Down Club Hurling & Football

[Mid Down Gael]

I'm with you on this one Spirit. If a week isn't enough recuperation time between games, then our sport is far too tough.

Well your neighbours Mayobridge in last decade always got their league fixtures put back when competing in Ulster. I remember waiting 11 weeks the year they last got to the final to face them in a league playoff. Why should the bridge get time to prepare and not Kilcoo? We won a county title on merit and should have the backing and support from county board and its fixture makers just like the bridge got courtesy off their own Sean Rooney. Typical south down bias towards an east down club. Our players couldn go fully committed on friday night with fear off recieving an injury with little time to recover or maybe getting the line say for a late challange on a night where the elements where not ideal for football. There is stil the whole off November to play the league, like we had to play in late November last years final as a result off waiting on the Bridges ulster campaign. All we wanted was consistency. But fair play to Bryansford on the night, they fully deserved their victory.

[Statto-Gael]

anyone got this weeks fixtures?

Thurs 29th Oct 7 30  Burren
Div 2 Final
An Riocht v Ballyholland(D Moore)

Fri 30th Oct 7 30 Pairc Esler
Div 1 Final
Bryansford v Mayobridge(C Reynolds)

Sat 31st Oct 2 30 Portaferry
Betsy Gray Cup Final
Ballygalget v Ballycran

Div 3 Semi Final 3 00 Saval
Drumgath v Glenn(J Burns)

Sun 1st Nov
Div 1 Relegation Play off
Castlewellan 1 00
Liatroim v Saval(G Corrigan)

Div 2 Relegation Play off
Rostrevor 12 30
Glasdrumman  v Shamrocks(G Tumelty)

Div 3 Relegation Play off
Daragh Cross 1 00
Teconnaught v St Pauls(E O Hare)

[goldenyears]

Tomorrow we are outraged. Totally unfair 4 days after semi final!

I am hoping club refuse to play: we have laid down a number of times before so I hope we fight this.

What is the point in training 10mths for 1 game + get less than 4 days to recover or prepare properly for final!?

Is it co board timetable we are working to; or influence of kingdom officials in count admin at play here?

I am v suspicious about the latter.

I think we should refuse to play, see what they make of that!

[dundrumite]

Tomorrow we are outraged. Totally unfair 4 days after semi final!

I am hoping club refuse to play: we have laid down a number of times before so I hope we fight this.

What is the point in training 10mths for 1 game + get less than 4 days to recover or prepare properly for final!?

Is it co board timetable we are working to; or influence of kingdom officials in count admin at play here?

I am v suspicious about the latter.

I think we should refuse to play, see what they make of that!

Thats a sham of a decision. How did they justify that?

[angermanagement]

I'm with you on this one Spirit. If a week isn't enough recuperation time between games, then our sport is far too tough.

Well your neighbours Mayobridge in last decade always got their league fixtures put back when competing in Ulster. I remember waiting 11 weeks the year they last got to the final to face them in a league playoff. Why should the bridge get time to prepare and not Kilcoo? We won a county title on merit and should have the backing and support from county board and its fixture makers just like the bridge got courtesy off their own Sean Rooney. Typical south down bias towards an east down club. Our players couldn go fully committed on friday night with fear off recieving an injury with little time to recover or maybe getting the line say for a late challange on a night where the elements where not ideal for football. There is stil the whole off November to play the league, like we had to play in late November last years final as a result off waiting on the Bridges ulster campaign. All we wanted was consistency. But fair play to Bryansford on the night, they fully deserved their victory.

Did kilcoo not play Ulster in a friendly last week ? If the players couldn't be fully commited why play a friendly when knowing you had a league match to play.

[5 Sams]

Tomorrow we are outraged. Totally unfair 4 days after semi final!

I am hoping club refuse to play: we have laid down a number of times before so I hope we fight this.

What is the point in training 10mths for 1 game + get less than 4 days to recover or prepare properly for final!?

Is it co board timetable we are working to; or influence of kingdom officials in count admin at play here?

I am v suspicious about the latter.

I think we should refuse to play, see what they make of that!

Message from the Assistant Secretary
A Chara
Division 2 final will not now be played on Thurs 29th Oct but will be officially fixed for Thurs Nov 12th in Pairc Esler with a 7 30 throw in please also be advised that in the event of a draw at full time 10 mins each way extra time will be played as per Competition rule 7(d)
is mise
Sean O Ruanaidh

[goldenyears]

Result! + totally fair. Well done 5sams

[saffron sam2]

You Ballyholland boys must have some clout!

