Down Club Hurling & Football

[whitegoodman]

Sorry meant div 1 semi, u are correct

[Gabriel]

2013 we beat Derry in Ulster, lost narrowly to Donegal in the semi final and were then required to go back to Celtic Park and put out by Derry in our first qualifier game.

[whitegoodman]

Thanks, it was the year before that they got to the ulster final then.  James last two years went a bit flat alright.

[Mourne Rover]

You may be missing the point a little here, WGM. You suggested that our campaign in 2008 tailed off after the McKenna Cup, but it actually turned into our best season for some 14 years. When James succeeded Ross, he took us to another level without any doubt. It is a bit harsh to say that his last two terms were flat, as in 2013 we had a fine championship win in our first trip to Derry and we really should have beaten the defending AI champions, Donegal in the next round. In 2014, only a missed 20m free from practically in front of the posts prevented us beating Tyrone in Omagh although it is fair to say that events went downhill from there. McCorry has pretty clearly given us fresh energy, and, while most Down fans would agree that we enjoyed some overdue good fortune against Kildare, Cavan and Galway, it is also the case that we finished all three games with the kind of momentum
which indicates a confident squad. It is what we do in the latter stages of the league, followed by our next visit to Derry, which will define our season.

[pauly2]

Heard last night that Benny Coulter has joined the minor management set up??  This would be a great addition indeed.  Can anyone confirm or deny??

[elk]

Down team tonight was
Mark Reid Bryansford
Aaron Mc Donald Bryansford
Aaron Beattie Newry bosco
Aidan Fulcher kilcoo
Anthony Doherty Downpatrick
Rory Burns Castlewellan
Ruairi Wells Bryansford
Conor Devlin Bryansford
Joe Mc Kinney daragh Cross
Martin Devlin kilcoo
Cathal Foy Burren
Aaron Magee Warrenpoint
Pat Havern saval
Rory Mason loughisland
Conal Gallagher Newry Bosco

Four of the seven in defence from Bryansford and another who doesn't play for his club senior team enough said!

I wouldn't really pay much heed to the actual u21 competition run within the county.
Its a dud comp and played at a time of year when its hard for players to give a sh!te.
I was more thinking of the large % of players who play regular top tier football for their clubs or have shown pedigree at Ulster Colleges level beforehand.
Would have thought that the stronger/bigger clubs in Down would have decent 21s lining out for them regularly.

I think a lot of us in this county under estimate the talent coming through our underage. although we have not performed well at county standard this past while if we look at each club there are a number of quality young individuals who are all probably good enough to break into senior teams, but is it a case that some club senior managers are afraid to play a youngster over someone who has been around longer?

'ifyoure good enough youre old enough'

Seriously, if a lad hasn't made it onto his senior team at 21, then is there really much hope for him?  Many of the lads on the team last night I just would not know.  The management got the panel wrong in the first place leaving lads out and then when they went back to them (knowing they made a mistake) the lads told them where to go.  They must shoulder alot of the blame for not even getting the best panel together never mind the best team.  Dawson's horrors at county level continue.

Cory Quinn can't find a starting place in the mayobridge senior team at the minute and he's one of the hottest talents in the county.

Dawson tries to make it more about himself than about the players. Dropped the big names for 'not working hard enough'. Quinn was scoring for fun before he was dropped, apparently scored 1-7 in a challenge game 2 days before hand too, find it hard how Dawson could justify that no matter how hard the lad works, he's there to score.

Who are the other big names he dropped?

[SHEEDY]

brilliant win and performance by down today. was expecting a much tougher game but we were well on top all over the field. looking good for promotion and a trip to croke park for the divisional final.

[Dubh driocht]

We may have had a bit of luck in our three wins before today but there was a swagger about this commanding performance in Mullingar. Westmeath were unlucky to lose their towering midfielder in the first minute but we tore in to them like men possessed. Mc Corry was right on the radio when he said it would be difficult to pick a MoM as we had 8/10s from 1 to 15 as well as the subs. Stevie Kane did not waste one kick out and is cool as f**k on the line. Collins has a good bit of cut, Howard has a commanding presence and D Turley is our player of the year to date. Devlin had another good game, Ryan Mallon was a leader in his first start and his run up the line in the second half led to our first goal- he took them all on. O'Hanlon mixed the excellent ( including a super point) with the average. Mc Kernan was different class again although the black card was a bit of a waste and one more could see him miss Croke Park( if we make it) or Celtic Park. Pete Turley is the complete midfielder at the moment and one hit in front of the stand gave Westmeath a clear message that he was one mean hombre.
Poly is gradually coming back to his top form and hit some great scores while Arthur is the new Ambrose senior- a crowd favourite. Conor Maginn was just about MoM- he really covers every blade and slashes defences at his leisure and Conall Mc Govern is a quality defender. Donal O'Hare put in another huge shift and banged in his usual 1-4 while the Commander in Chief read the game like a book , and he knows every page off by heart, thinking two passes ahead of everyone else. All the subs did well with Aidan Carr in particular showing good form.
Again the team finished strong so fair play to John Morgan who has got on with it quietly and deserves great credit; you get the sense that the team are united, focussed and happy so the backroom is playing it's part.
Mc Corry is calm, inspires loyalty from men he trusts and makes good calls.
I would still like to see Marty Clarke and Big Dan in there and Madine will also give him plenty of calls to make- we had Darren O'Hagan and Conor Garvey on the bench so there is a fairly strong squad
So we're safe and should go up which was the first base. Derry are not going well but we know Mc Iver will have them ready in June and has the Slaughtneil lads to come in so it will be a big test. But at this stage we bend the knee to no-one.

