Down Club Hurling & Football

[Mourne Rover]

McCartan was as steady last summer as in 2008 and it is up to another corner back to take his jersey.  All the alternatives being suggested are decent players but really wing halfs. He has struggled against Jamie Clarke, as most do, but it is a while since another corner forward has got the better of him at championship level.

[east down gael]

I'm not running mccartan down,I happen to think he's put in a good shift for down.i'd just be of the opinion that maybe it's time to blood some new young players to put together a team that can start to compete in a few years time.boyle would certainly be one of these players.he has the pace required to mark division 1/2 county forwards.dan has done well getting by on being a smart defender,but he's not getting any quicker.

[supersub]

I am astounded that not one person has mentioned Benny Coulter as even one who just misses out/to come from the bench. A class act who is surely still worth a place in the 15 at some stage of a game.

[ardtole]

With Gordan and Rodgers coming back from injury soon, id like to see the two of them in a two man full forward line, with Poland at Chf and Ohare plus one from McCommiskey, laverty or Hughes playing of the two big men.

It would leave an extra man free, maybe Benny who could have  a free role around Mf similar to how Enda Muldoon played in later years. It would be a similar system to how Kerry lined out with Donaghy and Tommy Walsh before he went to the AFL.

I cant see it happening but I think it would be interesting and not too many full back lines would relish it either. The likes of Ohare would prosper with the extra space and Gordan and Rodgers are intelligent enough footballers to lay off the ball and pick the right pass.

[snoopdog]

any wor on pitch inspection yet at newry

[bridgegael]

games goes ahead at 2pm

[Mourne Rover]

Good news that we have an early confirmation that the game goes ahead. Benny Coulter is fully capable of making a major impact this summer but most people think it is likely to be from the bench. If Danny Hughes is involved, the same could be said about him. However, we will probably rely on younger players to start the games.

[ballela-angel]

Are any radio stations streaming today's game?

[Aristo 60]

good result today or at least a result we'd all have taken at half time. Some ok performances but a lot of loose passing seemed to unsettle us. Lucky for us Monaghan never properly punished our mistakes ( a good few of those) at the back.

7 points down after the break the boys started to fight and the goal gave them the belief it appeared.

The plug was pulled on the score board at half time and I think this might have even helped us   

Off the pitch the parking exclusion zone was far too big today extending all the way up to St Marys - no call for it. 

No more cash taken at the turnstiles - must have been a lot of leakage there over the years. Ticket price at £13 is too dear and the crowd wasn't big.

Good to get silencing the farney rabble at the end - would have been a steal had O'Hanlons kick gone over.

[Dubh driocht]

The availability of Dan and Ambrose will define our season, but we need to remember that they are both entering their 30s with an extensive injury record and nothing can be guaranteed. Although their club colleagues will be best informed, the word is that they are making a huge effort to get back.

Laverty is a little gem who will hopefully be involved in the league, while Rooney is not quite at the same level as the other three but is still a potential starter in the championship. McComiskey, on last spring's form, would be another serious addition, while Hughes has not gone yet, and there are a few signs that we are going to have decent competition for places in all sectors .

WGM's point about the lightness of our attack in wintery conditions against a physical and accomplished Monaghan side is a good one, but these are the days when you find out who has what it takes. A win would be huge for us.

Are you for real? If we are relying on Dan and Ambrose to make us into a team then we might as well throw in the towel.  We would all love to see them back but I believe their best days are behind them, particularly Ambrose who has had an horrific time over the last few years.  I would be more concerned with No.3 and No.6  We have no standout candidates for either position - Turley is a carthorse, he'll try and make a big effort but he's not a county full back.  Carr at CHB just wants to spray passes around but backs of the No.11 when he looks like troubling him rather than pushing up on him.  We still have the issue where the county management continue to play their sons/brothers which does nothing but bring pressure on them. 

I think it is going to be a long year.

Line Ball- take a redner- Turley was doing well at full back and rescued the game for us when he came to midfield. He has continued on where he left off last year- doing the right things right with no fuss and has become an automatic selection in our top 15. Carr was VG today and both Mc Cartans and Johnstones were among our better players. James won the tactical battle as the first half was men and boys yet we were unlucky not to win it. Hopefully a lot of Down supporters will see now why big Kalum is so important to us as he was sorely missed and may have another engagement next Friday. Cormac Reilly handled it pretty well overall and didn't produce a card of any colour ; is that a first between two Ulster teams ? Mc Kernan, Mc Ardle and hopefully one of our other more experienced players should be available for Armagh but a lot of balls shown today and in James we trust.

