Down Club Hurling & Football

[behind the wire]

brick, the referee in the point match dished out a good few yellows but didnt give any reds until one minute from time when he had no option. could have had the red card out alot sooner, couple of very dodgy tackles on harrisson the glassdrumman corner forward. it cut up rough enough a couple of times. as a neutral i didnt really give a toss, added a bit of entertainment value to what was largely a poor enough match.

[thewobbler]

Regarding the Tyrone game.

One of my biggest problems with Paddy O'Rourke's regime was that he never seemed to learn from his mistakes. After the drawn Ulster final, we met Tyrone 3 times and looked more and more stunned each time we played them. To me, this was one of the major reasons why he had to go. This isn't juvenile football, it's county football, and managers have the time, the resources and the dedication from players to react to who they are coming up against.

I'm going to evaluate Ross along similar lines. And the focus of from now should be on dumping Tyrone out of Ulster. For my money, we can't take Tyrone on in a straight game of football. We don't have the players. That's an unfortunate truth. We will need at least one extra player back in defence and we will need to be utterly cynical at the breakdown in midfield. When we don't win the breaks, we need to stop them from gaining momentum, by hook or by crook. That's how Derry beat them last year.

In Ross's reign up to now, performances can be excused due to experimentation. By the time Tyrone comes around next May though, this won't be a viable excuse. Before then, we will need to see a recognisable core to our team heading out every game, and specialist players playing in specialist positions. His quest shouldn't just be to find a reliable full-back, but a reliable full-back strong enough to hold off Stevie O'Neill. Whoever he has in line for left half-back has to have a hell of an engine, as he will most likely be marking Brian Dooher.

Elegant wing-backs don't make county standard corner-backs. It's all about man-marking and we're better off with poor footballers who can man-mark than the reverse. Gavin Barry should be drafted in under the realisation that although he could put Colm McCullagh in his pocket, he's not big enough to mark Eoin Mulligan or Stephen O'Neill. His position depends on who we're up against.

Skilful fowards should be played where they can do damage as skilful forwards. We can afford to play with just four or five forwards if at least three of them are capable of both winning it and using it, such as Benny Coulter, Ronan Murtagh and Paul McComiskey.

Division III is no grounding for county ball, so if we're going to play a Division III midfielder, he should start every  National League game in order to ready him properly.

There is nothing that would give Down football a shot in the arm like beating Tyrone. For the likes of Murtagh, Clarke, Coulter, Doyle and Sexton, who have experienced some of thheir darkest days as players against the Red Hands, it could rejuvenate their careers.

It's up to Ross to give them the grounding to do exactly that. If it means leaving 50 years of cultured football in the past, so be it.

Also, if anyone has any clue as to the exact nature of the Down panel, please pass on as much as you can. Some of the rumours I've heard about who is on it are just plain funny. It'd be nice to know the truth.

[Brick Tamlin]

wobbler those funny rumours are probably all true. wouldnt pay too much attention to the names being bandied around this side of xmas to be honest.
Well done to youse boys yesterday, always a danger in playoffs, and likewise to saval. better equipped teams went up imho.
A mention must go to Annaclone's capitulation in business end of season. Bad isnt the word.

[umpire]

After yesterday final, here my selection of All Star team
1 Adrain Poland, Longstone;
2, Gavin Barry, Mayobridge;
3 Brendan Grant, Mayobridge;
4 Cormac Poland, Longstone;
5 Mark Doran, Longstone;
6 Seamus Grant, Mayobridge;
7 Luke Howard, Bryansford;
8 John Magee, Longstone;
9 Eoghan Woods. Mayobridge;
10 Kevin McKeran, Burren;
11 Micheal Walsh, Mayobridge;
12 Barry Doran, Longstone;
13 Adrian Barry, Mayobridge;
14 Ciaran Brannigan Bryansford;
15 Benny Coulter, Mayobridge.
Benny is my choice as man of championship.

Top 10 scorers in 2007 Powerade senior football championship iis as folllow.

1 Benny Coulter Mayobridge 5.17
2 Barry Doran Longstone 0.31
3 Micheal Walsh Mayobridge 1.18
4 Kevin McKernan Burren 1.11
5 Ambrose Rodgers Longstone 2.7
6 Chris Brannigan Bryansford 0.12
7 Stephen Doran Longstone 3.3
8 Conor Lavery Kilcoo 1.8
9 Sean Kelly Kilcoo 0.10
10 Mark Poland Longstone 0.9

[spiritof91and94]

Was Gavin Barry not brutally exposed in the Championship in Omagh in 2005? He was out of his depth in terms of strength and size - although a very reliable club defender, the county is asking to much of him.

Joe Ireland, Luke Howard and Conor Gribben - Bryansford Panellists.

Ciaran Brannigan an All Star - I dont think it - Bryansford best player in the Championship was easily Gareth Toner at number ten.

[Brick Tamlin]

completely disagree with Allstar mentality, a load a shoite if i may say so.

On the Gavin Barry issue, he is far too small for county football im afraid, not big enough, good club player but hasnt the strength of an intercounty defender imo.
on that note, just think back to 1994 when you had brutes of defenders/corner backs etc, what we would give for a modern day paul higgins now.

[goldenyears]

annaclone gave us a hiding mid season and looked shoe in for play offs - still cant believe they didnt make it.

what the hell happened? is cathal back for another yr?

[DownFanatic]

New players I have heard that have definitely been called up to the trial squad.

