Topics

Will there be snow?


Dublin are putting up massive scores and by the sounds from the Kildare lads they didn't put up much of a fight against the Dubs

Sounds like Tyrone also had a very bad day at the office v Cork and sounds like we could be in for another tanking from the Boys in Blue

Here ye go lads 

The Dubs are looking fit & hungry and the new lads have a clean slate with the new manager.
Is MD Macauley suspended for this game now?

Mayo got a wakeup call the last day out which could do them the power of good.

http://www.herald.ie/sport/gaa/tyrone-native-quinn-primed-for-dubs-start-3341818.html
Tyrone native Quinn primed for Dubs start
TYRONE native Paddy Quinn could make his competitive debut for Dublin in this Sunday's Bord na Móna O'Byrne Cup clash against Carlow.
Quinn featured for the Dubs in this week's Evening Herald/Dublin Bus Dubs Stars challenge at St Peregrine's and after putting in a solid display could be rewarded with some game time in Dr Cullen Park.
Quinn has been one of Na Fianna's most consistent forwards since joining the club five years ago and last season was instrumental when captaining the St Mobhi Road club to their first Dublin AFL Division 1 title since 1979 when his goal was crucial in their 1-11 to 0-10 victory over St Sylvester's in the final at the end of November.
Dublin will compete in Group B of this year's O'Byrne Cup which will be played on a round-robin format - with games to follow against DCU (Wed, Jan 9) and Wicklow (Sun, Jan 13). The top county in the four groups progresses to the semi-final on January 20.

Wonder will he make the team for Sat 16th March v Tyrone in Croker?
Anyone know him or where he's from?
How long's he living down here and is he any good?

On another note. Did anyone ever see this film. Its very good

Now that we're in November and all the dust has settled and the Donegal are beginning to get back to normal life a little bit anyway, is it time to reflect on how did Donegal actually win Sam this year

A lot of lazy analysis would say they just became the most defensive team of all time and simply parked the bus in front of the goals.


However, a bit like Tyrone in 2003 & 05, I think they already moved on from last year's negative defensive tactics and played a more open direct style this year. However in my young inexperienced eyes they became quite dynamic after getting out of Ulster. They kicked the ball a lot more into their forwards v Kerry and  beyond and risked the wrath of Jimmy with their previous belief that possession is king.

In the final, they seem to really go for the jugular at the start by targeting long balls into Murphy and going for goals.  I think most teams expected this tactic all year or for the past few years but instead often McFadden was left as the only forward to battle for possession.

So to me Donegal (or McGuiness more so) used the tactic of being more dynamic this year and using the disguise of last year's cloak to fool a lot of teams into how they expect them to play.
I was at the Kerry & Cork games with them this year and you could see both were more worried how to stop Donegal doing what they do that concentrate on their own game. Especially Cork I felt.

Anyway, I'm just curious what most of ye think was the main facets that brought Donegal over the line this year and what will teams have up their sleeve for them next year. Who will be best equipped to beat them next year and how?

Sorry if this has all been discussed before. I should have read Emmet Ryan's posts maybe before starting this thread.

[Who would you say was your county's outstanding forward starman in the last 10 or 20 years?]

On Sat night I sneaked out to the pub (Sorry is easier than please) and met up with a few Dub mates.
Of course the chat was all about how good are Funegal and how did Tyrone nearly beat them yet got hockeyed by Kerry.

Then we were discussing the Brogans and I was saying that Bernard was virtually unmarkable last year and how he was nearly up there with Canavan, S.McDonnell & Gooch etc but this year he's lost that edge. I was asking him who was their last stand out player and even though the lads are in their 40's they struggled to come up with a name. Charlie Redmond was mentioned and surprisingly they rated Sherlock back in the mid 90's.

To me in Ulster most counties has a real star style player or have had in the last 10-20 years.
Paddy Bradley (maybe Eoin but not consistent enough for me)
Canavan, S.O'Neill, S. Cavanagh & Brian McGuigan for Tyrone & of course Frank McGuigan back in the early 80's.
Michael Murphy should be in that category for Donegal but at the moment McFadden is outshining him but maybe that's Donegal's tactic not to get Murphy tied up in the FF line.

Down have Benny and have lost a few potential stars to AFL
Stevie McDonnell & Oisin were top notch
Of course Kerry have had loads over the years with "Gooch the choker" their current Star.
Sorry K.Donaghy. You whinge more than my 3 year old daughter.

A lad her from Cork sitting next to me says Cork have never really had any STARMAN for a long time and that they currently have several talented players with maybe Canty being the best. I am mainly thinking of star forwards though that have that wee bit of magic.

Galway have Pauric Joyce & Meehan

Who would you say was your county's outstanding forward starman in the last 10 or 20 years?
Would you agree that for such a large population, it seems remarkable who the Dubs don't seem to get that many OUTSTANDING talented players. Brogan and Connolly seem to have that X factor though with the current defensive strategies, its much harder for such talented players to stand out.

[McEnaney urges players to tone down ref criticism]

Just saw this article in the Indo today
I listen to Pat at one of those Bredagh talks Sam one year.
He was funny but seems to always defend refs no matter what.
I would have thought he knew Duffy had yet another a terrible day at the office and would have just left it at that but no he has to come out then and whinge about people complaining about the ref.
Fair enough some people go OTT, especially immediately after a game when tempers are frayed but surely Pat should also realise that players get a lot of stick for making mistakes or having a stinker so why should Refs not get the same.

