NFL Division 2

Parouisa wrote:Coming the week of the Derrytresk incident O'Neill should have known better.

Well, that is Sean O'Neill, and part of the reason why, for all his ability, he hasn't yet become a permanent fixture in the Tyrone defence.

As for Gavin Teague, without hearing anything about the row, I was chatting with a friend and we both agreed that Gavin Teague would have been heavily involved. Gavin is a good prospect who was on the Tyrone senior panel 2 years ago (2008 AI Minor winner), but he needs to become a lot more disciplined and control his temper if he is to make it back into Harte's reckonning at some point in the future.

Tyrone team to play Derry @ Healy Park on Sunday

Jonathan Curran;

Aidan McCrory; Conor Clarke; PJ Quinn;

Cathal McCarron; Peter Harte; Damian McCaul;

Michael Murphy; Aidan Cassidy;

Matthew Donnelly; Mark Donnelly; Ronan McNabb;

Owen Mulligan; Martin Penrose; Stephen O’Neill.

Subs: Pascal McConnell; Dermot Carlin; Sean Cavanagh; Kyle Coney; Ciaran Gervin; Peter Hughes; Jonathan Lafferty; Tommy McGuigan; Niall McKenna; Joe McMahon; Justin McMahon.

Unsurprisingly not much change from last week apart from McCaul in for Sean O'Neill who stupidly became involved in an incident following that college game. Its nice to see Ronan McNabb getting a start, I think this young man has huge potential if he manages to remain injury free which has had a major impact on his progress in the senior ranks. I have to say that young Clarke acquitted himself very well against Kildare last week and looked very comfortable and assured on the ball.

I'm still not convinced about Aidan Cassidy in the middle of the field, He's far, far too nice for my liking, Having been introduced against the Dubs last year He was on the deck after one minute of play and again after five minutes against Kildare on Saturday. His general play is sluggish and hand passing at crucial moments leaves alot to be desired. He nearly got Pete Harte wrote aff on saturday night prior to Penroses' goal and from memory it was his misplaced fist pass that occurred prior to the Donegal breakaway goal in last years championship, so a big improvement required here. I wonder why young McKenna hasn't been given more game time with Colm Cavanagh out and Sean Cavanagh and Joe McMahon on the road to recovery.

My old friend McCarron is going rightly in the half back line, perhaps with less responsibilty on his shoulders having been correctly removed from the number 3 spot. There are two half back positions up for grabs following Philly Jordans departure and Davy obviously not in the reckoning at present, McCarron has shown he has the athletic ability to cover lots of ground making useful diagnol runs and maybe with more game time will become more confident in his own ability to take scores instead of off loading to a player standing still and not expecting his pass

Derry seem to be working on a threadbare squad at present with at least 13 men out injured and expect victory for the home team on this occasion. Tyrone are undoubtably in better physical condition in comparison to this time last year but their progress will depend on keeping the likes of O'Neill and Mugsy fit and able come champioship time.

i wonder will the team thats named be the actual 15 that starts, knowing Mickey it wont. Derry are short 13 men for various reasons mostly injuries but i wouldnt underestimate them at all - they are more than capable of beating Tyrone if PB can get enough good ball.

Be interesting to see how we play him, will Mickey drop Mattie Donnelly back to sweep in front of him, will Conor Clarke be given the job of marking him, i doubt it very much, PJ Quinn a more likely man i think.

I'd be more than interested in how McNabb plays on Sunday - a quality footballer of that there is no doubt but since 2008 his career has been hampered by one injury after another, he is as hard as nails and the physical nature of this encounter wont phase him in any way.

Looking forward to what should be a good game and hopefully our boys can pick up where they left of last week

All good points Boc.

I think the team will be as selected, unless there is a last minute injury. Very hopeful that McNabb goes well, as is a good prospect as either a half back or half forward. With him, Donnelly, Penrose, Mark Donnelly and Harte in there, there are a lot of fast players who are good on the loose ball and well suited to counter-attacking football.

Not sure Mattie Donnelly will sweep in front of Bradley, although he could play CHB and release Peter Harte. More likely, though is that he plays the same deep role he played in the 2nd half last week, the one that Brian Dooher played for so long.

PJ Quinn is the most likely to take Bradley, although Mickey may give him to young Clarke initially, just to see how he copes. McCrory is our quickest back, and could end up with the task, but Quinn would be the smartest bet.

I agree with Mugsy's post above when he says about Aidan Cassidy not being powerful/forceful enough, although his suggested replacement, Niall McKenna, could have the same charge levelled at him. Colm Cavanagh will be back in midfield for the summer.

In the absence of the suspended Sean O'Neill, Damien McCaul has earned his chance at half back after doing well of the bench last week. I'm not a fan of McCaul but, like Cathal McCarron, he does look more comfortable out the field than he does in the full back line.

Optimistic of another victory, but you never know with Derry. As well as the 2 points, I'm also hoping that we come out of the game with no injuries/suspensions, as games with our old rivals have a tendency to give rise to such things.

i like the look of McCrory - a no nonsense defender seems pretty well built and no slouch, looks a dependable sort of a guy.