[Cúig huaire]

Why not play it at the weekend? Thursday evening isnt a great time for a game.

[thewobbler]

I am finding this most bizarre. One has to presume that the only reason the game has been postponed for 14 days is due to the Kingdom kicking up a fuss about some promises regarding Brendan McVeigh's availability.

Given that the county board blankly refuse to postpone normal league matches even for a player's wedding day, surely this is a position they shouldn't ever have put themselves in.

More bizarre though in my mind - why not just play it the following weekend? Have An Riocht categorically stated they won't play on a weekend day - and if so, why? If not, why force two teams of players to cut off work early? Why force the game to be played under lights when every other league game is played in daylight? It's just all mad.

I can normally figure out why the county board carries through some of its stranger decisions. This one does baffle me though.

[5 Sams]

You Ballyholland boys must have some clout!

In fairness Sam there was no clout needed...the CCC recognised that the arrangement wasnt fair and they sorted it out...

While its still not ideal because it still seems to be pandering to An Riocht and we would prefer to play in daylight... its still better than playing this Thursday...

End of story..... we'll move on and figure out how to beat the hoors now....

[5 Sams]

Congrats to the Harps, now what the f**k are yiz gonna do about The Messiah in the final?!   

We're gonna play him Centre Half Forward ...there's more than one Down legend back in the fold No 1

[When We Win]

looks like the joke of a county board want Mr Clarke playing at the highest level possible so damn all others who get in the way. Why also are there the same replays happening this week. Was extra time not meant to be played? did the county board forget their own directive of 10 mins each way? Tell you what, Joe Brolly may get a bit of work out of this. THere could be an objection to relegation on the basis that the bye laws syas three go down but the bye laws also say 10 mins should be played. Therefore they have broken their own rules so there all season is null and void. They have effectively created their own rules without approval. Its a bit like An BOrd Ceol down south, they should have the decency to pack it in andlet the wives take over. could be no worse. bloody joke of a county structure. not a working brain in the house. dumb. fustrated. lets just leave the leagues and try again next year. Jesus im annoyed

[6th sam]

I'm with you on this one Spirit. If a week isn't enough recuperation time between games, then our sport is far too tough.

Well your neighbours Mayobridge in last decade always got their league fixtures put back when competing in Ulster. I remember waiting 11 weeks the year they last got to the final to face them in a league playoff. Why should the bridge get time to prepare and not Kilcoo? We won a county title on merit and should have the backing and support from county board and its fixture makers just like the bridge got courtesy off their own Sean Rooney. Typical south down bias towards an east down club. Our players couldn go fully committed on friday night with fear off recieving an injury with little time to recover or maybe getting the line say for a late challange on a night where the elements where not ideal for football. There is stil the whole off November to play the league, like we had to play in late November last years final as a result off waiting on the Bridges ulster campaign. All we wanted was consistency. But fair play to Bryansford on the night, they fully deserved their victory.

Very fair points MDG-only 1 way to answer them-beat St Eunans

[6th sam]

I am finding this most bizarre. One has to presume that the only reason the game has been postponed for 14 days is due to the Kingdom kicking up a fuss about some promises regarding Brendan McVeigh's availability.

Given that the county board blankly refuse to postpone normal league matches even for a player's wedding day, surely this is a position they shouldn't ever have put themselves in.

More bizarre though in my mind - why not just play it the following weekend? Have An Riocht categorically stated they won't play on a weekend day - and if so, why? If not, why force two teams of players to cut off work early? Why force the game to be played under lights when every other league game is played in daylight? It's just all mad.

I can normally figure out why the county board carries through some of its stranger decisions. This one does baffle me though.

Wobbler,Hopefully now you are getting a flavour of what annoys me about our league structures.Particularly the unpredictable fixtures at this time of year.The farcical nature of replays and matches fixed for thur/fri/sat/sun is totally unfair particularly on shift workers and family men.Your dismissal of Kilcoo's league semi-final fixture versus your reasonable complaint about Ballyholland's Thursday final,is ironic. No matter what posters' opinions are on our club fixtures/league structures,surely we can all agree that the adhoc nature of fixtures at this time of year,must stop.A complicated change to the leagues ,obviously took alot of work this year,but  still the main point is missed.GIVE US A RIGID FIXED FIXTURE PROGRAMME FOR THE WHOLE YEAR! We get it for most of the year,but the onset of September  heralds unnecessary fixture chaos EVERY YEAR!