Down Club Hurling & Football

[Feckitt]

Your man on the mic was a pure dose, and not helped by the fact that his mic wasn't working properly.

No harm to the wee girl who sang the National Anthem, yesterday, she did ok, and is a good singer, but I don't like the current trend of sending out teenage scor na nog winners to sing our National Anthem.

The Mayobridge band were standing there.  They should have played the anthem, give it a bit of welly, then more people might actually join in and get the atmosphere going.   There was zero atmosphere at the beginning of the match yesterday.

We have a poor to average anthem as it is ( with people almost embarrassed to join in), but it is made worse when performed in this way.

[Rodders88]

Is it true that Shane Mulholland has been appointed Down Minor manager? If so then its a great appointment by the county Board. If the players are their, he will take them far!

[downjim]

Our tactics yesterday were awful. We need Dawaon back !!! Poor final though and good luck to Cross

[PAULD123]

Our tactics yesterday were awful. We need Dawaon back !!! Poor final though and good luck to Cross

Very disappointed with that comment. I understand that when your team is beaten it is hard to like the opposition but to wish a hegemonic Armagh side to beat a Down team is just, well dissapointing.

I would support any Down side in the Ulster championship and particularly against the Armagh champions.

[redandblackareback]

Our tactics yesterday were awful. We need Dawaon back !!! Poor final though and good luck to Cross

Dawson had two of the handiest runs to championships finals you could ever imagine, never ever met Kilcoo in his 2 championship wins and when you actually sit down and think about it, who did he actually have to beat over those 2 years? One of the final wins was a farce against a Clonduff team who fluked their way to the final. First team that tore into them, Longstone last year, they didnt want to know! With idiotic comments like the above, Burren people then wonder why most of Down cant stand them 

[SHEEDY]

Our tactics yesterday were awful. We need Dawaon back !!! Poor final though and good luck to Cross

Very disappointed with that comment. I understand that when your team is beaten it is hard to like the opposition but to wish a hegemonic Armagh side to beat a Down team is just, well dissapointing.

I would support any Down side in the Ulster championship and particularly against the Armagh champions.

not from kilcoo but i'll be supporting them all the way against cross!

[Oglach]

Congratulations to Kilcoo on achieving back to back Championship wins yesterday. We haven't achieved this since 1933 It was a hard hitting dogfight from the throw in that we were able to grind out.
Burren carried the favourites  tag even thought  Kilcoo has only lost one Championship match in 2 years and that was to Crossmaglen. Burren have lost Three games in the same time.
It doesn't suprise me Downjim is supporting Cross as most of the Burren team have been following them since the Armagh quarter finals!!
Forgive my rant as i know these good times don't last forever, Kilcoo  Punch way above their weight and pick from a parish of 1300 people,
Anthony Devlin made his senior debut as a 15 year old in division three and yesterday collected his third senior championship medal.
I thought Anthony and his 33 team mates done the parish proud.
Up next is Crossmaglen, its massive task but we'll look forward to the challenge.  #UTM

[snoopdog]

well done kilcoo. simply the best team in Down for the last 2 years. Good luck in ulster.
Burren hyped up no end, must be some reason for it. rarely impressed by any of their county players apart from O'Hare and sometimes McKernan but I don't see enough club football to really comment, just my opinion

[supersub]

Our tactics yesterday were awful. We need Dawaon back !!! Poor final though and good luck to Cross

Dawson had two of the handiest runs to championships finals you could ever imagine, never ever met Kilcoo in his 2 championship wins and when you actually sit down and think about it, who did he actually have to beat over those 2 years? One of the final wins was a farce against a Clonduff team who fluked their way to the final. First team that tore into them, Longstone last year, they didnt want to know! With idiotic comments like the above, Burren people then wonder why most of Down cant stand them

Been saying this for a long time. I could have managed Burren to those 2 titles. They were peaking at a time when others weren't so hot, plus they had an easy road as mentioned, Dawson has done very little to deserve this big name title he seems to have got. He is by no way an inter county manager and don't see why a club would pay ridiculous money per session to gt him in.

Fair enough Kilcoo is a small place/parish, but so is Burren (I know they like to poach) and Cross, think Cross have under 1500. Not taking anything away from the win well done to Kilcoo, just don't buy into the small country team lark. 

