Eoin Cully of Kildare shoots under pressure from Boidu Sayem of Westmeath during the Dioralyte O'Byrne Cup final match at Cedral St Conleth's Park, Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Brian Flanagan's Kildare side will face recently relegated Tyrone in their Allianz National Football League Division 2 opener this Saturday, January 24. Throw-in is set for 6pm in O'Neill's Healy Park, Omagh.
The Lilies are looking to bounce back from a bitterly disappointing loss against Westmeath in the O'Byrne Cup final. While lifting the O'Byrne was not high on Kildare's priority list for 2026, the manner of their defeat, squandering an eight-point lead with seemingly passive defensive output, is what raised alarm bells for supporters.
Post-match, Brian Flanagan also cited concerns over his side's conversion rate with Kildare going five for 15 on shots in the first half alone. Similarly wayward output will see The Lilies struggle against Tyrone who were only relegated on head-to-head last year and remain one of the finest side's in the country.
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For all the dour analysis of Kildare's most recent defeat, Brian Flanagan has got a chance to look at a host of new players while still missing a lorry load of names from his first team panel. The departures of numerous senior players has sank the average age of the Kildare squad in the off-season and there is plenty of room to grow for this group especially with forwards like Colm Dalton, Ben McCormack and Darragh Kirwan to come back, as well as Jack Robinson and Jimmy Hyland. Dalton and Kirwan are set for another four or five weeks out to be match ready.
In the short-term and on the positive side of the ledger, Neil Flynn, Jack McKevitt, James McGrath and Tommy Gill are all potentially in contention for the Tyrone clash this weekend.
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