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This obviously the wrong time for an U-20s competition; so many players will be away at 3rd level. There is rarely a good time, I suppose

It's always been a fraught competition; the domain of larger clubs whose numbers allow them to counteract the normal reasons why teenagers drop out of football: just lost interest, new hobbies or distractions, away to university.

I'd guess a number of clubs were like ourselves this year, hopeful that the surges in training numbers for senior football during Covid, would reflect in greater interest and desire among u20s. It was always hopeful.

——

U20 football, u19 football and reserve football should all be thrown out and replaced with a "future stars" league, which runs on a regional basis during the season, before full county knockout stages / championship in late summer. The regionality is key: keep the games local, cut down on travelling.

In reality, with no blocks in place on age limits, this would be reserve football under a different name.  But in reality something needs to change to make reserve football a more attractive proposition to teenagers.

I played reserves at 15. So did everyone. Why on earth modern 18 year olds need another juvenile rung, I don't know.

Same here. It was always seen as a pathway to playing senior. In my later years at senior it was clear that the mindset had changed. Younger lads who would sit on the bench all year round for the Seniors almost felt insulted at the suggestion of being asked to play reserves. Its like its beneath them. I couldn't understand it, why train 2-3 nights a week at 20 years of age and never play a game. On a Friday night we would have 18-20 lads confirmed for a reserve game on the sunday. When sunday came, id would say 50% of the time we couldn't field, even for home games. Boys not showing up, wouldnt answer their phone and would show up to Mondays training and laugh about it.

I would still like to play reserves (im 36) but soon got fed up of telling the wife we couldn't do anything on a Sunday because i had a game, only to return home before throw in because we couldn't field. If you think I was cross......

Yep it's a piss take at this stage

Asked about 10 people who obviously were not interested so went back to Laverty who tried to get Jim MG as the big name which has backfired

Conor Laverty to now be installed as manager with maybe Moran Gilligan on board

If u think Moran is going to go from managing Laverty at club level to being his assistant at county, your badly mistaken

[exceptionally well paid for them]

Kilcoo did what they always do by doing just enough today. They identified the weakest and youngest Burren players, tracking them step for step with no opportunity to play or contribute, with these Burren players allowing themselves to be constantly bullied. Danny Magill, Kevin Mc Kernan and Burren's big hope Oran Murdock were taken out of the game. Mc Kernan has always lacked balls against Kilcoo so he is no big surprise but I expected more from Murdock. With no Kerr to break the Kilcoo line, Mc Corry had two weeks to come up with a plan B but there was no evidence of it today. Burren missed a big chance and their management/players can only blame themselves.

Can I also add that Brendan Rice, today's final referee, would do most of their in-house games and gets exceptionally well paid for them. The players know his style of refeering, what he blows and what he lets go, what you can get away with and what you can't. Some advantage to Kilcoo every year and Rice gets a fair few ££ as well. Win Win

So do kilcoo pay every ref in the county "exceptionally well" or just Brendan Rice in the hope he gets the final? 

What a load of brown!

I can't see how Laverty could be appointed as long as he's still playing club football. I know he did this with the u-20s but it's not the same

JFC Semis
Dundrum V Drumaness in Liatroim Friday 22nd @ 7.15
East belfast V The Finn in Downpatrick Friday 22nd @ 7.15

IFC Semis
Drumgath V An Riocht in Ballymartin Friday 22nd @ 7.15
Annaclone V Darragh Cross in Kilcoo Saturday 23rd @ 6

SFC Semis
Kilcoo v Ballyholland in Newry Sunday 24th @ 3
Conduff v Burren in Newry Sunday 24th @ 7.15

Some draw last night...who in the world could have foreseen that we'd get drawn with Clonduff? That'll be the end of the road for our lads surely...in fairness we are miles off Burren and Kilcoo so it makes no odds whether we play Clonduff now or a better team later as there's a big gulf. Streamed the Burren game last night and I fancy them to win the whole thing. Two easy fixtures has given them a chance to give lots of lads plenty of football and not have to risk any injured players like Fegan and Toner. Liam Kerr and Danny Magill are different gravy. Kilcoo will be worried about Burren IMO...The rest of the teams in the county are a side act...County board will surely keep Kilcoo and Burren apart in the semi finals hoping for a showpiece event.

Not much excitement other than our game this wkend. Should be a good crowd there on Sunday night. Fancy Mayobridge to do enough against Bredagh, they'll win by 2/3 pulling up. Castlewellan will fancy their chances against Glenn but that game will be close and I think Glenn will edge it. Carryduff and Longstone will be tight as well but I think Carryduff will see it through.

Thats correct the CCC will fix the draw to ensure Kilcoo play Burren in the final

What a win for St Pauls on Saturday versus Attical, they are a club on the up. Darragh Cross was too strong for Newry Shamrocks and the defeat against Liatroim good be what they needed.
On the SFC front, Bredagh gave Maobridge a scare but the experience saw them pull away in the last 1 or so, they need to be a lot more clinical if they are going to proceed. Carryduff push on after grinding a victory out v the Stone and Clonduff looked impressive v a lacklustre Warrenpoint, McGarry is a massive loss for them but John Boyle has not reached the heights of the last few seasons. A clean sweep of underage football titles by South Down clubs again! Are they doing something down there that needs to be fed to other clubs as we need to improve wholely as a county? In A competitions it seems to be competed by the same few teams every year. In years gone by there used to be a shock team every few years but it seems clubs like Burren, Ballyholland, Mayobridge, Byransford are competing for the honours every year.

The point can't keep looking to John Boyle, he must be 36 at this stage

Pairc TV is hopeless

Anyone able to post Brollys full analysis from the independent?

