Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 11:52 am
Best player I saw this weekend was Rory Guinan of Ballycumber. Big, strong, athletic, a good passer and can kick with both feet. Kicked 6 great scores from tight angles including the equaliser with the game in the balance.
I'd have questioned his mental game before but surely he was worth a run ahead of some lads this year. He tends to drop the head when things are not going well but surely a good manager could get the best out of him. We complain at times about not having talent but here is a lad with it in spades and management is about more than picking a team.
Ballycumber really put it up to Rhode but the problem now as I see it is that this can only focus the Rhode lads. They missed a penalty and none of their county men performed and could still have won the game. If they had won complacency may have set in leaving the door open for a surprise against one of their rivals. They have had their scare now and will tune in to the task at hand. They drew against Tullamore in the group last year and only got going AFTER that game. They have different objective than the rest.
Strange sidenote on the game was the removal of an understandably annoyed player who had only just been brought on and his replacement fumbling the ball during a crucial Ballycumber attack late in the game.
Edenderry will be hoping they can regroup from what was the worst senior performance I've seen in many a year. Obviously problems in the camp and they lined out without Murphy, Cullen, McNamara (the brother), Mahon, Hurst, Keogh, Guing, Malone, Glennon etc.
Any team would struggle without these and I certainly fancy one of either Doon or Shannonbridge/ Rynagh's to beat them.
The funny thing is they beat Ballycumber in the first game and looked reasonably good, at least the equal of Brigids or Erin Rovers but have reacted very badly to their perceived mistreatment by the county board.
Having seen most of the weekend games I would rank the remaining contenders as follows.
Rhode
Ballycumber
Shamrocks
Clara
Brigids
Erin Rovers
Edenderry and Doon to go down.
Sorry just realised I'd strayed a little from the Managerial topic at hand so just to add that I think managment should be present at far more of the county games. While the games weren't of great quality the players who played well in them weren't all on the county panel.
A lot of the players that played well for Ballycumber, Ferbane, Shamrocks I don't know their names. Is this the problem, we go to games knowing who we know and keeping closer eye on them. The Ballycumber no. 12 played well in midfield on Sullivan and McNamee but damned if I remember his name. Likewise I could tell you that no. 15 played well for Shamrocks or 11 for Ferbane (sorry had no program) but they are not the names you have heard already so they are largely dismissed. The previous week I wouldn't have picked the two Raffertys or Mahon over any of the Brigids players whose only county man Sean Casey had one of his poorer days.
Not saying that any of these are any good but unless you go to matches how do you know. Kilmurry don't rely on what others tell you go and watch the games yourself (apologies if he does, just picking up on previous posts).
I'd have questioned his mental game before but surely he was worth a run ahead of some lads this year. He tends to drop the head when things are not going well but surely a good manager could get the best out of him. We complain at times about not having talent but here is a lad with it in spades and management is about more than picking a team.
Ballycumber really put it up to Rhode but the problem now as I see it is that this can only focus the Rhode lads. They missed a penalty and none of their county men performed and could still have won the game. If they had won complacency may have set in leaving the door open for a surprise against one of their rivals. They have had their scare now and will tune in to the task at hand. They drew against Tullamore in the group last year and only got going AFTER that game. They have different objective than the rest.
Strange sidenote on the game was the removal of an understandably annoyed player who had only just been brought on and his replacement fumbling the ball during a crucial Ballycumber attack late in the game.
Edenderry will be hoping they can regroup from what was the worst senior performance I've seen in many a year. Obviously problems in the camp and they lined out without Murphy, Cullen, McNamara (the brother), Mahon, Hurst, Keogh, Guing, Malone, Glennon etc.
Any team would struggle without these and I certainly fancy one of either Doon or Shannonbridge/ Rynagh's to beat them.
The funny thing is they beat Ballycumber in the first game and looked reasonably good, at least the equal of Brigids or Erin Rovers but have reacted very badly to their perceived mistreatment by the county board.
Having seen most of the weekend games I would rank the remaining contenders as follows.
Rhode
Ballycumber
Shamrocks
Clara
Brigids
Erin Rovers
Edenderry and Doon to go down.
Sorry just realised I'd strayed a little from the Managerial topic at hand so just to add that I think managment should be present at far more of the county games. While the games weren't of great quality the players who played well in them weren't all on the county panel.
A lot of the players that played well for Ballycumber, Ferbane, Shamrocks I don't know their names. Is this the problem, we go to games knowing who we know and keeping closer eye on them. The Ballycumber no. 12 played well in midfield on Sullivan and McNamee but damned if I remember his name. Likewise I could tell you that no. 15 played well for Shamrocks or 11 for Ferbane (sorry had no program) but they are not the names you have heard already so they are largely dismissed. The previous week I wouldn't have picked the two Raffertys or Mahon over any of the Brigids players whose only county man Sean Casey had one of his poorer days.
Not saying that any of these are any good but unless you go to matches how do you know. Kilmurry don't rely on what others tell you go and watch the games yourself (apologies if he does, just picking up on previous posts).