[Mourne Rover]

The health warning is that Westmeath were very limited on the day, but we can only beat the opposition in front of us and we are starting to look like a side which is full of confidence and going places. McCorry again got his selection and tactics spot on, and, to the posters on this board who have suggested that he has enjoyed his share of good fortune, he would be entitled to say that the harder we work the luckier we get.

Kane had another excellent afternoon, making one point blank save but more importantly organising his defence and consistently finding a colleague with his kick-outs. Collins, making his first start, was as impressive as Howard alongside him, but the star of the full back line was Dee Turley. He has steadily improved this season and was completely dominant today.

Mallon was first to every ball at centre half and his run from his own half when he left two Westmeath men for dead and set up our first goal was one of the highlights of the match. McGovern is a no-frills operator who does all the simple things well, while Maginn, dropping back to an unfamiliar wing half position, was outstanding. He is cool and calculating in possession and his burst of pace while running from deep left him almost unmarkable and just about our man of the match.

Turley pushed him very hard with an amazing display of ball-winning and fair but ferocious tackling at midfield, with his partner McKernan also in top class form. His late black card, his second of the campaign, was the only blemish, as it was needless and a third will presumably bring a one-match suspension.

Poland had an unusual day, as his handling was erratic by his standards but he still scored three fine points from play, while Devlin worked hard without fully imposing himself on the proceedings. However, O'Hanlon found unlimited space, hit a series of  cross-field passes and put in his best ever display at this level.

O'Hare showed well from start to finish and ended up with his normal 1-4, while McConville was only just behind him with 1-2 and might even have taken a hat-trick. Laverty ran the show again, and his leadership qualities were immense.

All the subs did themselves no harm, and there must be a fair chance that Carr will make the first 15 against Meath. A draw in that fixture, depending on results elsewhere, may well guarantee promotion and a day out at Croke Park, which not too many were predicting last month.

[Aristo 60]

I'd agree with all of what MR and DD say but I was more disappointed than both at the number of times Poland was dispossessed or gave a stray ball away.

I'm also far from convinced with Mooney and contrary to MR I think he was the one sub who didn't do his cause any good. When he roared in against Kildare I thought he would be something special for us this year but in every match since I'm less and less pleased.

I watched him in the warm up when the squad were sprinting from the 21 to the end line and back and - on every occasion - he was last.  I thought maybe he was still carrying a niggle and not wanting to go full pelt but if was fit enough to come on as a sub he was fit enough to keep up with the sprints. When he did come on some of the sliced kick passes and hoofs high up in the air were frightening.

Maybe its Monday and I'm being too negative but if I have to put him back on the boat, I will 

[Mourne Rover]

Aristo, Mooney has just turned 21 and has spent the last three seasons in Australia with Collingwood, It is hardly a surprise that he is taking a while to remind himself of the basics of Gaelic football, but, after coming off the bench against Kildare, he scored a wonder goal from nothing and helped to create another one in injury time. He took an amazing early catch against Roscommon before tweaking his hamstring, which obviously needs a little recovery time, but he also hit a very impressive point as a sub in a crucial stage of the Galway game. It is fair to say that his involvement yesterday was limited, but the contest was long over when he appeared. While we do not know if he will make a championship footballer, he is likely to improve steadily if he learns from McCorry and Laverty.

[Aristo 60]

Like you, saw all that but still unconvinced.

[PAULD123]

Warm ups don't win matches. Mooney is one of the fastest sprinters in the Down squad. He has been training as a professional athlete for three years. I don't think some sluggish warm up performances indicate his natural speed.

However as someone said before, he is no Marty Clarke, in that he is not all-action and very involved. Mooney's game is more about popping up and doing something quick and effective and then may not be involved for a while. He has made telling contributions in each of his first three NFL games but would need to get more involved in recycling ball and tackling.

I am certainly convinced about his ability but perhaps approach needs some influencing by Jim

[Aristo 60]

Warm ups don't win matches. Mooney is one of the fastest sprinters in the Down squad. He has been training as a professional athlete for three years. I don't think some sluggish warm up performances indicate his natural speed.

However as someone said before, he is no Marty Clarke, in that he is not all-action and very involved. Mooney's game is more about popping up and doing something quick and effective and then may not be involved for a while. He has made telling contributions in each of his first three NFL games but would need to get more involved in recycling ball and tackling.

I am certainly convinced about his ability but perhaps approach needs some influencing by Jim

Correct - what it does say is that his head doesn't look to be fully in it at the minute

[extra time]

He runs like a player with a dodgey hammy, which he has!!