NFL Division 3 2014

[ross4life]

Just 12/13 days away, time to get this thread up and running. For us to progress we must get promoted this year but as ever this will be a real dogfight division & it won't surprise me if a unfancied side gain promotion, Wexford at 6/1 look good value.

Outright winner odds

Cavan (7/4), Roscommon (7/2), Wexford (6), Fermanagh (11), Sligo (12), Limerick (14), Longford (14) Offaly (16)

Relegation

Offaly (8/11), Longford (evens) Limerick (7/4), Fermanagh (15/8), Sligo (9/4), Wexford (5), Roscommon (6) Cavan (8/1)

Cavan - Fermanagh (H) Offaly (A) Wexford (A) Sligo (H) Longford (A) Roscommon (H) Limerick (A)

Fermanagh - Cavan (A) Sligo (H) Longford (A) Roscommon (H) Limerick (A) Wexford (H) Offaly (H)

Wexford -  Offaly (H) Roscommon (A) Cavan (H) Limerick (A) Sligo (H) Fermanagh (A) Longford (H)

Offaly - Wexford (A) Cavan (H) Sligo (A)Longford (H) Roscommon (A) Limerick (H) Fermanagh (A)

Sligo -  Limerick (H) Fermanagh (A) Offaly (H) Cavan (A) Wexford (A) Longford (H) Roscommon (A)

Limerick - Sligo (A) Longford (H) Roscommon (A) Wexford (H) Fermanagh (H) Offaly (A) Cavan (H)

Longford - Roscommon (H) Limerick (A) Fermanagh (H) Offaly (A) Cavan (H) Sligo (A) Wexford (A)

Roscommon - Longford (A) Wexford (H) Limerick (H) Fermanagh (A) Offaly (H) Cavan (A) Sligo (H)

[larryin89]

Can only see Cavan causing Roscommon any problems here, Roscommon are not a div 3 team and will prove that this year. ( gawd I hat saying stuff like that)

[From the Bunker]

Have to say I'd expect Roscommon to get out of that group. 4 home games with Longford fermanagh and Cavan close treks. League is a strange animal all the same and you never know where you might lose points!

[mylestheslasher]

Cavan are shaping up well so far playing with a lot of new lads and looking fit and hungry. We should be good enough to beat Fermanagh first day but the next games away to Offaly and Wexford  who are two teams we always struggle against and both of them are away. Roscommon are a serious threat too and that game in Breffni could be a very important game. This Div 3 is a tough division and there are banana skins everywhere but I think we have the quality and self belief this year to get promotion.

Who will go down I wonder? Fermanagh and Sligo I think.

[sligoman2]

I think this was brought before but I must admit I don't understand why we have 4 away games again this year and we are in the same division while other teams have 4 home games again e.g Roscommon.
I think we played Ross away last year too.  I does not make any sense to me.

I think we will do well to survive, we can't be throwing away six point leads to div 4 teams like we did yesterday and like we did last year v Meath.

Still, it was a nice change to actually have a 6 pt lead.

I would be interested in the opinions of the posters of how good some of the new players Pat introduced in the fbd are?  We need another good midfielder in my opinion to partner with kilcullen.

One of Sligo's biggest weaknesses is poor passes under pressure - hopefully Dr Flanagan has a tablet for that.  Looking forward to what seems to be a very strong division

[SLIGONIAN]

I think this was brought before but I must admit I don't understand why we have 4 away games again this year and we are in the same division while other teams have 4 home games again e.g Roscommon.
I think we played Ross away last year too.  I does not make any sense to me.

I think we will do well to survive, we can't be throwing away six point leads to div 4 teams like we did yesterday and like we did last year v Meath.

Still, it was a nice change to actually have a 6 pt lead.

I would be interested in the opinions of the posters of how good some of the new players Pat introduced in the fbd are?  We need another good midfielder in my opinion to partner with kilcullen.

One of Sligo's biggest weaknesses is poor passes under pressure - hopefully Dr Flanagan has a tablet for that.  Looking forward to what seems to be a very strong division

Honestly trying to be patient but yday was very frustrating whilst i have been at all 3 games its hard to know what to make of the players that are getting chances. People are applauding pat and i can see why if your not familiar with the players and your not going to the games, you'll think its great but for us to have to endure it, its not easy seeing slow players and out of your depth ones getting chances and you know whats coming, they'll eventually be shown up more.

im not going to name names or analyse us publicly. nice to have a 6 pt lead? man come on what good is that? if you don't win. i was at that meath game last yr and it was exact repeat 2nd half. ill send ya pm tomorrow on the details from my perspective but we have a lot of work to do on/off the field. I'm very mixed so far on everything, yes we can be brilliant but what good is that if you don't work hard all the time and repeating it is unforgivable.

[Mano]

I think this was brought before but I must admit I don't understand why we have 4 away games again this year and we are in the same division while other teams have 4 home games again e.g Roscommon.
I think we played Ross away last year too.  I does not make any sense to me.

I think we will do well to survive, we can't be throwing away six point leads to div 4 teams like we did yesterday and like we did last year v Meath.

Still, it was a nice change to actually have a 6 pt lead.

I would be interested in the opinions of the posters of how good some of the new players Pat introduced in the fbd are?  We need another good midfielder in my opinion to partner with kilcullen.

