Down Club Hurling & Football

Started by Lecale2, November 10, 2006, 12:06:55 AM

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clonian

Quote from: johnnycool on October 21, 2024, 02:33:04 PM
Quote from: clonian on October 21, 2024, 12:12:30 PMI missed the game on Friday night but Ballela's experienced players got them over the line. Jonny McCusker knocked over 10 points to help the club his 7th junior medal over 20 years. He was on the bench as 14/15 year old in 2000 when Ballygalget beat them in the final - I think this was his 10th final in all. With him and Mal Magee playing they always have a chance. They'll hope to hold onto all the new recruits to push on next year, in Jonny's interview before the game he said it was the first time in years the jersey bag was emptied so hopefully it looks up and they can keep going and then get a few lads from that U16 team through in 2 years time.

I see Derry have let their reigning Intermediate champions compete in their junior final this year so that should be another ulster junior title heading to Derry. That's a joke of a system and it's not the 1st time it's been brought up. Ballela got beat by Coleraine a few years ago in the ulster junior final the year after they got to the ulster intermediate final.

Derry have six teams, do a round robin championship, top two senior final, next two are in the intermediate final and the bottom two into the junior final..

It works for them, so why not!


As for the Down Junior final, is there a dispute over Ballela having 16 players on the park for a few minutes?

A blood sub stayed on the park for a while after Jonny McCusker had been returned to play, anyone else hear that?



Haven't heard anything about the blood sub.

Derry can run their championship however they want I suppose but there should be some restriction from Ulster GAA in who can enter the ulster championship.

GTP

Quote from: johnnycool on October 21, 2024, 02:33:04 PMDerry have six teams, do a round robin championship, top two senior final, next two are in the intermediate final and the bottom two into the junior final..
Slighlty out on the structure in Derry, there are 8 teams top 2 in each group of 4 play in Senior/ Intermediate play offs with the two losers playing Intermediate final (Kevin Lynch's and winners Swatragh for this year) and winners going onto senior final(S'Neil and Banagher) The bottom two in each group go into Junior semi finals, Ballinascreen came through this year against Lavey at windswept Owenbeg yesterday.

Blackandblue2

Kevin Franklin and  Paul Sheilds new management in An Riocht

Hard2Listen2

Quote from: Blackandblue2 on October 23, 2024, 10:31:38 AMKevin Franklin and  Paul Sheilds new management in An Riocht

Did I read somewhere that John Clarke is with Teconnaght?
If so Cillian Laverty will be on the move.

Kong King

Quote from: KeyboardWman on October 18, 2024, 05:33:22 PMAny new managerial appointments made?

Ha ha ha here we go agin with this crap every manager changeing places with another manger what a  joke

Back2Winning

Please fill in the Blanks for 2025 Senior mens Football managers.
Who is staying and who is going?
New appointments?

Kilcoo -
Burren -
CPN -
Clonduff -
Mayobridge -
Carryduff -
Loughinisland -
Ballyholland -
RGU -
Saul -

Glenn -
Drumgath -
Bredagh - 
Longstone -
Bryansford -
Rostrevor -
Saval -
Castlewellan -
An Riocht  -
St John's -

Annaclone-
Ballymartin-
Attical -
Tullylish -
Darragh -
Banbridge-
Bosco -
Dromara -
Liatroim -
Shamrocks -

St Paul's-
Bright -
Teconnaght -
Kilclief -
Ardglass -
Dundrum -
East Belfast -
Aghaderg -
St Michael's -
Glasdrumman -
Drumaness -
Finn -

snoopdog

Quote from: Back2Winning on October 25, 2024, 06:03:57 PMPlease fill in the Blanks for 2025 Senior mens Football managers.
Who is staying and who is going?
New appointments?