Have the rest of ye noticed this too? Refs seem to have their own wee special club and its almost like they're swore not to slag each other off.

McEnaney urges players to tone down ref criticism
http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/mcenaney-urges-players-to-tone-down-ref-criticism-3150739.html


Referees' chief Pat McEnaney has called on inter-county players to refine the language they use in criticising referees, whatever the forum they choose to make the comments in.

He has urged the same language to be applied to referees that is applied to players and managers when poor performances are being discussed.

McEnaney's appeal comes as a number of Down players took to their Twitter accounts to express their disapproval with the performance of Michael Duffy in Sunday's Ulster semi-final win over Monaghan.

Down won, but Duffy hasn't escaped a blizzard of criticism from some of their players. It was reminiscent of the reaction of Wexford players to referee Derek Fahy's decision to award a late free to Limerick in last year's fourth-round qualifier in Portlaoise. Ian Ryan converted to win the match but only after Fahy had discussed its flight path with an umpire who initially felt it was wide.

Wexford players were adamant that it had been wide and vented their fury on Twitter in the following days.

The GAA have no mechanism to discipline players for what they say on Twitter, but it led to social media guidelines being issued to all members and a conversation on the issue between senior GAA officials and the Gaelic Players Association.

Wexford goalkeeper Anthony Masterson was advised by the Central Competitions Controls Committee (CCCC) to apologise to Fahy for comments he made in a TV interview in the aftermath of the defeat.

Benny Coulter was among the more prominent voices encouraging the GAA to "take a hard look at what went on yesterday! Players put in to much work for that to happen.disgusted," he tweeted.

McEnaney said he wasn't being specific in asking players to consider the words they use more carefully.

"Some of it is unfair and I think unacceptable. Players should use the same language about referees that applies to them when performances are being discussed," he said.

McEnaney said Duffy had accepted he was wrong to allow Tommy Freeman's goal to stand in the 57th minute of the Ulster semi-final, which gave them a four-point cushion.

Duffy had blown for a free and beckoned Down full-back Brendan McArdle towards him to show him a yellow card when Conor McManus took a quick free to Freeman, who finished superbly.

McEnaney said last night that Duffy had "held his hand up".

"I've been speaking to Michael and he is quite happy for it to be known that he got it wrong. We've been trying to encourage the use of an advantage, we've been trying to allow teams the use of a quick free more," said McEnaney.

"But on this occasion he had gestured to the player to come to him and he was going to book him. The player had a right to set himself up in a defensive position. He should have stopped the play."

McEnaney also accepted that if the free did not travel 13 metres then it should have been addressed.

"I don't think Michael has a problem holding his hand up on either front. But I will add this. He was the referee who got us off to a very good start in the first round of the Leinster championship in Longford with a correct call on a square ball."

Duffy appeared to have got two penalty decisions right, the decision to award Down one in the first half after Conor Laverty was fouled and a decision not to penalise Karl O'Connell for a challenge on Conor Garvey.

Garvey must wait to see if he will be pursued by the CCCC for contact he made with his boot on O'Connell's back in the aftermath of that incident.

I rarely look on the general discussion so apologies if this has been brought up before.

For the last 4 years, if often read the board on my smart phone and with more and more people doing the same now I wondered would it not be a good idea to have some sort of anchor points on each page so that you can jump to the bottom or top etc.

Some people love to quote big long posts from other people and so I often find I am just scrolling down the page half the time to get to the latest posts.

Does anyone else think this would be helpful and I'd imagine it wouldn't be hard to implement.

I suppose a lot of people would have predicted this fixture at the start of the year and by all accounts Galway threw it away in the dying minutes.

Tyrone have made it 12 out of 12 wins in 2012 and will 13 be unlucky?
Will Geezer finally get a win over Mickey Harte or will it be the same story for the Red hands against the Lily Whites?

I must say I'm looking forward to it. I wonder who will be in the other game, the Div 1 final?

[From the unbiased Derry Journal.]

Let the fun begin. I'd say Mugsy will be target to get his wings (and hair) cut.
Will we have the McMahons & Sean Cavanagh back or will Sean only get 10 mins again?





From the unbiased Derry Journal.

Published on Tuesday 31 January 2012 12:32

IT HAS BEEN described as a 'joke' but James Conway's red card was no laughing matter for Derry boss John Brennan.

Michael Wilson reports:

His conundrum was simple. How exactly does a linesman - around 100 metres away on the far side of a pitch - spot an incident serious enough to warrant a straight red card when his colleague - positioned approximately five yards from that incident - sees nothing?

On the face of it, it's a simple enough query but Brennan is not likely to get any satisfactory answers. Not that he is expecting to. In previous games the Lavey man has watched as Sean Leo McGoldrick and Emmett McGuckin were hospitalised after challenges that went unpunished. Barry McGoldrick's name was also added to Derry's growing injury list after a challenge that annoyed the Derry boss in the Cavan game.


