Kildare searching for improvements 

Kildare football manager Brian Flanagan will have been glad of the fortnight’s break after the demoralising fourteen-point defeat to Meath that plunges them deep into a relegation battle from Division 2 of the National Football League.

While he didn’t have the luxury of warm-weather training in Portugal, unlike his Cork counterpart John Cleary, Flanagan will have been grateful for the opportunity to hunker down with his panel in Hawkfield, not to mention the chance to get some more players back from injury.

Jack Robinson, Tommy Gill, Daragh Ryan and James McGrath were among those who played a development game against Meath last week while Ben McCormack was an unused substitute against Meath seniors.

It’s not all good news on the personnel front, though, with key man Alex Beirne by all accounts likely to be sidelined for a while after his shoulder injury against the Royals.

Ryan Sinkey remains a medium-term absentee and Jimmy Hyland was withdrawn late from the 26 the last day and didn’t feature in the development game.

That Meath defeat leaves Kildare staring at a stark reality. Unless they beat either Cork on Saturday night in Páirc Uí Rinn or Louth the following Sunday in Newbridge, they are relying on Offaly beating Cavan this Sunday in Tullamore and neither of those two winning their final round games against Meath and Derry respectively.

Otherwise, they will be back in Division 3 next year and possibly facing another Tailteann Cup campaign.

Opponents Cork have four wins from five and are vying for promotion with Meath and Derry. The league table suggests a level of consistency they’ve struggled to achieve for years.

But when you look beneath the covers, they are still something of an enigma.

They looked on their way to defeat to Cavan in the opening round in Páírc Uí Chaoimh, a two-point free from Steven Sherlock completing their comeback from seven points down.

Sherlock made his first start in two years the following week against Louth in Drogheda and he scored eight points when Cork’s win was never in doubt. Offaly offered little resistance in Tullamore (3-15 to 0-19) and the bandwagon was in full motion.

Against Meath in Páirc Uí Rinn, Cork led from the start but almost gave up a six-point lead after going down to fourteen men with Ian Maguire’s sending off. He returns for Saturday having had a two-match ban reduced to one. Meath got it back to one and almost snatched it when a Ciaran Caulfield two-pointer dropped short at the death.

The Rebels went to Derry full of confidence, but the wheels well and truly came off. Or was it just an off day? After all they were missing Maguire, not helpful when you’re up against Rodgers and Glass in the middle, while five or six others including Brian Hurley were injured.

As has been their way, Cleary’s side went in front early on in Celtic Park, but with wind advantage didn’t build up enough of a gap and Derry obliterated them in the second half to run out twenty-point winners.

By all accounts Cork were wiped out when their kickout was pressed and that is something Brian Flanagan and his management team will hopefully have noted. Kildare will need to improve significantly at kickouts themselves and they’ll need to be spot on tactically as well as showing a lot more hunger under the breaking ball.

Cork media have made a big deal about Cleary moving the game to the smaller confines of Páirc Uí Rinn and no doubt this will boost the atmosphere in one of the best grounds of its size in the country.

But will that not suit Kildare as well, a venue more akin to St Conleth’s Park than Croke Park? Indeed, Lilywhite supporters will recall a productive visit to Saturday night’s venue in 2013 when Kieran McGeeney’s side ran out 2-10 to 1-9 winners in a Division 1 clash.

The following year, under Jason Ryan, they fell only a point short, a defeat that was the only one in six clashes between the counties between 2013 and 2021.

Cork have won the two most recent encounters, both under Glenn Ryan in Division 2. Cork kicked us out of the park in 2023 in Newbridge (2014 to 0-7) and the following year edged a high-scoring encounter at Páirc Uí Chaoimh (2-15 to 3-9).

The Rebels hold the upper hand in 52 clashes between the sides overall with 32 wins to Kildare’s 18 and 2 games drawn.

As for Kildare, the only way is surely up after five consecutive poor halves of football from half-time in the Derry game onwards. The biggest disappointment was the lack of fight the team showed in adversity, and a lack of energy from the start in the games against Cavan and Meath.

If they can at least rectify that, Kildare will still need to improve dramatically on the basics of defending against runners, tackling in defence, cohesiveness and decision-making in attack and avoiding turnovers in the final third.

It’s a lot to get right in the space of two weeks, but anything less and Kildare can prepare for a return to Division 3.