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Hardstation you are being petty on many levels with that stuff about Canning. For one he is a uniquely gifted individual. For two I would love to see his conversion rate from 70m in. For three, and most importantly, I deliberately didn't bring taking a score into from a sideline into it. If a score is achievable from any dead ball in any sport, of course it makes sense to attempt it. Lumping possession away though from a dead ball appears to be a fascination in hurling.

what would a Down man know about Hurling?

Sweet FA. I've only watched a full game half a dozen times in my life.

A number of strange points but the sideline cut one is the strangest. I would like you to expand on this.

In football, a sideline ball is mostly used as an advantage; a method for retaining possession and rebuilding an attack. In hurling - based on the little I've seen - there seems to be macho thing about sideline cuts, where they are used to propel the ball as far as possible, and in effect creating a lottery over who regains possession.

I've never really got bitten by hurling. While I can appreciate the skill, fitness and power needed to progress in the game, as I've never had an interest in getting chased around a confined space by a man holding a weapon, I've just never got into it.

But I do love a sporting occasion, so I sat down today with an open mind, ready to be entertained.

And I have to say I was thoroughly entertained. It really was an enthralling contest and the combination of ferocity in the tackle and discipline when on the receiving end, was a marvel.

But I'm still not bitten. There are things about this game I just don't understand.

I read this morning about Brian Cody's tactical genius. But It seems to me that Kilkenny have now won 4 All Irelands in a row with tactics that comprise hitting the ball as far as they can on the general direction of the goal, then using pure physical power to ensure they win enough breaks to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Obviously he moves players into different positions depending on who they're playing, but can this really be described as tactics instead of man management?

The much marvelled sideline cut. Is it just me who thinks that striking a ball as far as you can with these is simply a waste of possession? Has anybody actually ever hit a sideline ball 10 metres into a teammates hands? Or is this frowned upon by the hurling fraternity?

Fouls. Is anything actually a foul in this game? Don't get me wrong, the game is a better spectacle for the lack of whistling, but it seemed to me today that the referee used his whistle at timed intervals - to give the lads a break - rather than as a reaction to any events that happened. So every 3 minutes Kilkenny enjoyed a free, then 3 minutes latet Tipp got one, and so on.

Goalkeepers. If their counterparts in games like ice hockey and lacrosse are wise enough to wear headgear (plus countless other pieces of armour), surely their claims that it impedes their vision are just the cries of a madman.

Soloing the ball. It seems that you can a) run as far as you like with the ball in your hand, b) transfer the ball between hand and stick at completely random intervals, or c) run with the ball on the end of your stick if you're a real show-off. As the referee never blows you up, why doesn't everyone just run with ball in hand?



The commentators definitely prefer hurling though, so I might even watch a few more games next year to see if I can decipher any of these things.

If we really are interested in Wee James, we should offer him the position now. With Grimley now away to Monaghan, I'd imagine Armagh will be examining his case very closely. And their County Board will spend the necessary.

I'm glad to hear that no.1.

Probably the only time you boys will ever be glad to hear yis have to be in Newry for a 7pm throw-in.

Nobody in particular Logan.

I don't even know if I agree with the idea at all, but it does seem a bit strange that the people most directly affected by an appointment have no grounds for opinion at all. I guess the same thing happens in all sports though.

Asking a serious question, should the players not have a voice in this decision?

Not a vote but a voice.

No matter who comes in, 18+ of last year's squad will be returning. Appointing someone who these players don't want would just be illogical, especially if their case is a solid one.

I have to say that the 6.30 throw-in time is effing ridiculous, and it's going leave a number of clubs short on their first XV.

Obviously it isn't deliberate but have a look at Division II this week. It wouldn't be possible to create a fixture list with as many long away trips if you sat down with a pen and paper.

Carryduff v Shamrocks
Annaclone v Glasdrumman
An Riocht v Kilclief
Darragh Cross v Atticall
Downpatrick v Ballyholland
Clann na Banna v Ballymartin

Sadly, our island is full of people who are not content in knowing who they are and what they stand for, unless they constantly shoving it down the throats of everyone they meet.

Those that put a man in hospital Duffle King. It's a simple enough system. Throw punches by all means. If you get caught, you get a month. If you do harm, you get a year. The second one is the key deterrent, and I believe the measure would clean the game up enormously.

Let me re-iterate that I'm not talking about hard football, or players getting hurt in challenges.

I'm talking about when everyone involved in a game turns around and there's a fella lying on the floor with his jaw in two pieces.

Hardy, I'll repeat a posting I made a few weeks ago on a separate thread.

A clubmate of mine got his jaw broken recently as the result of a judas punch. I've no doubt at all that the perpetrator had no intention of causing serious injury. But the point is that he did, and I'd have no qualms at all about him getting a year long ban from the GAA. Red card bans continue as normal for throwing a punch, but if a man ends up in hospital, the full ban comes in.

With that sort of punishment it might make players think twice before throwing a sucker punch.

If the perpetrator isn't obvious to the referee, I'd even suggest banning his club from all activity until they put his name forward. That would go a long way to getting rid of the GAA attitude that you have to protect your own to save face, even if they deserve a punishment.


How is this related to your comments?

Well, you've got two options as a player when you're hit off the ball. You either go to ground and hope the referee sorts the situation out, or you go swinging and hope the referee goes easy. The first option is infinitely more sensible. Players though shouldn't have to make that choice. When you play football, you should (and should want to) get involved in the physical side of things. But that doesn't include being a punchbag. And when fellas like Miskella can get off scot free for throwing punches (and more or less scot free should they break a jaw), the GAA isn't protecting its players.

If you finish top of the league, you should be champions, end of. If you finish bottom you should go down. Tell me one good reason why this isnt the case?

angermanagement has explained the reason behind the system, and here's the reason to keep it - having four way play-offs at the top and bottom means nearly every team has a reason to keep taking the league seriously right up the season's end.

Even with the current system, I've played in a few end-of-season matches with nothing at stake, and they really are a waste of time. I'd hate to imagine how many of those game would turn up if there were no play-offs.

Isn't Mullaghmore in Sligo?

I don't see how making 7 changes from your 1st team is a signal that your are taking the Carling Cup seriously.

Having watched a fair dose of club minor football this year, I'd say one thing this Down team has going for it is that the forward line is very, very capable of winning a game even if the rest of the team aren't performing, and that there's a couple of very useful forwards on the bench if one or two of the starters aren't at the races.

Which means they're capable of beating anyone, even Armagh (who it seems have been anointed in some quarters as the greatest minor team in the history of the world ever).

I wasn't at the Ulster final so don't know how things panned out the way they did that day, but should Down make the AI final, I'd imagine a score of 1.09 aginst them will be a long way off a winning ticket.