Then, in the 18th minute of Saturday's final, James Conway tangled with Tyrone's Colm Cavanagh close to the Derry dug-out and Fermanagh referee Martin Higgins, after consulting linesman Padraig Hughes, dismissed the Ballinderry midfielder to the shock of everyone in red.

By his own admission, Conway conceded to having a hold of Cavanagh's shirt but not even the television cameras present at the Morgan Athletic Grounds could clear up what exactly the red card offence was.

Whatever it was, it changed the game and Derry, who had strolled into a 1-03 to 0-01 lead thanks to Paddy Bradley's second goal since his return from injury, were suddenly up against it.

"I have to give credit to my players because we were down to 14 men for long periods of time and they came back to within three points so I have to give my players full credit," explained the Derry manager afterwards.

"I was impressed with their attitude and the pride they have for the Derry jersey but as everyone knows, the turning point for us was when we lost James Conway. The game took a u-turn from that point.

"I have faith in my players. They are a good bunch of players. They are dedicated and I feel sorry for them and the Derry supporters because we feel cheated tonight."

The Derry manager pointed an accusing finger at Cavanagh, who was booked in the incident, who he felt had made something out of nothing.

"We could have accepted what happened had the linesman three metres away given the decision but he didn't, it was the linesman who was 100 metres away who gave it. I find it very difficult to accept because for us that decision was wrong and up until it happened we were in a great position to win the game.

"Everything was going really well up until James was sent off. I haven't seen any footage of it yet but the reports that I've heard suggest absolutely nothing happened. The linesman who was right beside me and only a few metres away from what happened said that nothing happened.

"If a player wants to get an opponent sent off that way then let him live with it. We think that what happened was unfair but listen, we have prepared well and now our attention must turn to the National League because it's the big competition starting now."

Despite his obvious frustration at the result, the Derry manager said the Power NI McKenna Cup had once again proved a good season opener for his players.

"We were disappointed in the final result naturally enough because we would have liked to have won, we wanted to retain the trophy.

"We have done very well in the McKenna Cup and much as we would have loved to have retained the trophy, the players battled, I am proud of them and I am disappointed for them and for the supporters – but we'll fight another day.

"The bottom line for me at the minute is that I put out the best panel possible for the national league. We'll get together on Tuesday night again and start working towards the game against Galway in Celtic Park on Sunday."

Positive start

While all pre-match eyes were fixed on Peter Robinson, once the action got going Derry did their best to upstage the First Minister with a superb opening salvo that put the Oak Leafers firmly in the box seat. They took an early two point lead when Bradley converted two frees in the third and seventh minutes respectively as Conway and Joe Diver took a firm control of the midfield.

Tyrone were struggling to contain a Derry forward line in which Mark Lynch looked superb and the Banagher man took full advantage of poor handling in the Tyrone half-back line to fire over the bar in the 11th minute for a fully deserved three point lead.

Tyrone had seen two early chances sail wide but the impressive Michael Murphy finally got his side's first point on the board in the 12th minute though it looked like there would be little respite for Mickey Harte's men when Bradley found the net five minutes later. James Conway's high free was touched on by Cailean O'Boyle for Bradley - who had anticipated the touch -to gather, step inside and smash the ball past John Devine from close range for 1-03 to 0-1.

Then came Conway's red card which will undoubtedly bring a Derry appeal but, initially at least, Conway's sending off appeared to have little impact. Lynch scored an absolute 'belter' of a point in the 23rd minute when he linked up with Conleith Gilligan on the right before sending over a huge score whilst hugging the touchline to give the Oak Leafers a six point lead.

Murphy got his and Tyrone's second score when he received a wonderful pass from Owen Mulligan in the 27th minute but as Conway's red card and a nasty knee injury to Gerard O'Kane which could seem him miss the start of the National League started to takes it toll, Tyrone roared back into contention with an excellent score from Peter Harte and a free from Stephen O'Neill.

Buoyed by the brace, Tyrone started to take hold of the game and when Mulligan somehow squeezed the ball past Danny Devlin at his near post in first half injury time, Derry's lead was reduced to one leaving Cathal McCarron to restore parity at 1-05 each on the stroke of half time.

Tyrone broke from the blocks first after the restart with a phenomenal point from Stephen O'Neill on the left hand side and they extended that lead to three when Mark Donnelly pointed after the ball rebounded off the post and O'Neill converted his second free of the game.

Gilligan pulled a point back but Tyrone were making full use of the extra man and in no mood to let Derry off the hook as four scores without reply from Mattie Donnelly (2), Dermot Carlin and Cathal McCarron gave them a five point lead.

Cailean O'Boyle's late injury time penalty was scant consolation for Brennan whose attention now turns to Sunday's league opener.

"We have two big games coming up in the National League and it would be brilliant if we could get four points from our opening two games. But, as of now, we are looking only to Sunday's game against Galway. If we get two points, then so well and so good, because then we can start building towards the next game. It's going to be a difficult league."

One notable bright spot from Saturday's frustrations was the continued progress of Paddy Bradley, although the Derry manager admitted his front had little to feed from after the red card.

"Paddy did well right up until we had our man sent off because after that he was starved of any real ball going into him. Paddy will come good like a lot of the other players. James Conway will be back and we have a few other players to come back from injury too.

