Down Club Hurling & Football

[Splash]

No word on any squad for the McGurk Cup anyroad.

Hear Sheehan is considering playing a lot of young, up and coming players.

Good time for a debut, but imo, it would have been worth calling in players from outside the Senior Championship. There are hurlers playing in the Junior and Intermediate Championship, who, granted, aren't performing at the standard of some players in the senior championship, but given a bit of game time and exposure, could become useful to the county squad.

Playing Div 3 Louth would have been a good opportunity to bring in such players. (No disrespect to Louth, just think it would be better than trying to introduce players against Laois, Offaly, etc.)

Also think it would have been worth floating the idea of playing the match in Ballela/Castlewellen/Liatroim etc.

Makes sense logistically given the opponent (as opposed to Downpatrick) and would have done no harm for the hurling in  those clubs. South Down used to play out Ballela if I'm correct, and Liatroim have hosted Down camogs I believe. So it's not unreasonable.

No reason we can't win the McGurk Cup. We have the talent, and Antrim will be the weakest they've been in a little while. Would be a good chance to win something.

The Kehoe Cup will be interesting. We play both Meath and Kildare this year. They will be must win games. Hopefully we get good showings against them. Also, we realistically want to be competitive with Leinster counties soon, such as Laois, Offaly, Carlow, Westmeath etc. Doing well here is another step towards that.

Would be great to see our hurlers win an Ulster and a Leinster preseason double 

[Walt Jabsco]

Also think it would have been worth floating the idea of playing the match in Ballela/Castlewellen/Liatroim etc.

Whilst it would be great to see the fixture taking place in any of these venues and I no doubt these clubs and others have been approached with a view to hosting but clubs nowadays are more protective of their pitches and and given the recent weather who could blame them. During the Club off season Clubs undertake pitch renovations to prepare for the season ahead. It is probably the case that Club venues are not currently in a position to host.
Our County Squads are like Nomads roaming the County in search of somewhere to train and if Clubs facilitate training sessions the reason and desire for a COE to be constructed diminishes and the CB do not have to maintain a facility which is money hungry.

Makes sense logistically given the opponent (as opposed to Downpatrick) and would have done no harm for the hurling in  those clubs. South Down used to play out Ballela if I'm correct, and Liatroim have hosted Down camogs I believe. So it's not unreasonable.

Why should Down make it easier for the opposition, let's give any advantage we have to our teams. Do we get many Home games in the Kehoe Cup ? No we don't!  Why did you not suggest the likes of Clonduff, Warrenpoint or some other venue in that locality as a venue to make Louth's travel arrangements a bit easier but I would say that they have closed their pitches also   
With no disrespect to Ballela but the dressing rooms are not suitable for County panels where there could be 30+ players and backroom staff

Liatroim have hosted Down Camogie fixtures as have Castlewellan but not in January/February and they have also hosted NHL games when Ballycran and Pairc Esler have not been playable. As the match venue was initially fixed for Cherryvale at the start of the week you would have to ask what was the reason for the change?
Have Belfast CC closed the pitch? Was it double booked or not booked at all! As for BCC they don't seem to take much care of the surface on their Gaelic Games pitches at any of the venues I have been at.

The facility at Downpatrick is a commercial enterprise outside of school hours and is not as widely used during the summer whereas Club pitches are at their peak in terms of usage. During the summer the School can carry out repairs to the pitches during peak growing season where as Clubs cannot. This allows the School to use them in a better condition during term time after all it was constructed primarily for their use. 

Down Hurlers and Down Camogs trained in Belfast last year due to the lack of suitable facilities in Down. Clubs that did have suitable facilities were unwilling to give access to them as it probably meant that their own teams were loosing out on pitch time. Most teams want to train on a Tuesday and Thursday at 7:00pm whether it is U8s or Senior Inter County Teams and it is just not possible for it to happen to everyone's satisfaction . The availability of suitable pitches is at a premium during the pre season period

Splash it is not a personal criticism on yourself and your contributions on hurling matters are both excellent and welcome. Just pointing out there are a lot of considerations and work required in order to facilitate fixtures and training which the majority of people are not aware off especially at this time of the year where the weather is a major factor and dictates a lot of what is possible.

Let's hope both our Senior Teams today have a winning start to their campaigns and a successful 2024 season and we see movement on our COE even one pitch would be a start!     

[Square Ball]

Cherryvale pitches usually close, the road pitch usually closes in October and opens in March, currently getting fencing round it and ball stops. The new pitch is similar.

[snoopdog]

Solid performance last night. Should've went in at HT further ahead. Derry upped it in 2nd half. Black card came at a crucial time. We didint look like winning in 2nd half but that was a strong Derry team, so a lot to take from it. Forwards still lacking a bit. But going the right direction. Murdock was solid, flynn had a good game. Will they stick with O'Hare in goal. He did well last night I thought. Be interesting to see where lav will play Mooney when he is fit and whether he can get a consistent performance out of him. The talent is definitely in the lad but not many more years to show it on the big stage. Hopefully O'Hagan will be ready for championship. All in all a promising start last night.

[skat man]

was that downs strongest team available last night or are there players to come in ?