[thewobbler]

Our tactics yesterday were awful. We need Dawaon back !!! Poor final though and good luck to Cross

Dawson had two of the handiest runs to championships finals you could ever imagine, never ever met Kilcoo in his 2 championship wins and when you actually sit down and think about it, who did he actually have to beat over those 2 years? One of the final wins was a farce against a Clonduff team who fluked their way to the final. First team that tore into them, Longstone last year, they didnt want to know! With idiotic comments like the above, Burren people then wonder why most of Down cant stand them

Been saying this for a long time. I could have managed Burren to those 2 titles. They were peaking at a time when others weren't so hot, plus they had an easy road as mentioned, Dawson has done very little to deserve this big name title he seems to have got. He is by no way an inter county manager and don't see why a club would pay ridiculous money per session to gt him in.

Fair enough Kilcoo is a small place/parish, but so is Burren (I know they like to poach) and Cross, think Cross have under 1500. Not taking anything away from the win well done to Kilcoo, just don't buy into the small country team lark.

Very harsh on Frank Dawson fellas, and it smacks of personal dislike instead of measured judgement. As a manager, he has won 3 more SFCs in Down than James McCartan, Ross Carr, DJ Kane, Paddy O'Rourke and Peter McGrath put together. One of the key skills of any manager is in instilling belief and camaraderie; getting players to group together as a club and peak together as a unit. Dawson obviously has a talent for doing this.

By the way, I don't think Burren have peaked yet. The core of this team are still under 23, and winter football tends to suit older teams.

[redandblackareback]

Our tactics yesterday were awful. We need Dawaon back !!! Poor final though and good luck to Cross

Dawson had two of the handiest runs to championships finals you could ever imagine, never ever met Kilcoo in his 2 championship wins and when you actually sit down and think about it, who did he actually have to beat over those 2 years? One of the final wins was a farce against a Clonduff team who fluked their way to the final. First team that tore into them, Longstone last year, they didnt want to know! With idiotic comments like the above, Burren people then wonder why most of Down cant stand them

Been saying this for a long time. I could have managed Burren to those 2 titles. They were peaking at a time when others weren't so hot, plus they had an easy road as mentioned, Dawson has done very little to deserve this big name title he seems to have got. He is by no way an inter county manager and don't see why a club would pay ridiculous money per session to gt him in.

Fair enough Kilcoo is a small place/parish, but so is Burren (I know they like to poach) and Cross, think Cross have under 1500. Not taking anything away from the win well done to Kilcoo, just don't buy into the small country team lark.

Very harsh on Frank Dawson fellas, and it smacks of personal dislike instead of measured judgement. As a manager, he has won 3 more SFCs in Down than James McCartan, Ross Carr, DJ Kane, Paddy O'Rourke and Peter McGrath put together. One of the key skills of any manager is in instilling belief and camaraderie; getting players to group together as a club and peak together as a unit. Dawson obviously has a talent for doing this.

By the way, I don't think Burren have peaked yet. The core of this team are still under 23, and winter football tends to suit older teams.

Are you winding us up with that comment?? Dawson tore Antrim football in two this year and brought it to its knees, the way he left Antrim I lost a lot of respect for him, I have always been a big supporter of Frank and in previous posts I have called for him to be given a chance with Down seniors but events this year in Antrim and from speaking to past players everywhere he goes he leaves a trail of destruction behind him and a huge debt for some poor club to pick up! Burren were just lucky they d something to show for it!

[Brick Tamlin]

Our tactics yesterday were awful. We need Dawaon back !!! Poor final though and good luck to Cross

Dawson had two of the handiest runs to championships finals you could ever imagine, never ever met Kilcoo in his 2 championship wins and when you actually sit down and think about it, who did he actually have to beat over those 2 years? One of the final wins was a farce against a Clonduff team who fluked their way to the final. First team that tore into them, Longstone last year, they didnt want to know! With idiotic comments like the above, Burren people then wonder why most of Down cant stand them

Been saying this for a long time. I could have managed Burren to those 2 titles. They were peaking at a time when others weren't so hot, plus they had an easy road as mentioned, Dawson has done very little to deserve this big name title he seems to have got. He is by no way an inter county manager and don't see why a club would pay ridiculous money per session to gt him in.

Fair enough Kilcoo is a small place/parish, but so is Burren (I know they like to poach) and Cross, think Cross have under 1500. Not taking anything away from the win well done to Kilcoo, just don't buy into the small country team lark.