"We'll get stronger because we have prepared well and hopefully we'll get better."

DERRY: D. Devlin; D McBride, L. Morrow, R. Dillon; G. O'Kane, B.McCallion, B. McGoldrick ; J. Conway, J. Diver; C. McKaigue, M. Lynch (0-2), S.L. McGoldrick (0-1); Cailean O'Boyle (1-0), P. Bradley (1-2, 2f), C. Gilligan (0-3, 2f).

Subs: N. Forrister for G. O'Kane 10 mins; K. O'Neill for N. Forrester 40 mins; P.J. McCloskey for J. Diver 46 mins; M. Craig for R. Dillon 54 mins; E. Lynn for C. Gilligan.

TYRONE: J. Devine; A.McCroy, J. McMahon, P.J. Quinn; C. McCarron (0-2), P. Harte (0-1), D. Carlin (0-1); M. Murphy (0-2), C. Cavanagh; Mattie Donnelly (0-3), P. Hughes, M. Penrose; O. Mulligan (1-1, 1f), Mark Donnelly (0-1), S. O'Neill (0-2, 1f).

Subs: J. McMahon for C. Cavanagh 21 mins; J. Lafferty for M. Penrose 38 mins; S. O'Neill for J. McMahon 47 mins; R. O'Neill (0-1) for S. O'Neill 64 mins; S. McNulty for M. Murphy 64 mins.

REFEREE: Martin Higgins (Fermanagh). Attendance: 4,715

I see the powers that be have solved my dilemma of should I go to the Dubs v Kerry match or drive west to Newbridge for the first time since Canavan and Cush won their first U21 title back in 1991.

I was surprised that Kildare were willing to give up their home advantage for this game or where they not even asked?

From my memory Tyrone tend to win most of their 1st round NFL games in Croker although have we only played there 2 or 3 times?
I can't help but remember meeting the Dubs back in 2004 in the NFL 1st round in Parnell park where we got a great guard of honour cheer & then a nice "friendly" welcome to the real world of what life will be like when you're the new AI champions. To me that was the start of the Dublin v Tyrone nasty games with round 2 being the battle of Omagh in 2006
http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/battle-of-omagh-how-the-tyronedublin-saga-unfolded-113380.html

Anyways, things have changed a lot since with the Dubs finally winning an All-Ireland by the skin of their teeth and Tyrone going backwards for the past few years.
I can see Kildare winning this one handy enough if they are anywhere near their full complement but maybe like us they'll be out to blood a few new guys and not be too bothered about gaining promotion.

In the other game will we see all the Dubs and Dublin based Kerry fans come in late from the pubs on a cold Sat night to annoy their already seated Leinster and Ulster friends.
I can see it being a near full house, especially if its not another one of those wet winter nights.
We could even see another streaker like the 1st floodlight match in croker but it won't be me this time. 

Interesting article in today's Irish times website.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2011/0518/1224297218629.html
As a Tyrone man it's interesting to see how he describe's Tyrone's style in the last decade and how we've changed once we got our first AI.

KEITH DUGGAN looks back over the last four decades to find one constant about Gaelic football; the fact that it continues to change

THE EPIC nature of the All-Ireland football championship means that it is bound to spark rows and disagreements over the course of the season. Already, the old tropes have been resurrected, with the purgatorial opening to the Ulster championship provoking much hand wringing about the evils of the blanket defence and the possession game etc.

It is only a matter of time before the other complaints – the absence of classic high fielding, the dearth of big-boned full backs, and the disappearance of the "traditional" centre forward and the lack of bone-juddering challenges get their airing. If there is one guaranteed response to any All-Ireland football championship, it is that football ain't what it used to be.

The 2010 All-Ireland football championship was generally lauded as a success for style and entertainment, with Cork delivering on their potential with an All-Ireland final victory that advertised their fundamental ability to kick points.

Additional features included the colourful return of Down to the big time, with an All-Ireland final run that was laced with their customary dash and vigour.

Dublin recovered from an unpromising start to capture the imagination in the capital and Kerry, after a stunning record of six consecutive All-Ireland appearances, were at last stopped in August.

The individual attacking displays by players like Bernard Brogan, Colm Cooper and John Doyle illuminated the Sundays in which they were on show and with a staggering level of fitness and conditioning now common among all teams, there was much to celebrate about the state of the game.

But the fears that the game is gradually moving away from everything that made it recognisable persist. The reliance of many managers on the blanket defence has vexed many observers, even though the current holders Cork required no such system in winning the title last year.

Bemoaning it is as pointless as giving out about the drift-defence system that rugby union coaches often employ, or complaining about the tradition in Italian football for protecting a single goal lead.

"The blanket defence is a tactic. Whatever is seen to be successful will be copied," says Colm Clear, coaching officer with the Leinster council. "Years ago, bringing the corner forward out and leaving two inside became common.

"Then teams learned to cope with it and many of the best teams are reverting to three inside again. It will take someone to come up with a structured pattern to break the blanket defence down and it will disappear, to be replaced by something else."

It is all of 13 years since Galway won its first All-Ireland football title in 32 years by embracing a game style that had the purists jumping for joy.

