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I see that o Flynn came on in the divisional match and scored a goal. This after having a monster of a match earlier in u20 v port. I heard that three courtwood and an Emo chap went from the match in courtwood to the divisional match. For a lad not to tog for his club in championship isn’t good enough play and just be part of the panel there will be plenty of evenings when they won’t clashThe Clonaslee lads played in both as well.
True all rightRatheniska hammered sarsfields yesterday, apparently jack priestley and Sean O'Neill didnt play with sarsfields. They opted to play with the divisional side instead. U20 players shouldn't be selected for the divisional games while the u20 championship is on.If this is true it is nothing short of a farce
The margin of victory was a little surprising, but the results as expected.Considering Ballyfin got to the senior football semi, it's a cheap shot having a go at them as a lot of their key players play both codes. They looked a tired team tonight.
I didn't get to either but from what I have heard and read the two beaten semi finalists are simply very very limited.
A bit of doom and gloom about Colt and their future, but I think they have a brighter one than Ballyfin in the next few years.
Underage has been cruelly neglected in that parish for several years. Hop into bed with anyone, under any name and any jersey. It's hardly the way to build a club, an identity or produce a strong squad.
Colt, in fairness to them were involved in a steady long term arrangement and always pulled their weight in it. It's a bit more muddied now, but they are committed to it at least.
The Harps and Rosenallis are the top two, and it will be a good game. I'll reserve judgement for now!
After last night's senior game and the league final last week, I'd have to change my view that Portlaoise might win the IFC.Portlaoise win with a bit to spare. Hard to make sense of league form.
Micky Nolan is gone up as are Rogers, Mulligan, Paddy Downey, and the two young lads Maher and Ronan Mc. Along with that, t the likes of Adrian Kelly, Scott Lawless, Conor Dunphy and John Kavanagh weren't named on the panel last night so I doubt they'll play intermediate.
As I said above, Laois' infrastructure and its mechanics are a soap opera.Have to agree 100% Ballylinan went on their own a few years back due to one team initially pushing for it. The Rock split with St Pauls over one team. St Josephs and Barrowhouse probably over one player but it was hard to blame Barrowhouse. The word is that Crettyard pulled the trigger on their split with Killeshin while Kilcavan went on their own once they were able to. This is only football and hurling is probably similar. Have to admire Stradbally Parish Gaels for going the distance. There is no problem with any club going on their own if they have the numbers but they can't have it everyway. Killeshin were dead right to pull the whole thing if Crettyard initiated the latest split. Why deal with a club who will let you down when it suits them.
In these sort of arrangements, I have seen first hand the pressure that exists to get everyone on the field. People can no longer accept that their youngster, their player, does not deserve to start. So some bright spark said when we have enough of one age group, we'll register them as a single team. This is not the first time this has happened. I think this is what brought Ballylinan Genmore to its knees as well. It needs to be discussed at length and arrangements need to be set in stone. There is a feeling of Open Season about everything we do, and it's very divisive. Talk about area teams and players getting access to senior football can be shelved until this sort of nonsense is resolved
Agree 100% 16 Senior club teams in Laois is way too many considering Kerry has something like 8.https://www.laoistoday.ie/2019/01/25/croke-park-deem-all-proposed-gaels-teams-in-laois-for-2019-illegal/
Let's call a spade a spade: the reality is any team that was relying on a 'Gaels' amalgamation to prop them up at senior in the first place is pathetic. Either accept you're going to struggle or accept a championship reformat which regrades you at intermediate, holding onto the senior tag just for the sake of it is watering down the SFC standard to conserve your pride, and in turn keeping county priorities below your own. Killeen looking to get into bed with Barrowhouse, given their history of picking off some of their best players, is embarrassing. They're a perfect example of a dying club, no youth coming through, virtually the same players every year and in the meanwhile they're getting that bit older. Themselves and Kilcruise need to have a serious look at themselves, they are doing a serious disservice to their players and to themselves. Ending this Gaels nonsense is only half the battle: the next step needs to be cutting down championship numbers to at least 12 as was proposed several years back before divisional teams are even considered.
Nail on head.
The fact that more turned up at the Ballinakill meeting is interesting. Abbeyleix on paper is a much bigger club but has a smaller hardcore which doesn't surprise me. My take on it is that Ballinakill know they have a problem in the long run and were prepared to do.something about it now. I imagine that Abbeyleix on the night took the view that they will survive one way or another. Funny enough, I think they are going to be wrong on that one as the shift in the parish will be to football.Makes Ballinakill look a tad embarrassed I think. They voted very strongly (except for 15) in favour) and now Abbeyleix don't want them by an equally large majority with less than 20 in favour. The only thing I would hope for now is that there is no fallout in either club but I can't understand how a few good tally men and a few soundings could not have avoided the whole process.
You’d be surprised. A mood can shift on the night. A realisation that your club ceases to exist.
Has happened in OY before. Then again unfortunately these dreadful mergers have happened, too often for my liking, to the detriment of both the initial clubs. Lost identity, dilution of tradition.
There are 2 sides to the argument and when a club like Mullinalaghta comes along everybody is warmed by what is almost a fairy tale. The reality is that organised team sport is in decline which is a reflection of modern society. Ironically, I think small town clubs are in deep trouble due to lack of volunteers. There is a greater chance that Kilcavan, Trumera will survive due to the community spirit. That's why Abbeyleix and Ballinakill coming together makes sense as a combination of urban and rural areas will give them a critical mass to survive. I have always admired Ballinakill who always produce quality hurlers from a small base. Abbeyleix also have a proud hurling tradition but it pulls mainly from a town and hurling is in trouble in small towns all over Ireland. The people looking to put this amalgamation together are hurling people first and foremost and putting the promotion of the game ahead of holding on to two GAA units that are probably going to struggle on their own.Killeen and Kilcruise looked very old last year, I fear they will both eventually wilt away if they dont sew up old wounds.
There is only one long term solution to football in that part of the world and in fairness, they've addressed the problem with Na Fianna Og. The only way they can continue to keep their head above water (Kilcruise, Killeen and Barrowhouse) is to pool their resources and make life a little easier for themselves. You're talking about a relatively small area even with the three combined, so splitting them up after underage is ridiculous.
I welcome amalgamations because it shows a degree of ambition. It also shows that people are thinking about the future and the changing nature of modern life and how we contribute to the GAA. None of us have the time and dedication that previous generations had, and with admn, sponsorship and coaching, our clubs are a very different animal to what they were even 20 years ago. So in my opinion, there is strength in numbers and there is prosperity in numbers too. It's never nice to see the end of great clubs, but there are too many clubs in Laois that are hanging on by their fingertips or worse still, stuck in some sort of twilight zone where they never really compete for anything. I know club officials in some clubs who are worn out just trying to keep the thing functional, and it's no fun whatsoever. Not for them, not for the members and probably not the players. I'm all for giving yourself the best possible chance of succeeding, and I just believe that the very rare golden period is not enough to sustain a club over a lifetime. I respect and admire the opposing point of view of course, and I appreciate it's not as black and white as I've painted.