I would like to see Clarke get 15-20 minutes on Bradley, a few raved about his performance last week however whilst he coped well under high balls he was off the pace when it came to balls played in front of O'Connor last week, if he gives Bradley that sort of room we will be punished big time

Yes indeed, McCrory is as fast as, for example, Marty Swift, but is much taller and bigger - right sort of size for the position. I hope he continues to progress.

As for young Clarke, I thought he did very well last week, and has a lot going for him. Really think he has a look of Joe McMahon about him, although he still is very raw. Also agree that he was loose on Connor for the low ball at times but, all things considered, I thought it was a good debut.

Bradley would be a different test, and I'd also start him on Paddy, for the experience, if nothing else.

Derry team selected as follows

1 Paul Morgan (Cill Ria)
2 Brian McCallion (An Grainloch)
3 Brian Doyle (An Lúb)
4 Aidan McAlynn (An Lúb)
5 Chrissy McKaigue (Sleacht Néill)
6 Charlie Kielt (Cill Ria)
7 Sean Leo McGoldrick (Cúil Rathain)
8 Joe Diver (Baile Eochaidh)
9 James Conway (Baile An Doire)
10 Michael Bateson (Droichead Nua)
11 Mark Lynch (Beannchar)
12 Barry McGoldrick (Cúil Rathain)
13 Cailean O’Boyle (An Leamhaigh)
14 Paddy Bradley (Gleann An Iolair)
15 Enda Lynn (An Grainloch)

A weak Derry side indeed, and weaker than the one that played in the McKenna Cup final.

They will be very physical and will look to stop Tyrone moving the ball quickly, but I'd like to think/hope that we would have more pace and scoring power.

Derry have no backs and flaky forwards. I have been impressed by the Kielts and all of their midfielders: Diver, Friel, Conway any time I've seen them.

Tyrone, to be fair, appear to have hit the gorund running. But the sides they've been naming are the most inexperienced of any Tyrone team in the last 10 years. Promising is the best way I could describe them.

It'll be a close game and maybe if Derry can maintain a full quota of players for the full seventy, we might get a better idea of how the McKenna Cup would have panned out.

Anyway, that derby game is quite pale in contrast to the one we'll see in Cusack Park on Sunday. Good article from 2004: http://www.anfearrua.com/story.asp?id=1459 There were some great games in 2001 and 2003 between these two teams.

I'll go for wins for Derry, Meath, Louth and Kildare which will leave the two best teams along the North-East seaboard with at least twice as many points as everyone else.

The moment Cusack Park held it's breath..................

..........Long, typical, 50 yard pass from Stephen Bray into substitute Joe Sheridan. Joe latches onto ball and slips as he turns. Falling, he notices Graham Geraghty rushing past, gives the quick offload to leave Geraghty one-on-one with Connaughtan. Geraghty, with all the precision in the world picks his spot in the corner of the net and gently launches an arcing shot over Connaughtan.

I think my heart stopped for a moment. Connaughtan got fingernailtips to the ball. '45. I think everyone was waiting for the nets to shake. Never experienced a moment like it before......it was as if time stopped for a second.

In other news, the chap from One Direction witnessed Meath's dominant display.

Only ourselves and Tyrone with the full quota of points after the first two games (in Division 1 or 2), who'd have thought it.

Tell us a bit more about what we are seeing from Meath, Loyal. Obviously they've had two comfortable wins with good score totals being posted, but is there a noticable difference from last year? Any standout performers?

I'd guess that they are fitter than they were at the same stage last year (given the absence of all pace in the side in 2011, I'd have assumed that this would be one of Banty's top priorites)? Also, judging by O'Connor and Kenny lining out in the forwards, I presume that they are playing with quite a few men behind the ball, isolating the full-forwards? Keen to get a better picture.

Tyrone fan sensing danger - wants to know more. Afraid to say it but it's Meath and Louth for promotion. Derry and Westmeath for relegation. Tyrone and Monaghan for upper mid-table. Galway and Kildare for lower mid-table.

Yes even though Meath have "only" beaten Monaghan and Westmeath, I can say with some certainty that there has been a noticeable improvement in some areas. In order of priority, these are the areas we needed to work on most (and have worked on):

1. Luck
After the 2010 Leinster Final, the gods deserted Meath. But so far in 2012, we have been a lot "luckier". You need a slice of luck in any sport, and thankfully it's all good luck that's falling Meath's way. Long may it continue.

2. Physique
I would like to quote a post made by me before Christmas. Meath have been in Pairc Tailteann 3-4 nights a week since the week of the All-Ireland. Dublin have been in Coppers 3-4 nights a week since the week of the All-Ireland. It's all about preparation. Meath prepared and today we see the rewards: Two wins. This is stark contrast to Dublin who are still winless.

3. Second season debutants
Paddy Gilsenan (22), Ciaran Lenihan (21) and Brian Menton (21) were all introduced into the team by Banty last year. As with any young player, it takes time to adjust to life at the very highest level but now with the year under the belts, all three are having stand-out seasons and are likely to feature in Banty's championship team.

