Longford Football (& Hurling) Thread

[LaurelEye]

First I've heard of it - which is not to say that it's not happening.

Update: There was a rumour, apparently, but I don't think they're pursuing the matter.

[The Forfeit Point]

i heard about that too, the player in question will hardly feature more for ye laurel  twas a big risk to take (if the rumours of illegality are true of course)

[Longfordian]

So Forfeit ....
What are your thoughts on the game on Saturday evening ? .... you should go into the match as favourites , was impressed with Philips inside and Smith was accurate from the 40' ...Brady will be a loss for ye in the full back line ...although ye have the other Bairns lad to slot in there
...Paul Kelly first championship outing against his old club ... a bit like Rooney coming back to Goodison ! ...

[LaurelEye]

i heard about that too, the player in question will hardly feature more for ye laurel  twas a big risk to take (if the rumours of illegality are true of course)

Presumably if the rumours of illegality were true, Killoe would have pursued the matter, no?

[LaurelEye]

To make the issue above absolutely clear to any prospective barstool lawyers:

a) The player in question was given a sanction by Croke Park to play in San Francisco from May 13th. The 60-day time period during which he could not play for Mullinalaghta expired on July 12th. The Killoe match was on July 18th - six days after the expiry date. Any curious souls can check this for themselves on the main GAA website where lists of sanctions are published.

b) If the club weren't sure he was legal, they wouldn't have played him - end of story. Mullinalaghta were already ahead by three points when he came on, so it's not as if it was a last desperate throw of the dice. We may be viewed as half-savage crypto-Cavanmen by many people in Longford, but stupid or suicidal we ain't.

c) He didn't start because, well, he hadn't been around all summer and it wouldn't have been fair on the lads who had been. This point no longer applies for subsequent matches.

d) He was originally due home on July 24th but came home a week or so earlier. I'm no longer directly involved with the club, but I assume that they saw no need to advertise in advance the fact that he was available to play against Killoe (although I'm sure many people in the general Granard area would have been aware he was home early). Gamesmanship, perhaps, but not illegal.

Sorry if this sounds snippy, but the notion that we "got away" with playing an illegal player needs to be nipped in the bud  .

[Longfordian]

Laurel ,
As it was me who brought up this subject ....(sorry I did now !!  ) , I was at training last Friday evening and this was the chat I was hearing from the lads ...
I was only looking for clarification and was in no way trying to devalue your win, as per my original mail I thought ye thoroughly deserved your victory , and was delighted to see ye do so ... as was Auld Longfordian 
I was on a similar deal many moons ago in Boston ! and came back to play in the club championship that year (and to repeat an exam !!! )
Anyway Laurel , hope the original post didnt offend , wasn't my intention , should keep such questions to PM's in future !
onto matters on the field ...how are you fixed for Ardagh ?...win that and your sitting pretty in a quarter final spot !

[LaurelEye]

Laurel ,
As it was me who brought up this subject ....(sorry I did now !!  ) , I was at training last Friday evening and this was the chat I was hearing from the lads ...
I was only looking for clarification and was in no way trying to devalue your win, as per my original mail I thought ye thoroughly deserved your victory , and was delighted to see ye do so ... as was Auld Longfordian 
I was on a similar deal many moons ago in Boston ! and came back to play in the club championship that year (and to repeat an exam !!! )
Anyway Laurel , hope the original post didnt offend , wasn't my intention , should keep such questions to PM's in future !
onto matters on the field ...how are you fixed for Ardagh ?...win that and your sitting pretty in a quarter final spot !

No offence taken from your comments, Longfordian.

[The Forfeit Point]

thanks for the clarification laurel eye, thats that then.

longfordian - im expecting a tight game between 2 teams that play the same style of football. i was not impressed with the performance against granard despite the margin of victory. it was only in patches we played.
i forgot about the paul kelly factor, he would be one serious addition to mostrim. this is the game to decide who tops the group, not that its important i dont think - open draw for the quarter finals i believe    ballymahon are gone to pot

[LaurelEye]

Second round of Connolly Cup:

Group 1:

Clonguish 0-9 Killoe 1-8
Ardagh 0-10 Mullinalaghta 0-16

Mullinalaghta 4pts (+12)
Clonguish 2pts (0)
Killoe 2pts (-4)
Ardagh 0pts (-8)

next matches: Clonguish v Mullinalaghta, Killoe v Ardagh (Sun @ 7.30)

Group 2:

Cashel 0-8 Abbeylara 0-9
Colmcille 2-11 Seán Connollys 0-9

Abbeylara 4pts (+5)
Colmcille 2pts (+4)
Seán Connollys 2pts (-5)
Cashel 0pts (-4)

next matches: Abbeylara v Seán Connollys (Sat @ 6pm), Cashel v Colmcille (Sun @ 6pm)

Group 3:

Mostrim 0-9 Longford Slashers 1-11
Ballymahon 5-14(!) Granard 0-6

Longford Slashers 4pts (+17)
Ballymahon 2pts (+14)
Mostrim 2pts (+4)
Granard 0pts (-35)

next matches: Mostrim v Granard, Ballymahon v Longford Slashers (Sun @ 2.30)

Group 4:

Rathcline 1-13 Fr Manning Gaels 1-10

Dromard 2pts (+7)
Rathcline 2pts (-4)
Fr Manning Gaels 0pts (-3)

next match: Dromard v Fr Manning Gaels (Sun @ 4pm)

Group 1 is still the most open of the four. Mullinalaghta look more likely than not to make it through to the quarter-finals, he acknowledged through gritted teeth (a win, draw or loss of less than 6 to Clonguish and they're safe), but nothing is certain (certainly not with a wedding the day before). Even Ardagh could still qualify if they beat Killoe, Mullinalaghta beat Clonguish, and the numbers are right.

Group 2 for some reason is the only one where the two final matches aren't being played simultaneously (both matches were originally fixed for Saturday at 6pm but the fixture list was changed since this lunchtime). Abbeylara - despite being mediocre against Cashel - should have enough to put away Connollys and Colmcille looked lively enough against Connollys on Sunday evening and knowing exactly what they need to do will help. (Update: Both matches now refixed for Sunday at 6.)

Group 3 looks safe for Slashers, who look to be current favourites to lift Connolly. Ballymahon put four goals away in the last ten minutes against a pisspoor Granard to leapfrog Mostrim in the table, but I can't see them beating Slashers (especially with Mark Connor red-carded) and Mostrim should have more than enough against the blue and white shambles on view this evening. Granard on the last two performances look to be strong favourites for relegation and should be assembling their legal team pronto 

Group 4 requires Dromard to lose to their much-loved southern neighbours in order for a game Rathcline not to get to the quarter-finals. Don't think it'll happen.

[Shamrock Shore]

Thanks for the updates Laurel.

Jazes - Granard must be shite altogether. A Dad's Army of a Ballymahon beating them by +20 points!! Good luck agin the Reich. Make sure there's video cameras everywhere and beside the doctor on the bench is the club solicitor.

[LaurelEye]

Thanks for the updates Laurel.

Jazes - Granard must be shite altogether. A Dad's Army of a Ballymahon beating them by +20 points!! Good luck agin the Reich. Make sure there's video cameras everywhere and beside the doctor on the bench is the club solicitor.

Ballymahon wouldn't exactly be Dad's Army but they were bigger, stronger, and gave an impression of knowing what they were doing. (The last four goals came after they were down to fourteen men.)

I'm told that the rearrangement of fixtures for next weekend (as well as the Colmcille match, we were originally pencilled in for the Stadium of Drizzle on Saturday @ 7.30) was due to objections from Cashel and Clonguish. It does give our fellas an extra 24 hours recovery time from the wedding.

To be honest, I expect Clonguish and Killoe to win the two matches in Group 1, but barring disaster (disaster, of course, being precisely what happened us last year) we should be able to keep ahead of one of them on scoring difference. And if disaster does strike, at least this year the relegation playoffs are off the table for us.

[Longfordian]

Another good win for ye Laurel ...barring a complete collapse , you are in the quarter finals ..

Our group has been turned up on its head after Ballymahon hockeyed Granard , if they beat Slashers , (tight pitch in Allen Park , might suit them ) , they could give Slashers lots of it , from our point of view , its would be great to see Slashers continue where they left off with us ! 

If Ballymahon win , we are as good as gone !  have to be looking at giving Granard a 14pt hiding to guarantee qualification if that happens , potentially at the expense of Slashers , which is highly unlikely !

So if we beat Granard , Slashers beat Ballymahon , we are through !

[LaurelEye]

Granard are absolutely dire, Longfordian. Your Junior B team would hockey what was on display last night.

[LaurelEye]

Best of luck to all today - I don't think there are any Clonguish or Killoe posters here so I can say that with a clear conscience .

[sammymaguire]

Anyone able to update the ballymahon game this afternoon?