Brendan Rooney (Mayobridge)
John McCarthy (Darragh Cross - Oh yeah thats right Loughinisland signed him a few years back.)
Ryan Stranney (Loughinisland)
Damien Turley (Downpatrick)
Eoin McGuinness (Shamrocks)
Darragh McMeel (Warrenpoint)
Niall McEvoy (Kilcoo)
Gary McArdle (Annaclone)
Peter Fitzpatrick (Ballymartin)
Darren O'Hanlon (Ballymartin)

[Brick Tamlin]

correct me if im wrong but is that Rooney fella not a sub for the bridge.
surely if he cant make his club senior line up then is he not unsuitable for county.
few of those other names are a bit dubious too

[spiritof91and94]

New players I have heard that have definitely been called up to the trial squad.

Brendan Rooney (Mayobridge)
John McCarthy (Darragh Cross - Oh yeah thats right Loughinisland signed him a few years back.)
Ryan Stranney (Loughinisland)
Damien Turley (Downpatrick)
Eoin McGuinness (Shamrocks)
Darragh McMeel (Warrenpoint)
Niall McEvoy (Kilcoo)
Gary McArdle (Annaclone)
Peter Fitzpatrick (Ballymartin)
Darren O'Hanlon (Ballymartin)

Niall McEvoy - is he the 5'2" corner back - Conor Laverty looks like a giant in comparison!

[goldenyears]

it strikes me that we are drudging the depths of anyone remotely looking like a county footballer in order to unearth 5 or 6 additions.

are those players out there? i doubt it but will else can senior management do?

[dundrumite]

New players I have heard that have definitely been called up to the trial squad.

Brendan Rooney (Mayobridge)
John McCarthy (Darragh Cross - Oh yeah thats right Loughinisland signed him a few years back.)
Ryan Stranney (Loughinisland)
Damien Turley (Downpatrick)
Eoin McGuinness (Shamrocks)
Darragh McMeel (Warrenpoint)
Niall McEvoy (Kilcoo)
Gary McArdle (Annaclone)

Peter Fitzpatrick (Ballymartin)
Darren O'Hanlon (Ballymartin)

Niall McEvoy - is he the 5'2" corner back - Conor Laverty looks like a giant in comparison!

N o your thinking of gerard mc evoy. Niall played on the under 21 team of 2005. Hes a corner back, always in your face and tough as old boots. Be interesting to see how he fares on, but is def a better option than some of last years defenders

[cloneman]

annaclone gave us a hiding mid season and looked shoe in for play offs - still cant believe they didnt make it.

what the hell happened? is cathal back for another yr?

That performance against the harps was the best performance by us all year by a long way Goldenyears and unfortunatley I can't say that we performed at all since then, for what reasons I don't know.  Its the first year since 1993 that the club hasn't been involved in playoffs at either end of the table, so hopefully the long break will refresh the squad for next season. 
As far as I know Cathal Murray will remain in the hotseat for another year.

Also, congratulations to both Ballyholland and Saval on their promotions.

[Mourne Rover]

No1, unless there is another restructuring, only division four teams are placed in the Tommy Murphy Cup. I'd like to think another relegation is out of the question for us, although another bad start to the league could put us under some pressure. Sligo and Louth have both beaten us convincingly over the last 18 months, while Fermanagh been regularly performing at a higher standard than we have for several years.

However, if we can win our home games, we should still be close to the top. I have not seen any fixtures yet, but, whether we are home or away, we will be in big trouble if we cannot beat Longford, Leitrim, Limerick and Wexford.

The target has to be promotion, a respectable show against Tyrone and at least two wins in the qualifiers. Anything better than this would be decent progress, while anything less would point towards an immediate change of management.

I agree with Wobbler that a win against Tyrone would transform everything, but I cannot see how our problems at the back can be solved in a single season. Scullion is said to have retired, Clarke is apparently taking a year out and Grant has reportedly been dropped again, so you could be looking at a defence which is even weaker than the sub-standard version of last summer.

Rooney was supposed to be our new full back, but he looks much more comfortable out the field. McCartan can tackle but lacks pace while McGuigan is exactly the opposite. The experiment of Murtagh at wingback ultimately failed, while Colgan is an unknown quantity. That leaves Cole as our only experienced defender, and the indications were that Ross did not rate him anyway.

It is not exactly an encouraging picture, even if Doyle is finally given a run in the half-back line. We obviously need to try out some new faces, and I think Sean Parr of Rostrevor is worth an extended look, but building a viable inter-county defence could take another two or three years.

I'd love to think we could be competitive against Tyrone, but the evidence is that teams at our level develop through the qualifiers rather than the provincial championship. We need to give the championship our best shot while accepting that the open draw is our best opportunity. 

[Pangurban]

Here we go again, another bout of experimentation during Mc. Kenna Cup, an unsettled team going into the league, rumours of rifts, morale low, poor run of results, relegation. Championship early exit, much gnashing of teeth and demands that something be done.All futile and too late as we struggle to find players interested in playing Div4 Football. Am i being too pessimistic, i dont think so, and you people that know and care about Down football, fear i could be right. The time for remedial action is NOW. Drifting is not an option. We need a totally fresh approach, innovative and radical. A new management team with full power and their own budget which will free them from Co.Board interference should be given a 1 Year contract with an option for renewal if evaluation of progress is positive. Out with the squad members who have been tried and failed, and in many cases have displayed lack of committment.  Pretty footballers win nothing, we need down and dirty battlers with a passion to win, a strong physique and an average talent which will be improved with proper training and coaching. Gaelic football is a simple game, so lets cut the bullshit get back to basics and start winning, or at the very least start competing, and its been years since we did that