Comment: A decent Kildare display...but decent displays don't always win games

Heading to Croker on Sunday the talk was not the most positive. Certainly not anyone I bumped into on the day, or indeed on the days leading up to the game.

A draw would be good result seemed to be the no 1 belief ; quickly followed by “once we get a decent performance.”

A win?

Didn't really come into the equation I have to say.

As for the decent performance bit, well, I suppose one could say we got that alright.

But decent performances don't always win games (as we found out in 2022.

And decent performances won't be good enough to get out of Division 2.

In fact decent performances as we saw in recent season can lead to places we don't want to be.

Having said all that it was very understandable, following the Leinster final between the same two sides last term — when The Dubs gave The Lilies a mauling — fans traveled more in hope than in confidence.

So how did The Lilies perform?

For starters within five minutes Mark Donnellan was emptying the onion sack just as he did five times the last time in Headquarters.

Not a great start.

In fact as manager Glenn Ryan said after the game “a nightmare start.”

The fact that Kildare did not panic, settled down, prevented another green flag from being disturbed for the rest of the game is surely a positive.

On the opposite side, the green flag at the corner of the Dublin goals, in both halves, remained static throughout the game also. That despite a golden opportunity to wave it, and a critical time at that, was crucial to the result.

Really and truely when a chance such as that is carved, and it was a brilliant kick pass from Kevin O'Callaghan that set up the opportunity, it really has to be taken, but it wasn't.

And while you have to give the Dublin netminder, David O'Hanlon, credit as he got a touch from Tony Archbold's effort to push it to the butt of the post, nevertheless the Celbridge player, who had a fine game when introduced, will be disappointed he failed to find the sack.

Dublin got one real opportunity (and a second half chance) but the first one was the chance and it was taken with aplomb. That, at the end of the day, was the difference between the two sides.

Full credit of course to Kildare for digging in, firing everything at their opponents, particularly in the last ten minutes or so when they had them on the run but again not too many chances were made to get that elusive equaliser.

Just three wides for Kildare is looked upon by many as decent.

To others, including this writer, it means not enough chances were created and while you can also add in four balls that dropped short (one from no more than 30m or so) it is a worrying statistic.

Not that Kildare did not have enough of possession, in both halves at that.

However there seems to be a tendency that when a player gets within what most would consider a scorable position, there seems to be a tendency to turn back seeking a fellow player rather than taking on the shot.

It happened time and time again.

Is that a lack of confidence?

A lack of belief?

Or is it a player not wanting to be told at the break, or after the game, that he had one, two or three, or whatever shots that all went wide?

In these days when stats are dominant force, I wonder are players told by the stats people how many times they were in the right position to attempt to score but elected to turn and seek out a fellow player?

Most teams in this division will not get a better opportunity to defeat, or even draw with Dublin than Kildare had on Saturday.

Of course there were some good performances; one or two excellent displays and while I don't believe I ever saw a more defensive set-up by the boys in blue, they nevertheless still had enough to take the two points.

Cork next up?

A defeat on their home patch in a high-scoring, open looking game against The Royals, makes The Lilies against The Rebels practically a four pointer.

A win would not only get Kildare up and running, but would instill a bit of confidence, a bit of belief that is so essential at this level.

And what of Kevin Feely?

What a man to recover from a terrible injury back last summer to be able to come on against Dublin in quiet remarkable and a real testament to man, his courage and his determination to make it.

• Congrats to the David Herity's hurlers who captured the Kehoe Cup with another fine win on Saturday against Meath.

  They are moving well are the hurlers and this Saturday open their Allianz League Division 2A account when they travel to take on Carlow managed of course by Naas manager Tom Mullally.

  Despite a comfortable win over them a few weeks ago this will be a different kettle of fish and will be very interesting to see can they keep up their great start to the season.

•  Well done to the Ladies, two wins from two and a trip to Clare who have won one and lost one of their league games to date.