AI Club finals - the dates and times

[Deal_Me_In]

County players have to be eligable to play for their club for at least one round of the league. i.e they must be available to play against each club at least once.

[SuperDooperCooper]

No wind up at all Magpie Seanie.
Very Disappointed not to be going on Saturday but had a stag booked since last September.
It was Sean Kelly who looked for Croke Park to be opened up to the Junior and Intermediate teams for club All-Ireland and he should get the praise for it.
Last year (2006) was the first year the finals were played in Croker prior to that they were played in provincial venues like Portlaoise.
The junior and intermediate club competitions are going for a few years first I heard of them was in 2002 when Finuge lost the junior All-Ireland semi final to a Roscommon team. They are great competitions 'cos they allow very club to aspire to a day out in Croker and that is why an All-Ireland semi final loss at Junior/Intermediate level must be the hardest to take.

[thebandit]

Credit must go to Cremartin, who started up the Ulster Junior competition, the Paul Kerr Cup. Subsequently, their parish neighbours Clontibret started the Ulster Intermediate competition.

While its brilliant to see these competitions on the bigger stage, and with more prestige attached, those involved at the weekend should give thanks to those who came up with the idea.

I personally think the Ulster finals should be played in their ground regardless of who is involved.

[Tubberman]

Fair play to Nicky Brennan. His comments regarding the club finals are great to hear and will be reassuring to many worried about the direction they think the GAA is headed

The Kilkenny man described the playing of the club finals in Croke Park as "essential", despite the fact that the GAA will lose money on staging them at the stadium.

"It's a fantastic occasion. We're going to have eight teams in Croke Park this weekend.

"People came to me after the finals last year and they were almost in tears that their club played in Croke Park. This is the ultimate GAA in action.

"Yes, there will be small crowds, but it's as important to open Croke Park to these people as it is for anyone else. We will have to take a financial hit on the days, but that's irrelevant. This is a debt we owe them and this is a very, very small thing that we can do," he added.

[Mike Sheehy]

It was Sean Kelly who looked for Croke Park to be opened up to the Junior and Intermediate teams for club All-Ireland and he should get the praise for it.
Last year (2006) was the first year the finals were played in Croker prior to that they were played in provincial venues like Portlaoise.

You are wasting your time SuperDooperCooper if you think the likes of Magpie Seanie would give Sean Kelly credit for anything.

[Seamus]

The followings articles taken from this weeks Kerryman should be of interest to ziggysego


Ulster champs are not so green 

When you look up the Internet to find out more about the village of Greencastle in County Tyrone you are quickly informed that it is a crossroads village off the Omagh/Cookstown road. It had a population of 153 people in the 2001 census and it lies in the foothills of the Sperrin mountains. The most famous person from the village is a guy called Tom McDermott who participated in the Channel 4 reality show Big Brother and the second most famous person is Sean Teague.

The name Sean Teague may not ring too many bells with the people of Kerry but the image of the former Tyrone captain holding the Anglo Celt Cup (presented to the winners of the Ulster Senior Football championship) aloft in 2001 with his arm in a sling may resurrect some memories. He captained the Tyrone senior team that season and at 33 should still be playing Gaelic Football but unfortunately the extremely talented former inter county star has not been able to continue his career due to a catalogue of crippling injuries. However Teague's loss has been Greencastle's gain. Greencastle's most famous GAA son took over the management of the club early last year and has delivered a County and Ulster Junior Club title as well as the Tyrone County League Division 3 title all in one season

Teague spoke to the Kerryman this week and it is obvious that he has done some homework on his opposition already. "It is a pleasant surprise for us that we got so far in this competition. We realise that we are up against it in the final. We have studied some of your paper's reports on our opponents Duagh on the net and we are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. We believe that Anthony Maher is a superb player and their defence are quite solid but we have one or two big men around centre field ourselves. We are worried about this Kerry team because the last time a Tyrone side played Kerry opposition in the final they destroyed us (Finuge beat Stewartstown Harps by 11 points) so we would be fools not to be wary. Kerry are the kingpins of this junior competition and have clubs in every grade in the All Ireland Club finals. Their tradition is awe-inspiring. Despite the fact that Tyrone beat Kerry a couple of times recently Kerry's football brand is still regarded as the best. It seems to be especially so at club level."

