Messages

[If we're the only ones taking it seriously then what's the point?]

http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/07/10/the-international-rules-series-is-slowly-dying/

Good little article about the series - my favourite line If we're the only ones taking it seriously then what's the point?

[work rate very high but never lifts his head]

Is Tony Scullion not rated in Antrim or what? I've always been extremely impressed with him everytime i seen him, and under Bradley ,he was part a half back line in Ulster alongside Crozier and Loughrey,which was clearly the best in Ulster.

For me he would always put in a good shift and work rate very high but never lifts his head and final ball awful.

Agreed - has the raw materials - needs to be played to his strengths and that needs a good manager

Anyone else using parkrun??

http://www.parkrun.org.uk/queens/

Even though seamus o shea was more consistent than aidan o shea, aidan will get the all star because of one game & all the good press he received. That's how screwed up all star selection is. Think McCaffrey will get the all star along side keegan & o'sullivan. Had a great league (which i accept is ignored in all star selection)

Conor Gormleyhas a better chance of winning the lotto, than an all star. Would b e amazed if any Mayo forward gets selected given their poor play in all Ireland semi final & final.

McCauley player of year. McCaffrey young player

Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest - nothing would when it comes to the All Stars

Is Tony Scullion not rated in Antrim or what? I've always been extremely impressed with him everytime i seen him, and under Bradley ,he was part a half back line in Ulster alongside Crozier and Loughrey,which was clearly the best in Ulster.

Please accompany with

Some really good posts on here - it's amazing how diverse opinion is on All Stars every year. I agree with posters who are somewhat cynical up to a point. I'm always stunned, given the amount of games that some teams play to get to Croke Park, that so few of the winners come from outside the finalists (only about 5 or 6 in each of the last few years). There are always players who have fantastic seasons but never make a final and are never in the running. There are others, and Dublin's Jack McCaffrey is a case in point, who have one or two high profile performances and are 'nailed on winners.'

Is anyone else slightly concerned by the lack of u23 talent up for the top award? I'm not taking away from the players nominated, as they have all had really good seasons, but if Cillian O'Connor, who let's remember didn't perform in the AISF and had a poor final, wins again, is it an indication of the lack of young talent in the game at the minute?

I disagree with the comments re. Conor Gormley -  he had his best year since 2008 and has done really well to have received a nomination. However, I don't think he's done anywhere near enough to win an all star- I'd be tempted to go with an entire Mayo half-back line this year but I think Cian O'Sullivan also had a fantastic year for Dublin, although not always in this position.

Lee Keegan for POTY for me - followed by Higgins and Gooch who was mercurial at number 11 - he's still one of the very best in the game!

I'll probably be on later disagreeing with myself on this one!

Got the vote in Emmet - good luck. Had a right laugh reading through a few as well. You're in the running

I took up serious running in my mid twenties and it definitely had a major impact on my pace. I was always a very quick player and just about got away with it until I was forced to retire. Long distance training and a fast contact sport like GAA don't go together - your stamina will obviously improve but pace suffers and you can't train for marathons etc with a dead leg from a rough match at the weekend.

I would definitely go for 5Ks. Run mid paced 2/3 times a week and do a disciplined fast 5k at the weekends. There are loads of organised 5k events and you can always find one  - try parkrun. I find that running in organised events forced me to be more disciplined and helped get me off the pints! Target 23 minutes and then try to knock a couple of seconds off each week. I got down to 19mins 50s just by slowly chipping away and I never timed my mid week runs.

I also started swimming - the cheapest physio out there! It definitely helped with the aches and pains that started when I hit 30. I took lessons to improve technique and get out of bad habits - it's amazing how establishing a different breathing pattern can enable you to do 20 extra lengths. I never did weight training of any kind - boring and unnecessary - but I would recommend pilates or yoga - great for core strength. There are loads of simple core training programmes that you can download that focus on simple exercises to maintain core strength using balls, squats etc.

