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Great news for Tyrone & Ardboe if true!

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2008/0929/1222420013976.html

Coney likely to resist lure of Australia

THE GAA may have just caught a break in the struggle to keep hold of their most talented young players. The potential golden future that now lies in front of Tyrone footballers looks to have swayed Kyle Coney from taking up a rookie contract with the Sydney Swans in November.

The teenager refused to confirm or deny the rumours emanating over the weekend but it looks increasingly likely he will follow the lead of Seán Cavanagh a few seasons back and stay put.

"My mind is now set on Ardboe," said Coney after Saturday's game. "I have to get back to normality with the club. I'm not away anywhere yet. I've not made any final plans yet.

"My aim is to play senior football for Tyrone. Definitely. There is no better feeling than playing for your county, especially winning, sure, what more could you want?

"My options are still firmly open and they will be until I make any decisions further down the line."

Sounds positive for Tyrone.

"Thanks lads, I enjoyed that," said Aiden O'Shea, standing outside the Mayo changing rooms as two Tyrone players offered commiserations. It was some statement from a teenager who had just experienced the worst hurt sport can deliver.

The contrast in emotions was stark, but both teams still exchanged gear afterwards. Tyrone had a spare set of jerseys. Just in case. They really do think of everything. That is the difference right now. Tyrone laid solid foundations and are set to reap the long term benefits.

So little separated the teams, but an underlining gulf exists that Mayo boss Ray Dempsey addressed when asked to make sense of what just transpired.

"We were beaten by a very, very good side, I don't know more talented but definitely a more technical, team in Tyrone.

"The huge work they are doing at underage, they really set out 10 years ago to become power-houses in football and that's really what they are doing. We are delighted, I suppose we are no more than 10 months at it so going forward, from our point of view, if we want to be consistent and taken serious we have to really up our coaching and get the real support and the backing that's needed to compete with the Tyrones of this world.

"It may be just putting words into action. Getting the school structures stronger. Getting underage stronger. Putting people into place to technically develop players . . . We did our damnedest to be going back over the Shannon with the cup.

"We've beaten Kerry and brought Tyrone to a replay and extra-time so I don't know what we have to do to win an All-Ireland. We're down, but we have to see do we really want to be consistent at this level."

Life in the house of pain continues, but Sam and his young friend Tom Markham will winter well in Tyrone.

... their supporters may find some solace in this score-line.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/08092008/58/worst-team-international-sport.html

Many within Armagh forecast dark days.  The old guard is mostly gone some firing broadsides at the mgt team as they leave.   Francie gets cleaned out in Croker and probably has played his last game.  What next & when will they be back?

Kaka, Ronaldo & Messi.....all technically midfield players and it didn't take a genius panel to work that choice out!   Stevie diver didn't make the cut unsurprisingly!

I got a copy of this in the post a few weeks back and only got to reading it last night.    The 2 GAA moments chosen were in hurling DJ Careys famous point in the 02 AIF and for football it's Peter The Great coming back on with 7 mins to go in the 03 AIF to lift Sam!    Might not be everyones choice but it's nice to see 2 of the greatest players our generation has had the pleasure of watching getting the recognition they deserve. 

to being without Brian Dooher for the Meath clash...according to  today's UTV teletext page 476!

How often do these clampets update their GAA page? every 2 months?

Oh and by the way Mickey himself has been offerd the Tyrone job until 2010!  great news! 

Anyone for Ravenhill tonight?

It's the end of an era in Armagh, even the most ardent Joe fan has to admit it.   So what now?

Most of McConville, Bellew, McGeeney, O'Rourke, McGrane, Marsden etc all likely to follow Joe en masse out of the Armagh set up.

Who takes over?   John Raffery?  Peter Rafferty?  Paul Grimely?  All are likely to throw their hat in the ring for the job as all feel they deserve a crack at it.  The obvious choice seems like Peter Rafferty as it will be mainly players from his u21 squad that fill the gaps left by the old stalwarts.   Who do the Armagh brethren think should take over?

So Football, Hurling, Camogie, Handball & Rounders are all official GAA sports.  How come road bowls isn't even tho its only played in a few counties?  As it's unique to these shores shouldn't the Cumann Luthcleas Gael be promoting it?

Does the series follow any particular order chronological or otherwise or does it just alternate between random football & hurling games?  I've been on the lookout for the 95 football AIF on it.  Maybe they just don't show the dire finals?

I;ve uploaded all the music on my PC to the iTunes library ready to transfer it to my Ipod.  Many of the tunes and albums are duplicated tho so how do I remove the duplicates?

see pic

I'd have to say the Welcome Inn in Forkhill.  Met Ben Dunne in in a few years back.

I'd deffo say Killeavy although I hear my da saying that there used to be a pair in Collegeland that were better.

Steel-tips & heels only considered.

Masters to consider American offer



Exciting Cork football forward James Masters is considering an offer to travel to America for a trial as an NFL kicker.

Masters says he had been approached but there's been no recent communication with his initial contact in recent times.

"The truth of what has happened is now being stretched beyond belief," Masters says.

"I did get a phone call over a month before Christmas from a man asking me if I would be interested in trying out in the NFL as a kicker, but it was a vague conversation.

"At the start, I actually thought it was a prank call, but I checked it out and I believe he was being genuine.

"I said the only way I would know was if I had a trial period for a few weeks and he just said that he would be in contact with me again."

A man phones Anfield and asks "What time is kick off tonight?"

"About every 10 minutes!" came the reply.

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Apparently Rite Price Tiles have tapped up Rafa Benitez to replace Daft Dave in their series of ads.

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Whats Jerzy Dudek's favorite colour?  Indigo!

.....but only while development work takes place!

Tyrone unveil stand plans
21 December 2006

Plans for a second covered stand at Healy Park in Omagh have been unveiled by the Tyrone county board.

A 5,000-seater stand was opened in 2004, but now ambitious Tyrone officials feel it is time for additional covered and seated accommodation. Work had already commenced on the second phase of a Stg5 million redevelopment project. This will see the addition of a new control tower, press box, dressing rooms and the installation of a lift in the stand.

Healy Park became the first county ground in Ulster to stage a floodlit match earlier this year and is now recognised as one of the premier GAA venues in the country, second only to the Athletic Grounds in Armagh.

John Toal follows Aidan O'Rourke in venting his anger at being banished from the Armagh set-up without being consulted on the matter.  Both players were surprised to learn through the media that they had "retired" from inter-county football. 

Despite this attempt to force him off the panel Toal is hopeful of forcing his way back into the senior set-up and has been working hard on his fitness of late after suffering a horrendous injury in last year's Ulster SFC final drawn game.

"I have trained nearly every day for the past year-and-a-half, and I have no intention of retiring," he revealed.

"I'm still in the gym and I'm training nearly every night of the week. I have every intention of going back and playing for club and county."

Looks like  Armagh's PR dept could do with a shake up!   

For 2 years despite the complaints of most teams who played on it all we got from Croker was "The playing surface is perfect, state of the art...blah...blah"   

Now that it's soon to host it's first foreign games, an investigation into the long-heard complaints is taking place as a matter of urgency.   Our GAA players complain for years and nothing's done.  The IRFU & FAI raise the matter and Croker fall over backwards to placate them.