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Just came in to say the same. What a bloody win. After beating Wexford at minor last year, and now that result tonight Westmeath hurling is on the crest of a wave. Galway coming to Mullingar Sunday week. Could be interesting

[is only interested in playing club football.]

It's something I'm very interested in. I'm involved with development squads in Tipp, and in 4 years I've seen 2 even in for trials. One Polish lad, and one Kenyan lad. Nobody else, and I know there are many new Irish living in the larger towns. It's natural they would play more soccer, as they and their families would be more familiar with that, but I think the GAA is missing a trick here and should do a few more familiarisation/get to know the games type of thing in the bigger towns at least.

In our club we have a couple of kids, polish and chinese, and they seem to be getting on well, but they are young, u6-u8. We have nobody aged 12-16 say. Mind you there isn't a significant number in the village, but I know there are at least a couple more families/kids that we don't seem to have attracted.

I think other counties are doing a bit better in this area, I know Westmeath have had a couple of lads playing with them up along, and they have been very good.

Yeah there are a few in Westmeath at adult level already, and loads underage. 2/3 of the u21 full back line this year (Illunga and Sayeh) were born in Africa. There is another (Siode) who is good enough to be on the senior team but is only interested in playing club football. 10-20% of the names on team lists for underage teams in my club would have non-Irish surnames. Their natural athletic ability stands out a mile.

Picking up the attitude, not just the skills!

Ha, very true.

No, I meant Ian was with Westmeath. This lad I'm talking about wasn't Marys himself. I think he was Lomans.

Ah right, probably the Lomans lad so. He's very good alright and has another year.

Yeah. Fair play to Westmeath for taking advantage. I really feel we are losing out. Nenagh, Clonmel and  Thurles are all big towns, and then the likes of Cashel and Cahir wouldn't be villages either. We should have a lot more involved. Limerick should be as well.

I know Ian Bradley of Saint Mary's fairly well, and we played them at U14 level about 3 years ago in a challenge. There was a young lad playing full forward for them and he was fantastic. Not sure if he's in with the minors or not.

Two lads on team that beat Longford with non-Irish surnames and they were Shamrocks (Eastern Europe) and Lomans (Africa) players. Only lad from Mary's was midfield, but his surname is Cully so I guess it's not the lad you are referring to!

I don't believe it's a conscious effort to encourage young lads, and girls, from different backgrounds. They are just part of the fabric of society now so it seems to have followed naturally. As I said above, they want to do what their friends are doing. But as you say it doesn't seem to happen everywhere for whatever reason.

Is that around Mullingar shark? Or around Athlone?

In my case Mullingar. But Athlone GAA have a few lads of African descent on their underage teams too, and one on their senior team. Illunga and Sayeh are both Rosemount (beside Moate). So it seems to be county-wide. Westmeath as a county is highly urban as a percentage of total population. That has to have a bearing.

It's something I'm very interested in. I'm involved with development squads in Tipp, and in 4 years I've seen 2 even in for trials. One Polish lad, and one Kenyan lad. Nobody else, and I know there are many new Irish living in the larger towns. It's natural they would play more soccer, as they and their families would be more familiar with that, but I think the GAA is missing a trick here and should do a few more familiarisation/get to know the games type of thing in the bigger towns at least.

In our club we have a couple of kids, polish and chinese, and they seem to be getting on well, but they are young, u6-u8. We have nobody aged 12-16 say. Mind you there isn't a significant number in the village, but I know there are at least a couple more families/kids that we don't seem to have attracted.

I think other counties are doing a bit better in this area, I know Westmeath have had a couple of lads playing with them up along, and they have been very good.

Yeah there are a few in Westmeath at adult level already, and loads underage. 2/3 of the u21 full back line this year (Illunga and Sayeh) were born in Africa. There is another (Siode) who is good enough to be on the senior team but is only interested in playing club football. 10-20% of the names on team lists for underage teams in my club would have non-Irish surnames. Their natural athletic ability stands out a mile.

In an interview after the 2009 All-Ireland triumph against Tipperary, which made Kilkenny the first county in 65 years to record a four-in-a-row, Cody was asked – entirely reasonably – by RTÉ's Marty Morrissey for his views on the controversial late penalty that had turned the match.

The Kilkenny manager replied that you'd be busy if you decided to readjudicate all of the frees in a match. There followed: "Did you think yourself it was a penalty, Marty?"
"I wasn't too sure but it did seem a little bit dodgy in the replay."
"I have no idea, Marty. Did you check all the other frees as well to see were they dodgy? [Uneasy laughter] Maybe you should. Maybe you should."

