Messages

Forwards (17)

Neil Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
Simon Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) (Captain)
*Peter Bracken (Wasps)
*Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
Leo Cullen (Leicester)
Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
Keith Gleeson (St.Mary's College/Leinster)
Jamie Heaslip (Clontarf/Leinster)
Trevor Hogan (Shannon/Leinster)
Bernard Jackman (Clontarf/Leinster)
*Shane Jennings (Leicester)
Mick O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Malcolm O'Kelly (St.Mary's College/Leinster)
Alan Quinlan (Shannon/Munster)
Frankie Sheahan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Bryan Young (Ballymena/Ulster)


Backs (13)

Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster)
Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Munster)
*Brian Carney (Clonakilty/Munster)
Gavin Duffy (Galwegians/Connacht)
*Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
Kieran Lewis (St.Mary's College/Leinster)
*Barry Murphy (U.L. Bohemians/Munster)
Geordan Murphy (Leicester)
*Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin/Munster)
Eoin Reddan (Wasps)
Jeremy Staunton (Wasps)**
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)

* indicates uncapped player

**Subject to Fitness Test


There really is quite some strength in depth in Irish rugby at the moment. There are some very good players in what is a B squad.

Would have liked to see young Humphreys get a run-out, and I can't understand Roger Wilson's absence (unless he's crocked), but you could assemble a very decent side out of what's there. Geordan Murphy really has fallen out of favour if he has to travel on this.

Down GAA Results Friday 20th April

O'Neills International Sportswear Leagues

SFL 1

Rostrevor 1:8 Loughinisland 1:3

Atticall 1:10 Longstone 2:10

Bryansford 2:9 Kilcoo 1:10

Mayobridge (off) Liatroim

Castlewellan 0:12 Burren 3:10

An Riocht 0:16 Clonduff 1:13

SFL 2

Ballymartin 0:12 Clann Na Banna0:10

Downpatrick 1:12 Darragh Cross 0:8

Kilclief 0:7 Saval 1:7

Ballyholland 1:10 Annaclone 0:9

Glasdrumman 1:9 Shamrocks 1:6

Carryduff 0:13 Warrenpoint 0:4

SFL 3

Bright 0:11 Tullylish 0:18

Teconnaught 3:4 Saul 0:11

Glenn 0:5 Bredagh 0:8

Dundrum 2:12 Bosco 0:10

St. Pauls 3:10 Drumgath 3:19

Ardglass 0:13 Mitchels 1:3

SFL 4

Ballykinlar 0:8 Aghaderg 3:10

Dromara 2:5 St Johns 3:17

St Michaels 8:19 Aughlisnafin 0:1

No.1 - My point about Galway was that Packie Downey must have made a hell of an impression to force his way into a Championship slot. By all accounts he was good, and he's undoubtedly a handful, but based on what I've seen, I just don't see him as a Championship player (yet).

Fiór Gael, we could argue all day and all night about the virtues of the team I've selected over that which Ross will. But Down's record in the National League this year would suggest that he would be better off copying Paddy O'Rourke's team from last year and trying to get the very best out of them, than persisting with his current offerings. Let's not forget that although Down were a disorganised mess against Donegal, especially woeful at midfield, the individual talent on display still managed to take a very useful Tir Connail side right to the wire.

As for those selections you disagree with:
- Murtagh has pace, skill, determination and can shoot off either foot. He has a pure attacker's instinct. That makes him a more dangerous proposition in the full-forward line than just about any other option we have. Down's struggling defence don't particularly need a player amongst them whose first thoughts are to bomb forward, but they could well use a scoring forward at the other end to remove some of the pressure on them.
- I watch a lot of club football. I've seen John Clarke play at no.6, no.8, no.10 and no.11 for An Riocht, and the further down the field you move him, the less effective he gets. He is a strong athletic lad, but he is not a man-marker by any stretch of the imagination. His greatest asset is his shooting, followed by his ability to find space, followed by his athleticism. In other words, much of what you need from a wing-forward. I really wish people would stop thinking him as a corner-back just because he played there in his minor days.
- I doubt Eoin McCartan will be match fit, well not for 70 minutes of Championship football anyway. He's a very different player to Burns (my second choice) though, and I prefer his style of play. I think he'd be a great foil for Hughes and Murtagh.
- Paul Murphy has played 4 Championship games for Down at wing-back. In 3 of them he excelled (Fermanagh (even though he got red carded), Derry and Cavan). In the other game he ran into one of the finds of the season, Rory Kavanagh, and got a hard time of it. But so did every Down defender that day, destroyed as they were they at midfield. I never in my life would have picked Murph out as a wing-back from his club career, but by and large he has done very well there.
- I've seen a fair bit of Mayobridge over the past 3-4 years, and Ronan Sexton has generally been the oustanding player in their team during that time. The best performances I've seen from him have been at wing-back. I don't need any more evidence than that of where his best position is.

Lads, how many of you were in Galway?

How the hell does an average to decent club player like Packie Downey suddenly become a first choice pick at no.14? If we're going to fire aimless balls in at a big full-forward, we'd surely be safer putting Benny in that jersey.

