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byransford gone with an inside man , not sure of the name

If there is a pattern between club and county success, I've yet to see it. It appears to be totally random.

You had Crossmaglen breezing through Armagh and being successful during a period when Armagh rose to win an All Ireland.
Alternatively, you have Kilcoo breezing through Down and being successful during a poor period of Down county football.
And, as you say, Tyrone were a dominant team in Ulster when their club championship was ultra competitive but they have no standout club.

There is no link.

i would have to disagree, tyrone are in the mix every year in ulster and all ireland , they are consistent in that regard , other teams have flashes of 1-3 years but tyrone are always in the top 8 in ireland imo . so surely that correlates to say what they are doing at club level is successful or at least more consistently successful ?

true, possibly no matter what format you use the kilcoos , derygonnellys and crosses of the world will still prevail

I think the fact that only one Tyrone club has won Ulster in the 50 odd years it has been on the go suggests that it has nothing to do with the championship formats other counties have used. Most, if not all counties would have used a straight knockout for the majority of those years.

not saying you are wrong but look at it another way, all tyrone clubs are fully concentrating on just winning the tyrone championship so cant plan to peak for ulster. in alot of other counties that isnt the case

didnt know that about them being possibly only team to win 2 in a row , is there then a reason why all counties are not adopting the tyrone method of leagues and championship ?

when you look at the teams representing each county at ulster and beyond the same thing happens in most counties , there is 1 dominant team and the rest make up the numbers . the usual suspects all in ulster again or in their county finals

Cross, Glen, eirigal ,kilcoo, carigan , derrygonnelly , scotstown, gowna, naomh conaill .

not too many new names , all counties have the same issues teams in down do

I like hurling as much as the next person splash . The essays you are writing not so much

Then don't read them. Plenty others on here enjoy the bit of a narrative and info.

Maybe starting a hurling topic on main page might be an idea instead of having to scroll past essays and quotes of essays

I like hurling as much as the next person splash . The essays you are writing not so much

Great last line - while everyone can put their own spin on progress - the 'circuit' as its now called, knows no boundaries!

Have you or wobbler a solution or is this just a platform to Moan ?

You will join Shane in the Harps this year then Wobbler? Sounds like you have the answers to overcome what nobody else can see? Sounds handy enough to be fair

I don't have any answers. They're just observations.

The gap between Kilcoo and everyone else is getting bigger.

And we, the clubs of Down, are paying men handsomely while this is happening.

Is this not a fair observation?

And if it is a fair observation, should we not be expecting more?

Down football currently contains one of the best teams in all ireland . That other down clubs cant get close to them does not have to be a poor reflection on them teams or their management , it can also be that kilcoo are very good and are getting better. if they win ulster does that mean all ulster managers are bluffers too? how about if they win the all ireland again ? look at it from all sides instead of moaning or as the previous poster said get involved with your club management and do something for a few years and maybe you will change your view.

niall brannigan deserved the red , needlessly gave the ref a decision to make with the game already won. all clonduff players who seen red deserved it too. kilcoo didnt need verbals so id say that line of mitigation is clonduff fans clutching at straws and anti kilcoo folk wanting it to be true. not a kilcoo fan but they did show great restraint. for the game they were cruising and won at a canter which is very disappointing .

[all club players get a proper crack at their season because they would rather have their county players playing for them]

pushing the season back 3/4 weeks has lots of advantages for club players

they get a proper break rather than starting pre season before christmas like in alot of cases , players would love to start in may rather than march/april
the pitches will be in better shape for everyone with a month later start
all club players get a proper crack at their season because they would rather have their county players playing for them so they could be more competitive
teams get more competitive games together after county season ends to rejig the squad with county players involved making for a better championship.

i dont see a down side but surely someone will find one

what about those players that now drop to the bench and get little to no game time because a team has their county players back? do you think they'd be happy too?

the team would be happier and the mentioned individuals would have had half a season by the stage of county return to seal their spot, thats time enough for anyone . win/win

pushing the season back 3/4 weeks has lots of advantages for club players

they get a proper break rather than starting pre season before christmas like in alot of cases , players would love to start in may rather than march/april
the pitches will be in better shape for everyone with a month later start
all club players get a proper crack at their season because they would rather have their county players playing for them so they could be more competitive
teams get more competitive games together after county season ends to rejig the squad with county players involved making for a better championship.

i dont see a down side but surely someone will find one 

carryduff have the biggest pick in down
laverty a huge miss for saul , they just missed out on promotion again
havern a huge miss for saval
downpatrick down players that would see them in promotion mix
glenn down players that would see them safe
longstone down players that would have seen them safe
clonduff down players
mayobridge down players
burren huge squad and depth
kilcoo huge squad and depth

yes players were released but take any top players out of training and the level drops across the board. take them out consistently for 7 months and the level of clubs will drop. the old rule was 5 starred games , teams didnt have their players back in training this year until gameweek 14 . county board need to push the start of the league back and have end of July and august for league games with the 9 second half of league games being played in 7 weeks . that allows 6 weeks to run the championship off to have a fortnight before the ulster campaign

with the new split season leaving teams with no access to their full panel of players for 3/4 of a league is it time to reintroduce playoffs at both end of the divisions ?