Kilcoo -
Burren -
CPN -
Clonduff -
Mayobridge -
Carryduff -
Loughinisland -
Ballyholland -
RGU -
Saul -

Glenn -
Drumgath -
Bredagh - 
Longstone -
Bryansford -
Rostrevor -
Saval -
Castlewellan -
An Riocht  -
St John's -

Annaclone-
Ballymartin-
Attical -
Tullylish -
Darragh -
Banbridge-
Bosco -
Dromara -
Liatroim -
Shamrocks -

St Paul's-
Bright -
Teconnaght -
Kilclief -
Ardglass -
Dundrum -
East Belfast -
Aghaderg -
St Michael's -
Glasdrumman -
Drumaness -
Finn -
The fecking season only finished 2 weeks ago.
Take a break.

Splash

2 Down men in Caolan Taggart and Daithi Sands from Portaferry playing for Ireland tomorrow in the hurling/shinty international against Scotland.

The exhibition isn't everybody's cup of tea, which is fair enough, but it's always good to see Down men getting selected all the same.

Hopefully they'll be able to tie the record with a win over Scotland tomorrow.


Back2Winning

#43238
Quote from: snoopdog on October 25, 2024, 06:10:37 PM
Quote from: Back2Winning on October 25, 2024, 06:03:57 PMPlease fill in the Blanks for 2025 Senior mens Football managers.
Who is staying and who is going?
New appointments?

Kilcoo -
Burren -
CPN -
Clonduff -
Mayobridge -
Carryduff -
Loughinisland -
Ballyholland -
RGU -
Saul -

Glenn -
Drumgath -
Bredagh - 
Longstone -
Bryansford -
Rostrevor -
Saval -
Castlewellan -
An Riocht  -
St John's -

Annaclone-
Ballymartin-
Attical -
Tullylish -
Darragh -
Banbridge-
Bosco -
Dromara -
Liatroim -
Shamrocks -

St Paul's-
Bright -
Teconnaght -
Kilclief -
Ardglass -
Dundrum -
East Belfast -
Aghaderg -
St Michael's -
Glasdrumman -
Drumaness -
Finn -
The fecking season only finished 2 weeks ago.
Take a break.
If you want a break, stay off the board!
Clubs seeking new management can't be hanging about and will be very active at this stage.

Square Ball

Bredagh managers staying and I am delighted
Hospitals are not equipped to treat stupid

snoopdog

Quote from: Back2Winning on October 26, 2024, 12:14:36 AM
Quote from: snoopdog on October 25, 2024, 06:10:37 PM
Quote from: Back2Winning on October 25, 2024, 06:03:57 PMPlease fill in the Blanks for 2025 Senior mens Football managers.
Who is staying and who is going?
New appointments?

Kilcoo -
Burren -
CPN -
Clonduff -
Mayobridge -
Carryduff -
Loughinisland -
Ballyholland -
RGU -
Saul -

Glenn -
Drumgath -
Bredagh - 
Longstone -
Bryansford -
Rostrevor -
Saval -
Castlewellan -
An Riocht  -
St John's -

Annaclone-
Ballymartin-
Attical -
Tullylish -
Darragh -
Banbridge-
Bosco -
Dromara -
Liatroim -
Shamrocks -

St Paul's-
Bright -
Teconnaght -
Kilclief -
Ardglass -
Dundrum -
East Belfast -
Aghaderg -
St Michael's -
Glasdrumman -
Drumaness -
Finn -
The fecking season only finished 2 weeks ago.
Take a break.
If you want a break, stay off the board!
Clubs seeking new management can't be hanging about and will be very active at this stage.
Sorry I should've said get a life.  ;D

supersub

Quote from: Kong King on October 23, 2024, 07:07:47 PM
Quote from: KeyboardWman on October 18, 2024, 05:33:22 PMAny new managerial appointments made?

Ha ha ha here we go agin with this crap every manager changeing places with another manger what a  joke

Every team needs a manager. Not exactly hard to fathom and wouldn't really call it a joke. The romanticism around (all/most) clubs being able to have 'an inside man' in charge (which I assume is part of what makes up the 'joke') is unrealistic. Conversely there is obviously the other end of the scale when you get to mercenary territory. But generally, every club will need to appoint someone, which is just the reality

Splash

A good way to finish up our season last weekend I thought.

