A lot being made of James O'Donoghue absense. He is certainly a very good player and I would gladly have him on any team I would put out. However, if he playing it will not make much of a difference. He may score a few points - he will be dependent on others to give them the ball so he can do that which will mean Brian Sheehan and David Moran significantly upping their performances from yesterday. On the other side of he field, he will powerless to stop Bernard Brogan, Ciaran Kilkenny et al.

Dublin also have Diarmuid Connolly to come back which will add a few points to Dublin. Ok, he played yesterday but he was below par. I feel he will be better the next day.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 25/04/2016 21:47:57    1849511

Well now that the dust if beginning to settle I think this will be the first Championship I can remember going in with hope more than expectation.

I don't think we are 11 points worse than Dublin, and we are still missing 3-4 certain starters but all through the game on Sunday I never had the feeling we would overtake Dublin if we drew level. They are still ahead of us and its hard to know how we reverse that in the next 3 months.

Fitzy doesn't seem to know what to do to get at Dublin except for putting Star in at full forward and lamping high balls into him. As great a full forward as he is, how can he do anything when Dublin can marshal him with 3 players around him and no other Kerry forward there in support.

It's a long wait now till Kerry are out again and if Cork were looking on on Sunday I'd say they are fancying their chances of ambushing us.

That means a tricky qualifier and then a Q-final and if your coming up against someone like Monaghan, Tyrone or Donegal at that stage it could be the early shower for Kerry this summer.

Ah sure there's always hope, but it might be more realistic to build towards 2017 and start getting the youth in to replace the elder statesmen.

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 26/04/2016 09:53:36    1849538

i read spillane article in the sunday world again and the match panned out the exact opposite to his thoughts

kerry are fitter
kerry are hungary
dublin subs are not that good

comical ali

heresam (Dublin) - Posts: 156 - 26/04/2016 10:03:44    1849542

Dublin also have Diarmuid Connolly to come back which will add a few points to Dublin. Ok, he played yesterday but he was below par. I feel he will be better the next day.
bennybunny

Nah, you cant make that point. He was there and didnt perform. If you say that then Kerry can say the same of marc o'se, o'mahoney, gooch, donaghy, moran and indeed the majority of the guys who played.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 26/04/2016 10:25:14    1849555

Kerry with a few tweaks will be more than capable of beating Dublin in an All Ireland Semi.
They need two key things. Injection of more pace into the team firstly.
And secondly they need to go back to playing total football and finally ditching the cynical nasty side which they have led the way at for many years.(tyrone get unwarranted bad press but are choirboys compared to kerry)

salvador (Roscommon) - Posts: 439 - 26/04/2016 10:33:33    1849563

if you think kerry just need to tweak their team you are deluded, seriously
how he didnt blood younger players is a sham and kerry football will pay the price

heresam (Dublin) - Posts: 156 - 26/04/2016 10:39:01    1849567

Kerry with a few tweaks will be more than capable of beating Dublin in an All Ireland Semi.
They need two key things. Injection of more pace into the team firstly.
And secondly they need to go back to playing total football and finally ditching the cynical nasty side which they have led the way at for many years.(tyrone get unwarranted bad press but are choirboys compared to kerry)

salvador (Roscommon) - Posts:159 - 26/04/2016 10:33:33


Salvador what you have described is anything but a few tweaks , pace doesn't grow on trees , which county wouldn't want more pace ,total football if it exists is possible providing you have the players with the ability to play it .
On another note there are many reaching for the youth card , no to minor lads are the same they mature differently , just because a final is lost many think you throw in youth and bing you have your answer not true , should Kerry start a proper programme of transition ?possibly. but to get where they need to be requires patience and planning , Im reading a lot of knee jerk reaction stuff

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 26/04/2016 10:49:14    1849579

personally I thought Kerry looked a tired team on Sunday.

