Kildare manager Cian O'Neill believes that the squad and management are far ahead in terms of preparation to where they were this time last year.

Speaking to the Leinster Leader ahead of their clash against Dublin in the O'Byrne Cup semi-final on Sunday, O'Neill feels that the year's experience of working together has benefitted them.

Kildare have played three competitive games so far this year, racking up an impressive 8-50 and conceding just 0-21 as they remain undefeated.

"We are in a better place this year, compared to last; we have a tighter panel this time; last year like all new management teams, we were attempting to give everyone an opportunity, we had 48 on the panel," said O'Neill.

"This year we have just 21 or 22 fit for each match and they have all been getting football, 35 minutes minimum and that helps team cohesion and while we did not see it in the second half, we have seen it in patches across the three matches and I feel we are a lot more advanced than we were this time last year."

Tweet

Most Read Stories