[Square Ball]

We were beat by Dunloy by a point.

[Johnnysboys]

Good performance last night but lacking a killer edge up front at times. We went a huge part of the game without scoring which could be a problem in key league games. Murdock is a very good player and McEvoy was steady throughout.. Kerr at 11 was poor, Havern and Savage too.. Wednesday night should hopefully be better..

[Splash]

Also think it would have been worth floating the idea of playing the match in Ballela/Castlewellen/Liatroim etc.

Whilst it would be great to see the fixture taking place in any of these venues and I no doubt these clubs and others have been approached with a view to hosting but clubs nowadays are more protective of their pitches and and given the recent weather who could blame them. During the Club off season Clubs undertake pitch renovations to prepare for the season ahead. It is probably the case that Club venues are not currently in a position to host.
Our County Squads are like Nomads roaming the County in search of somewhere to train and if Clubs facilitate training sessions the reason and desire for a COE to be constructed diminishes and the CB do not have to maintain a facility which is money hungry.

Makes sense logistically given the opponent (as opposed to Downpatrick) and would have done no harm for the hurling in  those clubs. South Down used to play out Ballela if I'm correct, and Liatroim have hosted Down camogs I believe. So it's not unreasonable.

Why should Down make it easier for the opposition, let's give any advantage we have to our teams. Do we get many Home games in the Kehoe Cup ? No we don't!  Why did you not suggest the likes of Clonduff, Warrenpoint or some other venue in that locality as a venue to make Louth's travel arrangements a bit easier but I would say that they have closed their pitches also 
With no disrespect to Ballela but the dressing rooms are not suitable for County panels where there could be 30+ players and backroom staff

Liatroim have hosted Down Camogie fixtures as have Castlewellan but not in January/February and they have also hosted NHL games when Ballycran and Pairc Esler have not been playable. As the match venue was initially fixed for Cherryvale at the start of the week you would have to ask what was the reason for the change?
Have Belfast CC closed the pitch? Was it double booked or not booked at all! As for BCC they don't seem to take much care of the surface on their Gaelic Games pitches at any of the venues I have been at.

The facility at Downpatrick is a commercial enterprise outside of school hours and is not as widely used during the summer whereas Club pitches are at their peak in terms of usage. During the summer the School can carry out repairs to the pitches during peak growing season where as Clubs cannot. This allows the School to use them in a better condition during term time after all it was constructed primarily for their use. 

Down Hurlers and Down Camogs trained in Belfast last year due to the lack of suitable facilities in Down. Clubs that did have suitable facilities were unwilling to give access to them as it probably meant that their own teams were loosing out on pitch time. Most teams want to train on a Tuesday and Thursday at 7:00pm whether it is U8s or Senior Inter County Teams and it is just not possible for it to happen to everyone's satisfaction . The availability of suitable pitches is at a premium during the pre season period

Splash it is not a personal criticism on yourself and your contributions on hurling matters are both excellent and welcome. Just pointing out there are a lot of considerations and work required in order to facilitate fixtures and training which the majority of people are not aware off especially at this time of the year where the weather is a major factor and dictates a lot of what is possible.

Let's hope both our Senior Teams today have a winning start to their campaigns and a successful 2024 season and we see movement on our COE even one pitch would be a start!     

Completely agree with you on the COE.

Fair point on the quality of pitches at this time of year and whether or not clubs would be happy for them to be used.

My point was fundamentally it was an opportunity to host an intercounty hurling match in an area that typically we wouldn't. 

Suggested those clubs as opposed to Clonduff/Point just because they were the first ones that came to mind to be honest.

Wouldn't have bothered me where we played Louth- home advantage is home advantage. Don't think playing the game at the Abbey or at St Pat's in Banbridge would have made it any easier for Louth.

St Pat's in Downpatrick is a perfectly good facility to host games, but so is the Abbey, Aquinas, St Pat's BB, etc.

I wouldn't know what the situation is regarding these schools, though. Perhaps it's not feasible. Perhaps Downpatrick simply suited better (which is fair considering where the bulk of players are travelling from).

In regards to the situation in Cherryvale, I wouldn't have a notion what happened.

Walt, I completely agree with you on the situation surrounding the COE. It is at this time of year especially , you realise the value in having such a facility, particularly given external factors such as weather. Some excellent points there, especially the point you raised about the lack of suitable facilities for our hurlers and camogs to train on.

Hopefully in the future our teams are able to train regularly at great facilities within their own county.

[Splash]

We were beat by Dunloy by a point.

Hard luck. Heard it was a tight game that went down to the wire.

Great year for yous all the same. Some very good development going on around the club.

[johnnycool]

Also think it would have been worth floating the idea of playing the match in Ballela/Castlewellen/Liatroim etc.

Whilst it would be great to see the fixture taking place in any of these venues and I no doubt these clubs and others have been approached with a view to hosting but clubs nowadays are more protective of their pitches and and given the recent weather who could blame them. During the Club off season Clubs undertake pitch renovations to prepare for the season ahead. It is probably the case that Club venues are not currently in a position to host.
Our County Squads are like Nomads roaming the County in search of somewhere to train and if Clubs facilitate training sessions the reason and desire for a COE to be constructed diminishes and the CB do not have to maintain a facility which is money hungry.

