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As an aside, as an Ulster man, I will never support the Ulster rugby team in its current guise. The selection processes, coaching, administration and governance is inherently sectarian and no serious attempt has been made to address this. Of course plenty of Catholics don't care and go to ravenhill for the spectacle but personally I wouldn't go near it until I see some fundamental change in culture from the top down.

Explain all these reasons before making such a hideous claim.

Yeah, I mean to be fair rugby is played in tradionally Protestant Grammer schools up north and not played in Catholic schools at any level as far as i know, Ulster rugby pick from these schools and they represent Ulster at school level and then make it (if they are lucky) to get on to the Ulster set up.... There has been many attempts from catholics in the past that set up rugby teams and such but lost a lot of interest as they were mainly GAA men and never really commited to it...

Ive never heard of a bias to be honest and thats from lads i know personally who over the years have been involved with coaching at schools and ulster levels

It's more attractive to go to these games now for a few reasons, facilities are better, better promotion better coverage some ownership... it's a night out lots of different things which make it a great spectacle... I've been to Ravenhill then Kingspan stadium and it's a great atmosphere to be honest, you bump into plenty GAA men that's for sure so it's got a broad appeal, something unfortunately the GAA up north doesn't have.


I don't think bandwagon is it, more of its become a better professional sport

That's a really stupid argument. How many lads have boxed, done MMA, played American football, drove a formula 1 car etc etc?

I don't agree.

Loads of people have became big rugby fans in their 20s/30s/40s despite the fact that.

I would say most of the people who are big rugby fans now had little to no interest in the game 15 years ago. The only reason it has became popular is due to the fact it is only taken seriously in a handful of countries, making success a lot easier to achieve - the national side had an upturn in results and the people in the media pushed. The impressionable, naive, folly people bought into this as a result and are now big rugby fans.

Irish rugby fans tend to be like cult members- "Everything is great about rugby football, criticism of the game is not wanted or needed". The national team are lauded as sporting giants, despite the fact they rank somewhere between 5th and 8th in a sport that only 8 countries take anywhere serious.

If I had an interest in sport and it was accessible for me to play then I would take it up when I was in a position, I'm sure most normal people would as well.

Give us some data, bomber
Rugby was always on the telly. In the 80s and 90s Ireland might win 2 matches in the 5 or 6N with occasional class like 82 or 85

But then O'Driscoll rolled up
He  scored 3 tries in PARIS to beat the French in France for the first time in 30 years in 2000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWr9Oz-cnzI
I remember pulling into a pub in Tipp to watch it.
Rugby has been on an upward curve since then

Back in 95 Leinster played in front of a crowd of 4k at Landsdowne Road in the Heinken Cup.

http://origin-m.ercrugby.com/matchcentre/16914.php

Nobody cared then obviously.

Except you

No one cares about Scottish football bomber! Even the famous Celtic couldn't fill Parkhead when the sectarian fun was missing for 3 or 4 years!

A team as opposed to a sport.

On a bad day Celtic Park is about 60% full. Imagine playing in the echelons of European club rugby (after you've amalgamated all the clubs on the island into four sides) and playing in a stadium where 3/4 of the stadium didn't even open.

Rugby had no following in Ireland and then overnight half the country were big rugby people who were blowing excessive money following the fortunes of the bottlers. I wonder how many of our Ulster rugby fans on here set foot inside Ravenhill before the mid 2000s?

It's a bit like when the junior and intermediate club teams go to Croke park on finals day... 10th of the capacity but for the players amazing.... nowadays it's nearly full houses so hey everyone come on well

Just watched an advert on 4 selling men's grooming... for your balls? Seriously?? What p***k would buy that?? (Pun totally intended)

These are recent stats you are discussing? Last seven years? But this competition is a lot longer so can you do the figures for that?

Ive lost the run of this debate at this stage. What exactly is the point you have arguing here for the past day or so, Milltown? Is it that the Tyrone championship isn't competitive? Or that it is just poor quality? Either way you're like a dog with a bone. Not sure why it matters so much. But it's good to have something futile to focus the mind in the off season, I suppose.

Edit: Taking into account your last post, you can disregard this one! 😃

some eejit was confused and yes I was like a dog with a bone!! Stupid I know

f**k up now the pair of Yous

I know I should but ... right I'll not discuss it anymore

These are recent stats you are discussing? Last seven years? But this competition is a lot longer so can you do the figures for that?

Here we go again.....

Ya never know !! Just when you think its right!

And why would St John's look to change the leagues to a ten team Division one??
Anyone got any clues??

Lol

That's a really stupid argument. How many lads have boxed, done MMA, played American football, drove a formula 1 car etc etc?

I don't agree.

Loads of people have became big rugby fans in their 20s/30s/40s despite the fact that.

