Ulster Senior Football Club Championship 2011

[armaghniac]

Not the best Cross' game, but the expected result. Jamie Clark is a pleasure to watch, he has the basic skills and the fancy ones too. You can make it hard for him to score, but he then delivers a precise pass to someone else who does score.

[brokencrossbar1]

Another win another title. Played well in patches and really could have won by a lot more, 10 first half wides and probably close to 7 in the second half. Also a few hit short into keepers hands. Things to work on I suppose.

Sending off correct, elbow in the face. Sludden was in front of the play following the ball so couldn't have seen it. McQuillan on the other line called it. Defence were very good and could not fault any. I thought James and Fiddler were the pick. MF so so, Titch wasn't injured, I was just playing the candyman for the craic .

I thought the movement in the forwards was excellent and really should have garnered more scores thab we did. I need to talk to Jamie about my 'tactics' to give himself some protection as the refs certainly don't. All that was nneded today was a saddle and a whip for McCartan.

[Milltown Row2]

Fair and honest opinion, but ya never give these beforehand

Cross have got off to great starts and stamp their authority on the game. Teams will get some possession but the damage is done.

They will find it harder if teams stop their great start to games. I believe they will win come 17Th of March though. Osin most have the most provincial club medals in Ireland.

[brokencrossbar1]

Sludden was linesman. Higgins was ref.

[Don Johnson]

Who got the second goal? It happened at the far end of the pitch from where we were in the corner of the stand.

Didn't see the off the ball incident but if he elbowed someone's face it was well justified.

[forevergreen]

Broken Cross Bar, you could maybe get a lend of a saddle from Alan Higgins in midfield, hanratty was riding him all day. If ever there was a case for a double yellow for persistent fouling Hanratty is it, and he is a big shite when it comes to it.

That said best team won. Cross played a good direct brand of football that payed massive dividends. Clarke's off the ball running was hard to contain, although Gerard should have come in front, possibly too much respect there!!

The sending off was disastrous but good to know the boul Joe McQuillan will be getting the new advert for laser surgery, he seen something from 70 yards away that neither the ref nor Mr Sludden did. Higgins was a joke all day, missed numerous fouls on both sides and if he was booking McKeown for his tackle at the last, it was a red. came through McArdle and both feet of the ground!!!

Cross were clinical when it counted and apart from Donal O'Hare and Alan Higgins who gave everything, we have alot of boys who need to ask themselves why they didnt come out and empty the tank.

Cross will take a bit of stopping but we will go back to the drawing board and plan for next year.

Good luck to cross in the all ireland series.

The injuries and Eoin's suspension were all killer blows but when the boys on the field dont perform it's hard to stomach.

[Blowitupref]

Gooch v Clarke will be some semi final match up however UCC might have something to say about it.

[Milltown Row2]

Broken Cross Bar, you could maybe get a lend of a saddle from Alan Higgins in midfield, hanratty was riding him all day. If ever there was a case for a double yellow for persistent fouling Hanratty is it, and he is a big shite when it comes to it.

That said best team won. Cross played a good direct brand of football that payed massive dividends. Clarke's off the ball running was hard to contain, although Gerard should have come in front, possibly too much respect there!!

The sending off was disastrous but good to know the boul Joe McQuillan will be getting the new advert for laser surgery, he seen something from 70 yards away that neither the ref nor Mr Sludden did. Higgins was a joke all day, missed numerous fouls on both sides and if he was booking McKeown for his tackle at the last, it was a red. came through McArdle and both feet of the ground!!!

Cross were clinical when it counted and apart from Donal O'Hare and Alan Higgins who gave everything, we have alot of boys who need to ask themselves why they didnt come out and empty the tank.

Cross will take a bit of stopping but we will go back to the drawing board and plan for next year.

Good luck to cross in the all ireland series.

The injuries and Eoin's suspension were all killer blows but when the boys on the field dont perform it's hard to stomach.

I wouldn't be so tough on the players (your own players?) That Cross team is some outfit. If a player throws a dig at another player then he would have been the one I would be mad at, the other players, I'm sure didn't want to lose.

[brokencrossbar1]

Forever green, I wouldn't disagree about Johnny, he was lucky not to get 2 yellows and we actually thought he had. To say he is a big shite is not true and you're well out of line and oof the mark there.  We could argue about who fouled the most but that is petty. The simple thing was that too many "big game plauyers" didn't do it for Burren.  They played too individualiy and play a running game which is fine against teams who cannot match your speed and fitness. We are a level above a lot of county teams in terms of fitness and as a result teams will not outlast us. I honestly believe on todays showing we were at least another 5 points better than the final score but simply didn't take our scores. That is something to work on but at least the lads can enjoy Christmas because I reckon January will be fun

[forevergreen]

Yeah BCB, our running game is grand but when its not working we have to have a plan B and unfortunately at the minute we dont have one. Plan B would probably have been Eoin into the edge of the square , as he did to great effect last year. We are a good team and one that is learning. To become a great team we have to become more rounded and the lads outside of the first 15 have to up their game too.

We had too many lads let the game pass them by. I have no doubt the 3 weeks in a row took its toll but when you get to an Ulster Final tiredness is just a mental block.

Hopefully today will prove the making of the boys in that its a hard lesson but hopefully one which they can use to motivate themselves and use to focus on getting back.

We just arent cute enough yet but that'll come, we need to get the walking wounded sorted and come back stronger as a unit next year.

In the meantime enjoy your journey south after the winter and hopefully we'll see you this time next year but that's a years hard work away but hard work that must be done.


 

[pearseog]

Who got the second goal? It happened at the far end of the pitch from where we were in the corner of the stand.

Didn't see the off the ball incident but if he elbowed someone's face it was well justified.

it went in off kyle carragher's knee. dont think he knew too much about it though.

forever green - as a neutral at the game i thought the ref gave some very favourable decisions to burren, and in general cross had to work harder to get a free than burren.

[mountainboii]

Who were Burren missing today apart from Eoin McCartan? They were awfully poor, even before the sending off. Couldn't understand why they spent several periods of the game without any semblance of a FF line. Cross don't have many weak links, but if there is a chink in the armour it's their FB line under the high ball. Burren didn't put any pressure on this area, even towards the end of the game when they knew goals were needed. They just limped through the game, kept alive by a few dodgy frees, until the second goal finally put them out of their misery.

What can you say about Cross though? They have such a high baseline. Even the weakest members of their first fifteen are excellent club players. Pity Armagh are now bucked in the league.

[MK]

Well done the Rangers-9 final wins outa 9 will never be matched never mind bettered
Burren on the day have actually regressed with regards last year,albeit the loss of Rooney,Toner and to a lesser degree Eoin Mc  had quite a bearing on todays game-

Oisin was rightly mentioned as holding most provincial medals-however  Hearty must surely be up  there also??

[Blowitupref]

How many Cross players will make the Armagh team next year? Oisin is getting on a bit but is still good enough to line out for his county.

[emainmacha]

Photos of both games

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16144312@N07/sets/72157628181317917/detail/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16144312@N07/sets/72157628181202663/detail/

Was over on the Ulster GAA site and they have the score of the senior game up but not the junior, even though it was the early throw in, not say what I was thinking when saw it, not want to be banned lol