[Gabriel]

Great game in Newry. Thought Turley was MOTM with Carr a close second, we were getting murdered in midfield until he came out the pitch. There's an argument to be made for Turley to partner McKernan in midfield - he has the same physical presence as King and offers much more in terms of overall play. Real Jekyll & Hyde performance from Down, most of the first half was brutal but a lot of players redeemed themselves in the second. Great to see Conor Garvey back, he should be an automatic starter in defence, and we will also see the benefit of getting players like McKernan, McArdle and Laverty back. Unfortunately for Shane Harrison I'm not sure whether he'll be seeing much more action in the league, had a bit of a nightmare and was really lucky not to get a black card after a mistake.

  Monaghan fans didn't seem the happiest at the end but in reality they should have put the game to bed. They squandered numerous goal chances. It has to be said as well that their number 14 was a disgrace, clutching at his face in a pathetic attempt to get Mark Poland in trouble when the two were niggling at each other. Good point for Down, would have taken off your hand if offered it at half-time.

[Mourne Rover]

That could be a crucial point in a tight division, and it was a display which reminded us why Down seem to enjoy putting us all through an emotional wringer. We were pretty dreadful for two thirds of the match, although in fairness we were up against a fine team, but we eventually took full control and amazingly could and possibly should have snatched it in the end.

James deserves considerable credit, as he may not have picked the right side in the first place but he made the tactical and personnel switches which turned the game. He also showed more fight than some of our players when a Monaghan coach infringed on his management zone.

Harrison is a talented keeper who got over-confident with his solo runs and short kick-outs and could easily have cost us two goals. He did make a couple of fine saves, but rotation alone should mean McVeigh's return against Armagh.

Dan McCartan was as steady as ever at the back, while Peter Turley was decent on the square and even better when he moved to midfield. O'Hagan had his moments but may be more of a half back and saw his talented opponent, McCarron, hit five from play.

Boyle had a reasonable day between the half back and full back lines, and he and  Garvey, who improved after the break, got fine points. Carr took a while to get going, and tends to leave gaps down the middle, but his attacking surges and precision passing are essential to us.

Midfield was a problem in the absence of King and McKernan. McArdle deserves a chance another day, but he was not at the races before his replacement and Turley's physical approach made a huge difference. Mallon may not really be a midfielder, but he has a great engine and a couple of his runs could have brought goals.

O'Hanlon showed why he is far from the finished product, although he had some flashes of promise and will improve. Poland was targeted from the start, and seldom got into the game apart from a fine pass to set up our goal. Maginn took it brilliantly, and generally worked hard without creating much for us.

Madine was a disappointment, and was ineffective when dropping deep, while Jerome Johnston saw very little of the ball but still kicked two important points. O'Hare took some heavy hits but kept showing for possession and his free taking was top class.

Ryan Johnson has great stamina and is another who will develop, while Eoin McCartan looked sharp and kicked a point with his first touch. Savage might have been introduced earlier and had little chance to get involved.

With Armagh also coming from well behind to get a draw, the Athletic Grounds will be no place for the faint-hearted under the Friday night lights.   

[snoopdog]

Down were terrible in the first half today, monaghan should have been out of site by halftime.  We got lucky in the end and scarcely deserved a point from it, but finally showed some passion midway through 2nd half and dug a draw out of it.  roll on friday night in Armagh.

[whitegoodman]

Harrison - couple of decent saves but cost us at least 3 points
McCartan - ok at times but too loose ath other times
Turley - ok at fb but a lot better at mf
O Hagan - thought he went well, surprised to hear his man kicked 5 from play
Boyle - ok at hb but struggled badly in the corner
Carr - loose but thought he drove on well and was decent
Garvey - rusty and off the pace
McArdle - lost
Mallon - great pace and very athletic but needs to get into the game more and work on decision making.
O Hanlon - green, will learn from experience but looks very light
Poland - a lot didn't work for him but tried to end.
Johnston - looked very light but kicked two fine points
O Hare - poor for majority of game but did well in last 15
Madine - poor inside and out field
Maginn - hardly noticed him goal aside

Johnston and eoin did well when introduced.  If no injuries back for next wk I'd bring benny mcardle in to fb next wk, Turley to midfield, mckernan into midfield and Mallon to half forward line.

[Mid Down Gael]

Darren Ohagan was not marking mccarron. He marked Chris McGuiness from the off and kept him scoreless!