Messages

[cruise]

It's just really a procession at this stage.  If Cargin went all out, they win the league.  They will cruise to another championship this year.  There is nobody stopping them.  We are watching Man City like dominance and its hard to know where it will end.

I dont know if Cargin have ever really cruised to a championship.

Since 20218:
Beat Creggan by a point (and well say no more about that game)
Beat Lamh Dearg by 2 (after a replay)
Beat Greggan by 3
Didn't get to final
Beat Aghagallon by 3
And then last year beat an overachieving Dunloy team by 5

Looking form the outside it would appear that they are there for the taking!
If you want to see actually cruising/dominance look at the Derry Senior Championships (either code) 

  Changes like the wind. Harte will be the second coming of the messiah if he delivers anything for derry.

I cant imagine so. I get the feeling its personal with him and Harte.
If Derry do have a successful season (all ireland final) brolly will use his platform to talk about the leaders on the pitch and namedrop how he was chatting to conor glass just last week and told him exactly how to mark brian fenton

I agree with scrapping them to free up an extra week and i think the team that finishes top should be the league champions simple as that. But im not sure it would totally solve that problem. Eg a team could have the league won after 6 rounds and so field a weakened team in their last game to give their lads rest. this could result in the same situation that canavan described happened last year.

Can anyone give some clarity on what happened at the meeting tonight? I hear a number of reps left furious but still cant figure out which clubs have been effected

Id imagine Derry go in as favorites for this final?
Cormac Murphy seems like a great find. A player who can score in a range of ways and always seems to be good for a goal for Magherafelt. Could he be the missing piece to this Derry forward line?

Not sure what Clifford did to deserve poty, anonymous in quarter final and final. Picked on name alone. And I'm saying this as a huge fan.

Scoring 5-39 in 8 matches. Captaining his team to an All-Ireland final. Scoring 2-6 in a provincial final (under circumstances that most of us cannot even fathom). Scoring 9 points in an All Ireland semi final while being marked by a reigning All Star defender. Commanding such a gravity in that side of the pitch that allows for easier scores for his team mates. I think he did plenty.

Im not writing off an unbelivable year just because he missed a few shots in the final.
If you never saw a football match before and then you watched every minute of this years championship you would say that David Clifford was the best player.

I think there are a number of teams that can realistically win sam. It would take the rub of the green but say if the top 2 meet in a semi final, then the likes of Derry, Armagh, Tyrone, Donegal, Galway would all fancy their chances in a 1 off game in the final. Honestly

Id be hesitant to throw Donegal in with the rest there but I otherwise agree. Weve seen always of these sides give the big dogs a run for their money in the last few years and ultimately just fall short on the big day.

I'll be most interested to see Armagh. When you look at how narrow their defeats have been these past two seasons and how stacked with talent they are, youd have to fear meeting them in an AI semi. Armagh E/W could be a good bet.

Minor final a brutal watch.

Magherafelt brought on a young sub with a bit of flair who wanted to attack and it won them the game.

Decent football being coached out of young lads now. Very few forward passes with foot.

Any notable players on either side who could break into senior next year? Magherafelt seem to have a great conveyer belt at the moment and god knows lavey could do with a lift

are errigal legitimate  all ireland contenders

Yes, they will win the county final with something to spare. The only team I can see who should be able to beat them is Kilmacud Crokes. Do ulster play leinster in the AI semi or final?

Ridiculous statement. There are 3 teams in Derry Id pick to beat Errigal easy never mind the pick of the rest of Ulster

Tbf your statement is equally as ridiculous. 3 teams that would beat EC easy? Going to call BS on that.

I would have Glen and Slaughtneil as favourites in a competitive game v Errigal or Trillick.
Those 2 and Kilcoo would be ahead of anyone else in Ulster though it will be interesting to see where the current class from Crossmaglen sit.

The Tyrone champions, Donegal champions and Cargin would be in the chasing pack.

Agree with all of this but would add Magherafelt right beside Slaughtneil. Top class defense and can control a game as well as any team you'll find

are errigal legitimate  all ireland contenders

Yes, they will win the county final with something to spare. The only team I can see who should be able to beat them is Kilmacud Crokes. Do ulster play leinster in the AI semi or final?

Ridiculous statement. There are 3 teams in Derry Id pick to beat Errigal easy never mind the pick of the rest of Ulster

Now that we have reached the finals of  the Derry Senior,Intermediate and Junior championships,it would nice for posters who saw many games  to get the opportunity to nominate their  five best players that they saw during the separate championship campaigns. For those supporters, like myself, who were unable to view few, if any games, it would be an ideal chance to learn how Derry football is progressing at club level.