Very harsh on Frank Dawson fellas, and it smacks of personal dislike instead of measured judgement. As a manager, he has won 3 more SFCs in Down than James McCartan, Ross Carr, DJ Kane, Paddy O'Rourke and Peter McGrath put together. One of the key skills of any manager is in instilling belief and camaraderie; getting players to group together as a club and peak together as a unit. Dawson obviously has a talent for doing this.

By the way, I don't think Burren have peaked yet. The core of this team are still under 23, and winter football tends to suit older teams.

Are you winding us up with that comment?? Dawson tore Antrim football in two this year and brought it to its knees, the way he left Antrim I lost a lot of respect for him, I have always been a big supporter of Frank and in previous posts I have called for him to be given a chance with Down seniors but events this year in Antrim and from speaking to past players everywhere he goes he leaves a trail of destruction behind him and a huge debt for some poor club to pick up! Burren were just lucky they d something to show for it had loads of money to afford it all!

[thewobbler]

He tore Antrim in two? That's about 27 less divisions than they've had in the past!

While I've no respect either for the way he walked out on Antrim, Antrim GAA is a mess, and has been for as long as I've been on this planet. The only way it's ever going to be fixed up there is if someone takes a few years (with the county board's full support) to do a "my way or the high way", and eventually get the players unified.

[supersub]

Our tactics yesterday were awful. We need Dawaon back !!! Poor final though and good luck to Cross

Dawson had two of the handiest runs to championships finals you could ever imagine, never ever met Kilcoo in his 2 championship wins and when you actually sit down and think about it, who did he actually have to beat over those 2 years? One of the final wins was a farce against a Clonduff team who fluked their way to the final. First team that tore into them, Longstone last year, they didnt want to know! With idiotic comments like the above, Burren people then wonder why most of Down cant stand them

Been saying this for a long time. I could have managed Burren to those 2 titles. They were peaking at a time when others weren't so hot, plus they had an easy road as mentioned, Dawson has done very little to deserve this big name title he seems to have got. He is by no way an inter county manager and don't see why a club would pay ridiculous money per session to gt him in.

Fair enough Kilcoo is a small place/parish, but so is Burren (I know they like to poach) and Cross, think Cross have under 1500. Not taking anything away from the win well done to Kilcoo, just don't buy into the small country team lark.

Very harsh on Frank Dawson fellas, and it smacks of personal dislike instead of measured judgement. As a manager, he has won 3 more SFCs in Down than James McCartan, Ross Carr, DJ Kane, Paddy O'Rourke and Peter McGrath put together. One of the key skills of any manager is in instilling belief and camaraderie; getting players to group together as a club and peak together as a unit. Dawson obviously has a talent for doing this.

By the way, I don't think Burren have peaked yet. The core of this team are still under 23, and winter football tends to suit older teams.

Indeed and 2 of them were with the Burren team I mentioned. So as I say what else has he done to deserve it? You mention those other managers and fair enough the statistic might be true, but I wouldn't compare the former and latter with Dawson to be honest. No personal grudge at all, don't even know the man and have never worked with or under him in football or other - just don't think he is as good as he/others suggest. You mention this camaraderie etc which he installs, which is a top attribute for a manager no doubt about it, but if you knew (which you may I don't know) the lads in the current Burren team and the team spirit/workrate/togetherness etc they already have, you would know it wouldn't take much to galvanise that aspect. This is part of what I am getting at, the current Burren team already have the drive, team spirit (on and off field) plus the ability. Obviously you need a manager too, but Dawson was working with a well oiled machine at the time plus they weren't really tested. I won't even mention the Antrim farce, I know they are a soap opera at the best of times but Dawson didn't help himself at all with that. Should have swallowed his pride at the start of the summer and got the best players playing on the field for the county.

[Down Follower]

Seriously folks the criticism of Dawson is not measured at all here.  He has won 3 championship titles, with two different teams, and taken another team to the final.  Now, i am no big fan of the man but this speaks for itself really.  Whatever about Burren and the players they have, they still had to go out and win it.  The manager this year couldnt do it, not could the manager before Dawson, so i think he deserves some serious respect there for that.

As for what happened with Antrim, well, they are a bit of a mess ok, but he clearly had agreed with the Ford to move there while still in the Antrim post.  He has previous on this with Carryduff and Bellaghy so it doesnt surprise me.  This however does not take away from his achievements.

Congratulations to Kilcoo, they deserved it and the game panned out pretty much as i expected.  A dogfight, in which there would be only one winner.  They will give Crossmaglen something to think about but i still think Cross are too organised and disciplined to fall into the Magpies trap.