Down Club Hurling & Football

[Splash]

Good day of Senior Hurling tomorrow. Newry Shamrocks need to upset Ballygalget to realistically have any chance of preserving senior status. Both teams seem to be at a bit of a low, so wouldn't expect it to be the prettiest of games. You would imagine Ballygalget will simply have too much for Shamrocks, but you never know. Be interesting if Ballygalget are unlucky enough to end up in the Intermediate how they'd fair on an All Ireland run.

Bredagh v Ballycran should be a good game, with nothing too much of note to mention. Would expect Ballycran to come away with the win, but think Bredagh can give a good showing.

Portaferry v Liatroim should be a great game. Massive opportunity for Liatroim. Would expect Portaferry to come away with the win, but  Liatroim are flying and won't have any fear. Pearse Óg McCrickard potentially the best hurler in Ulster after McManus , and have talent across the field. Defence may struggle against the likes of the Sands brothers and Tom McGrattan, though. Will be a good game to see where each team is at. If Liatroim do win, you'd fancy them to make the final which would be massive.

Another good weekend for senior hurling. Long gone hopefully are the days of a 3 team championship.

Whatever about Pearse Óg McCrickard, you have McManus as the best hurler in Ulster?

Neil McManus from Cushendall, aye. Top, top hurler. Well fit to mix it with the best in Ireland. Getting on a bit now. Still though, some player. Great evangelist for Ulster Hurling. Followed, imo, by McCrickard and Keelan Molloy from Dunloy (although there is a bit of a gap from McManus to those two). Brendan Rodgers from Slaughtneil also up there.

[LC]

Good day of Senior Hurling tomorrow. Newry Shamrocks need to upset Ballygalget to realistically have any chance of preserving senior status. Both teams seem to be at a bit of a low, so wouldn't expect it to be the prettiest of games. You would imagine Ballygalget will simply have too much for Shamrocks, but you never know. Be interesting if Ballygalget are unlucky enough to end up in the Intermediate how they'd fair on an All Ireland run.

Bredagh v Ballycran should be a good game, with nothing too much of note to mention. Would expect Ballycran to come away with the win, but think Bredagh can give a good showing.

Portaferry v Liatroim should be a great game. Massive opportunity for Liatroim. Would expect Portaferry to come away with the win, but  Liatroim are flying and won't have any fear. Pearse Óg McCrickard potentially the best hurler in Ulster after McManus , and have talent across the field. Defence may struggle against the likes of the Sands brothers and Tom McGrattan, though. Will be a good game to see where each team is at. If Liatroim do win, you'd fancy them to make the final which would be massive.

Another good weekend for senior hurling. Long gone hopefully are the days of a 3 team championship.

Whatever about Pearse Óg McCrickard, you have McManus as the best hurler in Ulster?

Neil McManus from Cushendall, aye. Top, top hurler. Well fit to mix it with the best in Ireland. Getting on a bit now. Still though, some player. Great evangelist for Ulster Hurling. Followed, imo, by McCrickard and Keelan Molloy from Dunloy (although there is a bit of a gap from McManus to those two). Brendan Rodgers from Slaughtneil also up there.

While still also being one of the top footballers in Ulster at the same time.

[Splash]

Fair enough. It's all about opinions. Though I feel like I'm in an episode of Goodnight Sweetheart.

Aye, all about opinions.

[Splash]

Good day of Senior Hurling tomorrow. Newry Shamrocks need to upset Ballygalget to realistically have any chance of preserving senior status. Both teams seem to be at a bit of a low, so wouldn't expect it to be the prettiest of games. You would imagine Ballygalget will simply have too much for Shamrocks, but you never know. Be interesting if Ballygalget are unlucky enough to end up in the Intermediate how they'd fair on an All Ireland run.

Bredagh v Ballycran should be a good game, with nothing too much of note to mention. Would expect Ballycran to come away with the win, but think Bredagh can give a good showing.

