Down Club Hurling & Football

[Truth hurts]

We need Down schools competing at A grade Colleges Football and where we can’t make A grade then we must aspire not to go below B grade for our bigger schools or more established names. If we look back to 2010, we had gained from having three Down schools play in the Mac Rory in the era of 2005/6 as the Abbey, St Louis and St Colman’s did battle, the hard yards ploughed in those competitions helped Marty Clarke, Kevin McKernan and others take their places as County Footballers. So, I say that post-Christmas in the academic year of 2022, let us deploy our coaches in our second level schools, and not just as coaches but as Development Officers to undertake work to develop Club-School links.
 
We have for 20 plus years channelled all of our Coaching through the Primary Schools, we offered that to schools again in the period September to December 2021, now I am saying let us take a chance put our Coaches and our GDM into the Second level schools to work from January to June for the betterment of Schools, Club and County. Let us experiment, let us feel the fear but let’s do it anyway.

Thats an extract from Sean ogs secretart report in 2021, its on the Down website

[Mourne Red]

Accountability and transparency are huge factors.
Without them, there is no integrity and people lose confidence and have no faith in decision-makers and the structures they apparently uphold.
When you hear about task forces, steering committees, focus groups, think tanks etc it pretty much smells of bullshit, smoke and mirrors. And for a long time people in the county have been blinded by the bullshit and swallowed it whole.

A brush should be taken to that county board and the unelected figures in the background that use them as puppets roaded.
Jobs for the boys.

   Have a friend who's son is on the Down U16 Dev Squad and a nephew who is on the Tyrone U16 one.The Down squad are scheduled to meet 6 times from the start of the year up to the end of August.Tyrone have met at least twice every three weeks but it's mostly weekly around this time of the year.Manager of the Down squad is Benny Coulter.

What is your point,  a quick glance on social media would see that Down u15 and u16s have been playing plenty of matches? What would be the point of taking kids halfway across the county to train when they are already getting coaching 2-3 times a week in their clubs with a match on a Monday night!
BTW that is a gripe of mine, carrying 50 odd lads on a development squad !!

Apparently Mooney is back in the Down camp.

   So TruthHurts,Tyrone have got it wrong all these years.
We're doing it correctly and getting exactly what for this good practice?

I do not get what you are getting at?

  I think what he is getting at is that the Down method of running their Dev squads is not yielding results( U16's only meeting 6 out of 33-35 possible weeks---ridiculous if true) whereas Tyrone's method over the years of putting real work into their Dev squads has and probably will continue to reap rewards.That's twice today our paid employees that been brought into the various conversations on the ills of Down football.Both probably paid Managers in other Clubs.

They meet every weekend, this is enough. They develop in their schools and clubs more.

Isn't this the same fella who said u11s should be training and having matches 3 times a week? You're some BSr Truth

[imagine]

Accountability and transparency are huge factors.
Without them, there is no integrity and people lose confidence and have no faith in decision-makers and the structures they apparently uphold.
When you hear about task forces, steering committees, focus groups, think tanks etc it pretty much smells of bullshit, smoke and mirrors. And for a long time people in the county have been blinded by the bullshit and swallowed it whole.

A brush should be taken to that county board and the unelected figures in the background that use them as puppets roaded.
Jobs for the boys.

   Have a friend who's son is on the Down U16 Dev Squad and a nephew who is on the Tyrone U16 one.The Down squad are scheduled to meet 6 times from the start of the year up to the end of August.Tyrone have met at least twice every three weeks but it's mostly weekly around this time of the year.Manager of the Down squad is Benny Coulter.

What is your point,  a quick glance on social media would see that Down u15 and u16s have been playing plenty of matches? What would be the point of taking kids halfway across the county to train when they are already getting coaching 2-3 times a week in their clubs with a match on a Monday night!
BTW that is a gripe of mine, carrying 50 odd lads on a development squad !!

Apparently Mooney is back in the Down camp.

   So TruthHurts,Tyrone have got it wrong all these years.
We're doing it correctly and getting exactly what for this good practice?

I do not get what you are getting at?

  I think what he is getting at is that the Down method of running their Dev squads is not yielding results( U16's only meeting 6 out of 33-35 possible weeks---ridiculous if true) whereas Tyrone's method over the years of putting real work into their Dev squads has and probably will continue to reap rewards.That's twice today our paid employees that been brought into the various conversations on the ills of Down football.Both probably paid Managers in other Clubs.

They meet every weekend, this is enough. They develop in their schools and clubs more.

  They do not meet every week.

[SamFever]

 They're all happy now that the challenge game is OFF.
A lot of anger today on this chat.Chill!

[Johnnysboys]

We need Down schools competing at A grade Colleges Football and where we can’t make A grade then we must aspire not to go below B grade for our bigger schools or more established names. If we look back to 2010, we had gained from having three Down schools play in the Mac Rory in the era of 2005/6 as the Abbey, St Louis and St Colman’s did battle, the hard yards ploughed in those competitions helped Marty Clarke, Kevin McKernan and others take their places as County Footballers. So, I say that post-Christmas in the academic year of 2022, let us deploy our coaches in our second level schools, and not just as coaches but as Development Officers to undertake work to develop Club-School links.
 