I would say most of the people who are big rugby fans now had little to no interest in the game 15 years ago. The only reason it has became popular is due to the fact it is only taken seriously in a handful of countries, making success a lot easier to achieve - the national side had an upturn in results and the people in the media pushed. The impressionable, naive, folly people bought into this as a result and are now big rugby fans.

Irish rugby fans tend to be like cult members- "Everything is great about rugby football, criticism of the game is not wanted or needed". The national team are lauded as sporting giants, despite the fact they rank somewhere between 5th and 8th in a sport that only 8 countries take anywhere serious.

If I had an interest in sport and it was accessible for me to play then I would take it up when I was in a position, I'm sure most normal people would as well.

Give us some data, bomber
Rugby was always on the telly. In the 80s and 90s Ireland might win 2 matches in the 5 or 6N with occasional class like 82 or 85

But then O'Driscoll rolled up
He  scored 3 tries in PARIS to beat the French in France for the first time in 30 years in 2000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWr9Oz-cnzI
I remember pulling into a pub in Tipp to watch it.
Rugby has been on an upward curve since then

Back in 95 Leinster played in front of a crowd of 4k at Landsdowne Road in the Heinken Cup.

http://origin-m.ercrugby.com/matchcentre/16914.php

Nobody cared then obviously.

Except you

It was clearly inferred that the reason for Tyrone clubs lack of success in ulster was due to the fact their championship was that "competitive" teams were spent the time ulster matches came around; comments that the same faces from Armagh/Derry/Down/Monaghan were always there or thereabouts in Ulster was that they "walked" through their championships without challenge which is bull.   

From reading posts, people are clearing trying to make a point the Tyrone championship is the toughest in Ulster.  The point I was trying to make is that if it that tough, and the winner is that deserving of the title, why do they not compete as well as they should?   

Regarding Maghery, semi-finalists, they have done as well as any Tyrone team in ulster in the past 10 years bar Omagh in 2014, as far as I mind the only Tyrone team to reach a final?

Some people may have inferred that but I haven't.

What I have said is that Tyrone have 8 or 9 sides who would be able to hold their own in the Ulster Club Championship, there's not a lot between the top 8 or 9 sides there and while Tyrone may not have a side up there with the likes of Cross/Kilcoo/Slaughtneil/Scotstown they do have plenty of sides who can go into Ulster, win a few games and be competitive against the best teams.

In the other counties mentioned I highly doubt you would have the same. Derry for a long time has been the best club championship in the province but it's now basically a duopoly between Slaughtneil and Ballinderry, all the other sides seem a good distance off these two. Armagh and Down have generally been processions for the past few years for Cross and Kilcoo and we saw the hockeying Maghery got yesterday. Monaghan is an inferior Derry at the minute with an inferior duopoly in Clontibret and Scotstown. Donegal is of a decent standard but a bit like Tyrone doesn't have any super club who will dominate the scene.

On that basis, I would say Tyrone has the strongest club championship in Ulster - I would not use the best team in the county as a marker for the rest - it would be like saying Leinster foobtall is currently the strongest province because Dublin have won 4 of the last 6 AIs.

All about opinions I suppose, Dublin championship would be the strongest in the last ten years for sure... and the likes of Rhode and Portlaois would prop up the rest of Leinster!

What is the longest length of time our hurling league structure has stayed the same?

Jesus I played senior hurling for tooooo many years and all I've known is change every other year! 3 max

There is no hiding from two titles (one club) since it started in 1968....

Talk of seven different winners last seven years. Brilliant.. what was the reason prior to that? There has been dominat  teams in Tyrone, just more dominant clubs from other countries...

Cavan gaels should have won at least one and so should gave Enniskillen gaels, great teams who with a bounce of the ball lost out...

Because one club says nothing about the quality of a county championship, it just tells you about the quality of that particular team.

You usually talk rubbish bomber but that statement is very true! Some of the years st galls won the runners up would barely have been in the senior championship in other counties.

You do seem more likely to win it out of derry though. I would say armagh but that would be cross only obviously. Other than derry  the winners from most other counties seem to tend to be, on average, lower quality.

I do however think kilcoo might win this year.

Competitive in Tyrone yes I agree but outside against other clubs from other counties they haven't filled their so called potential, we can only base it on results and ultimately they have failed miserably on that score

Burren have beaten Kilcoo in last 2 years in championship then got knocked out narrowly by Kilcoo when Kilcoo qualified through back door.

Kilcoo have won 5 Down titles on the trot.

Yes but there has generally only been a point or 2 between the 2 teams. I.e Burren and Kilcoo. Luck of draw they keep running into each other.

Why can't Burren beat Kilcoo when it matters so. The last time they met in a county final, Kilcoo won by 11 points. Kilcoo are far ahead of anything in Down at the minute, 5 titles on the trot tells you everything you need to know in that regard.

And still no Ulster so winning five in a row means??

Please don't as it will involve thousands of pages from quotes from wiki and 'experts'

Here we go again.....

Ya never know !! Just when you think its right!