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Messages - ExiledGael

#1
GAA Discussion / Re: Sigerson Cup
February 09, 2016, 03:55:55 PM
Quote from: FermGael on February 09, 2016, 03:04:12 PM
Where and at what time is the UUJ v St Marys at tomorrow?

In Jordanstown at 2pm
#2
GAA Discussion / Re: Paddy Heaney of the irish news!
December 01, 2015, 05:33:01 PM
I will miss it. Always worth a read and one of the few things to make you go out and actually buy a paper these days. Papers have less and less to separate themselves from their competitors - when it comes to sport anyway.
Is there an archive of his columns available anywhere?
#3
General discussion / Re: French Terrorist Attacks
November 13, 2015, 10:00:35 PM
Grenades clearly heard during game..
https://vine.co/v/iBb2x00UVlv
#5
GAA Discussion / Re: RIP Aaron Devlin
July 30, 2015, 07:26:28 PM
Awful, awful news. God help his family and friends.
Seemed a very popular guy. RIP
#6
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/6492233.stm

Didn't go so well that night. Dublin have certainly improved since then. On paper we looked reasonable that night but it was in final year of Mulgrew's time and were struggling badly for form in League.
#7
God, but this is an awful depressing place at times.
Because of our size/population and dreadful record any sort of praise appears patronising. On the other end of the scale some are just being arseholes.
No further response to that is deserved.
Dublin will almost certainly win, nobody anywhere is saying otherwise.
The truth is that the pick of Ulster may not even beat this Dublin team on a certain day but we have reached this stage on merit and will go in huge numbers to support the team.
The result on Sunday is not how this season or Fermanagh's future will be defined. The impact off the pitch has been huge in the country and the buzz around the place is great to see. There's almost as many green and white flags up now as red, white and blue.
#8
All this two tier chat this week is basically Fermanagh et al being told they shouldn't be on the same pitch as Dublin incase they get hammered.
Dublin have the capability to hammer pretty much anyone in the country on a good day. If we only want competitive games the 'top tier' Championship would be 5/6 teams at most.
So f**king what if we get well beaten by Dublin. Obviously I hope we don't but big wins happen in all sports around the world. The last few years in Champions League soccer has seen huge wins in latter stages for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, there are drubbings throughout the tournament. The analysis there is based on the brilliance of the victors, not how pathetic the losers were or how the elite could possibly run a competition without involving the also rans.
Jesus, only one team/man can win a sports tournament. The cream will rise to the top. All but one will lose, but that doesn't mean it's a disaster to fall short or be well beaten by one of the game's brilliant sides. It's like this nonsense of handing out medals for all to young players, rewarding the weaker. We don't need a medal or trophy to achieve our goals.
Competitive sport is about finding out who's best, the All-Ireland does that. If you're not the best, so be it. At least the way things are players in 'weaker' counties can aspire to be the best they can be, and if they get everything together and get on a roll, maybe take on the best in the game.
If a second tier Championship was announced right now for 2016 it would be a disaster for weaker counties. Managers would have a huge fight on their hands getting the best players in the county to commit, why bother? Levels of dedication and professionalism would inevitably drop for stronger teams in the lower tier. It's the same with teams coming from Division Three/Four etc into Championship, if you're not playing at a decent level it's almost impossible to then make that step up.
Interest in the Tommy Murphy cup was pathetic. Exit the provincial Championship and it would be open season on US transfers. Even more so than now. Is the Christy Ring/Nicky Rackard and Lory Meagher a roaring success? Every year in hurling you hear the same arguments trotted out. One man saying 'we need to be playing the top teams to bring us on and help young players develop' another stating 'these heavy defeats are doing nothing for our development'.
I can think of one county manager (Louth) who said in the aftermath of a huge defeat that a two tier Championship would help them. They were after getting stuffed by Tipperary, who would still be at their level. It's putting a roof on aspirations, telling players you're not good enough so don't even bother. Niall Carew was saying the complete opposite in Irish News and he has managed/assisted right around the country at various levels.
The argument to that is that whoever wins second tier competition can get into top tier, but say a Fermanagh/Tipperary did win that, they would still be cannon fodder for Dublin/Mayo/Kerry in all probability the year after.
Heaney in IN today used example of US Masters saying any budding golfer can't go and take on the world's best. Ireland's Paul Dunne was one of the stories of the British Open a few weeks back. To be blunt, he fell apart on the final day and finished miles off the pace. Did you hear one pundit/expert/rival saying that these amateurs don't deserve that platform or shouldn't be on same course. Not a negative word. It was a great achievement to compete with best and get to that stage.
Not everyone can win the bloody thing, it's not all about the winners, the elite. This season has been a huge success for Fermanagh, regardless of what happens on Sunday.
As has been said earlier, we took a huge drubbing against Tyrone in 2003 and came back for more, Monaghan were destroyed last year in quarters but regrouped and raised the bar again.
Don't put a limit on what any player can achieve in a given year.
#9
GAA Discussion / Re: Fermanagh v Roscommon
July 12, 2015, 08:19:02 PM
Yes Niall, known as 'Mick' locally.
#10
GAA Discussion / Re: Fermanagh v Roscommon
July 12, 2015, 07:19:32 PM
Delighted for the more unheralded players in Fermanagh team today. Quigley had a bit of an off day, though it's maybe excusable after a serious shoulder in the face in the first half. You can almost tell what sort of a day he's going to have after first few efforts though. Today they didn't go his way.
But behind him the likes of Tiarnan Daly at full-back and Mick Cassidy were superb in defence. Mick scored two points and took one for team with black card, would have been a one on one goal chance. Cynical, but there's not an adult team in the country who wouldn't want that done. Treacy's kick-outs were excellent and O'Callaghan/Donnelly and Jones lorded the middle. Can never recall Fermanagh dominating a midfield sector as much. Would love to know exact stats. Roscommon wiped out there but for over an hour their greater ability to kick scores was difference, Cregg and Shine scored a few beauties.
As usual we just couldn't convert possession into scores, until the penalty and late flurry to win it. Was too far away from penalty to see it properly but I was certainly appealing from a distance. On referee, I thought he had a reasonable game. McCluskey maybe lucky not to see black for a trip but I don't think it was cynical, he was just done by a solo dummy. The officials were not the deciding factor in the game, that's for sure. I'm not quite sure what was though.
We have swathes of heart and determination and a few very good footballers in certain areas who all know their job and do anything for the manager and team - very often at the expense of their own game. Quigley was taken off the frees by McGrath towards the end of the first half and could have thrown the head up. Instead he stuck to his guns, even when nothing was working and I'm delighted he got some reward for perseverance in the end. Summed up the attitude that got us over the line. Somehow.