Premium
No more excuses please from football's great time wasters

Joe Brolly
Mayo is full of cliques and favourites as culture will not change under Horan who made Tyrone's job easy

September 11 2021 10:08 PM
Time wasters. A lot of other counties would give their right arms to be here. The people of Mayo put their heart and soul into their team. And this is what they get?
A manager on the sideline making choices based on political considerations. A protected captain who does not lead and never will.

Substituting Pádraig O'Hora in the 51st minute after he had surged forward to win a free inside the Tyrone half and had been taking the game to Tyrone? Leaving passengers on the field?

It was embarrassing and enraging, even if it was inevitable. The shame is that with a high-performance culture based on merit, Mayo could be so much more than this. I got a text from Pat Gilroy on the final whistle. It said "culture".



At the highest level, the best culture wins. Which is why, in the end, a middling Tyrone team still learning their trade won easily. They are serious.

With Dooher, Logan and Peter Canavan leading the group, there is a merciless search for success. No passengers. No favourites. Winning big games, as they know, is war without guns.

The six in-a-row Dubs might have been highly skilled, highly conditioned, and expertly coached, but they would not have won without bringing war. Tyrone were up for it. Mayo, with a few exceptions, were not. How could they be? They have too many distractions.

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The game was finally over in the 25th minute. Aidan O'Shea was presented with the easiest goal chance I have seen in a final. The Tyrone keeper was caught out and had left his goal empty, chasing back fearing the worst.

His life must have flashed before his eyes. He needn't have worried. "Oh for f**k sake" the Mayo man beside me said. My brother Proinsias texted me, "As I said our boy".

When there are individuals who are undroppable and a manager has favourites, cliques form and it is not a team.

The players know this, and the true bonds of loyalty and togetherness that are compulsory for success are missing.

The manager talks a good game but it is merely talk. I feel bad for Mayo and its people and its wonderful clubs but until this malaise is rooted out, this will continue to be their reality.



Straws will be clutched at. Mayo missed a penalty when they were two points down. But when everything isn't right, nothing is right.

The feeling of liberation at the absence of Dublin and the hope that Mayo might perform was soon replaced with a feeling that nothing has changed. Tyrone, all calm and composed and ruthless when it came to it, won by five points.

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It could have been worse, if for the second game in a row, the 'Son of God' hadn't missed what for him was an easy goal chance.

I have watched him with excitement since he was a teenager and have never seen him miss a goal chance. It must be the Carrickmore in him. He has his first Sam Maguire already. His father, who did not win his first until he was 33, must be well pleased.

I wrote last week that what happened in the last quarter of the Dublin game and in extra-time was not a game plan. It was a crazy, unpredictable, emotional energy that an underdog sometimes taps into.

Tyrone, meanwhile, gloved Kerry, with a miraculous performance from David Clifford keeping Kerry in it. Finals are unsentimental affairs. It is kill or be killed. It is culture v culture. And when one team's philosophy is not based on the principles of logic and merit, defeat is inevitable. The back-to-the-drawing-board bull* does not cut it.

Good culture is the backdrop for the decisive contributions that are required to win an All-Ireland. I think of the Meath team of Colm O'Rourke, all loyalty and stubbornness and refusal to accept defeat, winning All-Irelands against better teams on paper.

Or the 2008 Tyrone team. Or Down of 1991. Or us in 1993. Or the Dubs from 2011 onwards. Mayo's manager will say, "We lost by a point" or "we missed a penalty" or "we couldn't repeat our semi-final performance" but this is just bull*.

Tyrone, a team picked on merit, with a culture of heads down, no commercial distractions and playing for the people of Tyrone, easily won. Two expertly-taken goals will be the headline, but the truth is that their culture is a world away from their opposition's.

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There were any number of moments where we turned to each other and said, "Well that's the end of that", but the truth is that this contest was over before it began.

Tyrone came in at half-time two up, after O'Hora had surged forward defiantly to win a 20-metre free that Ryan O'Donoghue easily converted. But the wheels of this sentimental, public-relations merry-go-round came off altogether in the second half.

McShane came on and fisted a superb goal from a terrific long diagonal ball. The 'Son of God' came on shortly afterwards and played with the precision and expertise one would expect from a Canavan.

The inevitable second Tyrone goal followed, a thrilling long kick-out from Morgan leading to an expertly-taken finish. Calm, precise, serious. Just what you'd expect from a serious team.

Thing is, Tyrone did not expect to be All-Ireland champions at the start of this season. But when they got Mayo in the final, they knew, and we knew, that it was going to happen. In the end, it is a question of culture.

Under this manager, Mayo are time wasters. Soul destroying for good footballers and good clubs. Soul destroying for the people.

Thank you sir

Anyone able to post Brollys full analysis from the independent?

[CPN]

SFC

CPN V Longstone
Saul v Burren
Bredagh v Castlewellan
Mayobridge v Kilcoo
Clonduff v Rostrevor
Loughinisland v Ballyholland
Bryansford v Glenn
RGU vs Carryduff


IFC

An Riocht v Ballymartin
Clann na Banna v Dromara
St Johns Bosco v Atticall
Shamrocks v Drumgath
St Johns v Liatroim
St Pauls v Annaclone
Saval v Darraghcross
Tullylish v Bright


JFC

Mitchels v Glasdrumman
Drumaness v St Michaels
East Belfast vs Aghaderg
Aughlisnafin vs Teconnaught
Ardglass v Dundrum

Who's promoted from 2 with the town beating Longstone?

2-12 to 1-12 clonduff win

Half time. Kilcoo 0-06 clonduff 1-05

High ball in bounced over keeper head and in on the whistle

1st half water break. Kilcoo 0-04 clonduff 0-01