Down Club Hurling & Football

[Leo]

i can see the logic in having a big panel before the national league so that players that have impressed in trials can test themselves against other counties to see if their inclusion is worthy.

i may be looking through my blue tinted glasses guys but having watched a lot of div. 1 football last year John Boyle must be in the top 44 players in the county. the point def didnt set the world on fire last year but he led the line well for the point at half back or at half forward ( half back being his best position imo) he would be on a par if not better than the players highlighted

defence
Martin Cole, Stevie Toner, Dan McCartan, Liam Lennon, Kevin Duffin, Declan Rooney, Kieran McGovern, Damien Rafferty, Aidan Brannigan, Mark Doran, Paul Murphy, Gerard McCartan, Conor Garvey, Sean Parr, Kevin McKernan,

attack
Conor Maginn, Brendan McArdle, Martin Clarke, Mark Poland, Ronan Sexton, Danny Hughes, Stephen Kearney, Aidan Carr, James McGovern, Paul McComiskey, Benny Coulter, Conor Laverty, John Clarke, Ronan Murtagh & Michael Magee.

as i have said i feel he is a defender hence more defenders highlighted i dont think he could muscle into the forward line

food for thought.
maybe he didnt stand out in trials but he did play in the last 1

John Boyle stood out for the county last year - as a player who has none of the attributes required of a county player. He looks and plays like a busy little sideways soccer player, all back passes and ineffective dinks to left and right, and the worst tackler I have ever seen on a gaelic field. Would not be near any other serious county squad in Ulster.
I can see Sexton and Murtagh being given the chance to play themselves out of the panel - too little delivered over too many seasons.

[Leo]

but they aint on that list. Cant agree with Murney being among 6 best backs.
best 6 id say are probably
Aidan Brannigan
Declan Rooney
Conor Garvey
Mark Doran
Kieran Mc Govern
Damian Rafferty/Martin Cole.

to be honest the squad doesnt really fill me full of confidence but then again there aint alot more out there other than that.

Liam Doyle will be back soon, so the best sx available are:
Cole
Garvey
Brannigan
Doyle
Rooney
Duffin

[Brick Tamlin]

Leo, you seem to have personal issue with John Boyle, dunno what it is but it makles your assessment of his worth as a county player a little bias i think.

as for Liam Doyle, i omitted him from the best 6 largely to the fact that he will have a huge mountain to climb this year to get back any sort of county form/fitness.
Duffin is pretty much unproven, a decent club player but yet to do it (maybe due to lack of chances) for the seniors. Still think there are better natural defenders there than him. We have enough maurauding defenders who like to attack.

[T O Hare]

Boyle is a good player but the most impressive point player i seen last year was Ryan Mallon, he has the potentail to make it!!!!!!!!!!!

[Brick Tamlin]

you have probably opened a can of worms there now. Cue the abuse.

[charlieTully]

i can see the logic in having a big panel before the national league so that players that have impressed in trials can test themselves against other counties to see if their inclusion is worthy.

i may be looking through my blue tinted glasses guys but having watched a lot of div. 1 football last year John Boyle must be in the top 44 players in the county. the point def didnt set the world on fire last year but he led the line well for the point at half back or at half forward ( half back being his best position imo) he would be on a par if not better than the players highlighted

defence
Martin Cole, Stevie Toner, Dan McCartan, Liam Lennon, Kevin Duffin, Declan Rooney, Kieran McGovern, Damien Rafferty, Aidan Brannigan, Mark Doran, Paul Murphy, Gerard McCartan, Conor Garvey, Sean Parr, Kevin McKernan,

attack
Conor Maginn, Brendan McArdle, Martin Clarke, Mark Poland, Ronan Sexton, Danny Hughes, Stephen Kearney, Aidan Carr, James McGovern, Paul McComiskey, Benny Coulter, Conor Laverty, John Clarke, Ronan Murtagh & Michael Magee.

as i have said i feel he is a defender hence more defenders highlighted i dont think he could muscle into the forward line

food for thought.
maybe he didnt stand out in trials but he did play in the last 1

John Boyle stood out for the county last year - as a player who has none of the attributes required of a county player. He looks and plays like a busy little sideways soccer player, all back passes and ineffective dinks to left and right, and the worst tackler I have ever seen on a gaelic field. Would not be near any other serious county squad in Ulster.
I can see Sexton and Murtagh being given the chance to play themselves out of the panel - too little delivered over too many seasons.

yeah, time to move on from the sexton murtagh era.

[extra time]

given our defensive problems would it not be worth giving john clarke a run back there again. after all that was his original position. he could play corner, half or even full.it was an riochts lack of power up front a few years back that forced him up front

[T O Hare]

i can see the logic in having a big panel before the national league so that players that have impressed in trials can test themselves against other counties to see if their inclusion is worthy.

i may be looking through my blue tinted glasses guys but having watched a lot of div. 1 football last year John Boyle must be in the top 44 players in the county. the point def didnt set the world on fire last year but he led the line well for the point at half back or at half forward ( half back being his best position imo) he would be on a par if not better than the players highlighted

defence
Martin Cole, Stevie Toner, Dan McCartan, Liam Lennon, Kevin Duffin, Declan Rooney, Kieran McGovern, Damien Rafferty, Aidan Brannigan, Mark Doran, Paul Murphy, Gerard McCartan, Conor Garvey, Sean Parr, Kevin McKernan,

attack
Conor Maginn, Brendan McArdle, Martin Clarke, Mark Poland, Ronan Sexton, Danny Hughes, Stephen Kearney, Aidan Carr, James McGovern, Paul McComiskey, Benny Coulter, Conor Laverty, John Clarke, Ronan Murtagh & Michael Magee.

as i have said i feel he is a defender hence more defenders highlighted i dont think he could muscle into the forward line

food for thought.
maybe he didnt stand out in trials but he did play in the last 1

John Boyle stood out for the county last year - as a player who has none of the attributes required of a county player. He looks and plays like a busy little sideways soccer player, all back passes and ineffective dinks to left and right, and the worst tackler I have ever seen on a gaelic field. Would not be near any other serious county squad in Ulster.
I can see Sexton and Murtagh being given the chance to play themselves out of the panel - too little delivered over too many seasons.

yeah, time to move on from the sexton murtagh era.

