Kildare’s self-belief sees them soar

Kildare 3-18 Laois 1-11: Not even their own supporters held much hope of Kildare beating Laois given their injuries and a horrible league campaign but manager Jason Ryan insists he and his coaching staff retained faith in their methods despite some of the vitriol being aimed in their direction.

And after their stunning demolition in Saturday night’s replay at O’Connor Park, the former Wexford boss also hailed his players for their increasing ability to identify and address their own weaknesses during games.

“Over the last number of weeks we would recognise that the players themselves are problem-solving,” said Ryan. “At half-time they are dealing with a lot of the issues. Acknowledging what they are and then dealing with them.