Messages

Oh c'mon guys, it's not smart or funny to be continually feeding the troll.

It'd be a terrible loss for Galway, when's he's fit he's one of the finest forwards in the country. Galway's slide into the nadir since 2009 can't be attributed just to Meehan's woes, but it has played a very important part.

It all depends on how things sake down. Two points in Kiltoom on Sunday will set us up in a very good position going forward as that Tipp team is likely to, at minimum, be taking points off alot of teams. Do that and we'll be getting progressively strong each week as the college players start to come in more and the strange rash of groin injuries clear up. We got promoted last year without the Brigids players for the most part, and even though the standard is obviously higher this year that doesn't have to be the make-or-break factor in being promoted in the league.

I've noticed a tendency towards fatalism in supporters here but we're not going to be the only county suffering absentees and injuries.

Wexford, depending on their panel, would be one of the strongest in the division but they're hardly head-and-shoulders above anyone. I'd say if we had a full panel available we'd be the strongest team - we've got good recent records against Sligo, Cavan and Longford and we beat Wexford over two championship games in 2009, and we're a far better team now. But like BallyhaiseMan said, this division can be very unpredictable and no team should be going into the season thinking they can't be promoted.

Just the way we like it I remember the same last year, and I think we came within a last gasp defeat to Westmeath of making it up into Division 2.

Sligo and Offaly are the real wild-cards, either could be relegated or even promoted. Certainly safer bets, though.

It'd have been great if the GAA had some sense and looked at the ol' globe and saw that a double bill in Tullamore/Pearse Park would have made perfect sense, let alone probably drawing in some extra neutrals.

In all fairness, though, even Dr. Crokes' best Don King impression this week hasn't took a speck of luster from the Athlone civil war. Ah Dessie, why weren't you born west of the Shannon?

As gambler i won't be going near those odds no matter how attractive. Another disappointing display away to Louth tonight from us without the St Brigid's lads (possibly out until the 2nd last game) & a mounting injury list i feel us keeping Div 3 status will be decent season.

Hard to read much of anything into challenge matches, though - we lost to Donegal by a point in a high-scoring affair (!) two days before the GMIT game, after all. In the closest we've had to a serious game, the Mayo one, we showed plenty with a skin-bare team sheet. This division could be a wild ride, no one's safe and no team has no hope of promotion. A few good results is all you need in this sort of league to set yourself up.

Sure as long as you have the Super Smash Bros. in the center, who could dare oppose ye?

Paddy power odds To win the Div 3 title.

Wexford 5/2
Sligo 9/2
Longford 5/1
Tipperary 6/1
Offaly 7/1
Antrim 8/1
Roscommon 9/1
Cavan 9/1

I don't bet but that 9/1 for us is mighty attractive. We only need to get to second place to get to the final - and I expect alot of teams beating each other, so the threshold is likely to be low - and by then we'll have a very strong panel to choose from.

For us the first game against Tipp is a piviotal one for the entire season - we've plenty of absenties (seven championship starters from last year, including the entire St. Brigids team, injuries and probably more college tied players than any other county panel) and this will be one of only three home games we'll have in the league, albeit away games to Longford, Offaly and Sligo soften that blow somewhat.

That's not to meantion Tipp being one of the most dangerous teams in the divison. If we can win that game we should be able to reach the latter stages of the league still in contention and by the Cavan game we should have a full hand to pick from and in that situation I think we're more than good enough to win out.

Getting a good run in the league would be a huge boost for a new manger with a game against Galway on the horizon.

[Saturday February 4th, 20127:00 PM]

About time to throw a thread up, we're only a week out from the start now!


Saturday February 4th, 2012
7:00 PM

Antrim vs. Sligo (Casement Park)


Sunday February 5th, 2012
2:30 PM

Longford vs.Offaly (Glennon Brothers Pearse Park)
Wexford vs. Cavan (Wexford Park)
Roscommon vs.Tipperary (Dr. Hyde Park)


Saturday February 11th, 2012
7:00 PM

Cavan vs. Longford (Kingspan Breffni Park)


Sunday February 12th, 2012
2:30 PM

Offaly vs.Roscommon (O'Connor Park)
Tipperary vs. Antrim (Semple Stadium) 
Sligo vs.Wexford (Markievicz Park) 


Saturday March 3rd, 2012
7:00 PM

Antrim vs. Offaly (Casement Park)
Cavan vs. Sligo (Kingspan Breffni Park)


Sunday March 4th, 2012
2:30 PM

Longford vs. Roscommon (Glennon Brothers Pearse Park)
Wexford vs. Tipperary (Wexford Park)


Sunday March 11th, 2012
12 45 PM

Tipperary vs. Cavan (Semple Stadium)


