Messages

The GAA gets how much €s off RTÉ in broadcasting rights?

The figure in last year's annual accounts for media coverage income was €12,845,678.

I couldn't find a breakdown of that figure anywhere so I assume that's the total for all rights for everyone RTE, TG4, BBC, and I presume the likes of GAAGo. I would guess that some money from the likes of Clubber is included in that as well.

Overall revenue for the year was €112 million so all the media rights(not just RTE's contribution was around just 10% of all revenue.

I had hopes that GAAGo might encourage/force RTE to up its game.

However given the fact that GAAgo is essentially run by RTE, it's clear that there's little to no chance of this happening.

I think the GAA have given RTE far too much leeway over the years and basically put up with whatever RTE was willing to do. The RTE sports department gets way more out of the GAA that what the GAA get out of RTE. 

Carlton recruiters around the place at the moment.

Normally it's later in the year when they come over but Carlton are hoping to gain an advantage on the opposition by travelling now. Sound very committed to recruiting more Irish players.

The Category B international rookies aren't counted as part of the salary cap (clubs have a limit on what they can spend on salaries) and also don't count towards the number of players a club can have on their books so are less of a risk compared to other rookie signings.

Also the fact that they are willing to move Monahan from Kerry to Category A make room in their Category B space means they view his chances of making is as very positively given he's only been over there 6 months at his stage.

https://wwos.nine.com.au/afl/news-2024-carlton-blues-executives-travel-to-ireland-attempt-to-recruit-talent-for-academy/fee43fbc-e776-4a2a-b492-456001233115

"And as much as the academy is a multi-pronged strategy to strengthen the men's and women's playing lists, Ireland is by far the most bold component of the plan."

"Carlton's view is Ireland is a largely untapped market, full of incredible athletes and highly competitive performers. "

Outside of occasionally Armagh and Dublin, no football teams fans can really hold a candle to Munster hurling teams at the moment

Not really fair comparing with the completely different setup in hurling.

The football provincials are not much more than a warm-up before the serious business starts with the group stages.

The Munster hurling round-robin has real jeopardy with every single game being critical given 40% of the teams taking part will be finished for the summer in a few weeks (and possibly even sooner depending on how results go).

What I just can't get my head around re this Galway team are the things that we have been poor at/areas we have been weak in for a long time now seem to not even have been worked on.

Kickouts firstly. The "plan" if you can call it that goes like this...
If the opposition don't have a full press and leave one of our full back line free - Gleeson will tap it to them. If the opposition don't leave said corner back free  he literally boots it as far down the field as possible and hopes for the best.
I was watching it very closely today and there was absolutely no deviation from this for the whole game.
Nothing innovative that you would see from other teams who seem able to manufacture space to retain their own kick outs.
And the length of time he takes to actually get the ball on the tee and get the kick away is junior C stuff.

Secondly - the speed of our transition from defence to attack off turnover ball is ridiculously slow.
We slow it down, go backwards and sideways etc. instead of getting bodies bombing forward at pace to take advantage of a disorganised defence. Instead we give them all the time in the world to get organised and start our slow ponderous build up play again.

It's shocking that we're still struggling in these areas of our game.

The fact that these two issues have been ongoing through Joyce's time in charge is a damming indictment.

[losing]

But we were worryingly outmanoeuvred today.
Donegal had done their homework and exploited the opportunities, we failed to react and adapt.

The bit about "failing to react and adapt" in a game just leapt out at me as I'm sure a lot of Tyrone and Louth folk would agree on it being a common theme in games lost under Harte.

I'd disagree with screen on our attacking play, imo we lacked any cutting edge today, our speed and incisiveness was non-existent, very few line breaks, we didn't/couldn't carry the ball at pace. Our normal game plan just wasn't there. Barely won a breaking ball either.

