Corduff lose their Ulster Title - Swanlinbar win appeal

[mylestheslasher]

I remember when Ger Pierson and Mark McKeever were playing senior championship finals with Gowna at 16/17 years old. They were both also playing for Moyne Community school. They played minor and the played U21 and then senior too in the one season. That is madness. McKeever was in bits with Gilmores Groin in his early 20's and Pierson lost any real interest in football (at least the commitment required to play at the top level). Neither player really to this date fulfilled their potential imo. There are countless examples of this and these are the types of players the rule is there to protect.

[boojangles]

I remember when Ger Pierson and Mark McKeever were playing senior championship finals with Gowna at 16/17 years old. They were both also playing for Moyne Community school. They played minor and the played U21 and then senior too in the one season. That is madness. McKeever was in bits with Gilmores Groin in his early 20's and Pierson lost any real interest in football (at least the commitment required to play at the top level). Neither player really to this date fulfilled their potential imo. There are countless examples of this and these are the types of players the rule is there to protect.

It was more Paddy Brady( remember him??) and Mc Keever who would have been playing Senior etc at U-16 level. Pierson was 2 years older. Paddy Brady was a boy wonder and had the footballing world at his feet at 16 BUT he hasnt kicked a ball in years, due to chronic knee problems I believe. Definitely a case of far too much too young.

Although I still feel it is a stupid rule, rules are rules.

[mylestheslasher]

Dunno how you can name a perfect example of burnout like Paddy Brady and then say the rule to protect these lads is stupid. Sure Paddy Brady was a giant lad (which is apparently a good enough reason to disband the rule book) but he was used and abused and never recovered.

[lynchbhoy]

I remember when Ger Pierson and Mark McKeever were playing senior championship finals with Gowna at 16/17 years old. They were both also playing for Moyne Community school. They played minor and the played U21 and then senior too in the one season. That is madness. McKeever was in bits with Gilmores Groin in his early 20's and Pierson lost any real interest in football (at least the commitment required to play at the top level). Neither player really to this date fulfilled their potential imo. There are countless examples of this and these are the types of players the rule is there to protect.

understand what you are saying.
However, if this rule was about back then, these two lads would have missed out on a lot of Gowna's 'golden era' of county wins. Whose to say they wouldnt have got inj or disenfranchised with football anyway ?
I'm in the exact same position as them. played adult football as a 14 year old. fecked with inj at 26 and never played at decent level again after this.(played club minor, u21,senior, college fresher & senior , and county minor all in the one particular year as a 17 year old)
I'd do a few things differently if I had to do it again, but not playing as a kid isnt a change i'd make.

also these older 29/30/35 year old players - rarely hit these days and personally I never got a dirty slap until I was 17 ! That was a few years ago when junior football was rough - though the slap was playing intermediate/Div 2
so not playing these kids because of slaps they might get is a bit daft.

the rule is there and corduff deserve the punishment. I just contend the rule shouldnt be there - as these days young players and the art of physiotherapy/training properly are light years ahead of the days when I was a kid and also better when McKeever and Pierson were child prodigies !

[Lecale2]

or disenfranchised with football anyway ?

How would they have done this?

[ck]

I coach at U.14 level and totally agree with this rule. Some U.16's may be good enough however this rule is in place to protect them. The rule is a good one and Corduff management and club should take responsibility. As someone said earlier, Swanlinbar could easily have had a similar player.
One thing though, if this kid played for Corduff in previous games does that mean those teams can appeal too?

[mylestheslasher]

I remember when Ger Pierson and Mark McKeever were playing senior championship finals with Gowna at 16/17 years old. They were both also playing for Moyne Community school. They played minor and the played U21 and then senior too in the one season. That is madness. McKeever was in bits with Gilmores Groin in his early 20's and Pierson lost any real interest in football (at least the commitment required to play at the top level). Neither player really to this date fulfilled their potential imo. There are countless examples of this and these are the types of players the rule is there to protect.

understand what you are saying.
However, if this rule was about back then, these two lads would have missed out on a lot of Gowna's 'golden era' of county wins. Whose to say they wouldnt have got inj or disenfranchised with football anyway ?
I'm in the exact same position as them. played adult football as a 14 year old. fecked with inj at 26 and never played at decent level again after this.(played club minor, u21,senior, college fresher & senior , and county minor all in the one particular year as a 17 year old)
I'd do a few things differently if I had to do it again, but not playing as a kid isnt a change i'd make.

also these older 29/30/35 year old players - rarely hit these days and personally I never got a dirty slap until I was 17 ! That was a few years ago when junior football was rough - though the slap was playing intermediate/Div 2
so not playing these kids because of slaps they might get is a bit daft.

the rule is there and corduff deserve the punishment. I just contend the rule shouldnt be there - as these days young players and the art of physiotherapy/training properly are light years ahead of the days when I was a kid and also better when McKeever and Pierson were child prodigies !

Sure no one is saying that Lynchboy. The lad can play away at his own age level and even at the level above that but not 2 or 3 levels above. Thats what the rule says.