Portaferry v Liatroim should be a great game. Massive opportunity for Liatroim. Would expect Portaferry to come away with the win, but  Liatroim are flying and won't have any fear. Pearse Óg McCrickard potentially the best hurler in Ulster after McManus , and have talent across the field. Defence may struggle against the likes of the Sands brothers and Tom McGrattan, though. Will be a good game to see where each team is at. If Liatroim do win, you'd fancy them to make the final which would be massive.

Another good weekend for senior hurling. Long gone hopefully are the days of a 3 team championship.

Whatever about Pearse Óg McCrickard, you have McManus as the best hurler in Ulster?

Neil McManus from Cushendall, aye. Top, top hurler. Well fit to mix it with the best in Ireland. Getting on a bit now. Still though, some player. Great evangelist for Ulster Hurling. Followed, imo, by McCrickard and Keelan Molloy from Dunloy (although there is a bit of a gap from McManus to those two). Brendan Rodgers from Slaughtneil also up there.

While still also being one of the top footballers in Ulster at the same time.

Absolute great player all round.

[Splash]

Good weekend of club hurling.

Not too much to say on Ballycrand and Bredagh. Ballycran just a level above them atm. Think the Championship is theirs to lose now. Potentially an Ulster Championship in the team? Hopefully Bredagh aren't going to spiral now. Be a massive shame for Down hurling if all the work they've invested becomes undone.

Ballygalget back to old ways against Newry Shamrocks. Ugly scoreline which won't do much to help the game in the Shamrocks club, but is what it is. The team knows where they are now with 2 bigger challenges coming in the form of the Crans and the Ports. Similar sort of situation to Bredagh, hopefully they don't spiral. The clubs need to do well for the benefit of hurling in the 2 key urban areas of the county.
Shamrocks by no means bad hurlers, and had moments of good stuff, but simply, hadn't the physicality, strength, or fitness to compete with Ballygalget and were handled easily by the Ardsmen. Paul Sheehan clearly a big miss. Sean Campbell also probably a big miss.
Some great hurlers in Ballygalget. Hopefully the club is coming through their own barren patch.

Liatroim couldn't get over the line, but not a million miles away. Portaferry may have got a scare from the close scoreline. Liatroim still well fit to reach the final on their day, but wouldn't imagine they'd be able to deal with Ballycran in a final. Still though, great progress from them and I'm sure they'll be happy with where they are this season.

Semi final draw will be interesting.

Not too much to be said for the Intermediate.

Carryduff dismatled Clonduff. You would fear what they could do to Ballela or the Point if they took a notion. Apparently, Clonduff didn't even put out too bad a team.
Although it took until the second half for the floodgates to open. Carryduff simply had better hurlers out the field who could take scores from around the field. Heard it said this weekend there is no Intermediate level in Down, only Senior and Junior.
Nothing else really to be said.
Lot of underage need work needs to go into South Down clubs to get to the level of Bredagh/Carryduff- and tbf to Clonduff, they seem to be putting it in. This championship was always going to be Carryduff's. Hopefully Clonduff can recover, and build on the good stuff they have and be competitive with Warrenpoint and Ballela.

CPN get over the line against Ballela, but a far better showing from the West Down men than many were expecting. Johnny McMuscker back in action. Great asset to any team. Never a good idea to rely heavily on one player but not a lot else Ballela can do at the minute, maybe. You'd wonder how they would have fared with Ryan McCusker available for them.
Good to see the Point getting the first win at Intermediate level. Hopefully they can continue to develop. Only gets tougher from here on out.

Junior Championship also panned out the way many would have been expecting.