Oddly enough, I think the game of the week, in terms of both quality and entertainment, was the junior final. Balllea with what was probably the shock of the weekend to deny Castlewellan.

Great game. Was a long time into the game before a shot went wide. Given the level of hurling, and the conditions on Friday night, that is remarkable.

Game could have gone either way, and nobody can say Ballela weren't full value for their win. McCusker was some player. He was everywhere. Would score a point from the 21 and then a couple seconds later would be collecting the Castlewellan puck out in his own half. Ballela men all stood up when it mattered. Magee playing the type of hurling that is great to watch, runs hard onto the ball, takes the knocks, and runs at the defence.

Castlewellan will be devastated. It looked for a long time they were going to see it out. For Connolly to score 14 points in a championship final and come out the wrong side is tough. Castlewellan just couldn't get playing the hurling they did against East Belfast and Ballyvarley. Another learning experience for them, but they'll be frustrated playing another year in the Junior Championship.

Looking ahead, you would imagine Castlewellan will be massive favourites for next year. It'll be the same championship as it was last year, with Kilclief coming straight back down from the intermediate, but they have lost a lot of the men they had last year when they won the championship.

Every team will love a go at Castlewellan next year, but we'll see how it goes.

Ballela have found themselves in a funny situation. That very much felt like a one last ride sort of team. Obviously they got massive numbers for the final, but it is no secret Ballela can struggle to field. If the old heads decide to ride off into the sunset, do they have enough to continue, and to be competitive? Hopefully they'll hold onto their new recruits, and enough players come through that they can field comfortably. Hopefully this acts as a catalyst for the club, and the next few years will hopefully be a good period for them.

Next years intermediate should be very interesting with Ballela, Clonduff, the Point and Shamrocks. Each team can give each other a game. If they stop the senior teams coming down to contest finals, it could be a great competition.

Someone mentioned Ballela had 16 men on at once? I never noticed it if they did, but I think the Glen/Kilmacud situation a few years ago has set a precedent and it wouldn't matter too much now. If it did happen, I don't think it had any outcome on the end of the game. When Ballela got the goal at the end, Castlewellan didn't look like they could rescue it.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Connolly from Castlewellan in with the Down Seniors next year, and McGreevy from Ballela could be a potential addition.


Intermediate was decent. Bredagh looked comfortable always.

It was a big improvement on last year's final. Whilst Bredagh never really seemed like they were going to give up their (small) lead, Carryduff were at their heels throughout.

Carryduff missing some of their big names such as Conor Cassidy through injury and it showed. But they still did well and managed to put it up to Bredagh regardless. There were a couple moments when Bredagh broke free and would go on a bit of a rampage, but Carryduff seemed to be able to reign them back in.

Each team seemed to be able to stifle their opponents danger men. Carryduff never let any of Bredagh's big names like Hughes or McFarland have anything easy, and Bredagh did a very good job of taking the threat of Beatty out of the game.

The goals probably make it looked like Bredagh were more comfortable than they were, and whilst it would be unfair to say Bredagh were not deserved winners, the Duff were in it right up until the end, and you could see the heads going down after a few late goals.

Carryduff will rue their wides from placed balls, but when Rooney took over frees he was superb and I think he could be worth a shout in with Down next year.

Bredagh will now go into Ulster on a mission, and whilst it'll be tough for Carryduff, long term they should have bigger ambitions of making an impact on the senior championship.


The senior game was probably as good as it could have been given the conditions, and was certainly better than the neighbours' final up in  Antrim from the sounds of it.

Portaferry are simply well ahead of everyone else in the county. No two ways about it.

Ballygalget stuck with them for the first 15-20 minutes, but when the avalanche started, it really started, and it was almost impossible to see how Ballygalget were going to get back into it.

