Down Club Hurling & Football

[Minus15]

Wobbler - I wouldnt say that at all - over most of the last 6-7 years leagues have started around Easter Sunday / Monday.

The July break the last two years has been ridiculous. The old way of match Thursday and a match on Monday 2 and a half weeks later was best.

Start the leagues at the start of April - run them off 2 per week in Div 3 for 4 of the first 6-8 weeks and by the time the championship comes around you should have most games complete and the important games really start then. Playoff finals and championship finals scheduled to wrap up mid October would be the best to allow teams to plan for Ulster competitions / avail of a well deserved rest / go on the beer in Belfast.

[redandblackareback]

Anyone post this weeks fixtures for the games in Down please

[thewobbler]

Went back though old match reports from the website there.

Start dates for Leagues:

2003 - 11 April
2004 - 11 April
2005 - 15 April
2006 - 17 April
2007 - 13 April

I started to work for a living around this time, so don't have reports!

2011 - 15 April


Looks like it's been a pretty standard run of mid-April for a long time.

[wehatepauly2]

Reason for this season running on so long is that certain teams get better treatment than others. In 2009 kilcoo won the senior championship,right away they were told that they had to play ther league semi final playoff against byransford the next weekend,if they didn't agree to do so then they would loss the points.  So why is it burren get to tell the county board that they refuse to play thre play off match and nothing is said about it??? Is it that burren are a well known team and that kilcoo are just a small east down club?? Total disgrace that the div 1 league final is going to be on the 12th december. Down board are a joke,every other county are having a good laugh at them, paid to arrange a few fixtures looks too difficult for these donkeys,catch a grip plz

[DaisyCutter]

OMG!!! Just after getting confirmation there that the Div 1 final will take place on Sunday 11th of December. This is the earliest date for the league final due to the high possibility of Burren reaching an ulster final. I've also got word that there's a good chance of Mayobridge and Kilcoo pulling out of the league race due to the incompetence of our county board and the Burren club unwilling to play without McKernan. Why in previous years were the Bridge and Kilcoo forced to play league play off games between ulster championship matches, whilst Burren are allowed to call the shots and not to fulfill Thier league semi final fixture??? I feel really really sorry for the Bridge and Kilcoo as there last competitive march was almost 4 weeks ago and they are looking at another 6 weeks of training for potentially 1 or 2 games??? This situation is utter madness and once again our county is the laughing stock of ulster as an Armagh friend of mine put it to myself.

[weebob]

alot of anti Burren on this site !

[alba2]

What happened in the years Mayobridge got to the Ulster Final?? When was the league finals played in those years and was there one year Benny played for Ireland and Mayobridge got to Ulster final - did that have any bearing on the date?? Just wondering as its the closest thing to what Burren are experiencing at present....

[weebob]

The bridge had to listen to the same muck . Them kilcoo men are still a wee bit sore , Didn't the county board change the times of the minor & senior final to suit them in case they were in both  but it didn't work out for them and now their still crying ......

[Mid Down Gael]

The bridge had to listen to the same muck . Them kilcoo men are still a wee bit sore , Didn't the county board change the times of the minor & senior final to suit them in case they were in both  but it didn't work out for them and now their still crying ......

I think you should get your facts right before coming out with shite like the above. The county boards decision to play the intermediate and senior finals on the same day was nothin all to do with Kilcoo, as we gladly would have played in both on the same day if results had have been different. (Remember 2009 we did so).
Yes we in Kilcoo are disapointed we didnt make the final, we had a terrible off day against Clonduff and our manager failed in his team selection and tactics, but our reasons to be annoyed at present are due to the fact we have to train for another 7 weeks with no competitive football.
Its a farce, as when we where in Ulster in 2009 we where forced to fulfill our league fixtures and play Bryansford in the simi final.
By the way its not Burren's fault, its down to the system and schedule that was in place, its just very frustrating when lads have to train for so long waiting on one game.
There is chat of us pulling out of the playoffs, i personally cannot see that happening.
Just hope we dont get a November/December weatherwise like we got last year.