StirringIt (Cavan) - Posts: 374 - 26/04/2016 10:59:29    1849588

I thought Tomas O'Se made some good points on Off The Ball last night on how to counteract or at least offer an alternative game plan for Kerry the next time they play Dublin. With Geaney and JOD back in the mix, Kerry will have a lot more pace up front. Combine this with moving Darren O'Sullivan onto Cian O'Sullivan would also give Dublin a lot more things to worry about. Cian's positional sense is terrific, he's arguably the best sweeper in the game today but he's usually played in games where the opposition aren't leaving him with a man to worry about as well as protecting the full back line. Darren O'Sullivan could be used to take him out of position allowing for some of Kerry's other ball players like David Moran and Brian Sheehan time and space to kick ball into that full forward line.
When the Kerry full forward line do collect the ball they are lethal, they simply didn't get enough good ball throughout the game on Sunday which was mainly down to how good Dublin were at winning ball or putting pressure on the man kicking the ball in.
A lot has been made of the older players legs on the Kerry team and I think Fitzmaurice will know better and he won't be starting so many the next day. Donaghy will work better as an impact sub coming in. Gooch has too much on his plate in the corner forward position against Dublin with the way Cooper and McMahon push forward. For me, he'd be better used at centre forward like he did back in 2013, if other players make the space for him he can still pick passes off and is good for a score or two.
Kerry's greatest concern though is their defence. Due to lack of pace and options I think Fitzmaurice will play a lot more conservative next time against Dublin. They need to take a leaf out of Tyrone's book (again) and drop two guys back as sweeper, with no Jack McCaffey to worry about, surely Donnacha Walsh would work better in such a role. He was lost on Sunday.
Right now, Kerry will have to go back to the drawing board on a game plan but there's a long way to go yet. There was only 2 points in it before the red card and although Dublin were getting on top they weren't taking their chances for a good ten minutes. On another day, this could cause frustration and potential swing in the momentum of the match. Kerry aren't as far away as the scoreboard on Sunday suggests

NavyNBlue (Dublin) - Posts: 1357 - 26/04/2016 11:38:45    1849608

Damo I disagree , the whole of Ireland knows Kerry are an aging panel and not to bring any of the '14 minors is a disgrace from Fitzmaurice, when Jim took over us he brought aload of the '11 minors on board and look at them now , I'm not saying it's automatic success but not to have any involved is shocking from the manager.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 26/04/2016 12:14:02    1849624

This is a fantastic Dublin side - that's stating the obvious .

Dublin have the best 15-20 players in Ireland - again stating the obvious .

Can they be beaten in 2016 - I honestly think they can .

They have a sublime bench but when the going get tough and a team are trailing , the bench doesn't look as hot as opposed to when their cruising .

I'm not saying we would beat Dublin but I think if we got a proper game plan in place and had a full strength side , I think we could go close .

I also think Mayo or Kerry at their best won't lie down come Aug/ Sept .

Now if I had a free bet for the year I would back Dublin but I'm just saying there's always a chance .

TheRightStuff (Donegal) - Posts: 1688 - 26/04/2016 12:27:59    1849634

While I agree that Cian O'Sullivan is a very good player, I disagree this train of thought that he is simply a superb sweeper etc etc. Truth be told, the difference is the pressure the likes of Flynn, Kilkenny, McCarthy, fenton and bastick are putting on the guys delivering the ball into his area. O'Sullivan is the guy coming out with the ball so he gets the praise, but without them doing their job, he comes under a fair bit more pressure.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 26/04/2016 12:29:29    1849635

clondalkindub

The majority of those 2014 minor lads were on our U21 team this year (some were injured) and lost to Cork at home.

If you those kids in against Dublin in a hostile atmosphere and ship an ever bigger hammering you would destroy them psychologically which isn't one bit fair to them.

