Messages

It will be interesting to see if Derry use more of the lads in the squad under Harte compared to Gallagher.
Surely there will be a change in approach in terms of Derry's use of the subs bench.

There's also the possibility of getting lads who were outside the panel previously to join up.
However given his previous form with Tyrone it's not like there will be a mad rush of lads bursting down the door to sign up especially if you are a forward given how many negative reports of what playing under him is like.

I really can't see Harte being very concerned with long-term development of youth given he's unlikely to see any benefit from it. That's pretty standard with outside managers in all sports, nevermind one in his 70s.

Examiner had an article a week or two back saying either 31 or 33 Irish women were playing in the women's league this year meaning 6% of the entire women's league is Irish.

Also saw a headline recently (think that might have been the Examiner as well) that the minimum wage for women was going to double/increase significantly next year or the year after making it an even more attractive for Irish women. Although it will make it more attractive for the local women as well.

[Kerry are not going to sacrifice the quality of SFC or the Divisional structure that has served us so well over the years, so until Croke park take their head out of their ar5e then the admitted imbalance in Kerry Intermediate and Junior winners will remain.]

But never win a senior all-Ireland club. He could with the club down the road.

Since 1996 only one Kerry Club has won a Senior Club All Ireland Final.

That's one title in 27 years.


Playing for a Kerry Senior club does not guaranteed AI club success.

Which tells us the current Kerry club format makes it easier for their club teams to win the Junior and intermediate All Ireland titles and  harder to win the senior AI?

Probably a fair enough summary. There's only 8 Senior clubs (and 10 divisional sides) in Kerry SFC now and almost everyone realises it should be pushed up to 10 clubs which would have a big knock on effect at Intermediate and Junior level.
Croke park are saying no  to it though. They are saying 16 team only is going to be a rigid rule for SFC in every county. Which is absolutely stupid if you ask me. In Cork for example there are 245 clubs and Croke park are saying the same rule should apply there as to Leitrim with 20 odd clubs.

Similar to the minor age grade debacle, the people making decisions in Croke park are far, far removed from the realities on the ground and making decisions that can have a detrimental effect on clubs and players. Kerry are not going to sacrifice the quality of SFC or the Divisional structure that has served us so well over the years, so until Croke park take their head out of their ar5e then the admitted imbalance in Kerry Intermediate and Junior winners will remain.

This comment is fair enough. Kerry have the best championship system for giving good players a high level of competitive football.
It's up to Croke Park to come up with a solution to the Intermediate and Junior AI club fiasco.

The problem is that Croke Park only have a limited power to force counties to adopt better structures.
Even if counties aren't going to adopt divisional teams, they should be looking at Kerry to see what other improvements they could take for their county structures.

[The rates TG4 offer are a fraction of what a big Tyrone game might pull in, but there are plenty of counties that haven't as strong a streaming audience are glad to get the rates.]

It's still a money gouge. Last year Tyrone literally denied free coverage to TG4 to maximise income (£16 to attend or the same price to watch on Tyrone TV I think). The same type of boys (the length & breadth of Ireland) will be crying looking volunteers in the next breath. 

How much did people have to shell out to attend the games before streaming was widely available?

The bit that people forget about the Tyrone model and the lack of a streaming season pass is that all adult championship games, at all levels, are shown, unlike other counties that cherry-pick which games get the streaming treatment. The first round of the Tyrone JFC this weekend won't turn a profit on any of the games, but they're all available live and the associated production costs for each of them will be the same as for Errigal Ciaran v Killyclogher in a fortnight, which will make money. The rates TG4 offer are a fraction of what a big Tyrone game might pull in, but there are plenty of counties that haven't as strong a streaming audience are glad to get the rates.

I read/heard somewhere a few months back that TG4 had upped what they were paying for the rights to matches because of the competition from streaming after COVID.

That's a good point about all the games being available not just cherrypicking some.
Is there any other county offering that level of coverage?

I heard from a friend that Gallagher's father was arrested for harassing people at a fund-raiser for a women's shelter a few weeks back.

David Clifford equaliser with the last kick at the end of ET.

https://x.com/tomasoruanaidh/status/1700932081440735541?

Unreal player, best that has ever played.

Is it really that good of a point? Ball gets threw to him for the kick as well. Didn't even try to hand pass.

Yes. Yes it was

It was a good point but not out of this world.
However I think the game situation adds a lot of context - it was in injury time in the second half of extra-time.
From the reports I've seen it was a fiercely competitive game throughout.
Also I'm not sure what the weather was like in Killarney yesterday but if it was anything like where I was - it was likely hot and humid possibly with thundershowers - just horrible conditions for playing ball. Throw in the fact that he had already scored 12 point up to then 9 of them from play.
Also from what I know of Kerry club football this is the equivalent of David beating Goliath or a Division 4 intercounty team beating the likes of Kerry or Dublin.
Stacks have won the most county championships in Kerry and Fossa have never won anything prior to the Cliffords.

Read somewhere average AFL salary is around Aus$400k c €240k.
A few got up to a Million$ so...
Rookies prob get around €20k average I'd suspect.

The international rookie minimum is at least €50k per year plus there are a fair few perks/allowances guaranteed as well.
It means even the lads who go for two years on rookie contracts can come back with a nice chunk of change especially for lads around 18/19/20.
Heard before that Tuohy was definitely a Euro millionaire and that Mark O'Connor will likely end up one if he signs another contract.
Salaries in the women's game were doubled last year or the year before so while it's nowhere near to what the men can make - it's not a bad earner for a few month's work.
The minimum salary in the women's game works out about €24k per season which when you consider the length of their season (about 4 months including pre-season) is not too shabby.
There's going to be no change in the flow of lads or lasses willing to get it a go any time soon.

