Cork Hurlers - Part 2

[Zealot]

Hayes is 26 this year, Downey is 25 this year

Fair enough a year isn’t overly significant
Hayes and Hegarty are built like trucks

 

[Vladimir The Bear]

I was very disappointed with the 2cd half performance last Sunday, same as everyone here but I do think there has been a complete over reaction from some as to the performance. It was the 4th of February and leaving aside that we played a very good Clare team in their home patch people should bear in mind that the team last Sunday won't be anything close to the team come championship. I would argue there was guys playing last Sunday that won't even be close to the panel come the end of the league let alone championship.


I was a bit annoyed with the team that was picked for the trip to Ennis. Now obviously I'm not privy to the inner goings on in the panel and who was available and who wasn't etc but I thought our forward line in particular looked like a stale selection. We have been down the route of Kingston and Lehane so many times before in the same forward line, It doesn't work come crunch time so why even bother try it again for a league game in 2024, nothing to be learned from it.

I also felt our midfield was far too lightweight/ inexperienced for a trip to Ennis.

Also as well and all as Tommy O Connell played, Pat Ryan is surely not going to go down the route of playing him wing back again in championship knowing that a Gearoid Hegarty or Tony Kelly etc is going to be put on him immediately. I think there is a place for Tommy in the starting 15, but at midfield.

If the same panel is all that's available again for next Saturday night then I'd like to see a starting 15 of

Collins

C O Callaghan, E Roche, S O Donaghue

G Millerick, C Joyce, E Downey

T O Connell, M Mullins

B Roche, S Barrett, S Twomey

R O Flynn, Hoggie, B Hayes.

 

[greengrass]

Hayes was always a big man broad and tall. Downey tall only, a lot slimmer frame

 

[TheRightHandofRing]

For Saturday:
1. Brion Saunderson
2. Conor O'Callaghan
3. Eoin Roche
4. Sean O' Donoghue
5. Ger Millerick
6. Ciaran Joyce
7. Eoin Downey
8. Tommy O'Connell
9. Luke Meade
10. Sean Twomey
11. Shane Barrett
12. Robbie O' Flynn
13. Shane Kingston
14. Patrick Horgan
15. Robbie Cotter

 

[TheRightHandofRing]

People here saying that the current crop of young lads who are in their early twenties should be bursting onto the team are way wide of the mark imo. The players who break into a team straight out of underage are the exception and increasingly so nowadays from what I can see. I think that it's not just the standard of S&C that has gone up but the skillset and accuracy of play which is a massive step up for young lads who take a few years to adapt to what is required at Senior IC.

Notice that others mentioned Limericks young team that won the AI as a comparison. You have to bear in mind that Paul Kinnerks coaching methods stole a march on the opposition at that time so those Limerick players were able to get up to IC standard at an unusually young age. All other teams have been playing catch up since resulting in it now being even harder for a young player to get up to standard because of what that Limerick team did in raising the bar.

I would say for the average player now 23 years is a good age to find your feet at inter county level, there are exceptions obviously but realistically what players under 22 have burst onto the scene in the last 4 years or so. Even Cathal O'Neil has been eased into the Limerick team, no sign of Billy Drennan starting for Kilkenny this year by the looks of things, Tipp's 2019 U20 winning team took a good few years to find their feet and Liam Sheedy was similarly criticised for not throwing them straight into senior. All of those managers who eased players into senior level can't all be wrong imo.

 

[Killyoursons]

I was very disappointed with the 2cd half performance last Sunday, same as everyone here but I do think there has been a complete over reaction from some as to the performance. It was the 4th of February and leaving aside that we played a very good Clare team in their home patch people should bear in mind that the team last Sunday won't be anything close to the team come championship. I would argue there was guys playing last Sunday that won't even be close to the panel come the end of the league let alone championship.


I was a bit annoyed with the team that was picked for the trip to Ennis. Now obviously I'm not privy to the inner goings on in the panel and who was available and who wasn't etc but I thought our forward line in particular looked like a stale selection. We have been down the route of Kingston and Lehane so many times before in the same forward line, It doesn't work come crunch time so why even bother try it again for a league game in 2024, nothing to be learned from it.

I also felt our midfield was far too lightweight/ inexperienced for a trip to Ennis.

Also as well and all as Tommy O Connell played, Pat Ryan is surely not going to go down the route of playing him wing back again in championship knowing that a Gearoid Hegarty or Tony Kelly etc is going to be put on him immediately. I think there is a place for Tommy in the starting 15, but at midfield.

If the same panel is all that's available again for next Saturday night then I'd like to see a starting 15 of

Collins

C O Callaghan, E Roche, S O Donaghue

G Millerick, C Joyce, E Downey

T O Connell, M Mullins

B Roche, S Barrett, S Twomey

R O Flynn, Hoggie, B Hayes.

Good post, and I like that team. But I also like RighthandofRing's suggestion to play Meade at midfield alongside O'Connell, to provide a bit more experience. Bring on Mullins at HT.

 

[Vladimir The Bear]

Good post, and I like that team. But I also like RighthandofRing's suggestion to play Meade at midfield alongside O'Connell, to provide a bit more experience. Bring on Mullins at HT.

Ya, on reflection that would probably be a better idea. It would be more balanced and much more experienced midfield.

 

[CORK1990]

Brian Hayes will be 23 this year . Rob Downey 25 .....Eoin Downey 21

 

[SoundMan]

In 2013, 5 Clare players won back to back U21 All Irelands, 2 weeks prior to the senior replay.
All of those 5, 4 were actually U20s and It was a 19-year-old Shane O Donnell who stole the show in that senior replay.
Davy moulded his champions that year around a young spine, the defensive rock David McInerney (20) through the commanding Colm Galvin (20) in midfield up to Tony Kelly (19) and Podge Collins (21) in the forwards.
We are a million mixed heads away from producing that type of talent in my opinion

I remember at the time when Clare beat Cork in the replay there was a big deal made of how young the Clare team were and I think they were all single too. Clare fellahs I knew were talking about a production line and how Clare were set up to and going to win a few of the next ten or so All Irelands. We all know how that panned out,

 

[TheRightHandofRing]

Brian Hayes will be 23 this year . Rob Downey 25 .....Eoin Downey 21

Rob Downey has established himself at IC level and last year was his best imo which shows he is going in the right direction. Eoin was still U20 last year and his one ch'ship game v Tipp showed how difficult the step up is, still has what it takes imo. I think Brian Hayes has an outside chance of making it as an inter county starter