Welcome back boss, stick around this time if you can. I was in the greyhound track for 15mins beforehand I was looking out for you. The service was shocking in there, not for the first time, just not enough staff. Myself and my party moved on without getting a drink. There was a good few bob they missed out there and I imagine we weren’t the only ones to move on quickly. Braindead.
A few thoughts on the match without going into it in too much detail as will give myself a pain in my head. It says it all when our best player was an 18yr old debutant Kyle Hayes who was excellent when he moved out of FF. He is so much more comfortable facing goals than with his back to goals and ball going over his head. He showed great leadership a few times and was our only goal threat.
I think Byrnes and Hegarty would have made a huge difference to us but unlikely to have been enough anyway. Clare were comfortably better. Dan Morrissey was a disaster again unfortunately. Any player like that who has been just a panel player for 3-4yrs is simply not going to be good enough all of a sudden to start. Granted Byrnes was missing but O’Mahony would have been better or even Colin Malachy for no.5 jersey than a player who has never cut it at this level who has been around a good while.
I said a few times in the lead up that Peter Casey, despite having potential, had simply not done enough to merit a start right now and every time i mentioned it that little cunt from his club @glasagusban rolled his eyes at me. He did his best and it is not his fault he was selected to start but it was a wrong decision. I thought he was like an U16 player out there. He should be sprung from the bench for now. I think someone like Tom Morrissey would be better to start with as he has good athleticism, work rate and is a few more years stronger. He is also a direct runner at goal. It’s strange he has got no crack at it at all under Kiely. Mulcahy in the other corner is just a passenger and we cannot afford a luxury player like that who we are not able to give the right ball to and who cannot win dirty ball against big, mobile defenders. Finn had a good second half. McCarthy very bad at full back and did a few Ciaran Carey style solo runs resulting in turnovers mostly. I cannot understand how Richie English didn’t start he is a great bit of stuff, a tough defender with a fine bit of cut in him. If he had pace he would be an outstanding defender but he will start the next day I am sure. A bad day for the management team overall and they will have to look at themselves too but I for one will stand by them. A good few debutants today. I think with the two boys missing back and with a bit to prove and written off this team could claim a big scalp yet this year.
Did anyone see Kiely going mad at one stage he had to be held back by a few of his management team? He seemed to be having a go at either Donal Og or someone else in the Clare dugout who seemed to make some smart comment. It was in reference to when Hannon went down in the second half when he got a bit of a belt into the head.
I saw two scallywags from Clare in handcuffs held by the “Gardai” on my way back to the car. There was a group of lads pissed and two were nabbed whatever they were up to.
I suppose some older lad had a heart attack above in the terrace was my thinking. Match wasn’t that exciting I thought but I hope that man is alright tonight.
The test of the management is to learn from the mistakes today; I don’t think it’s all despair. But if we don’t learn from your mistakes, you’re at nothing. I think lads are being harsh on Mulcahy, he got fuck all ball. I don’t know if he should continue to start because there’s no point but himself and Casey were given no chance by the players outside. I thought that would change. Dempsey did well a few times coming out but apart from that our inside line were given shit ball and returned nothing. I don’t think Dowling is the best possible option full-forward but the way we were playing today, he probably was most suitable.
Why the fuck did Dowling end up playing corner-back for a while? How does that even happen. 3rd goal he just watched McGrath stroll in and score. But he shouldn’t be marking McGrath, absolute madness. Awful clearance by Sean Finn too, really bad… but apart from that Finn was good.
Similarly with Hayes, a mistake early on led to a goal (now there were plenty of other players that could have stopped it before it ended up in the net) but Kyle was very good apart from that. Fought for everything, got a great goal and point and set up a few others. Knew that he’d have to come out to the half-forward line. Still a better back in my book but he’s leading the line in the forwards now and fair play to the kid.
Browne as consistent as ever. I thought Hannon did well too. His use of the ball is so much better than Hickey & Morrissey, the only one of the backs who really gives the forwards any chance. Richie loves booming it in.
But if we learn from the mistakes, we can still do something. I think we have a panel there, replace the ones who aren’t performing with ones who are and just work on our failings. We have good players, but we’re not clicking as a unit yet. But really so many individual mistakes today killed us. All 3 of the goals were easily preventable having watched the highlights.
He had to follow the wing back (Fitzgerald?) who made a great run in support of his teammate (this is alien to Limerick hurlers). Having made the run (fast jog actually) he was too gassed to get back into his position.
Richie Mc did the same a few times in the opposite direction.
This fuckin wonder team of Kinnerk and o’connor need to fuck right off if that is what they produce. Also I would love to know this special training program that Dowling was on. I hope to fuck they take him off it or he won’t be able to walk fast by the end of the year.
I had severe doubts about whether he’d have the aggression and defensive knowhow to play there at the highest level. He seems to have refound his aggression, the second part of that we won’t learn from today. But I think he’s shown enough so far this season to suggest he can at the very least do a job there. And we don’t really have anyone else at the moment to fill the position, it’s not as if Gavin was fantastic there. I still reckon Kyle is probably the long-term answer there but he’s a lot better in the air and more direct than any of our other forwards at the moment. Which is kinda sad.
If we can just get Hannon on the ball a lot, we’ll be doing better than the last few years and centre-back is the position for that. We’re not expecting him to be Ciarán Carey or anything quite yet. We’ll settle for someone who can do a job.
Today’s game was poor and lacked intensity . Clare’s goalie was poor , their half back line stank , their half forward line was dysfunctional and their free taker was poor .
I’d agree, I don’t think Clare will be getting carried away tbh. They weren’t great but confidence/momentum can be a big thing. To get three goals was big for them, even if they were soft and they missed another chance or two.
And you’d presume that Tony Kelly can’t be as bad again even if he is shackled at half-forward.
They have a lot of improving to do if they want to take on the big boys- the Galways, Kilkennys and Tipps of this world (if Tipp cop the fuck on).
As for Limerick; look, we’re not where we need to be. We know that. I think our work rate and fitness could be raised another few notches. I think the players did try hard today but Clare were still able to move the ball around too easily. But decision-making is the big thing really. I think we can & will improve; whether it will be enough to do anything of note, I don’t know.
Cuala shackled TK easy enough . Until Clare have a number of dirty ball winners from 8 - 12 then he will struggle to make the impact his talents merit . I will be surprised if Clare win Munster .
Ye,Waterford were well up there last year and you’d like to think they’ve pushed on but we won’t know till the cork game.They’ve a young enough squad so you’d think last year would have brought them on.The hurling is wide open at the minute but galway have to be favourites