Damo couldnt agree you with more re:Speed it's absolutely imperative in today's game and bar 3/4 we just dont have it

KYTitletown (Kerry) - Posts: 816 - 26/04/2016 13:29:54    1849691

KY that's bs half the Dublin team got hidings off Tyrone and Kerry and it hasn't damage any of them it's just a cliche that sounds good , I've seen them Kerry minors in 14 they were outstanding to not have any involved is crazy , to bring back Galvin last year and yet he won't gamble on a few minors is poor management.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 26/04/2016 14:38:29    1849721

I agree Galvin decision was a bad one

Setting up young lads for a humiliation is short-sighted and very damaging for their long-term future. Putting them into a sinking ship wont solve any problems. Its a lot easier put in one or two players if the team is playing well with confidence.

Minor football is aeons away from Senior Football, they got their chance against Cork at U21 and were beaten by a better team. They are not magically going to cope at the white-hot intensity of Dublin in front of 80,000 a couple of weeks later. They need time to physically mature + develop.

KYTitletown (Kerry) - Posts: 816 - 26/04/2016 14:48:57    1849728

From the minor final 2014 ( Kerry v Donegal) Donegal have given game time to s MC Brearty , C Thompson C Gillispie M Carroll( minor in 2015 also)C mcGonnigle E bann Gallagher during this league and I am expecting at least three to make this year's championship team plus maybe the other lads to be used as subs.
Now when Kerry beat Donegal in the senior final of 2014 they were all on here praising E F as a great manager who made the right moves at the righ time Some even were comparing EF to the great managers of the last 30 years ( O Dwyer S Boylan M Hart ) but in all honestly Kerry got lucky that day or Donegal unlucky.
Now on Sunday what happened Donegal in 2014( which cost us the game IMO) was repeated again via a poor kick out by the Kerry goalie. Dublin never should have got a goal like last Sunday as neither should Kerry in the 2014 Things like that change games , well at least on Sunday help send Dublin on their way.
I too thought E F erred last year by brining Galvin back , I could not see what he had to offer and I should think E F should have had a few of the minors 2014 in his panel last year.
From what I hear off Kerry supporters here in London EF must go and about five of the players also.
Will Cork beat them in Munster this year??

SamOnErrigal (Donegal) - Posts: 1427 - 26/04/2016 15:01:50    1849735

KY that's bs half the Dublin team got hidings off Tyrone and Kerry and it hasn't damage any of them it's just a cliche that sounds good , I've seen them Kerry minors in 14 they were outstanding to not have any involved is crazy , to bring back Galvin last year and yet he won't gamble on a few minors is poor management.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts:7337 - 26/04/2016 14:38:29


Your doing the two plus two analysis its easy and foolhardy , I miss spelt my original line not all minors are the same , our guys did the business at under 21 in conjunction with getting their legs at senior , Con O Callaghan Lorcon Molloy McHugh have been left to mature and will make an impact soon enough , Fitz is no idiot if the younger lads were doing it behind closed doors hed have them in , but the jump from minor to senior is savage , its because we have such a remarkable group that so many have made the jump , but you don't have to look to far ( Meath) (Kildare) were there have been decent minors that didn't do what our lads have done.

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 26/04/2016 15:08:43    1849738

I'm not saying put ten minor lads in but I can't believe he's none involved right now with such an aging team. Everyone gets a hammering in Gaelic football the best players will come good no matter what.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 26/04/2016 15:10:16    1849741

For all those that have scapegoated Galvin for last year's loss in the All-Ireland final I would just ask ye to have the decency to look at the match again and see how he actually played in the 20 minutes he was one.

He didn't put a foot wrong and actually played pretty well.


None of us know the impact he had in the dressing room either.

He did not lose us an All Ireland last year and for someone who brought so much and gave so much to that Jersey its not right or fair to be having a go at him.

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 26/04/2016 15:37:57    1849760

TheHermit - Did someone actually have a go at Galvin or say he lost Kerry an All Ireland last year? Maybe I missed them. The only comments re: Galvin I've read (and correct me if I'm wrong) were posters questioning why Fitzmaurice took a gamble and brought him back, they didn't think he had much to offer, yet won't take a gamble on trying out some young lads.

CroiGorm (Dublin) - Posts: 1547 - 26/04/2016 16:08:35    1849777