Castlewellen dealt with Ballyvarley handily enough in the end. Was level at halftime, with BV going ahead in the second half, but seemed to fall apart for them when they conceded the penalty. Castlewellen a far fitter team, and looked better organised. BV hit a lot of wides and gave away soft frees, which CW seemed to thrive off of.
BV didn't seem confident taking their scores. A return from Paul O'Neill would definitely be a great asset.
BV missing key men, and some lads not suited to filling different positions. Tom Lennon a big miss for BV.
Good to see James McGrath back. Does wonders for a team to have a player like that coming back.
No standout player for Castlewellen, just a great team performance. Kept the head when it wasn't going great and took the chances when they came. Simple as. Will feel they already have one hand on the championship.

Kilclief v East Belfast a strange affair.
Kilclief absolutely rampant in the first have. Ran around East Belfast, barely letting them on the ball. Just systematically took East Belfast apart from every side.
Second half East Belfast scored what Kilclief had scored in the first half, and although it didn't feel like Kilclief were ever in any trouble, to take the foot of the gas to that extent may be concerning.
Some great hurlers for East Belfast, and the size of the squad is insane- lads spilling down the sideline. Kilclief fitter, faster, and stronger, though. Also great in the air, and were able to take shots from far out the field.
You would wonder if Kilclief are used to the breeze that comes with playing on the shore, and whether they are able to turn it into a tool of the trade.
East Belfast definitely missing Irial Ó'Cellaigh, Jack Gavin, and Prionsais Lennon in the half backline, although a club that size probably will have no trouble locating someone, somewhere who can do the job for them.

Semi finals will be interesting.
Kilclief v Ballyvarley is essentially a semi final to see who joins CW in the final. Kilclief favourites, but the game is in Ballyvarley, and their backs will already be against the wall after the loss. Won't be happy with that performance and will be chomping at the bit to get a chance to go again. Ballyvarley won't let Kilclief start as strongly as East Belfast did, and Kilclief showed their defence can be opened up. A Ballyvarley side that wasn't firing still managed to score 1-09 on Castlewellen. Still rattled home an early goal, and were unlucky with their goal chances. Also have the physicality to match Kilclief and keep them off the ball.
At the same time, clear by looking at Kilclief they are a Div 1 team playing with Div 2 teams. Will be confident of going on an unbeaten run this championship. A physical side with some great hurling ability. Might take a lot to stop them.
Would expect Castlewellen to beat East Belfast, but no shortage of goal poachers available for the Belfast side, and judging on league performances, it would be possible for them to give Castlewellen a scare.

No one really stood out in the Junior Championship who would be a good shout for the County Squad, which is unfortunate. Maybe a couple of the Kilclief boys, but hard to know. We talk a lot in Down how the solution is more clubs. If we had a greater number of clubs, we would find better players. But we would also need to invest and develop our junior clubs. Would be great to see more clubs, but a lot needs to be done to keep lads playing a high quality game across the county. More clubs does not automatically mean you unearth great players.

Great weekend of club hurling, and no shortage of good games to come. Hopefully the County Board doesn't focus solely on the football in the coming weeks, and both championships get some good exposure.

Some very interesting developments to watch out for on the hurling front this year.

[marty34]

Good weekend of club hurling.

Not too much to say on Ballycrand and Bredagh. Ballycran just a level above them atm. Think the Championship is theirs to lose now. Potentially an Ulster Championship in the team? Hopefully Bredagh aren't going to spiral now. Be a massive shame for Down hurling if all the work they've invested becomes undone.

Ballygalget back to old ways against Newry Shamrocks. Ugly scoreline which won't do much to help the game in the Shamrocks club, but is what it is. The team knows where they are now with 2 bigger challenges coming in the form of the Crans and the Ports. Similar sort of situation to Bredagh, hopefully they don't spiral. The clubs need to do well for the benefit of hurling in the 2 key urban areas of the county.
Shamrocks by no means bad hurlers, and had moments of good stuff, but simply, hadn't the physicality, strength, or fitness to compete with Ballygalget and were handled easily by the Ardsmen. Paul Sheehan clearly a big miss. Sean Campbell also probably a big miss.
Some great hurlers in Ballygalget. Hopefully the club is coming through their own barren patch.

