Messages

Benny was managing the most expensively assembled Sigerson squad in history (most talented in the country also) this year and lost every competitive game - league and Championship

what a complete and utter disgrace.

we've got what we deserved

Having watched queens over the past three years i've seen the transformation of that team and particularly some of their players under aidan o'rourke. I know he's young but i'd like to see him involved in some capacity

When do the leagues start?

What the feck is going on with down senior footballers?

Is that Limerick's first points in the league?

I know the criteria for selection for the Leinster academy- you don't. So don't start telling me what I do and what I don't know

Indiana if you really want to pursue this arguement with me I better point that I am a Level II coach in Leinster rugby, I coach schools, youths and club, I have been involved in identifying young rugby talent in Kildare and know many of the Leinster Academy members and coaches personally. The head of the Leinster Academy is Colin McEntee, a working class lad who went to Naas CBS who played Leinster Youths, Irish Youths and professionally for Leinster, do you honestly think that he only looks at players from Section B schools.

Just because you played SCT 20 odd years ago does not make you all of a sudden an expert, going to Clongowes or Blackrock only gives you a head start because you are exposed to high level coaching 4/5 times a week for 6 years, Clongowes doesn't even produce that many Internationals. Newbridge College whose fees are nominal produces as many interantionals as Clongowes.

To be honest since you didn't respond to the working class arguement I don't see any point in pursuing a debate with a guy who just argues with Cliches and sterotypes and tells me quite flippantly that he knows the selection criteria for the Leinster Academy when he painfiully doesn't.

You didn't answer my question did you. I've noticed that about you you're good at answering the questions no-one asked. 12 out of the 15 starters for Ireland on Saturday came from private school. 75% of Leinster academy players go to private school. Do you want me to take out the list of the Irish u20 team this year and detail where they are from as well? Do you want me to put the Leinster u20 team and detail where they are from as well. I go to all the leinster games- I even go to the A games- I doubt very much you know more about the leinster rugby team than I do.

Lets start with the leinster senior team

Rob Kearney- clongowes
Luke Fitz- blackrock
BOD- blackrock
Darcy- Clongowes
Sexton- St marys college
Donohue- belvedere
Healy- belvedere
Heaslip- newbridge college
Jennings-st marys college
MOK- st marys college
Toner- Castleknock College
Cullen -Blackrock Colllege
Dempsey-Terenure
Brown- Blackrock College
Keane- belvedere college

That leaves Horgan , Jackman and O Brien as the only 3 players from club rugby. Now Dinny do you really want to debate the inequities the system seriously. Its a debate you're going to lose from all angles. Tell me how many of those schools above you don't have to pay to attend?
Jamie Hagan and Eamonn Sheridan are the only 2 academy players that haven't attended private school.
I love my rugby but I detest the inequities of the system that don;t make it a game for the masses and when i see working class lads representing leinster on a  regular basis the I'll start to believe.

You seem to have already moved a fair distance already from your original position:

Tankie- I'm a life long rugby fan I even played the game for a while. I know the divide that exists. Believe me when I say it no-one from a working class area will play for the Leinster first team, there are people in the Leinster branch who will make sure of it. Its an elitist game in Leinster and will be for the forseeable future.

Reading your opinions on other topics indiana you certainly have a high opinion of your own expertise in a variety of subjects.

Well we need to get 2 Half backs either side of Mc Keever, and it is only opinion that they should be Kernan and JP, coz no way should AOR be anywhere near it

I was one of the ones who thought o'rourke had a fairly decent game on sat night... that's me told!

I'm not sure they'll start any cross men on sunday - how would that sit with the rest of the panel? 3/4 of them on the bench i'd imagine.

team for sunday -

             McEvoy
Shannon  Martin  Mallon
Duffy     O'Rourke McKeever
       Toner    Vernon
O'Rourke  Mallon  AN Other
McDonnell Clarke  Forker

Armagh were caught time and again with the high ball onto the square and Vincy Martin probably would have dealt with that if he'd been there - something else moriarty has proved he can't deal with.

