Kildare lose first game in Development League
Kildare's Adam Fanning kicks a point against Dublin Photo: Sean Brilly
Kildare lost their first Development League game of the season against Dublin in TU Blanchardstown on Friday but showed enough to suggest that this will be a very worthwhile exercise.
Managed by Johnstownbridge’s Eddie Holton, the Kildare team played well at times against a strong Dublin side and kicked some good scores.
Many of the team are in the midst of a hectic schedule and a number of those who weren’t playing intense college championship games during the were called in to train with the senior team during the week.
Still, the thinking behind this squad is a very valid one. Brian Flanagan has spoken before of the value for it and he played his football with Kildare during a time when the team was regularly bolstered by players being promoted from the junior team. This current squad is training as an intercounty team would and the thinking is that Flanagan should be able to pick a player when needed and they should be able to hit the ground running at senior level rather than having to go through an adaptation period when adjusting to the stresses and strains of top level football. If only one or two of this squad eventually feature for the senior team this year, or even next, then it would show the value of this thinking.
Kildare opened the scoring on Friday evening when Celbridge’s Aaron Brown kicked a free from outside the scoring arc to land a two pointer for Kildare.
Dublin, who featured Lee Gannon in midfield, answered back with three points in a row before Kildare scored a goal in the ninth minute.
Fresh from a lively showing for SETU Carlow when he scored 1-5 in a win over SETU Waterford on Wednesday evening, Adam Fanning was very lively in the opening half and showed quick feet to get away from his marker after receiving a pass from Fionn Cooke and once in on goal he blasted his shot past Evan Comerford.
Fanning added a point later in the half, with David Lovely and Niall Dolan also registering points, but Kildare trailed 0-10 to 1-5 at half time.
Fionn Bergin and Dermot Hanafin were introduced at half time and Holton when on to make his full complement of six subs through the game.
Goalkeeper Eoin Sheehan came forward to kick the opening point of the second half but Dublin were able to cut through the Kildare backline on occasions through the second half to kick some good scores, and they scored the next three points.
Dermot Hanafin did stop that run of scores with a good effort in the 48th minute.
Bergin and Jack Barrett bookended another run of three Dublin points with pointed frees and Kildare saw out the scoring when a tiring Sean Hanafin, due to his Sigerson Cup exploits with TUD earlier in the week, scored the last point of the game after being pushed into a full forward role for the final minutes.
All in all, a good run out and Kildare will now prepare for the next game in the competition against Meath.
Eoin Sheehan (Johnstownbridge, 0-1); Rob Fitzgerald (Naas), Matthew McNally (Caragh), Cathal Daly (Naas), Fionn O’Giollain (Maynooth), Niall O’Sullivan (Maynooth), Pat Martin (Ellistown); Sean Hanafin (Naas, 0-1), David Lovely (Cappagh, 0-1); Fionn Cooke (Raheens), Niall Dolan (Raheens, 0-1), Ciaran Flanagan (Maynooth), Aaron Browne (Celbridge, 0-2, 2pf), Jack Taafe (Raheens), Adam Fanning (Clane, 1-1). Subs: Fionn Bergin (Grangenolvin, 0-1f) for Fanning, h/t; Dermot Hanafin (Naas, 0-1) for Dolan, h/t; Mark Maguire (Naas) for Lovely, 37; Tadhg Hagney (Nurney) for Cooke, 42; Rory Moran (Allenwood) for Martin, 46); Jack Barrett (Leixlip, 0-1f) for Taafe, 48.
