Ulster Colleges

[Owen Brannigan]

St Ronan's will be in or around 2000 pupils, bear in mind 50% of that figure are female (or there about), you wanna see the sporting set up for their new school...very impressive in deed. Aghagallon are really strong at minor level and i'm glad to see it, hopefully they can mature into good senior players and compete at senior level in Antrim...In all seriousness Aghagallon has a great catchment area and is getting bigger by the year, soon it'll be a small town, it's expanding like Jim Stynes waistline . An antrim senior Championship in the next 5 years? (bold statement).

Funny you men mention the Abbey, any Lurgan man with half a brain ended up at St Coleman's but never the Abbey. suppose they had the football in mind when selecting their school .

I only know of people who left the town to go to either St Colmans or St Pats.  With St Ronan's now declaring themselves as a grammar it means that kids joining either St Colmans or St Pats wont get free travel like they used too. That will be the main impact on the ability of parents to send their kids to other schools.

Free travel is now gone for a third year. Is a place in Colman's over St Ronan's worth £50 a month for the bus?

[Orior]

Great achievement by St Ronans. I'm not sure though how long they can continue at this level in the immediate future (maybe someone in the know can correct me) but this current squad is backboned by last year's Armagh minor winners and last years antrim minor finalists. All players from a 6 mile radius between 9 clubs.

As for pupils going to Newry... Can't see too many wanting to go St Colmans for a variety of reasons of late. With St Paul's Bessbrook also playing McRory, Castlewellan, and St Ronans etc the days of St Colmans attracting players from south and north Armagh, east Down could well be over.

Maybe its time to close the Abbey and have them merge into St Colmans :-)

[illdecide]

Maybe the tables will turn and the Newry & South Armagh lads will bus it to Lurgan to St Ronan's for their football and education...

[armaghniac]

Funny you men mention the Abbey, any Lurgan man with half a brain ended up at St Coleman's but never the Abbey. suppose they had the football in mind when selecting their school .

Well it obviously wasn't education.

[lurganblue]

St Ronan's will be in or around 2000 pupils, bear in mind 50% of that figure are female (or there about), you wanna see the sporting set up for their new school...very impressive in deed. Aghagallon are really strong at minor level and i'm glad to see it, hopefully they can mature into good senior players and compete at senior level in Antrim...In all seriousness Aghagallon has a great catchment area and is getting bigger by the year, soon it'll be a small town, it's expanding like Jim Stynes waistline . An antrim senior Championship in the next 5 years? (bold statement).

Funny you men mention the Abbey, any Lurgan man with half a brain ended up at St Coleman's but never the Abbey. suppose they had the football in mind when selecting their school .

I only know of people who left the town to go to either St Colmans or St Pats.  With St Ronan's now declaring themselves as a grammar it means that kids joining either St Colmans or St Pats wont get free travel like they used too. That will be the main impact on the ability of parents to send their kids to other schools.

Free travel is now gone for a third year. Is a place in Colman's over St Ronan's worth £50 a month for the bus?

Education wise it probably is aye; if it can be afforded.

Will the St Pats merge with St Brigids bring a similar footballing success?

[Ethan Tremblay]

Possibly as it will give students more of a chance of going to University and entice them to stay on for  A-Levels, previously the majority of students from St Brigids would have went into trades/ quit education at 16, very few would have went to St Pats.  The amount of quality players form the Armagh area who miss out on McRory football because their education isn't t up to scratch is shocking. 

Not saying they will be automatically be contesting McRory cups year in year out, but you would expect the standard to be raised now the the catch net of available players available has been widened.   

[NAG1]

Does anybody care that it was absolute dross and hard to watch? Mirroring the way the senior game is going lately.

[The Gs Man]

Does anybody care that it was absolute dross and hard to watch? Mirroring the way the senior game is going lately.

Didn't find it hard to watch personally. 

As an ex-defender myself, I was very impressed with the tackling/turnovers/defensive work by both teams.

[Walter Cronc]

Personally I think McRory is over hyped and often turgid football.

Promoted by teachers who often have plenty of authority in the GAA.

Take the Maghera management for example. You wouldn't put them in charge of the club U10s.

[trailer]

Personally I think McRory is over hyped and often turgid football.

Promoted by teachers who often have plenty of authority in the GAA.

Take the Maghera management for example. You wouldn't put them in charge of the club U10s.

Always been the case. Some very poor coaches involved. Certainly over hyped.

[The Gs Man]

Ah lads, come on.

Colleges football was the most enjoyable and competitive football I ever played.

Different strokes for different folks I suppose.

[Walter Cronc]

Personally I think McRory is over hyped and often turgid football.

Promoted by teachers who often have plenty of authority in the GAA.

Take the Maghera management for example. You wouldn't put them in charge of the club U10s.

Always been the case. Some very poor coaches involved. Certainly over hyped.

Live off the back of the huge catchment and strong clubs in the area. Perhaps this will change if the Convent start to become more successful with their full time Director of GAA in charge!

[Rawhide]

I thought it was as poor a final that I have seen in a while. The standard of decision making and shooting was really poor. Can't see St Ronans winning the Hogan.

Walter have you seen the stuff coming through St Pats from Dalton up. They aren't going away anytime soon.

[oakleaflad]

I thought it was as poor a final that I have seen in a while. The standard of decision making and shooting was really poor. Can't see St Ronans winning the Hogan.

Walter have you seen the stuff coming through St Pats from Dalton up. They aren't going away anytime soon.

Their coaching would need to improve. They had a very strong team on paper this year but St.Mary's blitzed them in the Semi final.

[Rawhide]

I thought it was as poor a final that I have seen in a while. The standard of decision making and shooting was really poor. Can't see St Ronans winning the Hogan.

Walter have you seen the stuff coming through St Pats from Dalton up. They aren't going away anytime soon.

Their coaching would need to improve. They had a very strong team on paper this year but St.Mary's blitzed them in the Semi final.

I thought it was more to do with the structure of the team than the coaching. Would say Lockhart and Mc Connell will under pressure to take it again.