I would put a lot of this down to Donegal's defensive approach - I haven't watched the game back but I'd be willing to put money that Donegal's setup and tactics were all about denying Derry goal chances. This is a Derry team that have built so many of their victories off scoring goals and denying them chances would be a key platform of Donegal's approach - I think the stuff mentioned "lacked any cutting edge today, our speed and incisiveness was non-existent, very few line breaks, we didn't/couldn't carry the ball at pace. Our normal game plan just wasn't there." was most likely as a result of Donegal's defensive setup. No better man than McGuinness to look at what worked for this Derry team previously in terms of creating goal chances and setting up his side to counter-act this.

The rest should do us good and the seeding is largely irrelevant as has been discussed ad nauseum. Better to have 4 weeks off than 2 more games where you could still end up as a losing provincial finalist, meaning you cannot draw the Munster or Leinster finalists, who will be the weakest teams in the competition.

Just to clarify the losing Ulster provincial finalist can't draw any of the the losing provincial finalists, they will also be in a group with the one of the other winning provincial finalists

On point 2, I would make it compulsory everyone who receives a red card will not be eligible to play until they sit a rule test and get at least 80%.

I would make the standard referee test compulsory for every member registering via Foireann. With Referees having to get 80+%, Players should have to get 70%, normal members 60%. At the very least, it may force spectators to actually read the rule book in some sort of depth. I too have players querying the rules after games. Currently, the most common is the 4 step rule after an unclaimed mark.

Players 70% and ref's 80%...are you serious? Surely people know the rules of their games, never mind refs? At most there's a tweak here and there, it's not hard to keep up, surely?

On point 2, I would make it compulsory everyone who receives a red card will not be eligible to play until they sit a rule test and get at least 80%.

I would make the standard referee test compulsory for every member registering via Foireann. With Referees having to get 80+%, Players should have to get 70%, normal members 60%. At the very least, it may force spectators to actually read the rule book in some sort of depth. I too have players querying the rules after games. Currently, the most common is the 4 step rule after an unclaimed mark.

Players 70% and ref's 80%...are you serious? Surely people know the rules of their games, never mind refs? At most there's a tweak here and there, it's not hard to keep up, surely?

It's clear that a vast percentage of people including players/mamagers/pundits/spectators have a very poor knowledge of the rules. I've been at multiple matches where people shouting at the ref clearly don't know the rules. Most of the time I stay schtum but on occasion I've shut a few up by shouting the actual rule at them and why the ref made the correct decision.
 
If you ask GAA people (outside referees) how many of them have ever read the GAA rulebook (I've done this a fair bit over the years) chances are you will only find a tiny fraction of a percentage who have ever read it. Then of those who have ever read it, the amount who have read the most up-to-date version is close to zero.

I never read it myself until after I stopped playing and I would say that it the case for the overwhelming majority of players. The GAA could help out massively if they put a proper system in place to educate people (especially players) on the rules as they currently stand.

Casement Park: Tenders for redevelopment to go out within days
Construction must begin by Christmas to be included in Euros

By Connla Young
March 29, 2024 at 6:00AM GMT
A Stormont department is expected to invite tenders for the redevelopment of Casement Park within days, the Irish News understands.

The Department for Communities (DfC) , which is leading the redevelopment, is expected to contact potential bidders next week.

The development comes as the clock continues to count down for the beleaguered project.

The proposed 34,500 capacity Casement Park stadium is included in the joint Ireland/Britain bid to host Euro 2028 and concerns have previously been raised over whether its redevelopment will be completed in time.


It is understood work must begin before Christmas if the deadline is to be met.


In 2013 Herron Brothers and English construction firm Buckingham Group, were appointed to redevelop the landmark GAA ground.

However, the project received a setback last August when Buckingham Group gave notice of its intention to appoint administrators.

It later went into administration owing more than £108m.

In November last year DfC confirmed it was taking the lead in the hunt for a new contractor after Co Derry-based Heron Brothers was forced to withdraw from the multi-million pound project "due to technical restrictions within the Public Contract Regulations".