[weebob]

Well if kilcoo want some silverware this year they will just have to keep at it . and thats no shite

[knockitdown]

The bridge had to listen to the same muck . Them kilcoo men are still a wee bit sore , Didn't the county board change the times of the minor & senior final to suit them in case they were in both  but it didn't work out for them and now their still crying ......

I think you should get your facts right before coming out with shite like the above. The county boards decision to play the intermediate and senior finals on the same day was nothin all to do with Kilcoo, as we gladly would have played in both on the same day if results had have been different. (Remember 2009 we did so).
Yes we in Kilcoo are disapointed we didnt make the final, we had a terrible off day against Clonduff and our manager failed in his team selection and tactics, but our reasons to be annoyed at present are due to the fact we have to train for another 7 weeks with no competitive football.
Its a farce, as when we where in Ulster in 2009 we where forced to fulfill our league fixtures and play Bryansford in the simi final.
By the way its not Burren's fault, its down to the system and schedule that was in place, its just very frustrating when lads have to train for so long waiting on one game.
There is chat of us pulling out of the playoffs, i personally cannot see that happening.
Just hope we dont get a November/December weatherwise like we got last year.

if the county board have pencilled these games in for december, i would doubt very much the league final will be played this side of xmas

[whitegoodman]

Its a very difficult situation all round.  I feel sorry for all 3 camps.

Obviously it must be hugely frustrating for Kilcoo and the bridge to have to sit around and wait until Burren are finished in the Ulster championship.  Its hardly fair to go into a game with no competitive football for wks against a side that has played county champions from other counties in ulster.  It would be very difficult to stay motivated during winter months to play one game in the middle of December.

From Burrens perspective would it be fair to make them play in a league semi final against their nearest and dearest rivals without arguable their best player, through no fault of their own?  Any Kilcoo or Bridge supporter who says they would be happy to play the match without Laverty or Coulter is a liar.  If McKernan wasnt away they would be made to play the game and rightly so.

Finally the county board are between a rock and a hard place.  What are they to do?  You obviously cant please everyone and on this occasion they have sided with the county champions as they did with the bridge when benny was in Oz.  Its unfortunate but Im not sure what a fair solution would have been and there was always going to be one side that was going to feel hard done by.

[dundrumite]

The bridge had to listen to the same muck . Them kilcoo men are still a wee bit sore , Didn't the county board change the times of the minor & senior final to suit them in case they were in both  but it didn't work out for them and now their still crying ......

http://www.hoganstand.com/

That is all

[wehatepauly2]

Weebob I don't think the kilcoo ones are abit sore but just pissed off having to wait on a game for 7 weeks,league shud be wraped up along time ago,don't blame burin one bit.I personally blame the county board,they don't have a clue.kilcoo will keep battling on as usual coz they always be playing at this time of year.they're bound to be sick of finishing top most years,cnt help being so consistent I guess! But newsy county board need to wake up,what is the point in starrin games an then calling them off,this is one of the reasons we are still trying to close this league out

[alba2]

Could we not play the league games from a thursday til a sunday - play a couple from devision one, two, three and four each day and that way if kilcoo or burren or longstone cant fulfill their fixture on the evening they are supposed to - they have three other days to get it played over that weekend and if they dont - the other team gets the points.  play thurs one week, fri next week, then sat then sunday then back til thurs etc. some teams might play on a particular day more often than others - but next season correct that so that they dont.  This would also stop clubs using too many senior players in seconds games and might level out that league as well.  I seen the league final and Kilcoos team was littered with senior players and there is no excuse for that as they have loads of lads at present and some simply must be getting no football... Also it would give ya a chance to get around games at the weekend. at present you get to go watch one game or maybe two at the weekend and thats it - 4 would be good and all top quality...