[David McKeown]

I have two problems with the rules as they stand.  1. I have always been of the opinion that if you are good enough then you are old enough.

2.  There is clearly a higherarchy of rules within the GAA. Swalinbar were able to appeal against a player who is underage playing yet Louth for example have no recourse over what happened in the Leinster final nor do teams who lose when players are incorrectly sent off (e.g. by mistaken identity) or when scores that are wide are incorrectly given as scores.

That said the rule was in place and Corduff knew about it and shouldnt have breached it.  My complaint is the rule itself and the attached sanction.

[lynchbhoy]

Sure no one is saying that Lynchboy. The lad can play away at his own age level and even at the level above that but not 2 or 3 levels above. Thats what the rule says.

playing adult football as a 16-18 year old was the best time in my football career
If I didnt play it then I'd never have experienced any kind of 'success' (and its a partial success at that).
Same goes for McKeever and Pierson, look what they'd have missed out on if they had been denied playing for Gowna that young.

I coached lads of 14 up to minor (and adult to) and thre are some lads of 16 would have been good enough for senior squad (well not in our club but in most country teams around Ireland).

I thik its a daft rule as it protects no one !!
imo

[Milltown Row2]

I think its a load of balls, the rule that is. This lad may never get to play in an All Ireland semi final with his club ever again!! His club will have to play Intermediate next year and may not (depending on their quality) ever reach those heights again.

Good enough old enough. Played senior hurling from the age of under 16 right through and played football for the club, mainly reserves, i even played a few senior games last season at the ripe old age of 38.

But the rule is there, all club officials know what can happen to the them should they allow this to happen. I would be raging at my club manager if they played a player that would have strip the team of it's Ulster Championship.

[Main Street]

Corduff had a toddler on board as a sub, that was not fair on Swanlinbar.
Has anyone gone to that pub in Carrick to pick up the cup yet?


The Chairman of Corduff Gaels is Padraig McEneaney

"Padraig Keenan is one of the most dedicated and promising players to come out of the club ever and we are disappointed for everyone involved. We have to hold up our hands and say we made a mistake and move on from this." The Corduff Chairman stressed that nobody at Corduff committee or club level ever had any issue with Padraig playing. "We were under the impression that once Padraig turned 16 year of age that he was eligible to play. He joined the squad as soon as he was 16. At no time would we have played him if we thought he was ineligible as we have a panel of 34 players."

The Corduff Chairman went on: "The Ulster Final was played on 12th December. Nineteen days after that Padraig Keenan could have played for the club legally.  "We are disappointed that this has taken away from our achievement as we beat Swanlinbar comprehensively in the Ulster final."

[Maguire01]

It's a shame for Corduff. And a very hollow victory for Swanlinbar; akin to Meath's Leinster title.

[The GAA]

Surely Swanlinbar should offer corduff a replay now?

[tommysmith]

The point a lot of people seem to be missing is that Corduff would have been stripped of the title even without an appeal from Swad. Had Swad not appealed Corduff would have forfeited the game but it would not have been awarded to Swad. It's in the rulebook lads.

Swad pushed very hard for a replay, they didn't want this outcome. Incidentally Swad do have at least 1 under 16 that would be on their senior team without this rule.

Corduff have nobody to blame but themselves. Best of luck to Swad in the Semi Final.

Surely Swanlinbar should offer corduff a replay now?

A replay is all that they asked Ulster Counci for.

[mylestheslasher]

Corduff had a toddler on board as a sub, that was not fair on Swanlinbar.
Has anyone gone to that pub in Carrick to pick up the cup yet?


The Chairman of Corduff Gaels is Padraig McEneaney

"Padraig Keenan is one of the most dedicated and promising players to come out of the club ever and we are disappointed for everyone involved. We have to hold up our hands and say we made a mistake and move on from this." The Corduff Chairman stressed that nobody at Corduff committee or club level ever had any issue with Padraig playing. "We were under the impression that once Padraig turned 16 year of age that he was eligible to play. He joined the squad as soon as he was 16. At no time would we have played him if we thought he was ineligible as we have a panel of 34 players."

The Corduff Chairman went on: "The Ulster Final was played on 12th December. Nineteen days after that Padraig Keenan could have played for the club legally.  "We are disappointed that this has taken away from our achievement as we beat Swanlinbar comprehensively in the Ulster final."

Over on Hoganstand a member of the team Corduff beat in the semi said that they found out too late that this lad was not eligible. They apparently told Corduff at that stage but it was too late in the day to appeal. Corduff knew full well the lad could not play the final but went ahead and did it anyway. When Swad offered them a replay they wouldn't do that either even though they had to know for certain they were in the wrong. Swad did not want to win they wanted fair play. I was talking to a lad up there a few weeks back and he told me they turned away 2 U16's from senior football training at the start of the season because of this rule - one of them is a big lad that is making in roads in Ulster Rugby. Corduff chairman is blowing shite out of his arse in that statement and the biggest joke is the fools were the much better team on the day and there was probably no need to bring the lad on at all, even though he scored a goal when he did come on.

With regards to it being akin to the leinster final, I don't agree. In this case the team that cheated lost the game.