The game-plan of the 1998 maroon vintage was predicated on big, sweeping, clean attacks involving long-range passing and a willingness to shoot for points from distance. It helped of course that Galway had in its ranks one of the key midfielders of the last 20 years in Kevin Walsh and several of the best forwards to emerge in the modern game – Michael Donnellan, Ja Fallon and Pádraic Joyce.

John O'Mahony, the Mayo man who masterminded that win, said afterwards that it was a matter of tapping into an inherent confidence that Galway footballers had. But it is often overlooked that the opposing manager of the Kildare team beaten that afternoon was Mick O'Dwyer, godfather of the most celebrated football teams in GAA history.

Six years ago, in a December paper delivered in Croke Park on the perceived death of traditional Gaelic football, Martin Carney cast his mind back to the time that O'Dwyer was just beginning his managerial career.

"I look on 1975 as a pivotal year and the rule change that occurred then has altered the nature of our game more than we could ever have envisaged," Carney told the audience. "This was, of course, the year that the hand pass was reinstated after a lapse of a few decades.

"The traditional game changed very quickly with its introduction. The traditional catch and kick was quickly replaced by a skill that while introduced, I believe, to speed up the game, in fact completely altered how the game was played and coached.

"Greater emphasis was now placed on retaining possession, more order and thought became commonplace in the game and gradually the sight of the high fielding full back, the spectacular midfielder and the burly forward became rarer."

But as Carney went on to point out, that big change coincided with football's most celebrated rivalry, the Dublin-Kerry period of dominance in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Rightly acclaimed though that period is, it cannot have been much fun for the generation of players who were locked out of All-Ireland finals by the supremacy of these two teams.

The Ulster breakthrough of the early 1990s, with Down storming to their first All-Ireland since the 1968 and Donegal and Derry then winning their first and so far only titles, ordained a more democratic period in the All-Ireland championship.

Since then, Armagh has won a first title and since 2003,

Tyrone have won three. The unprecedented success of Tyrone has made them the county to emulate for many coaches and the strategic emphasis that Mickey Harte's team placed on defence is regarded as a blueprint for the blanket defence.

But Tyrone's style has patently evolved once they learned how to win All-Irelands. While they will always abide by a collective intensity on defence, their ability to rapidly and smoothly transfer possession gained on defence into a sweeping attack has been provided them with their greatest sting.

Other counties can emulate the packed defensive system but knowing what to do with the football once they have regained it has not been so easy.

Tyrone's success originates in no small part to the organisation and know-how of Harte's coaching philosophy, but it would not have worked without the fact that the county has produced unusually gifted players – Peter Canavan, Brian McGuigan, Brian Dooher and Seán Cavanagh could adapt to any pattern of play on any team.

And for all the emphasis on defence, the All-Ireland finals of the past 10 years have been won by teams whose final tallies compare favourably with those of previous decades.

The exception was the all Ulster final between Armagh and Tyrone in 2003, a cagey and tactical affair which finished 0-12 to 0-9. But since then, the winning scores have been: 1-20, 1-16, 4-15, 3-13, 1-15. 0-16, 0-16. The team that wins it come September invariably knows how to put the ball over the bar.

Complaints that the art of kicking the ball is slowly but surely being eradicated from the game will continue.

Fear of giving the ball away; lack of time and space; lack of confidence and the relative ease of the hand pass have all caused the demise of the foot pass.

"As a skill, it has been neglected. There is no question," Colm Clear agrees. "The emphasis placed on the kicking the ball is down to individual coaches. Again, once someone thinks out of the box and puts a big emphasis on kicking and has a degree of success the pattern will change."

And perhaps that is the only certainty. Gaelic football, like all games, will change and continue to change.

The only certainty of this and every other summer is that each development and trend will lead to the conclusion that the game is not what it used to be.

1981-2011: The More Things Change . . .

FEW All-Ireland finals can match the mythology of the meeting between Kerry and Offaly in 1981. The Kingdom were chasing their fifth All-Ireland title in a row, Offaly hoping against hope to crash the party. But before the game, the topic of conversation revolved around an issue that sounds just as familiar 30 years on.

"We will have had 53 training sessions since the start of the championship before we go to Croke Park. We have had to concentrate on physical work – running, sprinting, exercises and so on to get us to the peak of fitness. Naturally with so much time spent on that aspect of training we have not been able to spend as much time as we would like on skills like catching, solo running, passing, ground kicking and so on."

– Eugene McGee, Offaly manager

"Everybody wants to beat Kerry and that's a good thing but it would be silly of us not to concentrate on reaching top fitness. Of course the skills of the game tend to be pushed into the background in that case. It would be nice to get back to the basics with skills coming first. It seems obvious now that a lot of people are switching to hurling because it is a more skilful game. Hurling has a much wider repertoire of skills and, naturally enough, the public prefers to watch a game which keeps moving and is not being spoiled all the time by stoppages."

– Jimmy Deenihan, Kerry captain

Just saw this in the Irish Indo. Surprised it isn't mentioned here already

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/bradleys-cruciate-fears-ahead-of-knee-scan-2622121.html

Paddy Bradley has sustained a suspected torn cruciate ligament, which could rule him out of the forthcoming football championship.

Derry's ace forward will have a scan later today to determine the damage caused to his right knee during a club match in Derry on Saturday night.

