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Did lavey hurlers feel they didn't need to engage in WWE wrestling today or what happened?

Did they not have donegal football officials there to save the day?

Firm favourites for a county senior final to 4th place.

Its safe to say after watching todays games the Lynchs are still the second best team in the county. They might not have expected to be in the final next weekend against Slaughtneil for the 5th year in a row after the defeat to lavey, but are there anyway and Slaughtneil would have been looking a handier one.

Would there be mamy dual players for the lynch's? Slaughtneil, swatragh and Coleraine seem to have loads that start in both there Gaelic and hurling teams

Relegation play offs looking like they will involve balinderry, loup, Coleraine and then either dungiven or screen. Any early thoughts on what two could go down?

There is a few hurlers in Ulster, that if they played in say Antrim or played hurling as main sport, that would be up there as well. Men like Brendan Rodgers, Sean Leo mcgoldrick, Danny Cullen etc

Championship starts this week and not much chat. Glen big favourites for me with only them, slaughtneil and maghetfelt capable of winning John. Relegation play offs could be very interesting though

Would lavey have stayed up if the Downey's didn't transfer? Lavey balinascreen match in the championship will be good value now

Massive shock lavey getting relegated. They won't take that well

Could the answer be going the full Kerry model. Have an 8 division senior league and championship. Means that the senior matches will be very competitive and will also mean a good few very good teams will not make the top 8 and will therefore improve intermediate and junior football standards

Not sure how this all fits but north Derry vocational schools players seems to be ignored largely, this may have changed recently. But I remember St Mary's Limavady playing and wining county championships every year under Micky Moran and those lads never got a look in for development squads, never mind minor squads. Whereas counterparts from the big clubs got the call up, I see the reasoning on both side. If they did make the cut it was generally as men to go in an break ball etc. North Derry players I suspect have a higher drop out rate, plenty of things at play here but ultimately playing Junior or bottom intermediate football is quite the commitment at times and you're never going to put on a county jersey.

There should be acceptance that the Derry Senior set up is basically 100% South Derry, its the elephant in the room.

The implementation of Kerry style model e.g. David Clifford aka East Kerry for North Derry could be something to consider. It may sound ridiculous but they basically need an All-Star North Derry entered into the Senior championship, how would they do, hard to know? But it may give confidence to North Derry, additional support into the club game, something for players to aspire to and show there skills against the best. Or they just continue to ignore the Elephant.

Problem with this, is if the best 15 north Derry players where put in a team (from what I've saw) it would have a few dungiven players, a few steelstown players and mostly alot of Coleraine players. These teams are all already playing senior football so would be ineligible

That's Ridiculous, 9 games to win a Derry Championship. another 5 for an  All-Ireland. Talk about increasing county players burnout. This format will totally pole axe whoever comes out of, Derry. To even win a Ulster Championship. What bright spark thought this one up. Git the sniff of a money Making scheme about it.

Only 2 teams will have to play 9 games. The league's are finished already so these games are the only ones that county players will play for their clubs this year. Clubs shouldn't be relegated when they haven't had county players available. In tyrone there are 10 games left in the league plus championship after that so county players there now have a potential 14 games to play. Other counties are similar.

Do teams get relegated from league this season?

Yeah one down. So screen will play the team who finishes second bottom in the league, loser goes down. Or so I'm lead to believe

End of the road for a few men after that.

Who you thinking?

Who were they missing. Saw them play twice and their main men were playing both times?

From memory Niall Holly, Barry McGoldrick, Lenny, both Mullans, Liam McGoldrick, blonde haired Daly (corner back), the other corner back (Lagan I think), Daly that plays midfield

Could have been more. Still had Sean Leo, Colm and Mooney..plus a few younger forwards who played well

Don't think Holly has played this season, Liam McGoldrick and Daly at cb aren't playing either, one working abroad and other can't play on medical grounds. Both Mullans retired I believe. Barry has been playing gls the past two seasons, seen him both games i watched. Not many left is there?

Didn't know that at all. Four very good players to be losing to retirement/medical grounds

Who were they missing. Saw them play twice and their main men were playing both times?

From memory Niall Holly, Barry McGoldrick, Lenny, both Mullans, Liam McGoldrick, blonde haired Daly (corner back), the other corner back (Lagan I think), Daly that plays midfield

Could have been more. Still had Sean Leo, Colm and Mooney..plus a few younger forwards who played well

Another win for Bellaghy last night against Ballinderry. Cassidy has them on the brink of a league title, not that the tones were ever bothered about leagues.

If the trend continues into the championship - will it be case of their manager being coveted by others, possibly even in his old role as Derry manager?

Is this the same league table that Coleraine are winning, Steelstown are 3rd and kilrea are ahead of Swatragh and lavey?
No. I wouldnt put any stock into that.

I appreciate the compliment that Kilrea shouldn't be ahead of us 😎😘 Coleraine have no county players explaining their run, neither have Kilrea. Lavey have one county player absent as have screen who have two. Outside of Glen, Sneil and Magherafelt to a lesser extent although they have no county forwards, it's interesting. With the bottom two playing in a play off for relegation the league has been much more competitive. Unfortunately we are struggling. We have only Lorcan on the county panel. Its tight at the bottom

The Coleraine team playing now is missing about 6/7 certain starters for championship, they where all standing watching when we played them last week. Lavey seem to be really struggling. Balinascreen are as good as down. Maghetfelt, glen and slaughtneil are obviously nowhere near full strength. Still think it's glen/maghetfelt or slaughtneils to lose, with Coleraine, Bellaghy and lavey able to go a run (if they get very lucky with injuries)

[Thomas Mallon]

Was suprised Murray didn't make an appearance on Saturday. Seemed to be moving well in the warm up, so don't think there was an injury to be worried about.  Was it Thomas Mallon that was the sub keeper on Saturday? Think it was him working with Lynch before the match, but he was too far away to be 100%.

Hasn't he been goalkeeping coach for a few years, the irony of him being a goalkeeping coach

Still one of the best club keepers in Derry to be fair

Not even the best keeper in his own club anymore

Have many of the kilcoo lads, that where on the panel to start the year walked away?