Sunday March 11th, 2012
2:30 PM


Offaly vs. Wexford (O'Connor Park)
Sligo vs. Longford (Markievicz Park)
Roscommon vs. Antrim (Dr. Hyde Park)


Sunday March 18th, 2012
2:30 PM

Cavan vs. Offaly (Kingspan Breffni Park)
Longford vs. Antrim (Glennon Brothers Pearse Park)
Wexford vs. Roscommon (Wexford Park)
Sligo vs. Tipperary (Markievicz Park)


Saturday March 24th, 2012
7:00 PM

Tipperary vs. Longford (Semple Stadium)


Sunday March 25th, 2012
12:45 PM

Antrim vs. Wexford (Casement Park)


Sunday March 25th, 2012
2:30 PM

Offaly vs. Sligo (O'Connor Park)
Roscommon vs. Cavan (Dr. Hyde Park) 


Sunday April 8th, 2012
2:30 PM

Cavan vs. Antrim (Kingspan Breffni Park)
Longford vs. Wexford (Glennon Brothers Pearse Park)
Tipperary vs. Offaly (Semple Stadium)
Sligo vs. Roscommon (Markievicz Park)


Saturday April 28th, 2012
TBC

NFL Divison 3 Final: 1st Placed team vs. 2nd Placed Team


N.B. the venues listed seem to only be provisional, from what I read in the paper the Roscommon vs. Tipp game will actually be played in Kiltoom, so similar changes for other games are likely.

Roscommon-Tyrone was one of the most exciting games of football of the last year. I had thought not many Tyrone fans would turn up given they'd be assuming relatively easy passage and a trip up to Dublin the next Saturday for the Dublin game but they still turned out in notable numbers. The strangest thing to see was loose Tyrone defending - something that'd catch them out weekend - it just wasn't the sort of thing you associate with Tyrone football, defensive naivety. Anyways, I was just happy to get to see the last embers of many of the key players of those great Tyrone teams play in person, in what proved to be their last victory.

I know the OP is half codding, but few people have less than the up-most respect for Tyrone, indeed they are the ideal role model for counties without recent historical success or huge populations.

In a large part he's right, if the Donegal model spreads and the sport as a spectacle suffers much more the rules will change. To be fair, the GAA have been very pro-active when compared to almost every other major sport when it comes to altering the rules of the game so I'd hope they just continue on that path.

It's also an important point that Sean Cavanagh himself is a pretty weak defender, I remember against us last year he was continual beat by Karol Mannion going forward even though he cleaned us out himself on the front foot. He's one of the best attackers in the game when he gets a foot of space but if you get a run at him you can make alot of hay too.

There were probably some raised eyebrows when he switched to Castlerea but there was also a general acceptance that he had the talent to go very far. It's sad players at intermediate level feel the need to switch to a senior club just to get in the shop window.

Was it not a case of the family building a house within Castlerea parish which is his dad's home place?

Well that'd hardly preclude him from staying with his old club - they're right beside Castlerea - and all the word I heard was that he felt he had to switch to further his chances of being a meaningful part of the county panel. Either way, the end result is that the county has a young and very talented forward who has had a good run of health lately.

Might get a bit more work out of him if he gets a spell at midfield 
How many of today's team will start the first NFL game v Tipp?
Claff,Seanie,Dineen (??),Kenny,Finneran,K Higgins,Donie, Darren Mc (??), Ger Heneghan , Devaney (??) and Rogy I expect.

Hard to know Rossfan, O'Gara,Ormsby were missing today don't know if injured? Compton whom impressed v GMIT,Cavan U-21s is out for a few weeks & C Cregg,Carty,C.Shine,Ward won't be back for a while yet. Guys playing in the Sigerson cup may return for the opening league game.

Left out Sean Purcell.
I would hope Ormsby and O'Gara would be fit to play . Cant really see Sharkey or Ml Higgins being in the first 15  or 20.
Presumably Keenan  and Neil Collins and Neil Daly will be in the mix too . With the U21s not playing till mid March a few of them should help fill the gaps left by the St B lads.

Darren Mac was a brilliant footballer  in his underage days but had injury problems. Remember him tormenting the Tyrone minor defence in 2008 till  the knee gave out.
I believe has father had to stop his club (previous one) from over using him when he was 15/16 as he was getting too many injuries even then.
Hopefully Desr will give him every chance to develop during the NFL.

Sounds about right, he had a bit of a glass man reputation even as a kid so the injuries were physiological too, he just needs to be handled correctly and he can be a huge player for the county. There were probably some raised eyebrows when he switched to Castlerea but there was also a general acceptance that he had the talent to go very far. It's sad players at intermediate level feel the need to switch to a senior club just to get in the shop window. We don't have the luxury of overlooking options.