The 29-year-old was playing for Glenullin against Bellaghy when his knee twisted awkwardly. He is the latest in a long line of high-profile footballers who have suffered cruciate damage in recent months, following on from Cork's Colm O'Neill, Kerry's David Moran and Kildare's Dermot Earley -- who looks to have suffered a significant setback in his recovery from an operation last autumn.

Bradley was in hospital last Monday with cracked ribs but played through the pain barrier on Saturday night.

He had been putting in a huge effort for Derry this season after a controversial end to 2010, when he left the panel after being dropped by Damian Cassidy for the qualifier game against Carlow. Bradley would have been playing his 12th championship season with Derry this summer, but the injury could bring his career to a premature end if it is confirmed to be a torn cruciate ligament.

Joe McMahon could be ruled out for Tyrone's Ulster championship opener after he suffered a broken jaw in a club game yesterday. McMahon underwent surgery in Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry last night on a double fracture.

The injury occurred in the opening league game of the season, in which his club Omagh was away to Moortown. McMahon had only recently returned to action after a lengthy recovery period from a hamstring problem.

Irish Independent

Revenge isn't a word one might associate with this fixture but I must say I'd love to say Tyrone get one back on the tactics applied by Laois in the championship a few years back.

Laois seem to be off to a flying start under "deep thinking" Mr Rotivator, McNulty and they certainly surprised me and loads others with their very emphatic win over Derry a few weeks ago.
However, Kildare manager McGeeney has got one over his old team mate yesterday so it will be interesting to see what that does to this team.

I must say I'm not well up on the Laois team at the moment but Tyrone seem to be building a bit of momentum now & with this being the first of the final three games against the Midlanders I would be hopeful of a good game with none of the nasty stuff on view.

I just hope the wife lets me "off the Leach" for this one as I've not been to a game yet being on chisler watch.

Will Tyrone push on now and start thinking of the summer. Will the young lads get a game or will it be the same old reliable faces. Will Hub score 1.5 this game and push for big Sean for rhe golden boot?

Sorry folks for starting this so soon but I think the Monaghan thread has died at this stage and we need somewhere to talk about the next game.

So living in Dublin like a few others on here I'd not be opposed to meeting the Dubs again and with the wife's 1st cousin now on the Dublin team there is added spice this year. Most of the lads I work with would hate to meet us again and have told me already no way would they go to the game with me after the wash out in 2008.

Still Louth could do the buiss this Sat so it might never happen. I'd say it could be fun if we meet the wee county again for the 3rd time in 5 years.

Then again we have a score to settle with the Cork crew after last year.
After them supporting us for the past decade as we taught their aul enemy a lesson or two, they came and beat us at our own game, despite quite a bit of sickness within the camp by all accounts.

Looks like we've changed our style again this year and and with a few new and old faces it looks like the Southern Medja have put us back on a pedestal despite being written off earlier with the aul line

'Och Aye they will be there or there abutes but they've a lot of miles on the clock and the hunger is gone"

So....
Who do the rest of ye want to meet?

Cork
Dubs
Down
Sligo

Can we meet the Farney men again?





l

Anyone know why we're having semi finals now on Saturday evenings at 5.15pm?


Who are making these decisions? Is it for the benefit of TV?
You have to wonder how far these guys in HQ are going to mess with our games.

Another question which is confusing me but maybe I'm just mixed up
Is the Armagh v Monaghan match on Sunday week?
I thought if you played Preliminary round then you will be the last of the 1st round matches to be played.

With the wife and more importantly father in law from Donegal I'd rather meet them for the excitement. Also the amount of annoying Down "mates" I know I would still like to meet Donegal though they owe us for 2007.

Can someone confirm if this game is on in Tuam or Salthill?

Haven't started a thread in ages so here goes.

Watched the Donegal game tonight and first time to see a lot of these new lads.
Intensity of the match was surprising for this time of year but suppose both teams feel they have a lot to prove even in Jan.

As a fellow clubman I feel very sorry for SoN AGAIN and was looking forward to him leading the line next Sat.

So not sure how we'll fair now after that performance but surely we've enough firepower to put up a good show even without Stevie.

I haven't started a thread all year & we know its inevitable so here goes. (He says hoping to use some reverse psychology to get Antrim)

Looks like Kerry have taken a very handy path through the qualifiers by meeting Longford, Sligo and now Antrim but have put in some poor second half performances but write them off at your peril.
Can Antrim really lift themselves again to beat the kingdom or will they just take out the remaining twin tower and wee Gollum for the sake of Ulster?

I reckon it will be Tyrone v
Meath rematch.

Happy now lads.
Can't see Antrim getting close to them.

From the Sunday Tribune

Tyrone tower as a star is reborn
In a frank and revealing interview with Kieran Shannon, Stephen O'Neill talks of early retirement and why he had to come back

The Wednesday after brushing aside Wexford to qualify for last year's All Ireland final, the Tyrone panel were summoned to a snap team meeting. There was just one item on the agenda. Stephen O'Neill, who had formally retired seven months earlier, had been sounded out about returning to the panel. O'Neill had intimated to Mickey Harte that he wished to play for Tyrone again but was more than willing to wait until the following January. He'd only return earlier on one condition – that he had the blessing of the players. If anyone had any objections about him parachuting his way back into the setup just 17 days out from an All Ireland final, he'd understand totally. It was totally up to them.