"What did you think of the referee overall; do you think he allowed a lot to go?
"Marty, please, give me a break. The referee – we're supposed to say nothing about referees and I make a habit of saying absolutely nothing about referees. Diarmuid Kirwan, I'm certain in my head was going out to be the very best he possibly could be. You seem to have had a problem with him. You tell me."
What we can deduce from this is some striking double standards. When a controversial decision has benefited Kilkenny, Cody rigorously opts to say "absolutely nothing" about the referee beyond that he went out "to be the very best he possibly could be".
When however the controversial call – and for the purposes of the argument I'm saying nothing about the merits of either refereeing decision – adversely affects Kilkenny, it's alright to launch a swingeing public attack on the match official.

Kilkenny are getting cuter though, their main PR man, Eddie Keher (sometimes DJ or Eddie Brennan) will be wheeled out with a soundbite at the rules or referees who may decree that some of the things Kilkenny get up to are fouls and we'll get the manly angle, let the game flow and so forth, provided someone doesn't go out and best them at that, not for a while yet it may be added!
Barry Kelly is deemed unfriendly to KK, whereas Brian Gavin is their go to man!

They don't like James McGrath either
He implements the rules too vigorously

And with Kelly and McGrath come the snide remarks about them not being from a "hurling county". And that's not just from Kilkenny.

Loughlin and freeman looked good for NY. Where's loughlin from?

Westmeath. Played minor with them in 2013,U21 2014.

Talented player but independent minded. Keith Scally is from Westmeath too, played in the dying embers of the O'Flaherta reign. Was captain of NY last year.

Independent minded 😄  That is seriously diplomatic Croi. He didn't play u21 in 2014 as he was dropped from the panel. Not a fan of training. However, he is a fantastically talented footballer.

Karim Benzema is not in the French squad for the Euros. Big call by Deschamps

There was no way they could bring him in fairness! France have had enough difficulties over the last few tournaments with squad harmony.

Yeah but imagine Monaghan dropping McManus

France have plenty of options though. Teams win tournaments, not individuals.

Would they get a better rattle in Connacht seafoid? Ye haven't exactly been sickening Mayo recently.

4 counties have won connacht in the last 15 years in fairness. Leinster football is a shambles. Stockholm syndrome .
Mayo will be knocked off their f**king perch (copyright Ferguson) soon enough. I just wish they would win the all Ireland.

And 5 counties in Leinster have won it in the last 16 years.

Dublin if they existed in Connacht would do the exact same and more. Meath/Kildare/Laois/Westmeath would have all flourished in Connacht. This isn't a Dublin problem, it's not a Leinster problem it's a GAA problem.

Dinny did the qualifier system contribute to the problem in Leinster?

In what way?

The earlier qualifier years helped provide momentum for Westmeath's breakthrough in 2004. Not sure if Laois would say the same thing regarding 2003 or not. Without the qualifiers Westmeath would have been out of the 2001 championship in early summer after a quarter final loss to Meath. In the end they finished the year believing they could have won the all-Ireland (rightly or wrongly).
It's not Dublin's fault that so many of the counties in Leinster are in a heap. However it must be bloody demoralising.  Young players are getting preconditioned to being stuffed by Dublin at minor and u21, and it's hard to lift from that.  As pointed out elsewhere, only Kildare look capable of stepping up to the challenge in the coming years.

If you apply the logic of head to head for 2 teams why not for 3 or more. If head to head doesnt give a result then move on to the next deciding factor. Points difference. Or els start with points difference and stick with that until it doesnt give a result  then move to the next decider. But mix n match is not logical or consistent. Like many things in the GAA. From refereeing to fixture management.

But it is consistent if it's applied across the board (as it is), for a number of years (as it has been) and everybody knew before the first ball was thrown in in round 1. It's very simple and straightforward to follow.

As they do in many areas like discipline fixtures and structures the GAA cant help but fupp things up. Having made the decision to go with head to head as the deciding factor whem teams finish level on points they then screw it up by changing back to score difference. Offaly beat both Clare and Longford so are clearly the best of the three teams on 8 points on the basis of head to heads. End of.

Head to head has only ever been used when two teams, and two teams only, are level. GAA messed nothing up here. These rules have been in place for a number of years. What would they have done in div1? Cork beat Mayo, Mayo beat Monaghan, Monaghan beat Donegal and Donegal beat Cork.

It's 100% Cork down. RTE either lost their abacus or don't care about GAA outside of August and September. Or both.

Was just sitting watching thinking the very same thing 
One crowd went past and it was like a mexican wave
Who provides the jets for the flyover?

The Defence Forces.

It's been festering for Centuries. I took a notion a few years back and read 3 or 4 books on the Balkans, fascinating and terrible stuff. If you come back in another hundred years the tensions will still be simmering.

Any recommendations for books on the Balkans?

Love Thy Neighbour by Peter Maass is a page turner. You won't be able to put it down.