A Walking Sunday with a difference

The Punchestown Festival may only be beginning today (Tuesday April 30) but on Walking Sunday the first big faller arrived early when Kildare not only crashed out of the Leinster Championship but also out of the All-Ireland Series, going under, not for the first time it has to be said, to Louth.

The mind goes walk-abouts and back to that infamous defeat in Drogheda in Micko's first championship game with Kildare, that after losing out to Dublin in the National League final of 1991.

Louth came to Newbridge a few years later and caused another major shock, if memory serves me correct, in a game that was live on RTÉ, the first time outside of the provincial finals.

On Sunday, however, the result of this one could not be put down into the 'shock' category.

Such has been Kildare's form in 2024 that the Ger Brennan managed Louth side were the favourites to advance, after defeating Glenn Ryan's boys just a few weeks ago in the Allianz Football League.

Kildare, of course, had been relegated, even before that Louth encounter, while the Wee County retained their Division 2 status.

Sunday last though falls into a different category altogether so much was at stake.

Not only missing out on a provincial decider (and a meeting with Dublin where a big hiding would have been on the cards) but more importantly, much more importantly, retaining a place in the All-Ireland series.

Unfortunately The Lilies failed once again to get over the line making it just one win in nine games in 2024, a record that is simply so difficult to comprehend.

And so it is on to the Cup that no one wants, introduced to give the weaker counties an opportunity to perform on the national stage at a level that is more suitable to their talents.

And while most of us believe (rightly or wrongly) that Kildare are a much better side than where they find themselves at present but as manager Glenn Ryan said after Sunday's latest set-back “it is not like we (Kildare) were pulled out of a hat.”

Teams are in the Tailteann Cup for a reason and The Lilies can have no complaints where they find themselves as the draw for this competition was due to be made today (Tuesday 30 April) with the opening group games due the weekend after next.

It is one thing operating in Division 3 of the League come 2025 but, unless victory in the Tailteann Cup is achieved, the chances of playing in the All-Ireland series next season would be considered a long shot, much as it pains to say that.

The affects of this season will be felt for quiet some time.

There will undoubtedly be a financial hit.

Smaller gates, less cash from Croke Park, so on and so forth.

When one considers how close Kildare came last season to making into the All-Ireland quarter-finals it makes where Kildare find themselves all the more baffling.

It has, however been a down hill curve over the last number of seasons. From Division 1 to Division 2, to Division 3, that is one hell of a drop. And now on top of that no All-Ireland Series for this season, at the very least.

Once this Tailteann Cup is done and dusted, regardless how far Kildare do or do not progress, time now for a complete root and branch analysis to see how have things come to this and what, if anything, can be done to initially stop the slide to the bottom of the barrel in both league and championship, and hopefully, to climb back up to a higher level again.

At a time when a new stadium will be coming on stream, hopefully this October; when the county will at last have a ground everyone, players, county board officials and supporters can be proud of, there can be no holding back; no looking for quick solutions (of which there are none) but a root and branch look at how and why Kildare are where they are at present.

No one is pointing the figure at lack of effort, in fact it has been acknowledged that the players (and the management) have left no stone unturned to try and turn things around.

But it simply has not happened.

There is one last opportunity now to save something from the season of 2024 and that is the Tailteann Cup.

One home game, one away game, one neutral venue game and then, hopefully, a quarter-final and so on.

But on current form there are no guarantees.

There are teams in this competition that, just like Kildare, who think and believe, they should not be where they are but in it they are and while Glenn Ryan admitted that it is not going to be easy to lift players a mere two weeks after their Leinster semi-final defeat; after going through a league campaign that went from bad to worse.

The manager is confident that players will stick with it until this campaign comes to an end, where that might be, or whatever that brings but regardless once that point has been reached some very hard decisions will have to be made and made quickly.

Also in the pipeline are some major changes at the top table of the County Board.

Top positions will be up for grabs as officials come to the end of a five year cycle.

So both, on and off, the field of play the next number of weeks and months will be vital for the future of Kildare GAA.

New stadium; a changed top table at county board level and whatever happens once this dreadful season of 2024 ends.

Many is the horse that took a tumble at Punchestown and many is the horse that got up, dusted itself down and came back to winning ways.

Let's hope The Lilies can do the same..