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Just to jump this thread up again. I have to say Leinster are doing a great job in terms of paying all due respect to Croke Park. Their comms lads are really top, as are the new IRFU people.

The GAA could learn a lot from them on it. Should be a good one tomorrow!

In Gaelic football in general there is always a need to ne seen to want to change it. Change the rules and a good county manager will find a new way to play and negate it.

Change the season, change the format. Even at club level sometimes there is a system that works and then it gets thrown out for no reason, other than to be seen to do something.

I think that the split season has to stay but tweaks and more time needed. At county level the provincials are the biggest issue.

The league tends to be good, and look at all the finals produced somme kind of excitement. In the Provinces Leinster and Munster Finals are going to be terrible. Connacht is tighter but no side is flying.

Ulster is competetive, but then when the teams don't go all the way the provincials are blamed for being so hard to get through...

Also, when it comes to the clubs, the vast majority can start their championship in July when their county side are out anyway. That was a big issue pre split.
A team gets kncoked out in July and yet no serious club games till end of August for no reason...

Kildare v Longford confirmed for Saturday, 11th at 6pm in Hawkfield. That's the Kildare Centre of Excellence (which may be ironic this year!  )

It's not ideal in the sense that it's out of the town with one entrance and parking on grass. Anyway, here we go!

May as well get the build-up going...

Kildare are where they are and the way things are going I don't fancy any easy wins for us, unless something changes.

Leitrim, Longford and Waterford will all fancy making a statement. Might make the trip to Waterford as Dungarvan is a decent spot.

Just getting the ball rolling...

I was off to a gig so only had to endure the first half...Christ!

Down coughed it up whenever Armagh actually engaged them and were also afraid to shoot, but Armagh stood so far off them.

I am not trolling here, but is Ulster really that good? Like the reason why the Provincials are here to stay is down to one province but the quality varies a lot within that. The best game of the year could be Dublin v Derry in the league.

I just can't see Dublin being caught when it comes to when it really matters. I'm also going to have a punt on Kilkenny as POTY. He is playing far more direct again.

The older stagers like McCarthy and Mick Fitz also add so much. Then if Jack McCaffrey gets right...

Hard to know where the others really are, and Kerry will be cagey too till they need to show their hand.

Spending big on Van Djik and Allison was neccesary and they were class acts, but the lads up top cost a fair few quid and are hit and miss.

Nunez was massive money and can't be trusted. Gakpo, Diaz and Jota also were not cheap. The finishing is what's killing Liverpool in recent times.

At the back Konate is just not good enough but they didn't ever look at buying decent cover when Gomez and Matip are walking sick notes. At the time there was a the big crisis the lure of Klopp could have got a solid player in on frees or short term.

I know Klopp doesn't have City's money but the spending has not been great.

A key thing is to be a hypocrite too.
Call others snowflakes but then any perceived slight has them spiralling.

Not in Ireland but in the USA they will go nuts about the 1st Amendment but then when students protest over Gaza they call in the riot squad. Make up your mind lads...

A small few make a LOT of noise but they won't get their deposits back when it comes to the elections. It's a tiny minority on tour.

I am not sure where to stand on Poch at Chelsea. Some fans on the Guardian who seem to know their stuff are heavily critical of him and his choices, but they have bought some absolute tools.
I mean there seem to be a lot of unlikeable people with them and the money spent doesn't mean they are, or ever will be, decent players.

It's like they bought a load of Antonys. A lad who had a stint and then got mad money, but can't actually perform week in week out.

Chelsea will have another mad clear-out and buy another load of talent who are dirt.

Is there any hope of a City slip?

I think the massive issue with Kildare and Meath especially is that we are really failing the talented players making the step up from underage.

Like Kildare have won U20 titles in 2018, were finalists in 2022 and won it again in 2023. The issue is that these lads are thrown into a shitshow and are not let bulk and train to be really ready to make a difference.

Dublin only need 1 or 2 lads and they sit down in a dressing room with the likes of Fenton and Kilkenny to guide them. Plus, all the other supports.

Meath were very direct and have some great hard-running young lads. Fully deserved the win.

Only got to watch it last night. I am fully aware of how things were, but when you see it laid out in front of you it still shocks you.

They are an amazing family with no hate in them. It's justice pure and simple they want. It's very unfortuntae that the current shower are in Westminster so long as whatever hope for something being done will be stopped by them.

I had hopes that GAAGo might encourage/force RTE to up its game.

However given the fact that GAAgo is essentially run by RTE, it's clear that there's little to no chance of this happening.

I think the GAA have given RTE far too much leeway over the years and basically put up with whatever RTE was willing to do. The RTE sports department gets way more out of the GAA that what the GAA get out of RTE. 

Across the board it's a lot of the same people who are hired in to actually run the shows. But I would argue that GAAGo with Grainne, Paddy and Tomás and Des Curran on comms is a better product and they don't fuckin run Gaelic Football into the ground and say it's shite at every opportunity.

RTÉ own the rights to so much sport but now they are skint and can't really staff it properly and do it justice. People were up in arms over Sky, but that was a good show they put on.

A good few years ago the place I worled shit suddenly so signed on for the first time locally. In the office this woman may as well have been working there as she informed everyone of all the benefits.

Another person she knew wandered over to the job bank machine, and asked her how to use it - no clue! Kinda summed it up.

I know there are people who need it and there are plenty who need a lot of support to get back to work, but there are plenty who just aren't arsed and laugh at people heading to work.

The mad thing is in some cases they make it very hard for people who want to get going again and they are better off just going full dole merchant.

In fairness it's nothing new and not down to the split season. There were times when the likes of Wicklow would get 90 seconds of a report with errors.

There needs to be an online show where the panel chat on subjects/ issues. Throw it up on YouTube and leave the Sunday Game to the actual games.

The likes of Dessie seems to be gone, but his female version Cora needs the boot too! Their GAA Podcast is good with Jacqui and they have good contributors too. That could be jazzed up a bit to make it a full production even.

But like Paul Flynn, Gooch and Cavanagh are just not good enough. As I said GAAGo when it gives the full treatment to the game is better now.

They want to drum up talking points that all the various pods and radio shows have flogged all week, but they are the only ones with the fuckin matches to show.

Just play the clips and give some extended highlights online somewhere else if needs be. I see GAAGo has a Cork Munster hurling game so I look forward to Donal Óg's rant already...

GAAGo have a YouTube show and seemingly the Dean Rock analysis is good too. In fairness I gave out in the past re GAAGo but their matchday stuff is much improved. Grainne McElwain is top class in fairness and the pundits seem more relaxed.

There should be a Player show dropping on a Mondayy with talking points like Seo Spoirt used to do on TG4.