Have watched a brave few Senior and Intermediate games throughout the Championship. Could be missing an obvious name or two but here goes these are my five picks for each:

Senior- Padraig Mcgrogan, Danny Tallon, Conor McCluskey, Kevin Johnston,  Emmett Bradley.
Honourable mention to Peter Stuart Bellaghy Goalkeeper

Intermediate- Gavin O'Neill, Tiarnan Moore, Neil McNicholl, Ryan McNicholl, and the young Banagher goalkeeper Callum Armstrong.

What age is Stuart would he be healthy competition for Lynch?

He would be 26. Absolutely healthy competition. I seen him a few times this year and reminds me of Ethan Rafferty. Dont think he would have the distance of Lynch yet but he looks a lot more agile and great on the dead ball.

What are Derry going to do to get the league structures in order? Teams refusing to play the relegation play off this weekend for the 2nd year in a row. Where do they go from here?

Which teams are refusing to play the relegation play off? It did seem this year that the structure of the senior championship was pretty clear with two teams relegated to Intermediate. You would think if a team doesn't turn up they would lose the game and be relegated. Better off playing, maybe winning and if you lose try and find a loophole.
Although the best solution would be the rules are set properly, clearly communicated by the county board and clubs adhere to them.

After last years relegation fallout I was  under the impression that the county board had closed all loopholes etc regarding the relegation process for this year, so that the clubs couldn't decline the process.

Teams will still chance their arm. Infuriating behavior and just sore sore losers. Ive heard lavey are trying to appeal their league relegation too! A bad precedent has been set now and it needs to be squashed asap!

Why opt for it, when you got no remote chance of getting there, foreby winning it.

Completely agree. It seems like a pride thing. eg A team with the legacy of ballinderry wouldnt want to be associated with intermediate and I imagine even if they won the celebrations would be hollow.

The height of arrogance if you ask me. Which ever team ends up relegated is there for a reason.
You think your good enough to be competing in senior? Go prove it in intermediate first and earn it.

All about opinions DK. Ballinderry knew how to get the best out of Gilligan (and Colie Devlin too) in a way Derry didn't. All great players there tbf...

this is the equivalent as saying a great minor player who is struggling at senior level ah jesus the minor managers just knew how to get the best out of him.

Great players in their right but definitely not top county players.

You say they're not top county players because they didnt deliver as much at county. But the quality of footballer was still there.

Imagine you went to a Ballinderry Glenullin game circa 2008. Both Paddy Bradley and Gilligan would stand out as the stars for their teams (while probably being marked by the other team's star/county defender). Because they were both of immense quality.

Now clearly one of them played much better for their county and Im not sure what accounts for that. But we should acknowledge that players like Deets are that kind of TOP quality standard players that Derry never got the best out of.

Got too many bad memories rewatched Derry v Donegal 2006 other nite and Derry v Monaghan 2007, last night. Christ we were poor, the players they had then, probably better than now, and we only got a league title to show for it. Tactics was non-existant, with always 5/6 different players always injured each year. What Mickey Harte had done with that team if he been over it at thd time. !!

These players we had at the time were so good they couldn't put back to two wins together in the ulster championship over how many years.  Yes I agree a highly talented bunch      The kicker line was, and I nearly pissed myself laughing when you when you came with the 'probably better then now'       feck me how daft can you you be. A group of players who couldn't put one 'back to back win' in Ulster verses a team double Ulster winning team who missed qualifying for the All Ireland final this year by hair.      Have you tried stand up comedy yet?

Reign it in. Wildweasel is saying just what youve said. The team were underachievers. Youd be mad to question the talent of the individuals playing then. Those teams of the mid-00s boasted 4 all-star winners Paddy Bradley, SM Lockhart, Kevin McCloy and big Enda Muldoon. Then you still have skinner, Mark Lynch, Deets, Gerard O'kane. I could go on. If they were handled as well as this current squad that team wouldve lifted Sam.

You now have said that a team that couldn't put two games back to back in Ulster from 2003-2011 would have lifted Sam. deluded, and furthermore to add Deets into that group of players you named is dead pan not funny. Top club player yes, county, just a run of the mill decent player at best.

Are you being intentionally dense?

This is very simple. Im saying that the squad of players/individuals back then were just as talented as this current bunch. So why didnt they win? I dont know. Management? Continuity? Culture? Lack of interest/investment from players? Perhaps all 4! But not the quality of the players.

So dont sit there and try tell me that Shane McGuigan is better than Paddy Bradley or that Eoin McEvoy compares to Kevin McCloy. And as for your deets comment you're just making my own point again for me. He was a top quality player and anyone who ever seen him play for Ballinderry knows that.