Armagh Club football & hurling

[statto]

Some good ties there.
Cross v Cullyhanna for me the standout. Cullyhanna will relish a cut at Cross and I imagine the feeling is mutual. I fancy Harps to cause an upset v CE, Clans/Killeavy is toss of a coin, Madden should have enough for Mullaghbawn.

Clans would been big favourites a few weeks ago and will still fancy the job here but Killeavey seem to have got their house in order, if Campbell or McPartlan turn up which they normally do would expect the Lurgan men to go through. 

Madden will be expected to win, but they don't normally wear the favourites tag too well, Mullaghbawn have turned things around well after a hammering the first day against Armagh Harps. 

Cullyhanna have the attack to cause Cross real problems and that one should go to the wire.  Clann Eireann I am hearing have a full deck to choose from think Turbitt will be the difference. 

[brokencrossbar1]

Looking nicely set for the Lurgan Blues to push on and win it here. Decent enough draw for them and with Cullyhanna slight favourites to beat us and Harps able to cause an upset you'd think they Clans will drive on and build on their last few years of development

[Ethan Tremblay]

Looking nicely set for the Lurgan Blues to push on and win it here. Decent enough draw for them and with Cullyhanna slight favourites to beat us and Harps able to cause an upset you'd think they Clans will drive on and build on their last few years of development

Where are you seeing Cullyhanna favorites?

Would expect Madden and Clans to win, my initial thoughts when I seen the draw.  The other two games should be tightly contested matches.

[David McKeown]

Looking nicely set for the Lurgan Blues to push on and win it here. Decent enough draw for them and with Cullyhanna slight favourites to beat us and Harps able to cause an upset you'd think they Clans will drive on and build on their last few years of development

Where are you seeing Cullyhanna favorites?

Would expect Madden and Clans to win, my initial thoughts when I seen the draw.  The other two games should be tightly contested matches.

I thought Cross were always the underdog at least in BCB's eyes. That said Cullyhana have impressed me the last few years so whilst I wouldn't say Cross are underdogs. I wouldn't be surprised if they lost.

[general_lee]

No team has really stood out so far.
Someone put the odds up over on orchard county, BoyleSports have Clans at 14/1, well worth a punt.

[Rufus T Firefly]

No team has really stood out so far.

Agreed with this. Clans were very impressive the first day out against Rangers. They were really up for it and I'm not sure how much Rangers were. Certainly Soupy was very circumspect in his post match interview. Clans then followed that up with a very indifferent display in Granemore, albeit they dug out the victory in poor conditions. I would tip them to beat Killeavey after a tight struggle. 

St Pats got out of jail against Silverbridge thanks to a wonder score from Aidy Nugent. This match will represent the acid test for them. It will be interesting to see their approach; to see if they really believe they can topple Cross. Cross were the better team against Silverbridge, but the Bridge should be kicking themselves for a number of unnecessary turnovers that proved costly. Rangers' self belief versus the lack of belief in their opponents is still a major factor that sees them overcome many hurdles. 

Think we will be up against it when we play Clann Eireann, although again, Clann Eireann haven't been very impressive to date. We have a young team and had a favourable enough draw in the group stages. But this represents a step up in class in terms of the opposition.

Would expect Madden to have too much for Mullaghbawn. 

[bennydorano]

I think if we get a good start v Clann Eireann we'll give them their fill of it but if it goes the other way it could be over pretty quickly. Clann Eireann made wee boys of us in the league in Abbey pk, but they've looked ropey in the championship tod date, but this is the time to kick on for the serious contenders.

Madden to win easy, no idea how Mullaghbawn got past Maghery, that was an implosion, looked so in control and messed it up.

Clans v Killeavey have a bit of history the past few years, Clans exacted revenge last year for the Perase Og Park heist in 2022, don't see Killeavey being beaten as easily this time round but still fancy Clans to win.

Expect Cross to beat Cullyhanna but would love to see the Cullies bringing it!

[general_lee]

I see over on Orchardfans that Lissummon have issued a statement re 2nds teams being entered into the Junior League - anyone know where this can be viewed?