Liatroim couldn't get over the line, but not a million miles away. Portaferry may have got a scare from the close scoreline. Liatroim still well fit to reach the final on their day, but wouldn't imagine they'd be able to deal with Ballycran in a final. Still though, great progress from them and I'm sure they'll be happy with where they are this season.

Semi final draw will be interesting.

Not too much to be said for the Intermediate.

Carryduff dismatled Clonduff. You would fear what they could do to Ballela or the Point if they took a notion. Apparently, Clonduff didn't even put out too bad a team.
Although it took until the second half for the floodgates to open. Carryduff simply had better hurlers out the field who could take scores from around the field. Heard it said this weekend there is no Intermediate level in Down, only Senior and Junior.
Nothing else really to be said.
Lot of underage need work needs to go into South Down clubs to get to the level of Bredagh/Carryduff- and tbf to Clonduff, they seem to be putting it in. This championship was always going to be Carryduff's. Hopefully Clonduff can recover, and build on the good stuff they have and be competitive with Warrenpoint and Ballela.

CPN get over the line against Ballela, but a far better showing from the West Down men than many were expecting. Johnny McMuscker back in action. Great asset to any team. Never a good idea to rely heavily on one player but not a lot else Ballela can do at the minute, maybe. You'd wonder how they would have fared with Ryan McCusker available for them.
Good to see the Point getting the first win at Intermediate level. Hopefully they can continue to develop. Only gets tougher from here on out.

Junior Championship also panned out the way many would have been expecting.

Castlewellen dealt with Ballyvarley handily enough in the end. Was level at halftime, with BV going ahead in the second half, but seemed to fall apart for them when they conceded the penalty. Castlewellen a far fitter team, and looked better organised. BV hit a lot of wides and gave away soft frees, which CW seemed to thrive off of.
BV didn't seem confident taking their scores. A return from Paul O'Neill would definitely be a great asset.
BV missing key men, and some lads not suited to filling different positions. Tom Lennon a big miss for BV.
Good to see James McGrath back. Does wonders for a team to have a player like that coming back.
No standout player for Castlewellen, just a great team performance. Kept the head when it wasn't going great and took the chances when they came. Simple as. Will feel they already have one hand on the championship.

Kilclief v East Belfast a strange affair.
Kilclief absolutely rampant in the first have. Ran around East Belfast, barely letting them on the ball. Just systematically took East Belfast apart from every side.
Second half East Belfast scored what Kilclief had scored in the first half, and although it didn't feel like Kilclief were ever in any trouble, to take the foot of the gas to that extent may be concerning.
Some great hurlers for East Belfast, and the size of the squad is insane- lads spilling down the sideline. Kilclief fitter, faster, and stronger, though. Also great in the air, and were able to take shots from far out the field.
You would wonder if Kilclief are used to the breeze that comes with playing on the shore, and whether they are able to turn it into a tool of the trade.
East Belfast definitely missing Irial Ó'Cellaigh, Jack Gavin, and Prionsais Lennon in the half backline, although a club that size probably will have no trouble locating someone, somewhere who can do the job for them.

Semi finals will be interesting.
Kilclief v Ballyvarley is essentially a semi final to see who joins CW in the final. Kilclief favourites, but the game is in Ballyvarley, and their backs will already be against the wall after the loss. Won't be happy with that performance and will be chomping at the bit to get a chance to go again. Ballyvarley won't let Kilclief start as strongly as East Belfast did, and Kilclief showed their defence can be opened up. A Ballyvarley side that wasn't firing still managed to score 1-09 on Castlewellen. Still rattled home an early goal, and were unlucky with their goal chances. Also have the physicality to match Kilclief and keep them off the ball.
At the same time, clear by looking at Kilclief they are a Div 1 team playing with Div 2 teams. Will be confident of going on an unbeaten run this championship. A physical side with some great hurling ability. Might take a lot to stop them.
Would expect Castlewellen to beat East Belfast, but no shortage of goal poachers available for the Belfast side, and judging on league performances, it would be possible for them to give Castlewellen a scare.