Seán Cavanagh and Conor Gormley were the first two to speak, not to offer opinions but to encourage them. They were both certain starters. Stevie wasn't going to be taking their spots. Such standing allowed them to play devil's advocate. Right, boys, how would you feel about someone waltzing in and maybe taking your spot when you've slaved all year for this? Would that be fair? Don't be shy. Boys will understand, even Stevie. Speak up.

Sure enough, the next two players to take the floor were on the fringes of the team, two forwards that would probably get less game time, maybe none at all, if O'Neill returned to the fold. Yet Brian McGuigan and Owen Mulligan were unambiguous. "We said we've known Stevie O'Neill so long there shouldn't even be a question of letting him back," says McGuigan. "'If Stevie wants to come back,' we said, 'we have to take him back.' There were no qualms from anyone. He was going to give us an extra option against Kerry and he was going to push those of us on the fringes even harder. It gave us an extra buzz leading up to the final that probably made the difference."

When McGuigan and Ciaran Gourley were called aside by Harte the Thursday before the final and told that they wouldn't be starting, McGuigan was sure it was O'Neill that was taking his spot. It was actually Martin Penrose, but before half-time O'Neill was in while McGuigan and Mulligan remained rooted to the bench. And still they had no qualms. Stevie simply had to come back, Stevie simply had to play. That's how selflessness they were and that's the respect and affection O'Neill commanded.

But before all that there was why Stevie walked away.

• • •

Very few people in the history of Gaelic football have ever played it as well as Stephen O'Neill played it in 2005. From the first game of the McKenna Cup to All Ireland final day he lit up virtually every defence, every pitch, every game he adorned. In the drawn Ulster final he kicked 10 points, six from play off Francie Bellew. He scorched Monaghan for 2-6. In the All Ireland quarter-final replay and the All Ireland semi-final he banged in pressure penalties before curving over points from all angles with both feet against Kerry in the final. He was the championship's leading scorer. He was the Vodafone, GPA, Texaco Player of the Year. He was unstoppable.

The following year he started out in much the same vein. When a purposeful Kerry came to Omagh, O'Neill's goal separated the teams. After that he took both Monaghan and Offaly for eight points each. He was on fire, in his prime, just 25.

Then a fortnight before Tyrone's opening game of the 2006 championship, O'Neill pulled a hamstring playing for Clann na Gael, ruling him out for the Derry game. He was back to start in the qualifiers against Louth but broke down in the same game. He missed the replay and against Laois could only hobble on as a desperation sub, helpless to prevent the team's exit from the championship.

The following year his left knee acted up, and in Tyrone's capture of the Ulster championship and subsequent All Ireland quarter-final defeat to Meath, O'Neill's role was limited to substitute appearances. It wasn't just his knee that was aggravated. His spirit was been denuded as well.

"You'd get this real sharp pain in the knee, doing ordinary things like sitting down. Running and turning, you had no real power on your left side. A lot of it was down to wear and tear and I'd also started a new job, working for Martin Shortt Auctioneers, in April 2006 that involved a lot more travel than when I was a teacher. I was covering five offices all over Ireland and you might be out the door at seven in the morning and not back until half-ten at night, because you'd have to meet customers after they'd finished work. It left me with no time for myself and I was just fed up.

"Maybe the driving too caused a bit of the pain on the knee. I'd come back at night and I'd be in no form for anything. Training and that? Didn't want to do it. I went back teaching after a year because the job was affecting my football. I wasn't playing well. I wasn't fit to play well."

Even changing jobs wouldn't help him play any better that summer of '07. He'd rush returning to training, trying to regain his place, which only made the knee worse. He'd tried everything, including cryotherapy in Wexford, but nothing was working. That Halloween he underwent an operation in Belfast which removed the tendonitis on the knee and some of the knee cap. After six weeks' rest he threw himself into rigorous rehab work up with Louis O'Connor, the Tyrone team physio, yet for all O'Connor's guidance and expertise O'Neill found himself "getting nowhere". By the middle of January he'd informed Mickey Harte and Tony Donnelly he was retiring from inter-county football.

"Mickey was going 'Jesus, is that you gone completely or are you just taking time off?' I said 'Mickey, it's been on my mind a long time. What's the point on being on the panel if you can't play or train?' I'd always said I'd do 10 years with the county and then 10 with the club and unfortunately the 10 years with the county had gone very quickly."

His departure would trigger one particularly nasty rumour. Harte had worked for the same estate agency as O'Neill and the word was they had fallen out over a deal in which O'Neill had got burnt. That's why O'Neill had quit the job and now quit Tyrone.

That was probably the most annoying thing," says O'Neill. "I've never fallen out with Mickey Harte over anything. I suppose when I retired people were looking for reasons why but the reason simply was I wasn't enjoying my football. I was tired, I wasn't able to play and I wasn't doing Tyrone, the club or myself any good."

