Down Club Hurling & Football

[lucan]

does anyone know what coverage is available of the down v tipp game for those who can;t go?

[alba2]

I feel your being very hard on the county players and GAA coaches. I was at the Bridge cul camp and they coaching the kids got was first class and I feel we are privileged to have this in the county. They promote our games and coach on a limited timescale and even players such as Benny, Dan McCarten and Conor Laverty all coached The Bridge, Burren and Kilcoo primary school teams this year due to the lack of male teachers in the schools.
I feel that some secondary schools are not putting in as much effort as others. St Colmans , St Columbans , St Louis and St Malachys are all doing sterling work but the likes of Downpatrick , St Josephs and the Abbey  could be doing better. I remember playing Downpatrick at McRory level and this is were they should be at a regular basis.Also St Marks also are not as dominant since Barney McAleenan retired and the kids don't seem to have the same skill levels!
[/quote]

Yeah fair play to the lads givin of their time to go back to their primary schools to take them esp dan mc cartan - the other two are coaches and get paid to do so.  Some of the cul camps are decent - but i know that my wee lad wasn inspired by the county players at all.  Asked who had attended last tuesday the response i got was - ah the county players had to go to the canal court for a recovery session in the pool as they have a big game at the weekend.  That is a joke.  the players need recovery that much is granted - but in their own time please - they are finished the cul camps at 2.30 and have the whole evening to do as they please.  Its such a big thing for children to meet their heroes - they should make themselves available for that.  Yeah the coaching in some schools is unquestioned.  Violet Hill in the last few years is a credit - they have super facilities and use them to the max.  some schools leave a lot to be desired with the facilities they have.  The right people need to be in place in order for the coaching to be effective and this is probably the biggest problen in some schools.

[weebob]

Disappointing defeat yesterday but no time to feel sorry, let's get back at it and beat tipp and see what happens after that. We are an average side but on any given day these lads can pull of big results. A tipp victory and a hopeful quarter final against Mayo and you never no what can happen. But if we meet cork or Dublin we may say farewell.
Thought it was a disgrace to ask 3 panelists, recent call ups I must add, to make their own way to clones yesterday as there was apparently not enough room on the bus. That must gave them 3 some confidence going forward. Joke.

This is an absolute disgrace.  Why take players along to training and then not to the game - i bet there were some dignatries on the bus that are no more needed than the man in the moon.  Water carriers etc on the bus and no need for it.  Let them get taken to the game by car - but god forbid the secretaries son was to be out of the picture and not on the bus to the big game. Joke.  Im not surprised gerard mc cartan has left the panel to be honest - good honest player for club and county but gets treated unfairly to say the least.  He is a much better player than niall brannigan from kilcoo - but jerome will prob have Aaron and daryl on the panel soon enough too and maybe go back for mark and Janine as well.  People talk about family loyalty on this board through James - Jerome has his fair share of family playing too.  I honestly think the lads will beat Tipp and then as someone said if we got maybe mayo we could end up in a semi final.  Think the other 3 provincial champions might be step too far this year to be honest.  Big dan also retiring this year from intercounty.  Hard to replace...

for a boyo that knows so much you missed wee eug  {eugene}  are wee eug 

[T O Hare]

Hughie morgan has pumped a lot of money into armagh and look at them now

[PAULD123]

Seriously lads it's not a lack of muscles that allowed Donegal to run through massive gaps in our half back line. They weren't exactly shouldering guys out of the way to get into shooting positions. They weren't breaking tackles and knocking their tacklers out of the way. They were running through space where there were no tacklers. They were moving the ball at will around a wide-open defensive area because no-one was home guarding the farm.

Laverty and Poland are the only guys under 5'11'' (two of our absolute best anyway). McKernan, Gordon, Rogers, King, Coulter, O'Hagan, McCardle, McConville, Brannigan and Eoin McCartan are all 6' or over.