Bit of an unusual one - was helping out at an U8 session over the weekend and there was one young lad who was apologising every single time when a kick wasn't perfect. Like every single kick that was any way slightly off. Asked the regular lads and they said he always does it and has since they started coaching with him. Normal lad in every other way from what I could see and probably an above average kicker for his age - it didn't seem to bother him that much it just seemed like an automatic habit. Was doing it in kicking practice and in game. I did say to him after that there was no need to apologise even David Clifford makes mistakes. Mention it to the parents (know his mother pretty well - a lot better than the other coaches would) or just leave him/let him grow out of it?

subservient Attitude. Feeling like he has to apologise to everyone for any mistakes. It's a personality issue. Just keep reinforcing the good and explaining no need to apologise for mistakes. Take him out of a training game for 2 minutes and let him watch the game pointing out the mistakes made and how the players just got on with it and never apologised. Best you can do. Prob goes deeper than you'll change in 1-2 hrs a week.

Yeah like this idea.

Don't think it's an issue with the parents - seems just like a habit he has - he seems fine and "normal" in pretty much all other aspects from what I've seen. It doesn't seem to be bothering him all that much and doesn't affect his game at all.

Will mention it to the mother in an off-hand way when I see her around.

[From what I have heard the contractors for each element have already been lined up.]

It's a partnership with Heron Bros as the main contractor, so I would imagine it is up to Herons to replace them or work with them to complete the contract if they can sort their financials out.

I doubt they would be needed at the beginning of the works anyway as Herons would be more than able to prepare the site. From what I have heard the contractors for each element have already been lined up.

Through a proper tendering process obviously 

Of course JC 

I still can't get over the fact that Cork GAA didn't get more blow-back about the fact that the chairman was actually boasting that all the contractors for Pairc Ui Chaoimh bar one were Cork firms, especially given the problems that later came to light.

Wexford had the same system last year. Played the Hurling championship first and then football.

It looks like it works in Wexford. The goal for the next while is bolstering the hurlers. Wexford is one of the few genuinely dual counties.

When was the last time a Wexford hurling club made a fist of the Leinster club championship? Only Oulart the Ballagh spring to mind and that was quite a few years ago.

Yes, a lot of clubs are genuine dual clubs but how is finishing you club championship in late July and then not lifting a hurl in anger for a few months any way to prepare for a tilt at a Leinster club championship?

You would think that having the football first would make more sense in terms of giving the best overall chance for both winners in Leinster as hurling touch/sharpness seems to drop much quicker than football touch if you stop playing from a few weeks.

Bit of an unusual one - was helping out at an U8 session over the weekend and there was one young lad who was apologising every single time when a kick wasn't perfect. Like every single kick that was any way slightly off. Asked the regular lads and they said he always does it and has since they started coaching with him. Normal lad in every other way from what I could see and probably an above average kicker for his age - it didn't seem to bother him that much it just seemed like an automatic habit. Was doing it in kicking practice and in game. I did say to him after that there was no need to apologise even David Clifford makes mistakes. Mention it to the parents (know his mother pretty well - a lot better than the other coaches would) or just leave him/let him grow out of it?

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41208886.html

Ballincollig and Cork U20 footballer Liam O'Connell has signed an AFL contract with St Kilda and will make the move over to Australia in the next fortnight.

Last week Carlton signed Kerry's Rob Monaghan and Longford's Matthew Duffy on two-year international rookie contracts.

Think any management team that delivered AI at u21 and senior level deserves their chance to rebuild
But ultimately it doesn't really matter what us armchair pundits think really

Can't imagine them not getting the 3 years given their history.

Would be very surprised if there is an All-Ireland win in Tyrone in the next three years.

Might manage an Ulster in that time.

It doesn't matter if your bored, you can't get a way from the stats, Dublin play all of their league and championship games in Croke Park, have done for years. Its their home ground. Imagine St Galls getting to play every championship game they ever played in the period they had a serious team, its would have been very helpful to them and certainly been a disadvantage to their opposition.

So I've asked the question, where do we play the final?

We played Cross in Cross and in Newry, they won each time because they were the better team on the day.

If having the game at Croke for the last hundred odd years then Dublin, because of the advantage should have the most hurling and football titles than anyone else

It's not the only factor in the number of titles, but it clearly is a factor.
Imagine for a minute that the All-Ireland was held in Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney for the last 100 years?
Would Kerry have more, less or the same number of titles?

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2023/0728/1397010-joint-euro-2028-bid-strengthened-as-turkey-look-to-2032/

Turkey hasn't withdrawn but the odds would look to be massively likely now.

Previously the state of play was the UK/Ireland bid for 2028, Italy for 2032 and Turkey for either 2028 or 2032.

The fact that Turkey have now submitted a joint bid for 2032 means it looks very very likely it will be UK/Ireland for 2028 and the joint bid for 2032.

Looks like a Lotto win for the GAA in terms of funding Casement.

Ireland and the UK's chances of hosting Euro 2028 appear to have improved significantly after UEFA confirmed Turkey and Italy had requested to merge their bids for Euro 2032.

It is understood Turkey have not withdrawn their bid to host Euro 2028, so remain a rival to the five-nation bid involving England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.