One of Sligo's biggest weaknesses is poor passes under pressure - hopefully Dr Flanagan has a tablet for that.  Looking forward to what seems to be a very strong division

Honestly trying to be patient but yday was very frustrating whilst i have been at all 3 games its hard to know what to make of the players that are getting chances. People are applauding pat and i can see why if your not familiar with the players and your not going to the games, you'll think its great but for us to have to endure it, its not easy seeing slow players and out of your depth ones getting chances and you know whats coming, they'll eventually be shown up more.

im not going to name names or analyse us publicly. nice to have a 6 pt lead? man come on what good is that? if you don't win. i was at that meath game last yr and it was exact repeat 2nd half. ill send ya pm tomorrow on the details from my perspective but we have a lot of work to do on/off the field. I'm very mixed so far on everything, yes we can be brilliant but what good is that if you don't work hard all the time and repeating it is unforgivable.

Look at the positives we have finally got a new manager and County Board Chairman. Thankfully the embarrassing year we had last year has resulted in some change at the top level.

This is the time of year to try out new players if they are not good enough then they will be cut from the panel - every team throughout the country is fielding weakened teams - if we unearth 2/3 new players then it will be worth it.

There seems to be alot of players missing from last years panel - anyone know the story with these lads Taylor (sick), Gilmartin, McIntyre (injured), Brendan Egan (Vincents), Brian Egan, Brian Kennedy, Johnny Martyn, Brian Curran

[GalwayBayBoy]

I think this was brought before but I must admit I don't understand why we have 4 away games again this year and we are in the same division while other teams have 4 home games again e.g Roscommon.
I think we played Ross away last year too.  I does not make any sense to me.

Somebody explained the reasoning behind it when the league fixtures came out. Not that I really got the logic behind it. We are in the same boat in Div 2. 4 away games again this year after 4 away last year. In a tight division having 4 away games (for the 2nd year in a row) could be the difference between staying up or not to some sides.

I guess if you have 4 home again though you're laughing.

[Rossfan]

A lot of our neighbours from other Divisions interloping here.
It's all to play for in this traditionally tightest of all the Divisions.
A good start is the key and hope we can start with 4 points from the 2 Feb games.
2 points we're still in with a chance but 2 defeats and Larry's prediction might come true -we'll get out of D3 by being relegated.

[Westside]

Cavan have been confident going into the last two League Campaigns, 2012 we ended up being very lucky to stay up and last year we stumbled at the first hurdle v Antrim, got back on track and losing the Fermanagh game really ended our ambitions.

I do think this year will be different, unlike last year we have a settled spine of a team performing well. We have our best full back and full forward available. Keating and Dunne were big losses during last year's league. The team matured during the extended Championship run last year and they will believe that now is the time to make the step up.

The McKenna Cup and the League are world's apart though and in reality there is little separating ourselves, Wexford and Roscommon. Our fixture list is (once again) fairly awful with trips to Offaly and Wexford which won't help us. I do think promotion will be a struggle and we will hit bumps in the road during this campaign. If we can keep our key players fit with the possibility of Gearoid coming back to give us a lift for the final few games I think we will give it a good rattle.

[rodney trotter]

Think its between more then 3 teams, Longford have a very good record against Cavan both in Breffni and Pearse Park , and despite their poor showing last year in Division 2 I'm sure they will want to rectify that this year. Took a bad beating by Kildare in the O Byrne Cup but only had 2 regulars playing. Some good U21 forwards from this year/last year like Mark Hughes, Robbie Smith.

Limerick can be a match for any team and was surprising they remained in Division 4 as long as they did. Ian Ryan, Stephen Kelly, Johnny McCarthy , Ger Collins are all solid players.

Sligo were without David Kelly for the entire league and Championbship last year, as good as any forward in the Country on his day.

[Syferus]

Think its between more then 3 teams, Longford have a very good record against Cavan both in Breffni and Pearse Park , and despite their poor showing last year in Division 2 I'm sure they will want to rectify that this year. Took a bad beating by Kildare in the O Byrne Cup but only had 2 regulars playing. Some good U21 forwards from this year/last year like Mark Hughes, Robbie Smith.

Limerick can be a match for any team and was surprising they remained in Division 4 as long as they did. Ian Ryan, Stephen Kelly, Johnny McCarthy , Ger Collins are all solid players.

Sligo were without David Kelly for the entire league and Championbship last year, as good as any forward in the Country on his day.

If Longford beat us they've every chance but a loss at home to start the league may meaning staying up is a more attainable goal than being promoted. Hard to know where Sligo land but with Pat Flanagan's late appointment it's though to see our neighbours being in the shake-up going into the final weekend.

Don't know what to make of Limerick. We delt with them down in the city last time we played them a few years ago and could be just as likely to get relegated as beat anyone of note.

Usual pattern of Division 3 is everyone scalping someone and the pre-season favourites looking in a little bother mid-league but recovering heading into the stretch. Hope that'd be enough for us to get promoted.

[magpie seanie]

I expect us to have a better league than last year. That would not be particularly difficult though. Hoping and praying for a good start. Colleges crap has really been a big impediment for Sligo this year coupled with the late managerial appointment. Unusually for Sligo we have a few lads involved in club semi finals which is a blow cos we need everybody.

I didn't see any FBD games but the feedback is not great. Still - we got the the final of it last year and look what happened after that.

[ross4life]

The odds i posted above should change after that FBD result today. We remain so inconsistent anything could happen & until we sort out our defence we can forget about promotion.

[Syferus]

The odds i posted above should change after that FBD result today. We remain so inconsistent anything could happen & until we sort out our defence we can forget about promotion.

Because the other D3 counties playing this weekend looked so impressive?

What's with the obsession GAA supporters have with odds, anyways?