Laois Junior Football Championship 2019

Started by The PRO, February 28, 2019, 09:55:42 AM

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Pugwash

#30
Quote from: Jd on August 02, 2019, 01:39:01 PM
It's scandalous what Graiguecullen did actually. If you're a one team club kicking at junior c then that's your level. All club competitions should be played from top down and if you can't field a second team at a higher level then I'm sure and certain that you shouldn't field a third in a lesser competition

Perhaps whoever looks after fixtures at the start of every year would have the foresight to not put out the likes of Graiguecullen's junior A side the day before the senior side play in league matches when the league is only getting going again after the winter break?

Just because Graigue have a big pool of players, doesn't mean at times resources can't be stretched to a point that a walkover or two in this case aren't beyond the realms or possibility. Between lads playing soccer or in with Laois, injuries etc.

It smacks of sour grapes to suggest Graigue were doing anything snide also, they're playing Killeshin tomorrow night in the semi final I'm sure if you went to the game you would note that most of the lads playing didn't even play Junior A championship last year but why deal with facts  :-X

Jd

So why not pull their junior C team and compete at junior A as they have a team at that level if they get relegated well thats just natural progression if they felt they had numbers at the start of the year then fine put in your junior C team but if the numbers aren't there then you pull the lower team. They were able to stay Junior A last year so that's where they belong not trying to hover a handy junior C.  Most people have said that they will walk the junior C due to their strength. What happens if they don't happen to win Junior C when they have numbers next year will they put in two C teams. All clubs have problems with county players and soccer etc so Graiugecullen aren't unique in that

Pugwash

#32
Quote from: Jd on August 08, 2019, 01:05:54 PM
So why not pull their junior C team and compete at junior A as they have a team at that level if they get relegated well thats just natural progression if they felt they had numbers at the start of the year then fine put in your junior C team but if the numbers aren't there then you pull the lower team. They were able to stay Junior A last year so that's where they belong not trying to hover a handy junior C.  Most people have said that they will walk the junior C due to their strength. What happens if they don't happen to win Junior C when they have numbers next year will they put in two C teams. All clubs have problems with county players and soccer etc so Graiugecullen aren't unique in that

Did you not read my post or are you just ignoring the obvious?

The vast majority of Graiguecullen's Junior C team are the same lads playing this year, so where is this whole "hovering up the Junior C" coming from?

You would swear it's the whole Junior A team playing tomorrow night, when in truth it isn't. I would argue 2 or 3 maximum would have started for the Junior A's last year in the championship that will start tomorrow against Killeshin, so your logic is somewhat flawed and baffling.

I would also argue, asking a team (Junior A side) to go and play Championship with one league game under their belt would have been pointless and silly, the club done right by pulling the team imo.

Graiguecullen supplied a list of 34 players to the county board at the start of the year, the same as every club (with 3 teams) and still happen to be rather strong at Junior C level, if Graigue lost in the first round you wouldn't be questioning the club at all.


Don Draper

I agree with you Pugwash, but one question. How many of that Junior C team would or should have played A this year.

This is outside the 17 of course, who can't play Junior C. I feel for these fellas to be honest, they've lost all football this year. Which isn't right at all. Could the Junior C's not have stepped up and filled the holes in the A side for those league matches?


Keyser Söze

Pugwash you are missing the point entirely.
Graigue named 17 Senior & 17 Junior As at the start of the year.
They will hardly use 34 seniors?
Therefore there are surely a large bunch (10-12???) who were supposedly good enough to kick Junior A a few months back but now won't play any football. Presumably this includes some promising young footballers, not quite ready to kick senior. Now these guys will probably get no football this summer.

Had they kept the Junior A team & conceded the Junior C one of two things would have happened.

1. The Junior C team would have lost a few players and possibly had to concede. BUT everybody in the club would have the opportunity to play on Junior A team.
2. The Junior C team would have lost a few players and probably would have had to coax a few lads out of retirement to make up a team.

Either way they should be putting out their strongest possible Senior team, followed by their strongest possible Junior A team.....
Otherwise you are effectively playing ringers.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled.......

Keyser Söze

I just looked up there that they played the first round of Division 2 and lost to Crettyard. I understand that it must be tough for a second team to play in Div 2, but surely they could have kept the team together with the incentive of Junior Championship to come?
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled.......

Pugwash

I'm not missing anything, I've backed my argument with cold hard facts.

