Football

THE GAME

THE mislaid soul of Kildare football. Jason Ryan has searched every nook and cranny of the county trying to find it. He's still searching. The Waterford native has a tough job on his hands. One of the toughest in the country.

The truth of the matter is the soul of the Lilywhites vanished roughly around the same time Kieran McGeeney reluctantly departed at the end of last season.

Rightly or wrongly, the Kildare players believed that if they were to achieve anything worthwhile in their inter-county careers, 'Geezer' was central to that objective.

At the end of last season, Kildare officialdom articulated another view. They hadn't the heart for another rebuild under the former Armagh captain.

Geezer's shadow still looms over the Kildare camp.

If McGeeney had stayed Johnny Doyle wouldn't have retired. Once a team loses its totem, leadership issues unveil themselves quite quickly.

Not only was Doyle's retirement a major blow, the loss of foot soldiers Morgan O'Flaherty and Brian Flanagan was keenly felt and merely compounded Ryan's daunting task as the county's new manager.

Jason Ryan is on a hiding to nothing in Kildare.

In retrospect, Ryan wasn't served in any meaningful way by assisting McGeeney in his last year in charge.

Assuming the reins, Ryan could do one of two things: continue with the McGeeney approach or completely overhaul it. Whatever path he chose there would be potholes.

He opted for the latter. Wholesale changes were made. There would be less bulk and more mobility about Ryan's Kildare.

There would be a new slim-line approach. In the interests of becoming more mobile, the Kildare players shed weight. And quite a bit too.

It is understood some of the Kildare players were complaining of a lack of energy during their NFL Division One campaign that ended in relegation.

A brittle Louth side weren't going to ask any serious questions of Kildare, particularly at Croke Park, as they sauntered to a 1-22 to 1-7 victory in their Leinster opener on June 8.

Kildare's interrogation of their Championship credentials would come two weeks later against Meath. And they failed the test miserably.

For 50 minutes, Kildare were thrown around Croke Park like rag dolls before Meath took the foot off the pedal in the final quarter, allowing the Lilywhites to make the scoreboard look half decent at the end.

Physically, Kildare couldn't cope - a charge that could never be levelled at McGeeney's teams. It was peculiar for Ryan to say afterwards that he was "shocked" by Meath's physicality.

During his time with the Wexford footballers Ryan was one of the shrewdest defensive tacticians in the country - and yet, against Meath two weeks ago, Kildare lacked that one intangible ingredient you get with Ryan's teams: cuteness.

It's hard to overstate the rebuilding job ahead of Ryan.

Given that crisis of confidence and perhaps crisis of identity, Kildare could well crash and burn in Newry tomorrow afternoon.

Of course, Down are far from being world-beaters - but they employ tactics that Kildare hate: Packed defence and counter-attack.

Had this Kildare team been facing the Down side of maybe five or six years ago they would probably come out on the right side of a high-scoring shoot-out.

But Down have changed. They're more defensive, more austere and stubborn.

Down grappled with their romantic, free-flowing past and have made themselves relevant again.

There's a fork in the road in Kildare. Down were at the same junction three years ago and are much further down the road than the Lilywhites.

The fact that Kildare's manhood has been effectively questioned since they bowed meekly out of the Leinster Championship should ensure a tight game in Newry tomorrow.

Ryan has addressed the glaringly obvious problems in his full-back line by making a few personnel and positional changes. The key issue, though, surrounds the team's tactics.

Under Ryan, Wexford were one of the best exponents of the sweeper system. For Kildare to stand any chance in Newry, their full-back line needs better protection that it got against Meath.

Hugh McGrillen and Mick Foley were left isolated and their lack of pace was cruelly exposed by the Meath forwards.

Kildare have some very good young forwards of their own that, given the space, can hurt Down.

Paddy Brophy has been passed fit after feeling the full brunt of Meath, Padraig Fogarty is another fine footballer. Experienced duo Padraig O'Neill and Eamonn Callaghan have been pushed up into the Kildare attack, but the real danger to Down progressing is astute playmaker Niall Kelly.

Kelly is Kildare's answer to Down's Mark Poland.

Like Kildare's facile win over Louth, Down would have learned absolutely nothing from their mauling of Leitrim. Benny McArdle is the only reported doubt for James McCartan's men.

Down have had more than their fair share of fallible days and are by no means a prolific scoring machine.

But they know the Qualifier terrain better than this work-in-progress Kildare side.

And they have the system to see off the visitors.

Kildare's damaged pride could keep the result in the balance for long periods - but Down are the more settled unit and should progress with a few points to spare.

KILDARE TEAM

SFC v Down: M Donnellan; C Fitzpatrick, H McGrillen, O Lyons; E Bolton, F Conway, K Cribbin; T Moolick, G White; C McNally, N Kelly, P O'Neill; E Callaghan, P Fogarty, P Brophy