We do not need more physical improvement. We need mental improvement. Down are known fro not sticking to the plan, they are known for ill-discipline in following a structure, they are known for playing as individuals when pressurised. There is absolutely enough talent in our squad, there is absolutely enough physical fitness in our squad. We have all the tools needed to challenge for an All-Ireland. What we don't have is the players committing to working as a team for a full 70 minutes.

[thewobbler]

PaulD123 I mostly agree with you. The discipline and shape of Down in the second half was disgusting, and it's been a problem since the later part of Pete McGrath's era. Given the amount of training and prep that the squad goes through, it's hard to believe that 15 years on we're still liable to this sort of collapse.

But in truth a large part of the problem is down to the fact that we have very few natural defenders of inter county standard. Natural defenders are people who take greater joy from stopping the opposition than they do from playing football, and when you get to where we want to go (top 8 team in Ireland), they need more than that mental approach, they need to be quick, strong, aggressive and preferably quite big.

[hectorsheroes]

Brilliant article by Declan Bogue in yesterdays Belfast Telegraph - Down are not nearly as bad as people think

Last weekend there was so much to admire about the health and popularity of Gaelic games. Bumper crowds, old rivalries renewed and all the excitement that brings. A shame, then, that tactical fouling emerges as the major talking point.

Before the Ulster final, Jarlath Burns brought it out into the open that Donegal are prepared to foul the opposition in their own half, then prevent them from taking the free in order to set their defence.

Burns knows this role, as he played it for Armagh, being known as their 'Stopman'. He lifted the Ulster title in 1999. The ends justified the means.

It's not right to say these players are 'cheating'. They are merely doing what the rules do not prevent and the boundaries of acceptable behaviour are too loosely defined.

As a case study, we look at how Donegal halted Down in the first half of the Ulster final. There is no point talking about the second half, because they owned the ball in that time.

3 minutes — High ball in from Donegal, Aidan Carr catches it and is fouled. Michael Murphy stand over him, Leo McLoone dribbles the ball away. Ref Joe McQuillan moves the ball on 10 yards.

8 minutes — Conor Laverty tries to round Rory Kavanagh, he is dragged to the floor. With the free given and the ball away, Kavanagh then runs back to Laverty and throws him to the floor. No booking.

9 minutes — The bounce catches out Donegal forwards. Dan Gordon collects the ball and tries to get out of a ruck of players. David Walsh wrestles with both arms around his body. Free out.

11 minutes — High ball into Donal O'Hare, he gets it, and is tripped by Declan Walsh before he can head for goal. Free in.

19 minutes — Ambrose Rogers is pulled down by Rory Kavanagh. Free awarded. Colm McFadden scoops ball up. Tosses it away from freetaker. McFadden was booked for the same thing in the semi-final against Tyrone, being sent off on the second yellow card.

28 minutes — From a Paul Durcan kickout, Rory Kavanagh catches but then touches it on the ground. Down free. Mark Poland and Aidan Brannigan wrestle for the ball off Kavanagh. McQuillan moves it on 10 yards — the first time an indiscretion has been moved into a scoreable position.

29 minutes — Ambrose Rogers gets ball and space opens up — Frank McGlynn hauls him down. Three Donegal players remain close to the ball before it becomes apparent Donal O'Hare is going to take a point from the free.

34 minutes — Rory Kavanagh gets a yellow card for a high challenge on Laverty — should have been second yellow for fouls on Laverty.

That was the Ulster final. The night before, Kerry gave an absolute masterclass in closing the game out against Tyrone. In the last 30 minutes there were 14 kickouts in which they hauled a Tyrone opponent to the floor. It killed any kind of momentum Tyrone could build, but if you were to ask yourself if Tyrone would do the same if they were in Kerry's position, you'd have to say yes.

In Leinster, Meath were desperately seeking a late goal to level against Dublin. With Cian Ward moving into space, Barry Cahill rugby-tackled him and his team mates stood over the ball, preventing a quick free.