Have a scan through the fixtures of the Div 1 A league and Div 2 and you will see where certain problems arose in regard to Graiguecullen Junior A's pulling out of the league, having our Junior A team playing a day before or a day after the Seniors play as well as trying to field a Junior C team is fairly rotten in my opinion. Why not give clubs second teams a couple of days apart from the Senior Team's matches?

As you pointed out there are plenty of lads in limbo not getting football and this was a major part of it.

The club had no reason to pull the Junior C team to keep the Junior A going, the Junior C team have huge numbers up with lads who are genuinely happy just to be playing Junior C these include a couple of players who would have played Senior for Graigue for years who could probably still be part of the Senior set up but for numerous reason's aren't.

I do think going forward Graiguecullen need a strong Inter/Junior A side in order to give the fringe players on the senior panel the game time against good opposition to be ready if/when required, but that's for another day.

Funnily enough Killeshin's Junior A's are playing this weekend while their Junior C's are playing Graigue Friday night, due to Killeshins Junior A's getting a walkover in the championship (from Graiguecullen) Killeshin may well use players Friday night capable of playing at a higher grade to try get them into a final even though certain players may then not even been eligible after Fridays match? But we won't kick up a fuss about that as that's football.

I'm sure the game will be a cracker and look forward to attending.

Don Draper

Quote from: Pugwash on August 09, 2019, 01:06:06 AM
I'm not missing anything, I've backed my argument with cold hard facts.

Have a scan through the fixtures of the Div 1 A league and Div 2 and you will see where certain problems arose in regard to Graiguecullen Junior A's pulling out of the league, having our Junior A team playing a day before or a day after the Seniors play as well as trying to field a Junior C team is fairly rotten in my opinion. Why not give clubs second teams a couple of days apart from the Senior Team's matches?

As you pointed out there are plenty of lads in limbo not getting football and this was a major part of it.

The club had no reason to pull the Junior C team to keep the Junior A going, the Junior C team have huge numbers up with lads who are genuinely happy just to be playing Junior C these include a couple of players who would have played Senior for Graigue for years who could probably still be part of the Senior set up but for numerous reason's aren't.

I do think going forward Graiguecullen need a strong Inter/Junior A side in order to give the fringe players on the senior panel the game time against good opposition to be ready if/when required, but that's for another day.

Funnily enough Killeshin's Junior A's are playing this weekend while their Junior C's are playing Graigue Friday night, due to Killeshins Junior A's getting a walkover in the championship (from Graiguecullen) Killeshin may well use players Friday night capable of playing at a higher grade to try get them into a final even though certain players may then not even been eligible after Fridays match? But we won't kick up a fuss about that as that's football.

I'm sure the game will be a cracker and look forward to attending.
You may have a point re fixtures, but I don't think you're taking into account hurling and dual clubs. Its difficult, but there's plenty of clubs out there who play 4 league matches in 5 days on occasion, with some players togging out for at least of 3 of those. I'd imagine making the league fixtures is some headache for those in HQ, and they simply can't suit everyone. Thats life in the leagues, when you have players spread across differing teams.

I think this is a shame really on the whole for those 17 Junior A's in Graigue, but I guess some of the players need to take personal responsibility and do what it takes to encourage teammates to help out and turn out.

Also, I think if Killeshin get into that Junior C final, if its possible at all, they won't touch those players until after its finished.

Junior Ex Laoistalk

Tonight's Junior C Result

Graiguecullen   2-12
Killeshin            1-01
Winners are not those who never fail, but those who never quit!

Pugwash

Superb performance tonight from Graigue, scoreline was slightly harsh on Killeshin despite not scoring in the second half. They kicked some very bad wides especially in the first half when they were well in the game.

Killeshin fielded a lot of chaps under the age of 20 tonight from what I could see, I have no doubt the great work being done out there will reap rewards in years to come at Senior level. Games like tonight they will learn a lot from.

Graigue have a side with a lovely blend of youth and experience, their game management this evening and tactics were spot on. They will of course be mindful going into the final, nothing is ever won easy (especially not for Graigue)

In the other semi finals it's Colt or Annanough who play tomorrow evening.

Chairman

Hard to stomach your propaganda Pugwash.

This Graigue team should not be in this competition. Not for the first time the club have pulled a stunt and are getting away with it.

You cannot stand over pulling out of the Junior A championship and blatantly keeping a group of players together for a grade they are far too strong for. Did this Graigue team not reach the Division 4 league final and get promoted to Division 3 for next year. Did Division 4 include Spink and Portlaoise, two Junior A teams.