1. M McVeigh - Experience has to count behind a leaky defence
2. M Cole - Only Dee Rafferty is a better corner-back in Down at the moment
3. B Grant - Best we have, and Ross should have been building a defence around him, not without him
4. D Cunningham/D McCartan - I prefer Cunningham as a player, but McCartan has the edge on form
5. R Sexton - His best position. Super-competitive, and intelligent enough to know when to go, when to stay
6. D Rooney - Seems to be doing a job there, here's hoping he carries it into the big time
7. P Murphy - A hint of bias? Perhaps, but he adds a real energy to the half-back line that only his clubmate replicates, and we need his clubmate up front.
8. D Gordon - It's about time big Dan did it in the Championship. Cavan were cute on him last year, let's hope he has learned.
9. B Coulter - We simply need Benny on the ball as often as possible.
10. J Clarke - His only position at this level, but playing very deep to support his defence, and breaking unnoticed to take scores.
11. J Boyle/M Walsh/S Kearney/A Carr - In that order, but whoever is in form. This game could make or break whichever's career.
12. J McGovern - Playing very deep as well, a natural enthusiasm for running should suit his game.
13. R Murtagh - Scoring forward. We don't have many. He has to play close to goal and we have to feed him.
14. E McCartan - or Aidan Burns if Eoin isn't fit. Eoin is more intelliegent player and gets my vote to be a foil for Hughes and Murtagh.
15. D Hughes - Scoring forward. We don't have many. He has to play close to goal and we have to feed him.

With McComiskey primed and ready.

By and large, I would leave things the way the are. It's a credit to our administrators that the Association has always functioned so well.

There's a horrible spirit for tinkering in the GAA. Change should only be for the purposes of improvement, not experimentation.

This new fckin job! Only caught the senior draw. From what I remember:

- Atticall vs Mayobridge
- Warrenpoint vs Burren
- Rostrevor vs Annaclone
- Clonduff vs Bryansford
- Shamrocks vs Loughinisland
- Drumgath vs Longstone
- Liatroim vs Kilcoo
- An Riocht vs Castlewellan

Anybody looking for firm evidence that the GAABoard has descended into nonsense need look no further. From people speaking in Nokia, to people speaking gibberish, to people speaking who for the good of humanity shouldn't be allowed a voice, this really is the pits.

5ivetimes, while the odds definitely sound enticing, there is no way anyone should part with money on Down until they've heard what the lineups are going to be. And with Ross seemingly hellbent on carrying on O'Rourke's legacy of dreadful public relations, I'd say you'll not know what they are until 5 minutes after the ball has been thrown in at Crossmaglen.

Spirit, there might be many problems in Down football at the moment, but let's be realistic, the lads going on a teambuilding exercise in the Mournes had about as much bearing on Sunday's result as what I ate for dinner on Saturday night.

Where to start? Now that the doomsday scenarios obviously aren't going to unfold, BT7 is now desparately seeking anything that even resembles a piece of straw to clutch onto.

Also, they're putting up seating in hill 16. I wonder who is footing the bill for that one.

You have to be on a wind up here, or else you are bordering on the simple. Tell me something, do you think the GAA footed the bill for erecting U2's stage?

And what if 84,000 people decided they wanted to go to the club finals?

What if you ran out of stupid "what if" scenarios?

The pitch should be left lie for a month or so before the paddy's day games (and the junior/inter club finals) next year so as not to have a repeat performance.

Why just a month? Surely if left for 6 months, then the pitch would be in an even better condition. Let's also ignore the fact also that it's now possible to host loss-making events like JFC and IFC finals at Croker because new income sources have recently been generated.

It will be interesting to see how the rugby affects the club final attendance

Basically, what you're saying is that unless crowds are up at the AI club finals this year, then rugby is ruining the GAA. You must wake up every day feeling wonderful.

So poor was he in the first half, if I was in charge McGourty wouldn't have reappeared for the second half. But thereafter he was head and shoulders above everyone on the pitch, and had more influence on where the Sigerson Cup went than any other player on show. Anyone arguing with this was watching the game with a pre-ordained agenda.

Pangurban, would a miserable existence you live. 10 Down men played in a Sigerson Cup final yesterday and you talk about poor omens? Catch a grip you fcukin doomlord. Aidan Carr was oustanding. Eoin McCartan's introduction was instrumental. James McGovern hit the winning score. Luke Howard was impressive. Dan Cartan hardly put a foot wrong.

What more do you want?

BT7 - I'll repeat a point I made earlier to TYP. If you really believe that the current hype surrounding Irish rugby owes more to the GAA opening Croke Park than it does to the fact that this is a truly vintage crop of Irish players then, with all due respect, your head is rather firmly stuck up your arse.

Just because rugby never played a part in your life prior to a fortnight ago does not mean the game wasn't thriving. What is happening with rugby at present has been building for nearly five years. it was obvious the talent was coming through, and Eddie O'Sullivan is moulding them to perfection.

Ireland just beat the world champions by 30 points. If that isn't a sporting achievement worth shouting about, I don't know what is. It's a World Cup year and Ireland are one of the favourites. That has to be worth singing and dancing about.

Yet after St Patrick's weekend, live rugby will disappear off our terrestrial tv screens until the end of the summer, and all those kids in primary schools won't have rugby to talk about until then. Who knows, they may even talk about football and hurling instead.

It isn't a threat.

Well said Stephenite. It's rather sad that someone who obviously loves the game of hurling so much cannot see any of its failings, so blinded is he by a hatred of other sports.

BM I've been watching rugby for over 10 years, but I've never seen an Irish team reach the intensity that this team did vs Australia in October and vs England yesterday. There is a commitment level to their performances that could only make you proud to watch them.

Yet rather than warm to this, you would rather get hung up on what songs are being played beforehand. It's obviously not sport that attracts you, but politics.

Rugby has arrived and it is here to stay, thanks to the Croke Park hype and spectacle.

TYP - If you honestly believe that the current wave rugby is riding on, owes more to the GAA opening up Croke Park than it does to the exploits of what is a vintage crop of Irish players around at present, then your head is well and truly stuck up your arse, with all due respect. Rugby wasn't born yesterday.

Amhrán na bhFiann should be played at every Irish game, home or abroad.  Anyone who has a problem with this should take their bigoted views elsewhere!

BM - Could you honestly not sense the irony in this when you were writing it?