I'd like to know if there's any evidence of this boycott as well

I assume there'll be a few cross men in for this one?

Overall Armagh were probaly two steps back in attack and two steps forward in defence from what they've shown to date. not sure it was worth the journey and £12 but for what its worth.

McEvoy was solid - he hadn't a whole pile to do but kicked it out well. i thought the full back line was poor - moriarty in particular. McClelland wins the odd great ball but is way too slow for corner back and allows his man to win a lot of ball. Mallon is getting there but has a lot to do.

McKeever was a bit more fragile defensively than usual - missing a few tackles - but drove forward well. i thought fter 10 mins o'rourke was gonna be a disaster but he was very good after that. his kicking out of defence was great and one pass over the top to clarke in the second half was superb. Shannon was very comfortable on little and looks more accomplished every week.

midfield was poor. vernon's confidence seems to be draining out of him and he looks more nervous every week. i don't buy benny's line on lavery. he must be able to win his own share of ball and he can't. neither does he contribute on or off the ball from open play. not good enough at this stage. i'm sure toner will come straight in there next week.

one of marty o'rourke's poorest games. again, another man who looks as if he's playing with no confidence. indecisive in possession and as like last week seemed to be a long way away from any breaking ball. Am i the only one who thinks mallon has been dire? thought he was terrible last night. not convinced with Stevie at half forward either. he only wants to get the ball going toward goal and doesn't get involved in showing for bal coming out from his defence. he kicked a couple of nice ponts from play though.

it was a one man full forward line. henderson hardly showed for a ball all night and o'rourke was half hearted about everything he did. i don't now him but are there wing mirror issues about o'rourke? anyway, terrible from the two corner men. good mention for forker, who showed very well when he came in.

good win to get but in reality armagh should have won by 7/8 points given the goal chances and frees missed. fermanagh's free taker kicked some mighty frees before bottling one in front of the posts to put them a pint up with ten minutes to go. plenty of character on show and for the first time they defended proberly. no wing backs abandoning defensive duties and bottling up the space in the forward line. the performance of the half forward line and the two corner men is alarming though and i'm not really sure we've made any progress in improving the forward unit.

Enniskillen is an odd pitch. both teams laboured when they were playing down the hill. armagh were the better team for most of the game but struggled to get scores -particularly because of the poor qality of the ball ino the full forward line. the game was still in the balance with about 10 minutes to go and a few break ball in a row wonby o'rourke and mckeever in that period made the difference.

Not old enough to have sen them all so can only go on what i know and testimony i trust!
Small weighting owards the modrn era!!

Jim McCullagh
Mal McEvoy
Bill McCorry
Jimmy Whan
Felix McKnight
Paddy Moriarty
Neil Smyth
John McEntee
Oisin McConville
Ronan Clarke
Paul McGrane
Kieran McGeeney
Diarmaid Marsden
Stevie McDonnell
Aidan O'Rourke

this thread will be exactly the same

awful performance from the queens men today... just did not get going at all.

their awfulness was only surpassed by hughes, who is one of the worst refs refereeing outside his own county, in the country.

as bad as he was though, it wasn't the reason queens lost. poly were far the better team

Course you do

[official,]

Getting paid means taking money no matter which way you look at it.

So, every ball and hurley manufacturer, every groundskeeper, every official, every food purveyor for the after-match refreshments, they are all hypocrites in your book because they're making money off the back of amateur efforts, however tenuous the link may be.

Taking your viewpoint to it's logical conclusion: you have a problem with every writer who gets paid for writing columns or books about amateur activities, from amateur macramé to origami, correct? If not, why the inconsistency? (In your own words this time)

Read what I have posted many times.

I have no problem with people who make money out of the Gaa.

Likewise I have no problem with those who campaign to maintain its amateur status.

However, anyone who does both in my opinion is a hypocrite. It is merely my opinion and nothing you will post here will change it. Accept it.

So, every ball and hurley manufacturer, every groundskeeper, every official, every food purveyor for the after-match refreshments, they are all hypocrites in your book because they're making money off the back of amateur efforts, Have any of that list publicly attacked others seeking money?

Are you for real?