Down Club Hurling & Football

[Milltown Row2]

well done St. Marys-12th title in 30 years

Frank Dawson due all credit however-to end burrens barren spell is one thing,to win 2 in a row is a credit to the man!

Also credit due to Kilclief -now a senior club-congratulations!!

Was it really anything to do with Frank Dawson though.  He inherited a team that had just won 4 county u21 titles and one ulster club title. it was always gonna happen for burren - think homer simpson could have managed them to the championship to be honest.....

Being very unfair on Frank, you can have the best players in the county but no direction, winning 2 in a row and playing well in the Ulster club last year shows he has good managerial skills.

Try it sometime

[45]

I'd say that is unfair on longstone gave burren plenty to think about and pushed them the whole way over two games.

[pauly2]

Was it really anything to do with Frank Dawson though.  He inherited a team that had just won 4 county u21 titles and one ulster club title. it was always gonna happen for burren - think homer simpson could have managed them to the championship to be honest.....
Being very unfair on Frank, you can have the best players in the county but no direction, winning 2 in a row and playing well in the Ulster club last year shows he has good managerial skills.

Try it sometime
[/quote]

Good managerial skills - he took clonduff when they were on the verge of a breakthrough as they had won 3 minor titles in the mid nineties and were just primed in 2000 to win the title.  burren are in the same situation with talent coming through.  Take a team with limited resources and no winning panels coming through and see how good his managerial skills are - He took the stone and won shag all... Staying in the division means nothing - thats a must - winning silverware is the key and at an average club with no conveyor belt - he couldn do that.  Credit to the Kilclief management panel and backroom team - beat a heavily tipped Ballymartin side and have limited resources at thie club in terms of players.  Ballymartin were very poor.  Peter Fitzpatrick was well snuffed out of the game and at times he looked like he was already on the plane to Australia... Ryan O'Hare is all punch the air, scream and jump when he scores - his workrate is shite tho when his team dont have the ball.. Also has a bit of an attitude when his team mates dont give him the ball exactly in the centre of his chest and he maybe has to work for it... heaven forbid.  I know if he wree at a club like burren or Kilcoo - that attitude wouldn last or he would get his ears well and truly tucked in for him....

[Milltown Row2]

Was it really anything to do with Frank Dawson though.  He inherited a team that had just won 4 county u21 titles and one ulster club title. it was always gonna happen for burren - think homer simpson could have managed them to the championship to be honest.....
Being very unfair on Frank, you can have the best players in the county but no direction, winning 2 in a row and playing well in the Ulster club last year shows he has good managerial skills.

Try it sometime

Good managerial skills - he took clonduff when they were on the verge of a breakthrough as they had won 3 minor titles in the mid nineties and were just primed in 2000 to win the title.  burren are in the same situation with talent coming through.  Take a team with limited resources and no winning panels coming through and see how good his managerial skills are - He took the stone and won shag all... Staying in the division means nothing - thats a must - winning silverware is the key and at an average club with no conveyor belt - he couldn do that.  Credit to the Kilclief management panel and backroom team - beat a heavily tipped Ballymartin side and have limited resources at thie club in terms of players.  Ballymartin were very poor.  Peter Fitzpatrick was well snuffed out of the game and at times he looked like he was already on the plane to Australia... Ryan O'Hare is all punch the air, scream and jump when he scores - his workrate is shite tho when his team dont have the ball.. Also has a bit of an attitude when his team mates dont give him the ball exactly in the centre of his chest and he maybe has to work for it... heaven forbid.  I know if he wree at a club like burren or Kilcoo - that attitude wouldn last or he would get his ears well and truly tucked in for him....
[/quote]

Digging a hole for youself here, he has managed them to two county finals!! What have they won prior to the great Burren teams of the past? Ya can't win all the games as a manager. Why didn't Burren ask a club man to take the team if they needed just a front man? Would have been a lot cheaper

[Maiden1]

Was it really anything to do with Frank Dawson though.  He inherited a team that had just won 4 county u21 titles and one ulster club title. it was always gonna happen for burren - think homer simpson could have managed them to the championship to be honest.....
Being very unfair on Frank, you can have the best players in the county but no direction, winning 2 in a row and playing well in the Ulster club last year shows he has good managerial skills.

Try it sometime

Good managerial skills - he took clonduff when they were on the verge of a breakthrough as they had won 3 minor titles in the mid nineties and were just primed in 2000 to win the title.  burren are in the same situation with talent coming through.  Take a team with limited resources and no winning panels coming through and see how good his managerial skills are - He took the stone and won shag all... Staying in the division means nothing - thats a must - winning silverware is the key and at an average club with no conveyor belt - he couldn do that.
[/quote]

He took the Stone to a SFC final which they lost to Mayobridge after a replay.  He won the double with Clonduff, they haven't won much since.  His record at club level is up there with anyone.

[redandblackareback]

People, dont get sucked into a debate with pauly2 who is quite clearly NOT from Castlewellan but actually a disaffected member of the Burren club who is jealous of the success Frank has brought to his club.

Iv said before here on numerous occassions that Frank Dawson is the real deal and proved it again on Saturday evening, what has annoyed me was the fact he wasnt considered for a role in our senior county set up, a man who would have been clearly cheaper and doing it for the right reasons.

The sooner men like Frank Dawson are in place within our county set-up the better. Someone mentioned his club record in Down up there with the best of them, who's is better?? Certainly not Mc Carten or O Rourke!

