McKenna Cup 2024

[Cloc Mor]

Typical Spineless shower?

So what is your reasoning for this, are you fimiliar with the works of the Ulster Council.

My reasoning for calling them a spineless shower.  Is it not obvious.  The should be making a ruling based on the facts - not waiting to see what Tyrone have to say.  Surely they have heard enough coming out of the Tyrone camp in relation to this and I can't see them saying any different.  Spineless because the wont make the call but will end up bending the knee to Tyrone.  If this was they way there were going to conduct the investigation this should have been made clear from the start. 

[corn02]

I think Tyrone are completely in the wrong, but they still deserve a chance to present their  arguments offically as opposed to media snippets.

[Cloc Mor]

Don't deny this but as I stated the process should have been laid out at the start.

[reddgnhand]

I think this is the Ulster council's playing their get out card. They know there is nothing they can do regarding this matter. All college players were given the choice, some opted to play for the county some not. The Ulster council should apologise for disrupting Tyrone's preperation's for this weekend's game and we can all let the matter rest.    

[phpearse]

From the Indo and possibly McGee:

Whether the presence of third level college teams in pre-season inter-county competitions improves anything is altogether a different matter.

It certainly hasn't done anything to please Tyrone manager, Mickey Harte who walked up the confrontation blank by playing four colleges players in last Sunday's Dr McKenna Cup clash with Derry.

"Bold boy," retorted the Ulster Council who had earlier ruled that colleges would have first call on their players in the McKenna Cup.

Not fair, argues Harte. Tyrone don't play challenge games so how can he judge whether players are up to county standard if he can't use them in McKenna Cup games? Besides, last Sunday's double-booked quartet opted to play for Tyrone rather than their colleges.

Harte insists that he put them under no pressure, although, in fairness to them, a call to county arms is an instruction in itself. After all, if you don't answer, you might not get a second one.

The Ulster Council can rightly contend that Tyrone signed up to the original deal and shouldn't attempt to amend it in mid-competition. Yes, but did Harte sign up? His sole responsibility is to prepare the Tyrone squad to the best of his ability - hence his desire to look at some fringe players this month.

My sympathies are with Harte on this one. Ultimately, he will be judged by how Tyrone fare this year, not by how accommodating he was to colleges. Winning the Sigerson Cup is the sole aim of third level colleges in all four provinces.

To that end, they are keen to boost their preparations by playing against inter-county teams in January. And what's in it for the counties? Absolutely nothing.

In fact, during his period as Galway manager, John O'Mahony withdrew the team from the FBD Connacht League on the basis that it was a pointless exercise when so many of his players were tied up with college teams.

Problems have also arisen in the O'Byrne Cup this year with Dundalk IT withdrawing from the competition altogether while DCU backed out of a Shield game last Sunday.

Of course if college teams want games in January, there is a solution. Why not alter the format of the Sigerson Cup so that teams are guaranteed more than one game? What would be regarded as far more conservative elements within the GAA have dropped the straight knock-out championship system at county level, yet the colleges insist on retaining the one-chance format in Sigerson.

Running

If the competitions were running now as part of the official GAA schedule (either in round robin or 'back door' format), county managers would have to accept that college players were unavailable for pre-season competitions.

However, that's not the case so why should counties have to facilitate colleges in what is purely preparatory work for Sigerson?

It's as simple as this: college and inter-county competitions should not be combined. And guess what? This year's experiences almost certainly means that it won't happen again - not in all provinces anyway.

[never kickt a ball]

Tyrone charged over students saga

The Ulster Council has charged Tyrone with a breach of the Gaelic Life McKenna Cup rules but Saturday's match against Cavan will go ahead. Initially, the Ulster Council opted on Tuesday evening to defer the game but this decision was later changed.
This followed an undertaking from Tyrone that the university players at the centre of the controversy would not be played in Saturday's game. However, the Tyrone county board will contest the Ulster Council charge.
The Ulster Council competition controls committee took the decision to charge Tyrone at specially convened meeting.
Competition rules state that colleges have first call on players.
It is not clear when the hearing to decide Tyrone's fate will take place.
Tyrone made it two wins from two outings in the McKenna Cup last Sunday when they defeated Derry but their attempt to retain the title has been placed in jeopardy by the ongoing Ulster Council probe.
Manager Mickey Harte has been on a collision course with the council since it emerged that a number of students had joined his squad, in spite of the council directive.
On Sunday at Healy Park he handed starting slots to the four players concerned, UUJ trio Colm Cavanagh, Brendan Boggs and Damien McCaul, and Cathal McCarron of St Mary's.
Harte remained defiant over his decision to include the students, claiming they had made their own decisions to opt for the county squad.
One possible outcome is that the defending champions will be docked points for their controversial stance.
Tyrone will meet Cavan in the final and decisive Group B tie under lights at Breffni Park, with the winners set to go through to the semi-finals, although the section's outcome has now been thrown into doubt.

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/6269963.stm

[corn02]

Well that suggest that they will defeintely not be thrown out of the competition. I imagine they will have two  points deducted but with a good scoring average would they still qualify? (This is presuming they beat Cavan.)

[realredhandfan]

By the way the tight auld feckers wouldnt let the same lad in with crutches in this week without paying.  when informed by someone in my company for the crack that I had been let in last week for nothing the gateman replied that I should go see the man that let me in last week.  The days of the Grab all association look to have returned.      

[BallyhaiseMan]

Good stuff....
a game against a superpower like Tyrone is what this young Cavan team needs anyway....
Much more important than reaching the semi finals.

[realredhandfan]

Cavans going well this year, but if Tyrone beat ye will ye check that we dont have an average younger age...

[cavanmaniac]

Cavans going well this year, but if Tyrone beat ye will ye check that we dont have an average younger age...

Eh?

[Over the Bar]

What's the likelihood of the Ulster Council waiting until after the Cavan game and if Tyrone win it, then deciding to dock them 2 points?  Can't go too hard on us since Mickey has to take most of the credit for making it a worthwhile competiton now.   

[Orior]

Can't go too hard on us since Mickey has to take most of the credit for making it a worthwhile competiton now.   

Are you fishing?

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

I think that if Tyrone are to be punished then it should be handed out before the Cavan match.

[MrC]

I think that if Tyrone are to be punished then it should be handed out before the Cavan match.

Perhaps the powers that be in Ulster are hoping Cavan beat them and Tyrone aren't best runners up so they don't qualify anyway. 

Regardless, we'll beat them anyway Gaoth Dobhair