Ulster Colleges

[OakLeaf]

Great performance from Maghera. Very strong all over the field.

[Jimmy]

How many Maghera players will be on the Derry minor team this summer?

From what I know numbers 1 2 3 4 5 7 12 13 14 and 15 are all minor this year as well as a number of the subs.

[yellowcard]

Great performance by Maghera, saved their best till the AI final. The kick passing and score taking was top drawer and it was a great all round team performance though Tallon's goal was the decisive one effectively finishing the game as a contest. I'd say today was the day that Maghera finally stepped out of the shadow of Adrian McGuckin who practically built it into the football academy it is today. Has anyone actually checked Conor Glass birth certificate, hard to believe that lad is 15.

Only seen the 2nd half of the curtain raiser but it looked like Cookstown left themselves too much to do.

Does anyone know the craic about Maghera playing Cookstown in a memorial game for Eamon Coleman? Seems a bit pointless, there is a fairly distinct difference in the standard of football though I suspect it will be treated as more of an exhibition match.

[Any craic]

Heres a video report from yesterday's All Ireland Final in Navan, Dungarvan v St Mary's Belfast - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaRXlaSGInY

[Rawhide]

No report from the Hogan game at the weekend 'any craic'

Seriously good performance from St Pats at the weekend. Top football from a very good group of footballers. There start was important, with some great scores, but Navan came back at Maghera after half time with a goal to take their lead down to 3 pts, St Pats hit two points and Navan responded with 2 pts of their own to take back to a 3 point game again, and at this stage they pushed hard, but Maghera then hit a gl and point within three minutes to put 7 in it, game over.

This performance has been coming. In the semi final of the MacRory against Colemens they had a 4 point lead over the two games 3 times but did not push on because St Pats were not playing as a true team at that stage, some players took a while to learn how important it is not to be individuals. You could see that aspect of their play developing in the Hogan semi final, with them eventually getting it right on the biggest stage for them. Congratulations St Patricks Maghera, Hogan Champions 2013 for the fifth time.

[Any craic]

Sure it was Live on TG4 Rawhide, you don't need me!

[Count 10]

Congrats to Maghera, hats off to all involved.

[Any craic]

See St Killian's Garron Tower winning goal by Fergus McCambridge vs St Pat's Maghera in this afternoon's Danske Bank Forester's Cup Final in Ballymena: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e_Hlie8EpY

[Any craic]

Tasty point here by Sambo's lad Christy from today's Danske Bank Foresters Final https://vimeo.com/64919281

[Any craic]

Tiarnan McHugh hits the net for St Patricks Maghera in today's Danske Bank Dalton Cup Final: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnKkg--_IdA&feature=youtu.be

[Any craic]

Now and again you come across a young lad like this.. the size of nothing but big in heart, devillment and craic - 'We were messing about but we got our heads in the right place' - St Pats Maghera star man Ciaran Hendry after his team went from 8 down at half-time to hold the Convent scoreless and win by 5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Altklggu6-c&feature=youtu.be

[Any craic]

Bit of a thriller today in the Danske Bank Brock Cup Final at Emyvale, with the Academy Dungannon scoring this penalty right at the end to force extra-time. They beat Cavan in the end. http://t.co/qDeBlpE5qR

[armaghniac]

I see St. Ciaran's Ballygawley

Is there football around Ballygawley at all?

[Line Ball]

I see St. Ciaran's Ballygawley and the Holy Trinity Cookstown have opted to enter the Colleges competitions from this September. St. Ciaran's will take part in the MacRory Cup while HTC will enter the MacLaron.

Edit: Also the winners of the MacLaron and Markey Cups in 2014 will play-off against each other with the winner representing Ulster in the All-Ireland Senior Colleges "B" competition.

Taken from Ulster Colleges website


St Ciaran's Ballygawley join race for MacRory Cup

July 5, 2013

Colleges' Football 2013-4

St Ciaran's Ballygawley have been accepted as a late entry into the Danske Bank Ulster Colleges' MacRory Cup at the Council's fixtures' meeting at the weekend.

Their inclusion along with the announcement in June that last season's Rannafast Cup winners St Patrick's Cavan and MacLarnon champions St Michael's Lurgan has expanded the MacRory Cup competition to 13 schools – the largest ever entry.

St Ciaran's addition to Group B along with St Paul's Bessbrook, the other two Tyrone schools (Omagh CBS and St Patrick's Academy), Lurgan, St Macartan's and St Mary's Magherafelt means that the bottom team in this group after the league section in the autumn term will be the only team eliminated pre-Christmas.

The top two teams from each group will automatically qualify for the quarter-final draw, while the rest of the finishing positions will trigger 4 play-offs – A3 v B6, A4 v B5, A5 v B4 and A6 v B3.

St Ciaran's head coach Martin McElkennon admitted that the new arrangements for second level schools' GAA announced at the start of June had prompted their move from Vocationals' Markey Cup into the MacRory.

"Obviously the Vocational Schools' system has served us very well over the years.  We have been able through the under-age competitions and Markey Cup to provide our students with a good standard of football and the opportunity to play in regional, provincial and national finals."

"However following the re-organisation at All-Ireland level and the implications for Ulster schools in general, we have decided that the Colleges' system now offers us the best vehicle for developing our teams this year."

Under the new structure, the Markey Cup winners will have to play the MacLarnon champions to reach the All-Ireland B series.

"We feel that the Colleges' system allows us to bed down better within the new structure.  We have entered Grade B competitions at all the other age-groups, but we aspire to play at Grade A level through the age-groups and can move up where and when we feel our players will benefit."

Another Tyrone Vocational school, last season's Markey Cup champions and All-Ireland Vocational schools' finalists Holy Trinity Cookstown, has also opted to compete in Ulster Colleges' competitions – but at B level right through the age-groups.

Head coach Peter Canavan feels that their MacLarnon Cup draw is almost as tough as the MacRory programme.

"We have drawn St Eunan's Letterkenny, St Pius X and St Mary's CBGS Belfast.  That is a very strong group of schools that all move regularly between the A and B competitions."

There are 4 groups of 4 teams in the Danske Bank MacLarnon Cup with the top team in each group going through to the quarter-finals and the second and third placed teams in each facing play-off games to provide the other 4 quarter-finalists.

"There is a huge challenge awaiting us just to make it through to the quarter-finals," claims Canavan, who has only "8 or 9" of the Markey Cup squad back next season.

"We will need to work very hard in preparation for each of the 4 games in the autumn term and then see where that takes us."

Holy Trinity's first game under the Colleges' umbrella is due during the second week of the new term when they play St Joseph's Crossmaglen in the Danske Bank Herald Cup while St Ciaran's are in action a week later in the same competition against St Patrick's Downpatrick.

Fixtures for all Ulster Colleges' fixtures can be found on the organisation's facebook page

[superbad]

Does anyone know if any MacRory games are taking place tomorrow?