In saying that, I'm awaiting knee surgery and I haven't been able to train in three months due to knee and hip problems so maybe my advice is best left alone.

Christ, I wish I was 30 again!!

Injuries are part and parcel of keeping fit. Can you imagine the damage you can do by sitting on your fat ass doing nowt??

Swim a lot also, private lessons CD? Going for a lesson tomorrow night to iron out my bad habits and improve my technique. What was the best thing you took from the swim lessons that dramatically improved your swim? Currently at 30 length's in 17 minutes

Instructor said I was raising my head too far out of the water and almost stopping to breath so I was losing momentum all the time and using far more energy. She just got me out of bad habits and helped me to straighten my back. It made a dramatic difference to me - Hope it goes well for you!

I took up serious running in my mid twenties and it definitely had a major impact on my pace. I was always a very quick player and just about got away with it until I was forced to retire. Long distance training and a fast contact sport like GAA don't go together - your stamina will obviously improve but pace suffers and you can't train for marathons etc with a dead leg from a rough match at the weekend.

I would definitely go for 5Ks. Run mid paced 2/3 times a week and do a disciplined fast 5k at the weekends. There are loads of organised 5k events and you can always find one  - try parkrun. I find that running in organised events forced me to be more disciplined and helped get me off the pints! Target 23 minutes and then try to knock a couple of seconds off each week. I got down to 19mins 50s just by slowly chipping away and I never timed my mid week runs.

I also started swimming - the cheapest physio out there! It definitely helped with the aches and pains that started when I hit 30. I took lessons to improve technique and get out of bad habits - it's amazing how establishing a different breathing pattern can enable you to do 20 extra lengths. I never did weight training of any kind - boring and unnecessary - but I would recommend pilates or yoga - great for core strength. There are loads of simple core training programmes that you can download that focus on simple exercises to maintain core strength using balls, squats etc.

In saying that, I'm awaiting knee surgery and I haven't been able to train in three months due to knee and hip problems so maybe my advice is best left alone.

Christ, I wish I was 30 again!!

Surely this is a paradox! If they are the best team not to win an All Ireland then they can't be the best team

I was at the Dublin v Tyrone final in 95. It's the only final I've been at when the best team didn't win so it has to get my vote. Canavan was a bit of a one man show that year - a few fairly average players around him.

what made Tyrone the best team that day?

Definitely not Paddy Russell

Surely this is a paradox! If they are the best team not to win an All Ireland then they can't be the best team

I was at the Dublin v Tyrone final in 95. It's the only final I've been at when the best team didn't win so it has to get my vote. Canavan was a bit of a one man show that year - a few fairly average players around him.

How brilliant is that! Paul Flynn has always been a player I've had great respect for and this was an entirely selfless gesture - I'm sure he had absolutely no idea it was being recorded. We have so many fantastic role models in our sport who continue to give their time and energy to support good causes and it's never publicised. I know Joe Brolly isn't everyone's cup of tea at the moment, but there hasn't been a charity cycle in Ulster this year that he has turned down. We need to show our appreciation for their efforts more readily!

Really good article from Jarlath Burns. I totally agree with his comments re. the social club. I know lads who drink in it and wouldn't even stick their heads around the corner to watch Antrim play. They'd rather sit in the dark beneath the stadium and ridicule. They should have no say in this whatsoever.
I do have some sympathy for the residents, although it's ironic that their spokesperson John Crossey earned a living as a GAA employee and is now a most vehement opponent of the associations most important develpment in a decade.
I think it's crucial for the game in Ulster that it has a modern stadium that the GAA community can be proud of and it's important for Belfast, as the second city to be the location. Thank God the maze project never materialised!

Small roundabout ahead

Seamus was better than Aidan again today and for some reason he was taken off?

Aye found that strange to be taken off

Thought that myself! I'm assuming he had a knock - I know there was talk early in the week that we was carrying an injury into the game