Kildare vs Offaly - 2009 Football Championship

[OAK TREE]

we have to have supporters there before we can have a chant lads...

[keephercountry]

Ticket only
Do ye recon you can get tickets in portlaose or get them before you go

[red exile]

doubt there wud be any tickets left in portlaoise on the day as it is a double header with longford so a good attendance is anticipated.stand tickets will be scarce but there would be some terrace tickets goin around the clubs as the deadline for for buying them from connor park was last thursday

[black and red exile]

The O Moore Park capacity is 33000 and there is no way there will be anything near that despite it being a double header. Kildare will have the largest support of the four counties and with the game live on RTE even our own notorious Summertime supporters will think bad of getting off their fat arses and coming to support the lads.

[Hocker]

SUNDAY 24 MAY

THE SUNDAY GAME LIVE, RTÉ Two, 1.30pm
Michael Lyster is joined by Colm O'Rourke, Pat Spillane and Joe Brolly for live coverage of Derry v Monaghan in the USFC at Clones (Marty Morrissey and Martin Carney on commentary) and Kildare v Offaly in the LSFC in Portlaoise (Ger Canning and Kevin McStay on commentary).

[Silken Thomas]

Shocking quiet lead in to this...

Kildare are strongly fancied and rightly so. Based on League football in 2009 you could argue they are in the top ten in Ireland. The league is still an important indicator with all the All-Ireland contenders in Division 1 and 2. Whilst the importance of staying in Division3 will not have gone unnoticed.

Offaly will be quietly confident though since we have tamed them in the last two championship meetings and both times it was quite comfortable. The 2004 qualifier in Tullamore saw some wonderful football by Offaly before a shocking collapse. It’s interesting to remember that day an aging James Grennan and out of position McManus had the upper hand on Killian ‘Neanderthal’ Brennan and Dermot Earley!. 2005 saw three Offaly goals which was more than enough to take care of a Kildare team reduced to including John Divilly.

In a way this match really mirrors the Westmeath tie last year. Both Westmeath and Kildare were flying in the League while we were playing catch-up. Most faithful fans will expect our more talented forward line to nudge us over the line and again we will be outnumbered.
I thought a draw was on the cards last time and listening to the head this time I would expect the Lilywhites to win God knows they have worked hard since October. Absolute gym freaks!
Sorry to break up the lovefest too but Willie Heffernan will be lucky to make an appearance and will really surprise me if he starts so that's one less giant to worry about!!

Tom has steadied the ship since Kiltoom but hopefully his finest hour awaits...

[Silken Thomas]

What will the team be?
Clutching at straws...

Alan Mulhall

Brian Darby , Conor Evans , Shane Sullivan

Stephen Lonergan , Ger Rafferty , Karol Slattery

Alan McNamee , Niall Smith

Neville Coughlan , Seán Ryan , Ciarán McManus

Thomas Deehan , John Reynolds , Niall McNamee

[Hyper]

The old Silken T , that game was in Newbridge in 2004 and the 3 goals were scored in Croke Park in 2006...
As regards the team for Sunday, I don't know does Tom Cribben and his selectors have it decided themselves yet. For sure there has been some choppin' and changin' througout the year. Its far from a settled team. Don't be surprised if they spring a couple of surprises into the line out. I think your no's 1,2,7,9,13 and 15 are nailed on. He'll probably go for Alan in the middle with Maccey on the half forward line somewhere though he seems to have a soft spot for Conor Carroll.
To combat the pace of Kildare's half backs he may well start Sean Ryan and Ken Casey here. Shaper is nearly sure a start.
The backs is where there are a multitude of potential starting combinations. Conor Evans seems to have the full back berth with maybe Sullivan or young Hayles in the corner. Lonergan has been playing consistently well all year and probably deserves a shot. Matt Mitchell didn't get a run against Donegal so maybe he's been overlooked and Richie Dalton looks as if he has climbed the pecking order for centre back. Anyways its a bit of a minefield.

[Silken Thomas]

The old Silken T , that game was in Newbridge in 2004 and the 3 goals were scored in Croke Park in 2006...

God i'm getting senile . I was at both of them games

Matt Mitchell hasn't really showed me a lot this year so i'm not sure I'd like to see him start, talent and all that he is. Haven't a clue about Joe Quinn who would have been in the mix for sure.
I saw Neville a few months back and he had Christmas poundage to lose...If fully fit though he would definitly start on my team.
Seán Ryan's decision to concentrate on football has helped him greatly. He would also have the element of surprise almost too as at first glance he doesn't seem anywhere as near as powerful and is a somewhat unknown quantity.
I'd be surprised to see Ken Casey especially in the half forward line. Reynolds, playing well this year is stronger and probably faster and ultimatly a better option for the half forward line.

Looking forward to it now...

[Archangel]

One of the key lines will be the Offaly half-back line. John Doyle will be picked in the corner but will roam around and Mike Conway will carry ball from his back line so there will be a lot of action around the Offaly 45' line.

[Lone Shark]

I'd be surprised to see Ken Casey especially in the half forward line. Reynolds, playing well this year is stronger and probably faster and ultimatly a better option for the half forward line.

Looking forward to it now...

Personally I wouldn't really be a fan of picking either of these lads at 10-12 - to my mind they are both inside line players and I don't like this idea of picking midfielders and full forwards on the half line because we've nowhere else to put them. I agree that we are very short on natural half forwards in the county, however this happened before in the Fahy era - he wanted to play Neville at full forward and was left with three corner men. Jimmy Coughlan and Shaper got the nod for the corner so Niall Mac ended up playing at 12 and having a nightmare year. To me the wing forward in the modern game has to be as much about scrapping for breaks and support play at both ends of the field. Neville is the perfect candidate if fully fit and playing well, but I don't know if either of those are the case. Regarding the full forward line, I think you should just pick your two/three best inside line players on merit, and if somebody gets left out who might be one of the best fifteen players but loses out on account of the unbalanced level of talent, then so be it. Nothing annoys me more than seeing out and out corner forwards struggling to track back, or utterly unable to kick from 50 yards out because it's simply out of their range.

However all that said, you ask me for natural half forwards in the team and outside of Seán Ryan and possibly McManus, I don't see too many candidates. Rory Guinan could have been an option if he had perhaps added a bit more speed and scrappiness to his game, while several other obvious candidates remain outside the panel, but it does look like Cribben will have to work with less than ideal candidates for the roles.

[Johnno81]

http://kildaregaa.proboards.com/index.c ... 01&page=15

Have a look at this guys.

Cant wait to register on this monday morning and sicken the flour bags!!!!

[Kemo Sabe]

just read it johnno81.they really do talk some shit .nothing but a bunch of jackeen wannabes .they will get their answer sunday .

[bula bula]

Well if this is taking the bait then so be it, but I have just seen that and I have to say thay are the most ignorant bunch I have ever come accross. I wouldn't mind if they had someting to be so cocky about but there is unlikely to be anyone on that site that would remember them actually winning anything of note. I always has a dislike for them and their Dub nature and the term little Dublin is definitely merited but this has got me riled no end . A victory will be all the sweeter because of this.

[Kevin]

Some great imaginations over there!

What a laugh riot.