This Graigue team would have been good enough to beat at least half the teams in Junior A especially if you added 3 or 4 lads who'd be eligible but not on Senior team.

The league fixtures can be tough on every club but St Joseph's, Portarlington and O'Dempseys has no problem fielding numerous teams throughout the divisions.

Graigue shouldn't have been allowed keep a third team in a competition when they pulled out their second team. Ok they mightn't have technically broken any rule but they have certainly broken the spirit of it with by putting a false team into a championship and even screwing their own players to win an aul handy junior C. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Pugwaah might be able to answer this but when ye won the junior c the last time five or six years ago didn't ye do the exact same thing and hammer everyone to win it?

That small mind mentality is a blight on Laois gaa


Pugwash

#41
Quote from: Chairman on August 10, 2019, 12:45:00 AM
Hard to stomach your propaganda Pugwash.

This Graigue team should not be in this competition. Not for the first time the club have pulled a stunt and are getting away with it.

You cannot stand over pulling out of the Junior A championship and blatantly keeping a group of players together for a grade they are far too strong for. Did this Graigue team not reach the Division 4 league final and get promoted to Division 3 for next year. Did Division 4 include Spink and Portlaoise, two Junior A teams.

This Graigue team would have been good enough to beat at least half the teams in Junior A especially if you added 3 or 4 lads who'd be eligible but not on Senior team.

The league fixtures can be tough on every club but St Joseph's, Portarlington and O'Dempseys has no problem fielding numerous teams throughout the divisions.

Graigue shouldn't have been allowed keep a third team in a competition when they pulled out their second team. Ok they mightn't have technically broken any rule but they have certainly broken the spirit of it with by putting a false team into a championship and even screwing their own players to win an aul handy junior C. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Pugwaah might be able to answer this but when ye won the junior c the last time five or six years ago didn't ye do the exact same thing and hammer everyone to win it?

That small mind mentality is a blight on Laois gaa

All of those players that played against Killeshin on Friday night were eligible to play and have broken no rules.

Again, people seem to ignore that the vast majority of the Graiguecullen Junior C team played Junior C last year too and many didn't play Junior A, yet that's being ignored? The simple fact is Graigue would still have won tonight taking out the lads who were playing Junior A last year in my opinion. You still have a whole host of lads there who either played senior for a number of years or good young players which there seems to be plenty of thankfully.

Small minded mentality, that's a good one and as for the club being ashamed of themselves? I would equate shameful behaviour with hitting referees, mass brawls, sending leaflets into neighbouring villages trying to recruit players  ;) ;D bringing the game into disrepute at various levels etc as something to be ashamed of not going out and winning a game fair and square.

We're very fortunate that we have a large catchment area and despite a blip with how the Junior A went this year (I'm sure that will be sorted for next year and Graigue will attempt to run 3 times for the whole year) and have a number of good players to call upon no matter the level.

There is no Junior C Championship won yet by any side, I'm sure the Graiguecullen management and players would say the same.

The rest of the county can have their opinion on the matter, but if Graiguecullen do win the Championship will they care what anyone thinks outside of the panel? I'm sure you all know the answer to that one.

Jd

So ye pull the stronger team to hover up a junior c at the expense of clubs who are trying to do things properly .......... well done. Graiguecullen seem to have a habit of doing this. Last year they entered a  Fèile team in the B section as they realized that Portlaoise had a strong team too. This is a team that this year contains 7or 8 of the county u15 panelists and is hammering other teams by 40 points This year they pull the junior A team and screw not only the rest of the teams in junior C but also the genuine junior A players in the club. Annanough lost 8 players to their intermediate team but at least have done things right. Colt are a hurling club trying to keep football going. Killeshin ran three teams this year. All are clubs trying to promote football. Graigue just pulled a fast sneaky move and deserve our sustain

laoisboy

Good win for graig junior a  last night.sorry junior  C

Chairman

How can you not see that having a first team and a third team but no second team is just wrong and completely unfair on every other club?

Ye got to the Division 4 Final with a Junior C team, competing against a couple of other Junior A teams. The honorable thing to do would have been to say "we'll be even stronger now when we add the couple of lads who are available and give the Junior A a go". If St a Joseph's can be intermediate with their second team and O'Dempseys are able to get to a final, Graigue should be able to compete at the latter end of that competition. But they'd rather be the snakes that continuously pull these stunts. 'Honourable' isn't something that is a given a moments consideration in Graigue.

And you never answered my previous question. When Graigue won the Junior C the last time again hammering everyone on their way as well, did they or did they not do the exact same thing?