Makes sense logistically given the opponent (as opposed to Downpatrick) and would have done no harm for the hurling in  those clubs. South Down used to play out Ballela if I'm correct, and Liatroim have hosted Down camogs I believe. So it's not unreasonable.

Why should Down make it easier for the opposition, let's give any advantage we have to our teams. Do we get many Home games in the Kehoe Cup ? No we don't!  Why did you not suggest the likes of Clonduff, Warrenpoint or some other venue in that locality as a venue to make Louth's travel arrangements a bit easier but I would say that they have closed their pitches also 
With no disrespect to Ballela but the dressing rooms are not suitable for County panels where there could be 30+ players and backroom staff

Liatroim have hosted Down Camogie fixtures as have Castlewellan but not in January/February and they have also hosted NHL games when Ballycran and Pairc Esler have not been playable. As the match venue was initially fixed for Cherryvale at the start of the week you would have to ask what was the reason for the change?
Have Belfast CC closed the pitch? Was it double booked or not booked at all! As for BCC they don't seem to take much care of the surface on their Gaelic Games pitches at any of the venues I have been at.

The facility at Downpatrick is a commercial enterprise outside of school hours and is not as widely used during the summer whereas Club pitches are at their peak in terms of usage. During the summer the School can carry out repairs to the pitches during peak growing season where as Clubs cannot. This allows the School to use them in a better condition during term time after all it was constructed primarily for their use. 

Down Hurlers and Down Camogs trained in Belfast last year due to the lack of suitable facilities in Down. Clubs that did have suitable facilities were unwilling to give access to them as it probably meant that their own teams were loosing out on pitch time. Most teams want to train on a Tuesday and Thursday at 7:00pm whether it is U8s or Senior Inter County Teams and it is just not possible for it to happen to everyone's satisfaction . The availability of suitable pitches is at a premium during the pre season period

Splash it is not a personal criticism on yourself and your contributions on hurling matters are both excellent and welcome. Just pointing out there are a lot of considerations and work required in order to facilitate fixtures and training which the majority of people are not aware off especially at this time of the year where the weather is a major factor and dictates a lot of what is possible.

Let's hope both our Senior Teams today have a winning start to their campaigns and a successful 2024 season and we see movement on our COE even one pitch would be a start!     

Completely agree with you on the COE.

Fair point on the quality of pitches at this time of year and whether or not clubs would be happy for them to be used.

My point was fundamentally it was an opportunity to host an intercounty hurling match in an area that typically we wouldn't. 

Suggested those clubs as opposed to Clonduff/Point just because they were the first ones that came to mind to be honest.

Wouldn't have bothered me where we played Louth- home advantage is home advantage. Don't think playing the game at the Abbey or at St Pat's in Banbridge would have made it any easier for Louth.

St Pat's in Downpatrick is a perfectly good facility to host games, but so is the Abbey, Aquinas, St Pat's BB, etc.

I wouldn't know what the situation is regarding these schools, though. Perhaps it's not feasible. Perhaps Downpatrick simply suited better (which is fair considering where the bulk of players are travelling from).

In regards to the situation in Cherryvale, I wouldn't have a notion what happened.

Walt, I completely agree with you on the situation surrounding the COE. It is at this time of year especially , you realise the value in having such a facility, particularly given external factors such as weather. Some excellent points there, especially the point you raised about the lack of suitable facilities for our hurlers and camogs to train on.

Hopefully in the future our teams are able to train regularly at great facilities within their own county.

I heard on Saturday even Louth refused to travel to Belfast for the game being in Cherryvale but would suggest that Square Balls explanation for that makes more sense.

I think it was more or less an U20's team with a few hopefuls in there along with a handful of senior lads. The rest of the panel were training before the game so a win is a win and they move on.

We were beat by Dunloy by a point.

Saw that...

The worse sort of defeat to take, full of what if's etc etc. But sure there's always next/this year and IMO it's more important to work with these lads in transitioning them to adult hurling and that's harder than people think.

We've a few underage "stars" and I've told them they'll need to change their style of hurling for adult, trying to waltz by lads won't work in Down Div1 let alone the Antrim league. They'll be put on their holes and that'll maybe do them the world of good.

[johnnycool]

Good win for the Down hurlers last night up in Dunsilly vrs Antrim. It's only a preseason competition but beating Antrim is never a bad thing.

I hope Sean O'Neill from our club had a great game 

[Truth hurts]

Is there any update on tonight's squad?

[Ed Hardy]

Is there any update on tonight's squad?
[/quot

Is there any update on tonight's squad?

O Hare
Fegan
McEvoy
McElroy
Guinness
P Mc Cabe
Laverty
Murdock
Flynn
Mckibben
Kerr
J Guinness
Gilmore
Havern
Savage

[Truth hurts]

 A strong team, good luck lads

[befair]

This time last year I was full of optimism, but after Kilcoo's shameful behaviour before the county final, really don't care anymore. The manager must bear some responsibility