Queens withdraw from McKenna Cup

INDIANA · December 19, 2012, 06:48:30 PM

Quote from: DuffleKing on December 19, 2012, 09:12:57 AM

I'm always suspicious when people try to tell players what is good for them and what should be their priority. Certainly it makes me smile back to my student days. nd think of some of the greats who played sigerson & what it meant to them at the time when i see people try to run down the competition. I doubt things have changed dramatically, if at all.

For the majority of people who play sigerson cup it is the pinnacle of their career. Most aren't lucky enough to play county senior and never get beyond club level.

Ah yeah sure let's rewind football back to the 1950's. Its why the GAA never gets anything done.

Sigerson is gone as this fantastic competition that should get priority. thats life. The Railway Cup used to be good too.

Its a pain in the arse for county managers to be frank about it. The scheduling is awful. You don't see your players till March. You're halfway through the NFL.

The trade-off is to move it Pre-Christmas. Then you still have the competition and the players available if they want to play in it.

For me county and club are the priority. Colleges- if you're doing nothing else.

Redhand Santa · December 19, 2012, 07:12:31 PM

Surprised they withdrew over 5 players. I'm sure some of the universities have been effected worse than this in other years. You'd have thought it would have been a good opportunity to use the squad going into the Sigerson. People are blaming Mickey Harte but don't think Queen's are missing too many Tyrone players.

ck · December 19, 2012, 11:32:49 PM

Quote from: Redhand Santa on December 19, 2012, 07:12:31 PM
Surprised they withdrew over 5 players. I'm sure some of the universities have been effected worse than this in other years. You'd have thought it would have been a good opportunity to use the squad going into the Sigerson. People are blaming Mickey Harte but don't think Queen's are missing too many Tyrone players.

What exactly is your point?
They pulled cos they get treated like this every year, there is a rule that colleges get first call on county players but up in Ulster that is ignored cos the likes of Harte say so. Mickey Harte is quite rightly blamed for it is he who started all this when he fell out with Paddy Tally and denied college players playing with their colleges thereafter. Pretty petty if you ask me. The Ulster council is dominated by Tyrone and Mickey Harte yes men so Mickeys word is final and the colleges have no sway whatsoever. That's the facts unfortunately. Well done Queen's for taking a stand.

Throw ball · December 20, 2012, 01:13:39 AM

I said earlier that Queens would be wrong to pull out and I stick by that. If we use St. Mary's as an example, as Tally was mentioned earlier, I seem to remember a couple of years ago Niall Morgan(?) being subbed of in the Athletic Grounds to a standing ovation from the crowd as he had just given an outstanding performance in goals for the college. Now if St. Mary's had have been using the competition to prepare for that years Sigerson he would not have been playing as he was a first year and in eligible. Maybe it was just that they could see further than the next couple of weeks.

Syferus · December 20, 2012, 03:57:34 AM

That feckin' Mickey is such a Darth Vader, how do ye put up with such an evil man?

Of all the people on Earth who know how to best develop underage gaelic footballers you can be sure Mickey Harte is at the very top of the list.

rrhf · December 20, 2012, 07:56:35 AM

Before Mickey took the mc Kenna cup seriously they used to say even the Mc Kenna s don't go to the cup.

T Fearon · December 20, 2012, 04:00:52 PM

This is the same Mickey Harte posing proudly in the St Joe's Fresher team,1974/75, in the new "Cups that Cheered" Book.He of all should know the importance of Higher Education Football

ck · December 20, 2012, 04:04:20 PM

Quote from: rrhf on December 20, 2012, 07:56:35 AM
Before Mickey took the mc Kenna cup seriously they used to say even the Mc Kenna s don't go to the cup.

Ah right, "before Mickey Harte took the competition seriously", this would have been around the same time as when the colleges joined?

rodney trotter · December 20, 2012, 04:31:46 PM

What is the total numbers of players Queens are missing? UUJ are missing 5 as they are playing with the County, but they aren't opting out.
Sigerson is next month, could Queens not have used it to look at a full panel, maybe 5 or 6 that wouldn't have been guraanted a start for Sigerson Football. Even if took a hammering or 2.
Not like they would be scrathing for numbers, they would still have a good pick of footballers even if they aren't all County Stars.

laceer · December 20, 2012, 04:32:38 PM

If county teams start entering the Sigerson, then the colleges should have first call on players. McKenna cup is a county competition first and foremost so why should county teams not pick who they want?
If Queens feel they can't compete, they're right to pull out. Let them stick to colleges competitions.

rodney trotter · December 20, 2012, 04:41:56 PM

Quote from: laceer on December 20, 2012, 04:32:38 PM
If county teams start entering the Sigerson, then the colleges should have first call on players. McKenna cup is a county competition first and foremost so why should county teams not pick who they want?If Queens feel they can't compete, they're right to pull out. Let them stick to colleges competitions.

Exactly. Probaly slated Mickey Harte about the whole thing, but when you arer trying to build a team and have bearly trained because of the training ban in November, then you want to see all your players in action as much as you can.

Onlooker · December 20, 2012, 05:21:10 PM

In Munster, the word is that Kerry have withdrawn from the McGrath Cup, because of college teams having first call on some of their players and Dr. Croke's playing in the All Ireland Club semi final.

theticklemister · December 20, 2012, 06:04:51 PM

Tony are ye wroting letters to Off The Fence lad?

;-)

Queens said although they have five at the minute away, some county squads have delibertly sent a panel of twenty to register so they could pinch other uni players just before thestart of the mckenna cup and add them to the squad.

screenexile · December 20, 2012, 06:59:20 PM

Joke! If College's don't get first call on their players then what's the point of them playing in it? Their All Ireland is in a few weeks surely they should be playing in their College's games in the run up to that? Surely these same players are still available for the start of the league. Also if you're a County Manager does the McKenna cup not give you a chance to have a look at your lads against the best Ulster has to offer?

To my mind it would be like Armagh saying they need the Cross lads to play in it so that they can have a settled panel for the National League... what a crock! Counties have more strength in depth than the College's and the College's are using this to prepare for their Championship so they should get first pick.

There was no talk of this when Mickey Harte was helping Paddy Tally out with St. Mary's . . . strange how there is a big song and dance about it after Tally and him fell out!!!!

theticklemister · December 20, 2012, 07:06:20 PM

It boils down to simply this..........................

What is the point of a uni competing against a county team without their best 15; they need their strongest available team just to compete with them. Now what person can take credit or praise for beating a weakened university team? How can this help your county team if they give them a walloping?