It would appear that Dromintee are entering a second team into Junior football for 2025 but I haven't seen any other club confirm they are doing likewise. If existing clubs remain that brings the number to 6 (CÉ, Cross, St Peter's, Killeavy, Madden).

I see both sides of the argument for and against. It may be worth exploring a Junior B championship as many of the weaker Junior teams will feel threatened by increased competition.

[statto]

I see over on Orchardfans that Lissummon have issued a statement re 2nds teams being entered into the Junior League - anyone know where this can be viewed?

It would appear that Dromintee are entering a second team into Junior football for 2025 but I haven't seen any other club confirm they are doing likewise. If existing clubs remain that brings the number to 6 (CÉ, Cross, St Peter's, Killeavy, Madden).

I see both sides of the argument for and against. It may be worth exploring a Junior B championship as many of the weaker Junior teams will feel threatened by increased competition.

Clan NaGael had asked for numbers about a seconds team also I believe. 

[ranch]

I see over on Orchardfans that Lissummon have issued a statement re 2nds teams being entered into the Junior League - anyone know where this can be viewed?

It would appear that Dromintee are entering a second team into Junior football for 2025 but I haven't seen any other club confirm they are doing likewise. If existing clubs remain that brings the number to 6 (CÉ, Cross, St Peter's, Killeavy, Madden).

I see both sides of the argument for and against. It may be worth exploring a Junior B championship as many of the weaker Junior teams will feel threatened by increased competition.

I'd be happy to see a junior b championship introduced the way things currently stand.

Ideally I'd prefer if 2nd teams played in a properly run reserve championship that's played at the same time as the other championships. By all means allow them to enter the all county leagues. Only teams eligible to represent the county in Ulster club competition should be competing in the championship set up. CE II won the junior last year and there was barely a whimper out of them at the final whistle. Let smaller clubs get their day in the sun.

[general_lee]

In an ideal world all the 2nds & reserve sides would be in their own standalone league and championship. That would require overhauling club football in the county. In reality, reserve football is very much an afterthought for both the county board and most clubs. It gets next to zero publicity or promotion by the county board and every year the championship is forced through in June/July when half the country is away on holidays.

For those clubs with the numbers and talent, why should their players be confined to what is essentially a  pub team competition? So what if CÉ II didn't dance from the rooftops when they won the JFC? They demonstrated this year that they're capable of playing at a much higher level. For some of their players, they might never play senior football - how's that any different to any other junior club player?

At the end of the day it comes down to the fundamental principle of promoting Gaelic games. Why should players be restricted from playing at the highest level because some junior clubs feel threatened? A rising tide lifts all boats, although I don't think any other IIs teams will win a JFC anytime soon.

[Ethan Tremblay]

How many seconds teams have won the junior? 2 by my count from memory?

Its hard for the likes of Lissummon.  They would have a smaller pool of players, competition may not be there internally for players to improve, standards/discipline probably slips throughout the year as there would be little consequences.

[Rufus T Firefly]

How many seconds teams have won the junior? 2 by my count from memory?

Correct - Harps (1957) and Cross - was there anyone else? 

[/quote]

It would appear that Dromintee are entering a second team into Junior football for 2025 but I haven't seen any other club confirm they are doing likewise. If existing clubs remain that brings the number to 6 (CÉ, Cross, St Peter's, Killeavy, Madden).

My understanding is that the Ogs and Clans are both seriously considering their options in this regard.

As others have alluded to, the absence of a meaningful 'B' / Reserve League means that many Clubs can no longer offer a lot of their players coming out of Minor, regular football. A competitive Reserve League would be great to see, but I think for the time being I think the only realistic option will be for teams to enter a second team in Division 3. 

[general_lee]

How many seconds teams have won the junior? 2 by my count from memory?

Going by Wikipedia: Clans in 1968, Cross in 2002 & Clann Éireann in 2023. Cross II reached the final in 2021 and Cullyhanna II were beaten in a replay in 2016.

[brokencrossbar1]

How many seconds teams have won the junior? 2 by my count from memory?

Going by Wikipedia: Clans in 1968, Cross in 2002 & Clann Éireann in 2023. Cross II reached the final in 2021 and Cullyhanna II were beaten in a replay in 2016.

We did the senior and junior double in 1926....