Armagh Club football & hurling

[fitzroyalty]

Clans are on 9 points

Table is like this

                      Pld    W   D    L    Pts
Crossmaglen      11   11   0     0   22   
Pearse Og      11     6   1     4   13
Carrickcruppen   11     5   1     5   11
Killeavy      11     5   1     5   11
St Patrick's      11     4   1     5   11
Dromintee      11     5   0     6   10
Clan na Gael      11     4   1     6     9
Mullaghbawn      11     4   1     6     9
Culloville      11     3   1     7     7
Sarsfields      11     3   1     7     7

[The GAA]

heard dromintee were hammered again - by cruppen.

[corn02]

heard dromintee were hammered again - by cruppen.

Destroyed and could have been a lot more apparently.

Missing half a team but still no excuse to lose to Cruppen by that much.

[Aghdavoyle]

Dreadful from dromintee. only 2 home games left now and one of those is against cross.

[brokencrossbar1]

I was up the other night and had a very interesting conversation with a few Ogs' lads and a Harps girl.   The girl told me who her dad is and I would actually have rathered listen to what she had to say than the lads as they didn't seem like they had much of a clue, but anyway.  They all reckoned that the Ogs or Harps would beat Cross this year with a bit to spare.  Now factor in a lot of pints and a bit of banter, but they were pretty adamant that Cross were a finished team and that the Og's would dominate over the next few years.  I haven't seen any games this year but I reckon that the results and scorelines would suggest that if anything the gap is getting bigger at the minute.

What would people think?

[The GAA]

A club of cross's stature shouldn't have to fish for compliments....

[corn02]

I was up the other night and had a very interesting conversation with a few Ogs' lads and a Harps girl.   The girl told me who her dad is and I would actually have rathered listen to what she had to say than the lads as they didn't seem like they had much of a clue, but anyway.  They all reckoned that the Ogs or Harps would beat Cross this year with a bit to spare.  Now factor in a lot of pints and a bit of banter, but they were pretty adamant that Cross were a finished team and that the Og's would dominate over the next few years.  I haven't seen any games this year but I reckon that the results and scorelines would suggest that if anything the gap is getting bigger at the minute.

What would people think?

Case closed.

[brokencrossbar1]

I am not fishing for praise. This is a discussion board and I wanted to see what people think about the real prospects of the other teams this year.  I know we are the best club, but I haven't seen any games this year.  I am simply wondering if the results do reflect that there is an increasing gap?  It was interesting to hear the lads views and they were adamant that Ogs will break though and even if it was half tongue in cheek they firmly believed that they would win it this year.

corn they were not falling drunk and were well able to mind what they were saying, as was I.  I am more interested in the viewpoint of people here about do the results reflect a growing gap?

[fitzroyalty]

Well cross only beat Pearse Og by 1 pt, by all accounts Ogs could have won it with a bit to spare. Only the league of course but they are probably the best equipped team to take Cross on, and maybe dromintee.

[corn02]

corn they were not falling drunk and were well able to mind what they were saying, as was I.  I am more interested in the viewpoint of people here about do the results reflect a growing gap?

It's league football so I don't know, county players out of teams always makes it hazy, however the fact that a Cross 'select' can domolish teams like Cruppen and Killeavy who are basically full strength is worrying.

From our own view point, the fact that our team minus county men, is performingy so poorly is a worry, because the talent is certainly there.

[winsamsoon]

BC having watched and played Armagh club football over the years my own personal opinion would be that there will only be one team that could possibly challenge Cross this year and that would be the ogs. However i still don't think they have the goolies when it comes to the crunch. Now this has been the case in years gone by but there where a few other clubs that could have and on some occassions arguably should have beaten the cross. After the ogs i feel that no one will touch the cross because the rest of the teams are just an ordinary bunch with no exceptions. I am not only basing this on league tables and results i have seen these teams over the years and this year and i would have to say that in general the standard of club football in Armagh has declined. The Cross are an exceptional team and it only dawned on me for the first the other night in Davitt when they destroyed us the amount of organisation they have. Them lads are highly skilled footballers but also have a great understanding right throughout the field. If the og's are to beat Cross there will have to be a lot go right for them on the day. I have no doubt the ogs have the footballing talent and pace in their team but as i say i hink they lack the stomach for the fight.