No one really stood out in the Junior Championship who would be a good shout for the County Squad, which is unfortunate. Maybe a couple of the Kilclief boys, but hard to know. We talk a lot in Down how the solution is more clubs. If we had a greater number of clubs, we would find better players. But we would also need to invest and develop our junior clubs. Would be great to see more clubs, but a lot needs to be done to keep lads playing a high quality game across the county. More clubs does not automatically mean you unearth great players.

Great weekend of club hurling, and no shortage of good games to come. Hopefully the County Board doesn't focus solely on the football in the coming weeks, and both championships get some good exposure.

Some very interesting developments to watch out for on the hurling front this year.

That's a comprehensive analysis there Splash. Very detailed.

Great stuff.

[johnnycool]

Senior semi-finals are probably going to be home games for Ballycran (guaranteed at this stage) and more than likely Portaferry, the Liatroim game vrs us will decide who plays who.

Ironically enough I'd say we'd prefer to face Ballycran in Ballycran than Portaferry in Portaferry so that would mean coming fourth and losing to Liatroim to do that but I don't get that mindset, go out and win every game is always good for morale in the camp.
I get the resting players bit as we've a small core group of key players we need to keep fit, we've a two week break now before we face Portaferry at home, win that and we'd be looking at a home semi-final depending on the Liatroim game the week after.

As for the Pearse Óg McCrickard comments, the key word is potentially, he still has to prove it at a high level and that's more than Div1 hurling in Down on a consistent basis.

[Splash]

Personally always found Ballycran a harder place to go and get a result, but the reality is there's no game coming easy once you get to the semi final.

Hard to choose a winner between Liatroim and Ballygalget. Should be a great game.

Ballygalget more than capable of getting a win over Portaferry, which keeps everything interesting.

In regards to McCrickard, yes, he still has a lot to prove, but he was instrumental to keeping Down in the Joe McDonagh this year. Had an absolutely great game against Kildare when it was needed, and was a constant in a year that Down would maybe like to forget. Hard to gauge where players are on the broader scale when they don't get the chance to perform outside of Division 2A and the Joe McDonagh, but McCrickard really has been on top form.

But as you say, there is more to hurling than Down Div 1. All the same, I don't think he'd be too far out of his depth in the Antrim leagues.

[harryR]

There is a few hurlers in Ulster, that if they played in say Antrim or played hurling as main sport, that would be up there as well. Men like Brendan Rodgers, Sean Leo mcgoldrick, Danny Cullen etc

[Truth hurts]

Should teams in the division 3 minor championship be permitted to be destroyed by a club the magnitude of Newry Shamrocks?

[ardtole]

Yes

[Truth hurts]

Has anyone heard the rumour of the Killyleagh Wolfe Tones are reforming ? The parishes of Killyleagh, Comber, Killinchy, and Tullnakill have some catchment area. I really hope it works the them.

[County Star]

Has anyone heard the rumour of the Killyleagh Wolfe Tones are reforming ? The parishes of Killyleagh, Comber, Killinchy, and Tullnakill have some catchment area. I really hope it works the them.

Yea this is true

[Green+Gold]

The County Board are a disgrace charging £6 for over 12s into SFC games this weekend. All kids should be free and they have the cheek to charge £2 for babies up to 12 year old. £30 for a family with a 3 teenagers to watch a first round game is pure greed.

[5times5times]

The County Board are a disgrace charging £6 for over 12s into SFC games this weekend. All kids should be free and they have the cheek to charge £2 for babies up to 12 year old. £30 for a family with a 3 teenagers to watch a first round game is pure greed.

Not this sh1t again... Sponsor not enough to pay the extortionate bill for Laverty & co.. ticket sales is the only option