A goal at the end of the first half, and soemthing of a first half blitz, showed they were still in it, but Portaferry were ruthless, capitalising when Ballygalget looked a bit lost and out of shape, and truth be told, probably could have slotted another few goals.

Portaferry will have concerns. Ballygalget capitalised on their weaknesses and got goals out of them. Cushendall or Slaughtneil will press those weaknesses harder than Ballygalget did. But they will know all this and I'm sure they'll address all this in training.

Disappointing for Ballygalget, but they are a young team, and it wouldn't surprise me to see them back in a final in the very near future. They will have realised what their weaknesses are, and I would expect them to be a good side next year, provided they can hold on to a few key players. Some good young players, but they will need to some of the more experienced heads to steady the ship.

Looking ahead to Ulster, as has been said above, it's very difficult to look past Ballinascreen of Derry. Derry's championship obviously works for them, and fair play to them for getting a structure that works- and bar Slaughtneil and Na Magha, all of the teams are in around each other's level. Not sure how the Tyrone Championship works but am I right in saying this is St Enda's second year in the Ulster JHC in a row? I do think its disappointing for teams like Ballela who may run into a team that could probably put up a fight in the Down Senior Championship, but it'll not be this year that Ulster GAA will fix it. Ballela will give it a lash, and their first game against Buncrana is a good one for them, so we'll see how they get on.

Not to put a curse on them, but Bredagh realistically should be aiming for an Ulster Intermediate. Carey of Antrim will be a very big obstacle to that I'd say, and there's no easy teams at this level, but Bredagh are every bit as good as anyone else in Ulster, and should be targeting a provincial title, hopefully.

Hard to call the Senior Championship. Cushendall are something of a bogey team for Slaughtneil (I think they're the only Antrim team Slaughtneil have struggled to beat?), but Portaferry are something of a bogey team for Cushendall. The way Ulster ended last year for Portaferry will have hurt them, and they've always felt this year like they were building to something bigger, but Cushendall and Slaughtneil are two big, strong, hard hitting teams, and will be a tougher test than anything the Ports have met in Down this year. But I do think Portaferry have it in them. They just need things to go their way on the day. But they are already in the final, and it is only one day they need things to go their way; it's a very, very good opportunity for them.

But we'll not tempt fate.

Was a good weekend of hurling on a weekend that didn't lend itself to playing good hurling. Think the general consensus is that it's fair to say it was better than the footballing show the week before from a neutral stand point?  :o

Some good, competitive games, and not too many complaints to be had. Fair play to anyone who braved the bad weather to go and see what all the craic was about- hope you enjoyed it.

Congratulations to Ballela, Bredagh, and Portaferry, and best of luck in Ulster. Was some good hurling on show this year- fair play to everybody involved.


ardtole


Armaghdog

Ballygalget will learn from final and as always maximise their resources and maybe a year in Antrim div 2 will help them bring on a few more. I expect to see them back again. Portaferry have the luxury of a 6 week break and will relish an Ulster Final with some unfinished business. Can't see any team toppling them in Down any time soon. The likes of the Sands brothers and young McGrattan would cause any team problems and the Ulster final will be cracker.
Bredagh v Carryduff was a good game and Bredagh will give Ulster a rattle though some very good teams in there at that level. Middleton, Carey. Swatragh, Carrickmore Donegal champions etc all capable on a given day. A man in work suggested Down should be putting the two SHC teams dropping down together on one side of draw to be fair to the other 4 competing teams. At least you have the luxury of so many teams competing... Bredagh have some serious talent coming and if they go about things correctly could be a top team in next few years.
As for the JHC went over to it and Ballela had the experience. Seen it many times before. The young lad was good from frees but it was 3 or 4 other stronger hurlers in the Castlewellan ranks who kept them in it hurling wise until Ballela ground them down. Magee McCusker and the GK dictated the play and as the game wore on the old heads prevailed. Not sure how good Buncrana are but they were all in the stand watching!
Great that so many games are in Newry as we are starved of getting to decent hurling games down here between Down and Armagh...