This year in the league has been strange because apart from Cross all other teams are beating each other so it is competitive and it is noticeable the mount of young fella's coming through right across the board. It will take these young lads a couple of years to bed in. My own club has had seven or eight lads retiring from last year and these lads would be a miss to any team. We have had to replace them with a group of raw players just out of mnor but it is a great feeling and privilage to watch them young lads mature on the field. You come away with a great sense of pride and achievement when these lads take to the field and stand up to the Cullovilles, St Pat's , Dromintees and the rest. But in general i think a lot of teams are going through transitional periods (similar to the county team) and it will take a few years for the rewards to be fully realised. Cross are slightly different in this regard also because they have had the luxury of success of the highest level and as we know success brings more support and vibrancy around any club. As a result the cross have been more successful at getting the correct mixture of youth with experience. This is even more evident today as the likes of the macs and Mc Conville are now only concentraing on club duties. They will be hard to stop lads.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

I am not fishing for praise. This is a discussion board and I wanted to see what people think about the real prospects of the other teams this year.  I know we are the best club, but I haven't seen any games this year.  I am simply wondering if the results do reflect that there is an increasing gap?  It was interesting to hear the lads views and they were adamant that Ogs will break though and even if it was half tongue in cheek they firmly believed that they would win it this year.

corn they were not falling drunk and were well able to mind what they were saying, as was I.  I am more interested in the viewpoint of people here about do the results reflect a growing gap?

I think there's a growing gap. We've always argued to people from other counties that, despite Cross' dominance, club football in the rest of Armagh is as good as that in any other county in Ulster, and I think that, up until the past couple of years, that has been a fair analysis. At the minute though, I think we're going through a lull in terms of challengers stepping up the plate. Cross aren't really getting any better but there's fewer teams at the standard able to challenge. Dromintee are the best example - excellent team on paper but have had the stuiffing knocked out of them by too many defeats by Cross to the point where I'm not sure if they even believe they'll ever beat the Rangers. The current state of affairs will only last another year or two until another real challenger steps forward. Ógs and Harps are maybe best placed but with the players we have coming through, I'm genuinely hopeful that St Pat's can be a real force in Armagh football in the years to come.

[Diet Coke]

Harps have a considerable gap to close on Whitecross......never mind Crossmaglen

[qub la la la]

heard dromintee were hammered again - by cruppen.

Destroyed and could have been a lot more apparently.

Missing half a team but still no excuse to lose to Cruppen by that much.

sounds like maybe you's have a devine right to not lose by that much to lowly Cruppen. I do accept that Dromintee were missing a number of their best players but there should have been a lot more in it to be honest, an awful lot more. The view of one of your own players was that without the county boys there just isnt the talent there to compete.

Tacadoir is correct in saying that a lot of teams are in a kind of tranition. On Sunday 9 of our starters have played u21 football in the past 2 seasons and 4 of our subs that went on aswell. We do realise that we are a team that is hopefully developing and can build on the success at u21 level over the past 2 years. Ogs do seem to be the only team that may challenge cross this year, but i think the record 14 in a row is only a matter of when and not if.

And going back to corn's other point about cross select, dromintee still have to play them twice and it will be interesting to see what happens in those games.

[corn02]

heard dromintee were hammered again - by cruppen.

Destroyed and could have been a lot more apparently.

Missing half a team but still no excuse to lose to Cruppen by that much.

sounds like maybe you's have a devine right to not lose by that much to lowly Cruppen.

Get off that high horse there.

I don't expect it to lose by 10 points at home to any team whether it be Cross or Cruppen.