At the time DfC officials said a streamlined process would be pursued using "existing procurement frameworks for major construction projects with pre-qualified contractors".

It later told the Irish News that the Regional Stadia Programme project team are "engaging with Crown Commercial Services on utilising a National Framework to procure a contractor for the main works".

It is understood the framework included around 20 firms with the capacity to build the landmark west Belfast stadium.

It is believed that of that number around half have signaled an interest in the project, although not all may submit a formal tender.

To date DfC officials have remained tight lipped about the procurement process.

Initially budgeted at £77 million, it is now estimated the delayed building project will cost around £220m to complete, with the GAA set to pick up just £15m of the total.

Last month the Irish government pledged €50m to the project.

Many have looked to the British government to make up the shortfall, but it has so far failed to publicly commit any more cash despite assurances by Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris that the money will be found to build the stadium.

Last month contractors were brought into the sight to begin clearing work.

The work began days before a delegation from UAEFA visited Belfast, including the Casement Park site.

DfC was contacted.

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/tenders-for-the-redevelopment-of-casement-park-to-go-out-within-days-KIABTKTO3FFULAXXMEH3RBJC7Y/

Level at the half but feels a bit like Derry just hanging in there level by their fingernails. Dublin v wasteful - feel like they are not firing on all cyclinders whereas Derry feel like they have performed at full pelt to go in level. Don't think Derry will be able to sustain it.

Absolutely awful goal to concede - goalies punching the ball straight out the field is madness in GAA - if it's not a goal chance it nearly guarantees a point for the opposition.

Laois v Leitrim - Laois by 5
Down v Westmeath - Down by 5

Donegal v Armagh - Armagh by 3
Derry v Dublin - Dublin by 11

Same oul story...hit the small Counties.

Wise up and get the blinkers off. He  changed his body posture to deliberately stamp on his opponent. Very lucky to only get a 2 match ban.
Take your oil and move on.

Not even a two match ban - he only got a one match ban.

Meanwhile the "positive" news on Foley is that he won't miss the entire season but will be out for a good stretch.

"It's unlikely he'll take any part in the Munster Championship this year but after that, we'd be hopeful enough that he'll see some action," said Kerry selector Diarmuid Murphy.

That's at least 3 games he will miss for Kerry (and possibly more)

Yet another in the long list of GAA "justice" cases where the guilty person serves less time than the innocent party.

Only a 1 match ban for Cathal Heneghan, FFS

Any truth in the rumour that his appeal has been pre-approved to save everyone the bother?

Yet more jokeshop stuff from the powers-that-be as regards foul play.

Derry v Roscommon - Derry
Dublin v Tyrone - Dublin
Kerry v Galway - Kerry
Monaghan v Mayo - Monaghan

Cavan v Fermanagh - Cavan
Cork v Armagh - Armagh
Donegal v Meath - Donegal
Kildare v Louth - Louth

Antrim v Wicklow - Antrim
Down v Clare - Down
Offaly v Limerick - Offaly
Sligo v Westmeath - Westmeath

Carlow v London - Carlow
Waterford v Laois - Laois
Wexford v Longford - Longford
Leitrim v Tipperary - Leitrim

Galway v Dublin - Dublin
Tyrone v Monaghan - Tyrone
Roscommon v Kerry - Kerry
Mayo v Derry - Mayo

Armagh v Cavan - Armagh
Kildare v Donegal - Donegal
Meath v Cork - Meath
Louth v Fermanagh - Louth

Wicklow v Limerick - Limerick
Clare v Antrim - Clare
Sligo v Offaly - Sligo
Westmeath v Down - Down

London v Waterford - Waterford
Laois v Leitrim - Laois
Tipperary v Wexford - Wexford
Longford v Carlow - Longford

Anyone missing the Cavan Meath game is not exactly missing much. Quality is only fair at best so far.
A point apiece after 15 minutes.