Of the four matches played today, I really only got to see one: Kildare v Monaghan. That is because my reception was terrible and I had to listen to the Cork v Limerick game on the radio. It was actually kinda nice to sit on the couch, stare at the ceiling, and just listen. Anyway, I'm happy to report I picked all four winners in my first attempt at such a task - too bad I didn't put a bet on. Just about everyone thought Sligo would put up more of a fight against Down. I suppose that is the only real shocker. Nonetheless, here are my thoughts on the Kildare v Monaghan match:
Kildare 1-15 Monaghan 1-11
Don't let the scoreline fool you - this one was not nearly as close as the score suggested. Kildare had the game well in hand after a strong start to the second half despite dealing with the continued issue with shooting accuracy. Speaking of accuracy, a major factor in this game, which Pat Spillane mentioned during the broadcast, was the terrible state of Monaghan's kick-passes. It was bizarre to watch so many balls struck with too much power or no accuracy...or both. Monaghan was working hard on defense to win the ball and then repeatedly gave the ball away without challenging the Kildare defense. Monaghan also looked meek when challenging for kickouts in the midfield.
I thought Rory Woods for Monghan was a waste of space on the pitch today. I usually really like his tough style of play and his accuracy, but today he was useless. Rory made no impact on the game except the impact of his fist on Dermot Earley's face which earned him a yellow.
Kildare's style and flow shown through today despite a very slippery pitch. Their defense is tougher than most in the media will acknowledge. Once they win the ball, Kildare remain calm and work the ball forward with hand-passes while always keeping an eye down-field for a streaking forward. Plenty of teams intend to do that...but very few do it well.
It turned out the game was effectively over when Alan Smith kicked a brilliant point at the 47th minute to make the score Kildare 0-12 to 0-6 for Monaghan. Right after that all doubt was removed when Johnny Doyle's hustle for a loose ball near the goal-line led to James Kavanagh's smart, unselfish pass to substitute Ronan Sweeney for an easy goal. Sweeney was a great sub who also kicked a point and came up with the kickout after Monaghan scored a goal and tried to make the finish interesting. He got an accidental kick in the back of the head for his efforts. I hope he's alright as it looked bad and Kildare certainly need that kind of effort from him going forward.
Also going forward, James Kavanagh played a great game and will give defenders fits in the next round. He calmly scored 5 of Kildare's first 11 points. I like players who score when it matters most, not fill the stat sheet when it is already decided. You never see the Kildare team mouthing off to the ref or the opposition. You never see them getting too excited or too down in a match. That type of level-headedness will be a factor in the upcoming rounds with the added pressure.
I feel like I have to mention that despite my respect for this group of Monaghan players over the past 5 years, they quit early today. There were signs of letting up and conceding defeat at 55 minutes, without a doubt they had given up at 60 minutes. I just can't understand how that kind of thing happens at the Championship level. I wouldn't expect that kind of showing from a Junior B team.
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