The one team that did try and play with a Corinthian spirit over the weekend were Limerick, who had Kildare on the rack in the last few moments of their qualifier.

However, they lost the ball in the last play of normal time, Kildare worked it upfield and kicked an equaliser that brought the game to extra-time.

Five times Limerick had a chance to wrap arms around a Kildare player and drag him to the floor, and win the game.

They did not, they lost, and they go on being patronised and denied the respect a team like Kildare get.

Enlightened journalists have been writing about tactical fouling for years, reasoning that an appropriate penalty should be sought; a 45 metre free for example, no matter where the incident occurred.

According to GAA president Liam O'Neill the purpose of the Football Review Committee set up in April was to identify issues in the playing of the game, how it has evolved and present conclusions, which will form the basis of a national debate.

O'Neill was at Clones and had the courage to go on record over the game's more unsavoury elements. Every president can become distracted with leaving a legacy, some of them get it badly wrong.

Changing the festering spirit of Gaelic football would be Liam's greatest achievement.

Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/declan-bogue/declan-bogue-time-to-tackle-problem-of-tactical-fouling-16189558.html#ixzz21iWlSPNF

[charlieTully]

does anyone know what coverage is available of the down v tipp game for those who can;t go?

they are showing it via a special satellite link in the Old George Bar in Rathfriland.

[thebar]

Thank goodness should be a big crowd in the George come Saturday!!

[alba2]

My Team for sat:

B Mc veigh
D Mc Cartan
D Gordon
A Brannigan
N Mc Parland
L Doyle
C Garvey
A Rodgers
k King
C Maginn
M Poland
K Mckernan
C Laverty
B Coulter
D OHare

Let Mc Kernan roam back in to CHb and let Doyler float bout the place like he did in the early part of the league.  Three clever footballers in the full forward line should get a good amount of scores with Maginn and Poland pulling the strings in the half forward line.
Any thoughts???

[Mourne Rover]

Carr and O'Hagan would be very unlucky to be dropped, while there is no guarantee that both King and Coulter will be fit enough to start. We will probably find out tonight anyway.

[Mid Down Gael]

People on here very quick to include Nial McParland on the starting team. The fella is untested in championship football and is no better than what we have at present. Rooney is the obvious choice, at least he marks tight and does the simple thing. I believe McParland is going to become another Maginn, overrated. I'd like to see the following line out;
1 B McVeigh
2 C Garvey
3 B McArde
4 A Brannigan
5 D Rooney
6 K McKernan
7 D OHagan
8 A Rogers
9 D Gordan
10 L Doyle
11 M Poland
12 A Carr
13 D OHare
14 B Coulter
15 C Laverty.

I'd have Danny on for OHare or Carr but hearing he is not fit to start.

[weebob]

People on here very quick to include Nial McParland on the starting team. The fella is untested in championship football and is no better than what we have at present. Rooney is the obvious choice, at least he marks tight and does the simple thing. I believe McParland is going to become another Maginn, overrated. I'd like to see the following line out;
1 B McVeigh
2 C Garvey
3 B McArde
4 A Brannigan
5 D Rooney
6 K McKernan
7 D OHagan
8 A Rogers
9 D Gordan
10 L Doyle
11 M Poland
12 A Carr
13 D OHare
14 B Coulter
15 C Laverty.

I'd have Danny on for OHare or Carr but hearing he is not fit to start.

Danny wouldnt lace ohares boots

[whitegoodman]

Thats a fair point on McParland and maybe the last 12 of the championship isnt the time to be testing McParland.

I would imagine there will be minimum changes.  Garvey will come back in, id be guessing for Carr in the half back line with 2 from Carr, McKernan and Maginn starting at wing half back.  Benny may also drop to the bench but Id be surprised if there are any further changes but u never no with James and co.

[lucan]

to charlie tully and the bar.I suppose there is room for two imbecilles on every discussion board  and in every club [evenDrumgath] IS the next pub quizz in the george as well?