One person particularly jolted by the news was former GAA president Seán Kelly who made a point of putting O'Neill in touch with Ray Moran, the sports surgeon, to help him get back playing decent club football at least. To this day the exceptionally mannerly and soft-spoken O'Neill is grateful to Kelly and to Pat Darcy, the Tyrone county chairman, who covered the expense of that consultation even though O'Neill was now a former Tyrone player. The Moran visit would reaffirm the value of O'Connor's programme but the real catalyst in his recovery would cost a lot less. That April off his own bat O'Neill bought a cheap second-hand mountain bike and started doing eight-mile cycles around home a few times a week.

Soon he was out every night, clocking up about 30 miles each time. With the bike his joints didn't have to take the pounding they would if he'd been running like he used to foolishly do before. He could feel the strength returning to his legs. In the spring he was coming on in club games and could barely jog. By July he was back ripping up defences. One night a BMW pulled out in front of his car after training with the club. It was Brian Quinn of Rockwell Water, manager of the county team's sponsors. "Stephen, look, you need to come back for Tyrone now."

O'Neill appreciated the visit but felt he could hardly go back so late in the season. Quinn though had got him thinking and the following week on holiday in Lake Garda with his fiancée Phenah and former county panellist Adrian Ball, O'Neill decided he was going to go back with the county the following January.

O'Neill was still in northern Italy when he learned by a text from his brother that Tyrone had beaten Mayo. He was in Croke Park though for the win over Dublin and again when they disposed of Wexford, having no idea that the following night there would be a visitor at the house when O'Neill returned from his cycle.

It was Francie Martin from Carrickmore, who had played a bit for Tyrone himself way back. He didn't know O'Neill, he was just a friend of Tyrone who off his own initiative had tipped off Mickey Harte to say he was going to visit Stevie O'Neill that night.

"Francie tortured me for about an hour," smiles O'Neill. "He said, 'I want you back for this final.' I said, 'I can't just walk in now!' He said, 'Have you ever thought of coming back?' I said, 'Aye, I'll be back in January.' Francie said, 'Too late. Tyrone could have lost by then. Are you playing well enough to do something?' I said, 'Well, I feel I'm playing rightly.' He said, 'Well, that's all I needed to hear. I want you to do one thing – meet Mickey.'"

The following night he was over in Harte's house. O'Neill again expressed his fear his return would upset the camp but Harte reckoned that if he was coming back in '09 he might as well come back now. If he wasn't up to scratch right away, no harm done. If he was, the real harm would be not to have availed of him for this final. The following night while the players debated his return, O'Neill was out on his bike. He'd just showered when the call came through from Harte. "See you at training tomorrow night."

O'Neill was made feel welcome by everyone in the dressing room but it was only when he got out onto the pitch that he felt at ease, at home. In the first in-house game upon his return he scored six points from play, prompting Ryan McMenamin to proclaim O'Neill was "still the best forward in Ireland".

O'Neill's final performance didn't go as well as he'd envisaged. With his first touch of the ball he was harshly called for over-carrying and would finish the game scoreless. But Harte was pleased with his contribution. He'd set up the winning goal. He'd forced Kerry to assign their best man marker, Marc Ó Sé, onto him. "Stevie had the Peter Canavan effect," says Harte. "He distracted other defenders to free up our other forwards. He signalled danger."

At the final whistle O'Neill shook hands with Pádraig Reidy, embraced a number of teammates and supporters before bursting into the dressing room. He didn't intend to come back out until Enda McGinley ran in and insisted that he did. O'Neill acceded but when Conor Gormley pleaded for him to go up and lift the cup, an emotional O'Neill declined. A couple of months later he refused to collect his medal. He didn't even go to the function. He didn't go on the team holiday. In his eyes he didn't merit such awards and perks.

"I've got stick for coming back just for the glory but the only reason I went back was because I was fit, playing well and people thought I could do something to help the team. If I wasn't you wouldn't have seen me back. But I was only there for two weeks and nobody has to tell me what I deserve and don't. I knew myself that I didn't deserve to walk up those steps and lift that cup. It's the principle of the thing. If you're to get an All Ireland medal or lift that cup on the Hogan Stand you have to work for it for nine months."

That's the way he's going about this year. He trained hard over the winter, buying a proper racer to replace that old mountain bike, and in the first game of the season against Dublin in Croke Park scored six superb points from play. Just before half-time though he tore a tendon above his left knee cap and though sheer adrenaline got him through the rest of that game he wouldn't play the remainder of the league. This time he didn't rush coming back, resuming full training only three weeks out from the Armagh game. It did the trick and that day in Clones he scored a brilliant goal and towards the end, a glorious point with the outside of his left boot.

Incredibly, it was just his second championship start since the 2005 final against Kerry. Looking at him stroke that shot over, it was as if nothing had changed since that Sunday in September. And in a way, so much remains the same. He's back teaching, this time in St Patrick's primary school in Gortin. He's playing devastating football. And in his eyes his All Ireland medal count is just the same. All last year the Tyrone panel wore a cryptic crest with the inscription TINE. Two Is Not Enough. It's what drove them last year and the same thought propelled O'Neill around the country roads of Tyrone on his bike this past winter.


And more, unlike for a few years there, he's back enjoying the ride

Just wondering has any of the rest of ye who are resposible for your home club's websites, receive money for allowing other companies to advertise on your website

I just wondered how do you charge and what are the going rates for a Text based link?

PM me if you've any details.