Despite his obvious respect for the Duagh side Teague is convinced that his side can give a good account of themselves.

"We are going into the unknown but we have great self belief and hunger. From what I'm led to believe both teams play a similar brand of football. It could all come down to who has the greater appetite and we'll not be found wanting in that regard," he says.

Gaelic Life journalist Alan Rodgers has seen most of Greencastle's games. He is in no doubt that Greencastle are a fine team.

"Greencastle have surprised everyone in Ulster. They are a team of unknowns who play with a fierce passion. The come from the middle of the Sperrin mountains and they have some huge men down the middle, they have a great half back line in which their captain Martin Conway is the driving force and they have nippy forwards in Terry McDermott and Barry Treacy who are well capable of punishing any defence."

Greencastle have shown their fighting qualities right throughout the championship winning their county final by one point, repeating this feat again in both the Ulster semi-final and Final before finally defeating Mayo side Killala by four points in the All Ireland semi-final.

Greencastle were recently awarded the Ulster Herald Club of the Year award while their captain Martin Conway won the Player of the Year award. While they do not include any well known inter county stars they seem to make up for this with a dedicated and professional approach. The Tyrone team booked Croke Park for example last Saturday night and used the opportunity to acclimatise themselves to the lights in the Stadium at the exact time that they would be playing the following week. It is this attention to detail, which has set the Northern teams apart from their southern counterparts in the 21st century.


However Greencastle may have met their match in Duagh. John Dillon and his backroom team's meticulous preparation will also be a factor. Once again it looks likely that we will witness the battle of two team's with mirror images. A bounce of a ball, a refereeing decision or an unforced error could seal either side's fate.

[Seamus]

Backroom boys set to fulfil a lifelong dream 

Every club and county has its unsung heroes. Certainly Duagh selector, Eamon Stack, and Duagh backroom man Martin Leane, fit that title perfectly. Stack has been a mentor to the majority of the present Duagh squad since they were 10 years of age. Leane, on the other hand, has been one of the main organisers of the Kerry Supporters Club down through the years.
Martin has travelled the highways and byways of Ireland supporting the 'Green and Gold', but finally, he can now briefly cast that all to one side and follow his beloved 'Maroon and Gold' to the promised land that is Croke Park on All Ireland Final day.

Prior to Saturday's final both Eamon and Martin were confident that Duagh would give a good account of themselves in Croke Park.

"It will be a very emotional day for all concerned," expressed Stack, as his thoughts quickly turned to a life long love of football in his native parish of Duagh. "I have been involved in football all of my life, worn the Duagh jersey with great pride but with little success. I played as a 17-year old for Duagh back in 1975, in Division 2 of the County League.

"At that time we went from Division 4 down to 2 and back again within the space of six or seven years. I have been with a lot of this current squad since they were 10 years of age. I trained them up until minor and then took a break for a while and came back as a senior selector this year. What a great year it was to make a comeback!" Martin Leane reflected on the personal pleasure of seeing his local team playing in Croke Park.

"I have travelled everywhere with Kerry over the years and it has been great to be part of their success, but this is something special. This means so much to the people of Duagh. To see your own club lining out in the wonderful stadium of Croke Park is just amazing."

Leane admitted that a trip to Croke Park was not on anyone's agenda at the start of the year but as the year unfolded the possibility began to become a reality.

"No team, not even inter county teams, begin their year thinking of Croke Park but we saw how the year was unfolding and certainly after the County Final we started to dream. The dream has now become a reality and it is some feeling."