Clonduff - championship winners/league winners
Longstone - Championship runners up/league runners up/ all ireland sevens winners.
Burren - Championship winners / league runners up
           Championship winners / possible league winners

Dont buy into this nonsense of the players were already there, good players were there for Mc Carten and Barton too and they did fxxk all. Well done Frank, heres hoping you can add Ulster to the ever growing list of success.

[whitegoodman]

Whatever about Bartons time with Burren I would suggest your being a bit harsh regarding McCartans time in charge.  The year before he came in Burren were on their knees in the relegation playoffs very close to facing humiliation.  He came in and took them to a championship final and league title in his first year.  I would also argue that the current group of players Burren have are a lot better than the team he had inherited.

Having said that Dawson deserves a lot of credit for taking a team that had potential over the finishing line.  Winning back to back takes a lot of motivation and dedication to go along with skill and he must have a lot to do with that.  If James finishes up this year then he would have to be considered a contender for the job given his record.   What I would also say that he is a very single minded man and may not be best suited to a role of selector with a county team, I just couldnt see him and james personalities mixing very well.

[thewobbler]

By far the most measured comments on the debate so far WGM. Couldn't disagree with ony of it.

[here comes 6]

Is that the end of ASK in the senior championship?    Or maybe they could become ARD and the D could b Drumaness??

Drumaness are now division 3 so don't think be allowed. Shows the difference in standard that our intermediate champions plus the pick of two other sides still a notch or two below in Down terms a middle of the run senior side.

Would it be an option for Saul, Ardglass and Whatever Ards players to join next year?  Ithink this Could be a valid Option
I think it has to be two division 3 teams and a division 4 team. Bright could join Ardglass and Saul but I doubt it would happen. If Carryduff dont get promoted the strongest combination I can think of would be Bredagh, Carryduff and Darragh Cross. There is a signifigant gap between senior and intermediate but I think that North Down combination would be the strongest.

Is that like regional amalgamations in the Senior championship as in Kerry?

This year an amalgamated team consisting of Kilclief, Ardglass and Saul entered the Down SFC. All three are geographically beside each other with Kilclief and Ardglass in Division 3 of the Down Leagues and Saul in Division 4. Kilclief and Ardglass also played in the Intermediate Championship with Kilclief winning it and Saul played in the Junior Championship.

The amalgamation were defeated in the preliminary round of the Down SFC by Longstone who pulled up with something to spare. Longstone went on to make little impression in the SFC.

[here comes 6]

Is that the end of ASK in the senior championship?    Or maybe they could become ARD and the D could b Drumaness??

Drumaness are now division 3 so don't think be allowed. Shows the difference in standard that our intermediate champions plus the pick of two other sides still a notch or two below in Down terms a middle of the run senior side.

Would it be an option for Saul, Ardglass and Whatever Ards players to join next year?  Ithink this Could be a valid Option
I think it has to be two division 3 teams and a division 4 team. Bright could join Ardglass and Saul but I doubt it would happen. If Carryduff dont get promoted the strongest combination I can think of would be Bredagh, Carryduff and Darragh Cross. There is a signifigant gap between senior and intermediate but I think that North Down combination would be the strongest.

Is that like regional amalgamations in the Senior championship as in Kerry?

This year an amalgamated team consisting of Kilclief, Ardglass and Saul entered the Down SFC. All three are geographically beside each other with Kilclief and Ardglass in Division 3 of the Down Leagues and Saul in Division 4. Kilclief and Ardglass also played in the Intermediate Championship with Kilclief winning it and Saul played in the Junior Championship.

The amalgamation were defeated in the preliminary round of the Down SFC by Longstone who pulled up with something to spare. Longstone went on to make little impression in the SFC.

Would it be an option for Saul, Ardglass and the players from the Ards til Make up a team?  A valid option i may add?

[ardtole]

I dont think an amalgamation of Ardglass Saul and the ards clubs would work. The hurling would be in full swing and logistically it would be too awkward for one single championship game. A more pressing matter for Ardglass is Sundays game against Dundrum, a point is enough to keep us up but after last Fridays performance nothing is guaranteed. One glimmer of hope is that our home form is much better than our away form.

[ApresMatch]

Big congratulations to Kilclief on their IFC win. Anyone ive spoke to in Darragh is glad to see it. No1 still on the drink?

[DownFanatic]

It may have gone under the radar but Downpatrick are back into Division 1. They beat Liatroim 1-09 to 1-08 in a promotion playoff on Sunday. Must of been around 2003 that they were relegated from Division 1 last time round. Won two IFC's in the intervening period. Probably one of the biggest underachievers in the county.

[artisan2010]

It may have gone under the radar but Downpatrick are back into Division 1. They beat Liatroim 1-09 to 1-08 in a promotion playoff on Sunday. Must of been around 2003 that they were relegated from Division 1 last time round. Won two IFC's in the intervening period. Probably one of the biggest underachievers in the county.

Good to see a town club heading in the right direction.  If only Newry could be sorted so they made a contribution worthy of its size.

[5 Sams]

Have to say I am delighted for Kilclief...they always seemed a good bunch of lads and I have always admired the way they have fielded in both codes in an area that wouldnt necessarily be coming down with people to depend on to nurture the games. They were always a hard bunch of fcukers to beat down there. I'm old enough to have played against Ben Dearg when they had a certain reputation....the reputation they have now is that you are more likely to come away from Kilclief empty handed nowadays rather than nursing a few knocks and bruises like you used to