4. Attitude
Yes Meath are certainly working harder on the field of play. Of course, this will be put to test when things start to go wrong. Then we will see how Meath cope.

5. Pressing
Meath press high up the pitch when the other team have the ball. Half-backs push up to midfield, midfield pushes up on top of half-forward line. Result, the other team find it hard to move the ball past midfield. This will also be put to the test against the Dublins and the Kerrys who move the ball very quickly and whose forwards thrive on space, which inevitably there will be lots of if half-backs are pushing up.

6. Stephen Bray
All-Star Stephen Bray has been a revelation in a role which gives him the freedom of the pitch. Yesterday he gave an exhibition in passing and movement, and chipped in with 4 or 5 points from play. With Bray dictating things from the comfort of "the pocket", Meath will be hard to stop.

7. Sweeping
Chris O'Connor played in defence yesterday, Kenny operates behind midfield rather than on the wing, and Graham Reilly, Stephen Bray and Paddy Gilsenan all filter back when opposing team attacks. Cian Ward and one of that trio (usually Gilsenan or Reilly) are regulrarly left to man a whole half by themselves.

Loyal2TheRoyal wrote:2. Physique
I would like to quote a post made by me before Christmas. Meath have been in Pairc Tailteann 3-4 nights a week since the week of the All-Ireland. Dublin have been in Coppers 3-4 nights a week since the week of the All-Ireland. It's all about preparation. Meath prepared and today we see the rewards: Two wins. This is stark contrast to Dublin who are still winless.

I sincerely hope Meath did not break the training ban .....

Thanks Loyal, always good to get a clear idea of what the opposition is building!

The one part of your detailed description that confused me slightly was the talk of pressing by half backs and midfielders, contrasted with the withdrawal of O'Connor and the leaving 2 players in the opposition half at times. Perhaps it is a case of men dropping back, and then pushing up to congest the midfield area?

In any event, it sounds like Meath are fitter than they have been of late. The big strength of Banty's Monaghan side was their physical prowess - they were big, strong and fit. Now, Meath have more football in them than did Monaghan, but the Royals may not have as much heart. Monaghan were a tough, gutsy bunch, and it was no surprise to me to see them come out and give Kildare a beating after the row on Sunday. (Kildare, like Meath in recent years, tend to vanish when the going gets tough.)

I don't agree with you that Meath and Louth will be promoted. Meath are certainly off to an encouraging start, but Louth are likely to fall away as the bigger sides get fitter in March.

From a Tyrone perspective, it is true to say that Meath have been our bogey-team for some time. Meath have a habit of turning over superior Tyrone sides (1996 & 2007 spring to mind), and they are the one team in Ireland that I never like to be drawn against. Still, we have 7 wins from 7 games so far this year, so we in Tyrone will be optimistic for the time being!

Unfortunately what you said about Derry is looking like a truth, 4 years after winning the league they stand on the brink of Division 3! We haven't seen a fall from grace like this since Leeds United!

bald eagle wrote:Unfortunately what you said about Derry is looking like a truth, 4 years after winning the league they stand on the brink of Division 3! We haven't seen a fall from grace like this since Leeds United!

whats going on in Derry BE??

For years every Derry man said they one person who would turn the fortunes of Derry senior footballers around was John Brennan - alas it seems that those who held that view have been made to eat their words.

If anything they are going backwards, is that the fault of Brennan or is there a big undercurrent still flowing through the squad causing deep division and an unwillingness to work together. I find it strange that PB has been selected as captain for two reasons. One, he most certainly is not captain material and two, he has been the source of much of the division in the past amongst the squad. It is also worth noting that Brennan once said that if he ever got the Derry job the first thing he would do is get rid of the two Bradleys!!!!! Seems to me like the tail is wagging the dog in Derry.

The word on the street is that the appointment of Bradley as captain has not gone down well at all within the squad................

Its only the league - and its Division 2! Donegal and Laois (who played a cracker on Sunday) came out of this Division last year. Great to see lads get excited about performances in freezing February and reading all sorts into them ... long may it continue.

bocerty wrote: I find it strange that PB has been selected as captain for two reasons. One, he most certainly is not captain material and two, he has been the source of much of the division in the past amongst the squad.

And 3, he is only a shadow of the player he used to be, and it is very debatable whether or not he would be worth a place on a full strength Derry side.

But yes, strong talk of division in Derry (as usual). A couple of the lads who were replaced in the McKenna Cup final looked very unhappy, and things seem to have deteriorated since then. The injuries within the squad certainly aren't helping, but Brennan really needs to steady the ship very quickly, or this could be a very disappointing year for the Oak Leafs.

Parouisa wrote:Its only the league - and its Division 2! Donegal and Laois (who played a cracker on Sunday) came out of this Division last year. Great to see lads get excited about performances in freezing February and reading all sorts into them ... long may it continue.

Indeed, we all, on this GAA Forum, should not be debating the current season, but rather we should still be basking in the glory of Dublin's all Ireland victory 5 months ago. (A bit like the Dublin players have clearly been doing!)