Are you serious. The PE staff in St Marks would take some look at ya if you even suggested going to B grade football let alone A grade. There are over 450 lads to play football in that place. Lads from Clonduff, Mayobridge, CPN, Burren, Rostrevor etc. serious strong clubs with serious history. I have no doubt the players are there - but the drive and ambition of the staff definitely ain’t. Nerf wars and GAA training with soccer balls, playing D competitions - it’s an absolute disgrace. Barney McAleenan would crack up if he was back now. Barney was a real tough task master who trained the sh**e out of us but we all left the school feeling like we were Down players. Surely the new county proposal should hopefully be targeting this place so we can get this once GAA institute back up the footballing ladder again.

[rosskarr]

 Teachers are not what they use to be.

[Walter Cronc]

Teachers are not what they use to be.

Most definitely agree with this. Then again they are probably under more pressure than before. Should counties not take control of coaching in these schools? I think St Mary's Magherafelt have a full time GAA coach - not sure who pays for it. It's resulted in a big upturn in their fortunes - albeit they were always competitive.

[delgany]

Teachers are not what they use to be.

Most definitely agree with this. Then again they are probably under more pressure than before. Should counties not take control of coaching in these schools? I think St Mary's Magherafelt have a full time GAA coach - not sure who pays for it. It's resulted in a big upturn in their fortunes - albeit they were always competitive.

St.Marys is a voluntary grammar , manages its own budget , charges a capital fee, pays for coaching expertise,  DOF .

[marty34]

Teachers are not what they use to be.

Most definitely agree with this. Then again they are probably under more pressure than before. Should counties not take control of coaching in these schools? I think St Mary's Magherafelt have a full time GAA coach - not sure who pays for it. It's resulted in a big upturn in their fortunes - albeit they were always competitive.

I wouldn't say it's down to one person.

This extra person in a school probably helps with coaching but is a big bonus in booking buses, pitches and contacting the other schools etc. A lot of time involved in that I'd say.

Good at helping out with the coaching but players/students coming to the school must be of a decent standard also.

[Johnnysboys]

Most definitely agree with this. Then again they are probably under more pressure than before. Should counties not take control of coaching in these schools? I think St Mary's Magherafelt have a full time GAA coach - not sure who pays for it. It's resulted in a big upturn in their fortunes - albeit they were always competitive.
[/quote]

What extra pressure are they under now that wasn’t there in years gone by? I just think the excuses made are a joke. If you are working in a school PE department steeped in GAA tradition - you have to step up. Simple as that. Why would the county take control of this? That would be like Man Utd sending coaches into every school in Manchester to take coaching sessions while the teachers sit on their backsides doing nothing.

[rosskarr]

Most definitely agree with this. Then again they are probably under more pressure than before. Should counties not take control of coaching in these schools? I think St Mary's Magherafelt have a full time GAA coach - not sure who pays for it. It's resulted in a big upturn in their fortunes - albeit they were always competitive.

What extra pressure are they under now that wasn’t there in years gone by? I just think the excuses made are a joke. If you are working in a school PE department steeped in GAA tradition - you have to step up. Simple as that. Why would the county take control of this? That would be like Man Utd sending coaches into every school in Manchester to take coaching sessions while the teachers sit on their backsides doing nothing.
[/quote]
   Don’t be a doting daddy.It is what it is.Sh-te!

[snoopdog]

Away to Cavan in the Tailteann. That's tge season over.

[thewobbler]

Away to Cavan in the Tailteann. That's tge season over.

You’d imagine so, especially without home advantage. But given that Cavan slid to d4 recently with a team that was good enough to win Ulster, there’s potential for motivation issues in Breffni too.

[Truth hurts]

I can see us taking Cavan, they are nothing to fear.

Six games into the league and they are starting to take shape. The big 4 seem to have started well and  no surprise they are at the top. CPN are starting to get players back and will climb as will Carryduff. Ballyholland failed in their first two tests against top opposition. Rostrevor and Castlewellan looked doomed and I think it will be between Bryansford, Loughinisland, RGU and Ballyholland to fight out the remaining 2 relegation spots.
Bredagh are flying high and we will have 2 Belfast teams in the top flight next year.
Newry Shamrocks will coast to the second division which is what Down needs.
Drumaness with their win on Friday will come back into division 3, a club with so much potentiall.

There was always DNF in reserve football but this season just seems crazy. The longer away the travel the more chance it is to not field. Reserve leagues should be played in North/Lecale, mourne, South and the West of the county with county semi finals of premier and reserve.

[downtothecore]

Yeah first six games in div 1 have been interesting but it looks kilcoo Burren and clonduff in that order for the championship. Burren and kilcoo has been the best game so far I seen and it will be tight if they meet in the championship. Clonduff if they can get everyone available will cause most teams problems.
As for our county team I think it best this season is brought to a close asap. Our county setup needs to reset.