At the start of the year it could have all been so different for Duagh as Eamon Stack explained. "Every team needs a bit of luck starting off. In our opening match against Kenmare, Paul O'Connor, who was superb on the night, narrowly missed a chance to equalise and bring the game into extra time. We had a ferocious battle against a very good St Pat's side and barely got through. We then scraped through against our local rivals, Beale, in the semi-final. It just shows how competitive the junior championship is in Kerry. Look at the quality of teams competing. Beale are now a Division 2 side in the County League, higher than the Legion who are playing County Championship football. Look at the strength of teams like South Kerry champions, Skellig Rangers, North Kerry champions, Ballyduff and Kenmare."

Martin Leane was very conscious of the impact that this year of success would have on the Duagh GAA club and the parish as a whole.

"You can't quantify what this success means to our people. The structures of the club are good and the impact of all of this should ensure that we have a solid base for many years to come. Look at the impact that success has had on Ardfert. Of course this is a costly year but I think that the day is gone when you measure the cost of success. We will worry about that on another day."

Finally both men were at one when the topic turned to the possible outcome of Saturday's game. "I am extremely confident that we can win the game," ventured Leane. Eamon Stack was also confident but did have a few words of caution about the impact of the big day on the players.

"I agree with Martin. You have no business going to a place like Croke Park unless that you are confident. There is a worry of course that the players might be overwhelmed by the occasion. We are taking all the precautions necessary to prevent that from happening and we know that they are a team that have responded well all year to every situation.


"There is an X-factor to Croke Park that none of us have really experienced and Greencastle will be in the very same position. John Dillon will keep their feet on the ground and all going to plan I believe that we are good enough to bring the cup home," Stack added.

[Seamus]

Greencastle 0 -14 Duagh 0-13

Congrats to Greencastle and especially ziggysego. Duagh did themselves proud doing amazingly to get this far.

[the green man]

Coleraine down 1-02 to 0-03

[Mayo4Sam]

Congrats ziggyego, well done at the weekend

[SuperDooperCooper]

AIB All Ireland Club Finals – Ticket Information

The AIB All Ireland club finals take place in Croke Park on Saturday next, March 17th. The football final, between Crossmaglen Rangers and Dr Croke's of Killarney will get underway at 2pm and will be followed by the hurling final between Loughrea (Galway) and Kilkenny Champions Ballyhale Shamrocks at 3.40pm. Tickets for these games are currently available from the GAA Website, through Ticketmaster outlets nationwide and in the Croke Park area from the Skylon Hotel, Mc Caughey's Shop on Clonliffe Road or Benny's on Emmet St.  Tickets cost €20 for adults, €5 for juveniles. Students and Senior Citizens must buy a full price Cusack or Davin stand ticket and will receive a €10 refund on production of current, valid photographic ID (Student ID must have an expiry date) at Block D turnstiles prior to entering the ground on the day of the game.

The GAA have advised patrons to purchase their tickets in advance where possible to avoid delays at ticket outlets on the day of the games and to allow for extra traffic due to the St Patrick's Day Parade in the City Centre area when planning travel times.

Patrons are asked to note that Clonliffe College car park WILL NOT be in operation on Saturday

[magpie seanie]

You are wasting your time SuperDooperCooper if you think the likes of Magpie Seanie would give Sean Kelly credit for anything.

That's not true, I give him plenty of credit for using the GAA to further his own personal circumstances and still having a load of dopes thinking he was a great man. Himself and Micko are well met.

[thebandit]

Best of luck to the mighty Cross Rangers who go for number 4 at the weekend

[Imposerous]

All the very best to Donal, Martin and the whole Cross squad for Saturday. 

[Mike Sheehy]

That's not true, I give him plenty of credit for using the GAA to further his own personal circumstances and still having a load of dopes thinking he was a great man. Himself and Micko are well met

"dopes" is it ? ....sure you wouldnt know a "great man" if he came up and kicked you in the arse. Yourself and that other windbag Greenan should form ye're own association altogther...the backwoodsmen and blowhards association. Then ye can rail away against Sean Kelly and crooked refs and all the other people who have given up their time and voluteered only to be personally ridiculed by gobshites like yourself.