicked 0-3 in the second half from scraps while the rest of the team kicked 0-3 combined.