Tyrone Club Football and Hurling

[Maor Uisce]

All three would be up there. Very hard to select only 15. Mayse and Lafferty have played very little football this year due to soccer contracts.

[Norf Tyrone]

All three would be up there. Very hard to select only 15. Mayse and Lafferty have played very little football this year due to soccer contracts.

From North Tyrone being the poor relation to having a selection dilema! We might need to set up trials!

On that subject, good to see 3 North Tyrone lads on the Queen's University Future All Star Team. For all the shie football that's 20% of the entire province.

[LeoMc]

Why don't you have a go at a select from your area? Be a welcome discussion in comparison to somethings put up here.

What are the boundaries?
Ardboe parish
Clonoe parish
Coalisland parish
Cookstown/Rock/Kildress
Dungannon/Edendork/Killyman/Donaghmore/Moy
Eglish/kileeshil/Aghaloo/Galbally
Augher/Clogher/Eskra/Errigal
Dromore/Trillick/Fintona/Drumquin/Dregish/Derg
Omagh/Tatts/Drumragh/Killyclogher
Beragh/Carrickmore/Loughmcrory/Greencastle
How do you stop them fighting in the changing rooms?

[Maor Uisce]

Those boundaries seem fair. As far as stopping the fighting, you would need the right manager and back room staff to unite the squad...

[Keyboard Warrior]

Jesus I thought there would be no gravy left after Dom they must have struck gold

Dalradian!

[Localexpert]

County champions playing a charity game today u30s v over30s all in aid of mental health charities.  Last I heard mackers chipped the goalkeeper from 35 yards to go 2-0 up.  Link below for all you charitable types.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/coalisland-fianna

[ose 14]

a north tyrone team in senior championship would be a super idea. but that would take thinking. as would a north tyrone acadmey for younger players and coaches. but until we stop wasting money at the top of the xmas team especialy on overrated coaches and managers this aint a runner. managed to get the boots on for a kick about at the new 4g in strabane over xmas what a superb facility and what potentially would be a great spot for a north tyrone acadmey instead of dragging the better ones to kellys for their dinner.

[Maor Uisce]

Ideally Tyrone should have a championship with everyone in. Division 1 clubs can go solo and div 2/3 clubs can combine to field competitive teams. It has proved very effective for keeping standards high and giving more players the opportunity to play at a higher level in several counties. The best example being Kerry. Obviously the idea is fine but the logistics of another competition and rules around teams amalgamating would need to be clear.

[tc_manchester]

I remember looking at the panels for the 2005 All Ireland and 80% of Tyrone's panel was from the senior clubs while 55% of Kerry's panel was from senior clubs. I've always thought that Kerry's senior championship structure was the best way to discover the best players in the county.

[Maor Uisce]

Agreed. Last year in Tyrone there were two panel members outside of the senior clubs. That has been reversed slightly due to pomeroy being relegated and call ups from Aghyarn and Galbally. Definitely an issue in Tyrone that if you play for an intermediate or Junior club your only realistic chance of making the county squad is being an outstanding talent at underage and never falling off that ladder. Surely we are missing a trick by seemingly discounting almost 2/3s of our playing population. I know the standard is obviously higher in Div 1 but if you unearthed a player or two every so often from the lower divisions it would make the effort it would take worthwhile. On a separate note, a lot of intermediate and junior players feel a total disconnect from the county team and see them only as a hindrance to getting their own games played.

[TabClear]

Agreed. Last year in Tyrone there were two panel members outside of the senior clubs. That has been reversed slightly due to pomeroy being relegated and call ups from Aghyarn and Galbally. Definitely an issue in Tyrone that if you play for an intermediate or Junior club your only realistic chance of making the county squad is being an outstanding talent at underage and never falling off that ladder. Surely we are missing a trick by seemingly discounting almost 2/3s of our playing population. I know the standard is obviously higher in Div 1 but if you unearthed a player or two every so often from the lower divisions it would make the effort it would take worthwhile. On a separate note, a lot of intermediate and junior players feel a total disconnect from the county team and see them only as a hindrance to getting their own games played.

I would agree with this. Part of the problem is that the lower division players who might have a chance of making it do not have a chance to adjust to the step up in opposition skill level. They lord games in the lower league because they are a level above the opposition. However, if they get a call up for the county they find it  diffficult to make the adjustment in that the things that work for them i the lower league will not work at elite level e.g. taking a couple of men on rather than the simple pass etc. They end up making the wrong decision out of habit. A few games in the regional teams would allow them to get used to being marked by higher quality opponents and adjust their game accordingly.

Its something you see regularly when minors make the step up to senior football at club level. The good minors who were used to running over the top of players in underage try the same at senior but soon realise that even the fat, balding corner back is a tougher opponent than the majority of the underage players!

[trailer]

Can anyone name a Div 2 or 3 player who should be on the panel and isn't?

[bigpackiechestout]

Can anyone name a Div 2 or 3 player who should be on the panel and isn't?

Maybe not but I can name plenty of Div 2 or 3 players who were very good underage players at School or County level and who had the potential to play senior county football. Had they been playing for one of the top clubs in county and exposed to senior club football from the age of 17 or 18 some of these lads could well have developed into Senior County Footballers.

Take Glenelly for example, they are (or used to be anyway) consistently represented by 2 or 3 lads on successful CBS Omagh teams. Yet they have been a poor division 3 teams for years and when was the last time they had a Tyrone Senior panelist? I would argue a promising young player from the likes of Glenelly is more likely to drift away or not fully commit to the game when they have so little to play for at club level.

[Maor Uisce]

The point is potential is being missed. I am not saying they are 10+ players in div 2/3 who are being obviously overlooked. The lower Divisions as a whole are not considered by the current set-up for a number of reasons. As pointed out above underage inter-county teams, development squads and schools team all have players from across the divisions. So it is safe to state that at 19-21 we have players who are on the cusp of senior football who all have shown promise and may have the potential to play inter-county football. What happens? A select few (depending on the senior teams needs) of the stand out performers will be called into the senior squad. The rest? Most will go back to their clubs, some will play third level football. A very small number may put in huge performances at university level in Mc Kenna cup games Vs their own county and get the call up. I'm not sure this has happened anyone in Tyrone. Now you are left with the majority who go back to play for their clubs. What is the obvious route to get onto the Tyrone panel? You play for a senior club, perform well in a championship campaign and you will likely get called up. The players who go back to DIV2/3 club are not exposed to the same quality etc so the option of a championship with divisional sides would bridge this gap. This would create a path for players who fall off the ladder to get back to where they want to be. Perfect example being two recent players who have been called back into the squad after time away. Would this have happened had they played for a lower division team? Despite the same effort/ commitment from both players, I don't think so. All hypothetical obviously

[trailer]

Plenty of Senior clubs who from time to time have had no county players. I don't think you can blame the fact they're playing Div 2 or 3. Sure these young lads get a run out in u-21 or u-20 now and also University teams. Sure enough there might be 1 or 2 every now and again overlooked but I doubt there's 10 or 12 players being overlooked or not developed.