Down Club Hurling & Football

[Mid Down Gael]

Great to be back in the county final. Kilcoo didn't set the world alight tonight but always seemed to be in control. The work rate of the Kilcoo players and determination bettered bryansfords. Maginn was superb for them along with Chris brannigan. McGrath has a lot to answer for from a ford perspective, how can he leave Clarke, Savage, Ireland and bonny on the line and play lesser players in a game of that magnitude was baffling as well as positioning Hanna at full forward.
Role on Sunday fortnight.

[pauly2]

Good fun at the Bosco game I hear!

mass brawl at the end. couple of each team sent off.

An absolute disgrace.  If the Drumgath manager is not punished with a lifetime ban - the down county board need to walk away.  Of course he hit the young fella - as usual...

[Line Ball]

The arrogance of Mc Grath knows no bounds.  Totally at fault not putting on such talent he had on the line to push on and win the game.  Its not the first time this has cost him, the most recent being the All Ireland potential winning Minor team of 2011.

The game was there to win but he wouldn't make the changes and when he did, he panicked but it was too late.

Another chance of victory gone for the man who is never wrong.

Bryansford will be delighted to get rid of him.

Fair play to Kilcoo.  Totally deserved their win and will be very hard to beat in the final.

[Mourne Rover]

Line Ball, everyone was disappointed with the way in which the Down minor team of 2011 lost, but it was a first round game and represented a stage at which was a little premature to talk about a potential Ulster title never mind an AI.

In terms of provincial championships, across minor, u21 and senior, Down have managed eight overall in just over a quarter of a century. For six of those, the manager was the person who you seem to regard as clueless. What does that say about all the available alternatives ?

[DaisyCutter]

+1 Limeball. McGrath up the road!

[urbangael]

i dont think the blame can be put on the drumgath manager.... bosco manager/selector was spoken to before that then when the brawl broke out there were numerous subs and officals from both benches on the field.  2 bad teams the point would beat the pick of them

[southdown]

If boys decide to go travelling can they can only blame themselves for not starting IMHO.  It was there decission to leave in the fist place.

[thewobbler]

If boys decide to go travelling can they can only blame themselves for not starting IMHO.  It was there decission to leave in the fist place.

You can use that argument all throughout the season to your heart's content.

But when you're at the business end of a season, a manager has a duty to the club, not to the players. Making decisions that are detrimental to your club in an SFC semi final is not rational and it's downright unfair on the volunteers and supporters whose actions over the years helped get the club there.

As for the players, life's going to be unfair on a few of them if they're dropped - but surely it's more unfair on your better stalwarts that their chance of winning an SFC is not being maximised by their manager?

[Square Ball]

Good fun at the Bosco game I hear!

mass brawl at the end. couple of each team sent off.

terrible and totally out of context with the game. 5 reds 1 Bosco, 2 Drumgath players and 2 Drumgath line as well i think. one from the line ran on and kicked a Bosco player, on the head, cowardly, hope he done for a long time.

congrats to Bosco by the way

[urbangael]

Good fun at the Bosco game I hear!

mass brawl at the end. couple of each team sent off.

terrible and totally out of context with the game. 5 reds 1 Bosco, 2 Drumgath players and 2 Drumgath line as well i think. one from the line ran on and kicked a Bosco player, on the head, cowardly, hope he done for a long time.

congrats to Bosco by the way

i think it was 2 reds for each team

[DownFanatic]

If boys decide to go travelling can they can only blame themselves for not starting IMHO.  It was there decission to leave in the fist place.

Load of shite. 3 of the 4 Bryansford subs who came on last night had kept themselves in good physical condition and had won a North American title with the Ulster club in San Fran. It wasn't like they hadn't been playing football this past while.
From what I see of it, McGrath was trying to make a point. It was totally the wrong place to do it. Realisitically, he sacrificed a county final due to his own stubborness. If I was a Bryansford club man at the moment I would be seething.

[Mid Down Gael]

If boys decide to go travelling can they can only blame themselves for not starting IMHO.  It was there decission to leave in the fist place.

Load of shite. 3 of the 4 Bryansford subs who came on last night had kept themselves in good physical condition and had won a North American title with the Ulster club in San Fran. It wasn't like they hadn't been playing football this past while.
From what I see of it, McGrath was trying to make a point. It was totally the wrong place to do it. Realisitically, he sacrificed a county final due to his own stubborness. If I was a Bryansford club man at the moment I would be seething.

I think quite a few of them are seething and rightly so. When I heard the formation of the ford team and the personnel in the starting 15 I had every confidence of a Kilcoo win. We got over the line without firing on all cylinders but I have to say if the ford had bonny, savage, Clarke and Ireland on for Kane, somers, Keenan and McDonald then the ford would have caused us many more problems. McKibben at half forward and Hanna at full forward played into our hands as well.
McGrath is a stubborn man and in the past 4 years has not won a thing with a talented ford squad, us having knocked them out 3 out of the last 4 championships.

[centre 3/4s]

Good result for the Magpies last evening they really grounded it out and think on the overall balance of play they deserved there win. The Ford were were very flat and apart from Maginn the other experienced players that they had never really came to the fore. I was really disappointed with Timmy Hanna as i was reading previous posts saying how he would be a great addition to the Down squad. I would say that will do Pete with them he has done an alright job with them but with that squad of players they really need to be winning things. I was looking at there bench and at least 7 recognised players who would get in most teams in the county.

[supersub]

If boys decide to go travelling can they can only blame themselves for not starting IMHO.  It was there decission to leave in the fist place.

Load of shite. 3 of the 4 Bryansford subs who came on last night had kept themselves in good physical condition and had won a North American title with the Ulster club in San Fran. It wasn't like they hadn't been playing football this past while.
From what I see of it, McGrath was trying to make a point. It was totally the wrong place to do it. Realisitically, he sacrificed a county final due to his own stubborness. If I was a Bryansford club man at the moment I would be seething.

Danny Savage started the quarter final against Rostrevor last week so obviously has nothing to do with travelling in his case.

[ardtole]

Good fun at the Bosco game I hear!

mass brawl at the end. couple of each team sent off.

terrible and totally out of context with the game. 5 reds 1 Bosco, 2 Drumgath players and 2 Drumgath line as well i think. one from the line ran on and kicked a Bosco player, on the head, cowardly, hope he done for a long time.

congrats to Bosco by the way

Not the first time a drumgath supporter ran on to the pitch and kicked an opposing player in the head. The same thing happened to peter o'shea from ardglass a good few years back. Yet when one of their lads get a slap they are straight on to the psni and drag all kinds off shite through the courts. Hypocritical shower of wankers.