It will be time to move on when there are better players in the county.. Ronan Sexton was the Bridges best player in the division one final and Ronan Murtagh is one of the most dangerous forwards in Down!!!!!

[Mid Down Gael]

Just noticing John Boyle, Peter Turley and Colm Murney are another 3 players along with Jackie and Fegan who where regulars under Rosss have been omitted under wee James. I really believe James has laid down a good marker with his first squad. Promising times lie ahead hopefully. Tally, McIvor, James and Jerome Johnston appear to me to be the dream ticket even at this early stage, i hope they turn out to be after 3 years under a poor management team.

a dream ticket?? they have not played a single fukcin game, take a step back ffs, totally getting carried away with yourself. we have won nothing.

there are kilcoo lads on the panel hence the dream...

And rightly so being county champions. 

[Mid Down Gael]

Boyle is a good player but the most impressive point player i seen last year was Ryan Mallon, he has the potentail to make it!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah Mallon is a decent player and is versatille. Id say he will be looked at in the under 21s.

[charlieTully]

i can see the logic in having a big panel before the national league so that players that have impressed in trials can test themselves against other counties to see if their inclusion is worthy.

i may be looking through my blue tinted glasses guys but having watched a lot of div. 1 football last year John Boyle must be in the top 44 players in the county. the point def didnt set the world on fire last year but he led the line well for the point at half back or at half forward ( half back being his best position imo) he would be on a par if not better than the players highlighted

defence
Martin Cole, Stevie Toner, Dan McCartan, Liam Lennon, Kevin Duffin, Declan Rooney, Kieran McGovern, Damien Rafferty, Aidan Brannigan, Mark Doran, Paul Murphy, Gerard McCartan, Conor Garvey, Sean Parr, Kevin McKernan,

attack
Conor Maginn, Brendan McArdle, Martin Clarke, Mark Poland, Ronan Sexton, Danny Hughes, Stephen Kearney, Aidan Carr, James McGovern, Paul McComiskey, Benny Coulter, Conor Laverty, John Clarke, Ronan Murtagh & Michael Magee.

as i have said i feel he is a defender hence more defenders highlighted i dont think he could muscle into the forward line

food for thought.
maybe he didnt stand out in trials but he did play in the last 1

John Boyle stood out for the county last year - as a player who has none of the attributes required of a county player. He looks and plays like a busy little sideways soccer player, all back passes and ineffective dinks to left and right, and the worst tackler I have ever seen on a gaelic field. Would not be near any other serious county squad in Ulster.
I can see Sexton and Murtagh being given the chance to play themselves out of the panel - too little delivered over too many seasons.

yeah, time to move on from the sexton murtagh era.

It will be time to move on when there are better players in the county.. Ronan Sexton was the Bridges best player in the division one final and Ronan Murtagh is one of the most dangerous forwards in Down!!!!!

they are both serial underachievers with Down, as I say time to move forward, same old faces every year has achieved sfa.

[guevara]

Think some fellas need to get a grip on here......Colm Murney??? fella cant even get on for his club!
Most over-rated player Ive ever seen
Suprised Gubber Kearney hasnt made it.....surely one of the best forwards in Down?

[Trevor Hill]

I think its a pretty strong panel, though I don't see the need for four keepers. I would go with 2, McVeigh as the first choice and Alder as back up. Maybe James wants to get a look at all of them in action before making a decision. No manager is going to cure our problem at full back, we just don't have an inter-county standard full back, maybe someone can be drafted back from further out the field. I am surprised that Callum King isn't on the panel as he was one of the most consistent players in division1 this year, but I am glad to see a few of the Kilcoo lads getting a chance.
No one has mentioned Michael Walsh yet? Ross got a lot of stick last summer for leaving him out, has he fallen out of favour with everyone now?
Any news on Luke Howard, when can we expect him back?

[thewobbler]

This panel kind of reinforces the view that Ross & DJ, and before them Paddy, weren't far away with their squad selections. Almost to a man they've already got the tracksuit at home.

There's no shocking inclusions and even fewer surprise omissions.

And I'd say even at this stage  it wouldn't take long for the average bystander to whittle the squad down to more or less James's 36 either.


Regarding comments above:

- Please don't ever suggest John Clarke as a defender again. He was an accidental tourist in defence in the first place, and if he had have stayed there, then those cries for his return to county colours wouldn't have been audible. He's a fine forward, anywhere across the six, so let him fight for his place there.
- Watch club football for a few weeks and you will always pick Sexton and Murtagh in a squad. Yes neither has set the county game alight, but given a choice between either of those and any of the "surprise omissions" being bandied about at present, and there is only one winner. Even touching 30 years of age they've more potential to become county players than those that didn't make it.
- Full-back looks like Garvey, backed up by Howard, Dan McCartan and Rooney. Centre-back looks like Doyle or Martin Clarke, backed up by Dan McCartan. The rest of the defenders are either too small, or lean to heavily on athleticism over discipline, game-reading and presence.

[Eartotheground]

Think some fellas need to get a grip on here......Colm Murney??? fella cant even get on for his club!
Most over-rated player Ive ever seen
Suprised Gubber Kearney hasnt made it.....surely one of the best forwards in Down?

Excelant player but wrong attitude......