Btw, I can't be accused of letting late flurry of scores affect my views on game in general as I had to leave before finish. Gutted.
I'll get another day, however.  ;D
#11
Absolutely incredible display from Quigley today, scoring from all angles. Was drifting in and out from middle and nobody seemed to be able to get a grip on him. As good a forward display as I've seen from a Fermanagh man since Rory Gallagher's 3-9 v Monaghan.
He will probably never get that kind of freedom again in a inter-county match in his life. Shows what he is capable of when he gets off to a good start though.
Very impressed with the McCuskers and James McMahon also. Looking good, they're working their asses off for McGrath.
Longford/Kildare/Roscommon next up I think. Would rather avoid Roscommon but McCluskey will be back so bring it on.
Tomas Corrigan possible hamstring injury the only bad news today.
#12
GAA Discussion / Re: 'The dreaded cruciate'
July 02, 2015, 05:37:34 PM
Quote from: screenexile on July 01, 2015, 08:56:55 PM
Third time's a charm!!

Disaster was playing a stupid over 35s game when I should have known better. Anyway as its not covered I wanted to know if anyone has done it through NHS? How long does it take and also how long until you start feeling better with it as in when I've done it previously I've had the surgery fairly quickly but I imagine it will be between 6\12 months on NHS so I wonder how you can cope with the injury for that length of time. Also I've a golf trip in 9 weeks would it be possible to play in that short a timeframe?

6/12 months is wildly optimistic. Could be that length before you are given MRi to clearly determine exact injury (even if you know what it is). Place in Sligo now doing MRi scans for around €200 could be worth looking at to speed things up. I was on NHS for 4 months before getting MRi and then decided to go private. Also I'm not sure you will be deemed worthy of cruciate surgery on NHS, depends on age, fitness, mobility etc.
As for playing other sport soon, it depends on ligament tear and your leg. Have seen some players with torn cruciates even attepting to play football again within a few weeks, there are very varying degrees of cruciate tears. It's not always straightforward and 100% torn so you may have enough muscle and strength in leg to play golf etc.
#13
Is there deferred coverage on BBC?
Would agree that there is a feeling in Fermanagh that we are going in the right direction. League was encouraging for most part and flop in final may have been a good reality check at right time. History has taught us to fear everyone though, God knows what will happen.
#14
Hard to know what to believe, naming teams a bit of a waste of time. Suppose it gives us something to talk about.
Hoganstand saying this will be Coney's Championship debut, can that be right?
#15
Reporter website tonight:

Fermanagh manager Pete McGrath has confirmed that Conor and Sean Quigley are no longer part of his squad but Paul Ward has been added to the panel while a number of other unnamed players have also been approached.
A well documented fall out at training a fortnight ago between Seamus Quigley and McGrath led to all three of the brothers leaving the squad.
Last week, the Fermanagh manager confirmed that Seamus was no longer part of his plans but that the door remained open for the return of Conor and Sean.
However, the pair turned down an offer to talk through the issue and McGrath has stated that the management have "drawn a line in the sand under it and moved on".
"At this stage the Quigleys are gone," he said. " We offered to talk to Sean and Conor to try and resolve whatever issues they had but unfortunately they weren't prepared to talk unless there was a pre-condition that Seamie would be back in the panel, and that simply was not going to happen. We've drawn a line in the sand under it and moved on.
"It was their decision, reluctantly we have to let them go, but it is the two boys who are making the decision, not the management. We made it very clear, they know the situation regarding Seamus and at the end of the day the offer was made to have talks with them and the pre-condition which they set was simply a non-runner."
The former Down All Ireland winning manager accepts that when dealing with a squad of players there is always the chance of problems arising but he has no regrets and feels the management made the right decision.
"Any team and any team management can do without this at any time but these issues come when you are dealing with a group of players; there is always the potential for differences of opinion and there is always the potential for people to see things differently. But, I know personally that we have taken the only course of action we could have taken in the interests of the squad and the interests of Fermanagh football and I have no regrets at all. The matter is now closed."
McGrath also confirmed that Devenish defender Anthony McGuinness has left the panel as he was unable to commit but Derrygonnelly's Paul Ward has been added to the squad while he is also hopeful of another couple of players will also commit over the next ten days.
"Paul Ward joined the squad last night and a number of other players have been contacted and I'm hopeful that they will be with us maybe inside the next week or ten days, but I'm not prepared at this stage to reveal identities as it would be unfair to them."