Down Club Hurling & Football

[No hoper]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness

[johnneycool]

Both Crans & Galget dished up a great game, esp the 1st half.  Cran had no answer to Magic and Galget clearly wanted it more.  They seemed much more mobile that the Crans.

After stealing the game against Portaferry with a really poor performance for 45 minutes I didn't hold out much hope either but to be fair we'd a relegation battle last saturday in terrible conditions against Ballycastle and there was a marked improvement in performance and touch. That game did us the power of good even though we did lose a young lad to a broken hand.

The first 10 minutes or so there were some good points from both teams and the Crans were keeping in touch with some great long range points from midfield but once the first goal went in we took a lead that they couldn't get back, I think at half time we were 9 points up. We then got the better start after half time with a well taken goal and a few points either side of it to really open up a lead but in fairness to them they got a goal back and had a period of ascendency but never really troubled Graham that much other than a few goal mouth scrambles.

finally we got the tactics right where we got the players we wanted into the spaces where they could do damage. Stevie Clarke in particular was given far too much latitude by Paudie Flynn and he was able to turn and pick out magic and Danny and if nothing was on take his own scores after a few bad wides early on. If you can get the right ball into magic you need a dozer to stop him. Michael Ennis is a very good hurler but he was on a hiding to nothing yesterday and even when he did manage to clear a ball from Magic it was returned down to field to Magic who'd took off to the edge of the square, caught it and goaled it. That's soul destroying for a defender.

Out of our starting defence, only one played in defence last year which tells its own tale of where it was felt we went wrong last year. The lads brought in can certainly run if not the biggest but as the Crans are a very small team we got away with it. The forwards made life difficult for Ballycran to get clean posssession away and that helps the defenders contain their respective forward.

Ben Toner, Joe Smyth, Deccy McManus are 19 and Danny Toner is 18, all got their first championship final start and all done well although Deccy has a finger broken in three places and won't feature in the next game. These young lads mustn't drink enough milk nowadays.

Hopefully the bodies will drink themselves into oblivion the next few days as I'm sure they think they've the four seasons in the bag already, but sure we'll give them a rattle and see what happens.

[Brick Tamlin]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness

[supersub]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness

[TheClutch]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness

[Johnnie99]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness

 

[eyeswideopen]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness

[Catch the high ball]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness

[bredaghgael86]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness

Both Crans & Galget dished up a great game, esp the 1st half.  Cran had no answer to Magic and Galget clearly wanted it more.  They seemed much more mobile that the Crans.

After stealing the game against Portaferry with a really poor performance for 45 minutes I didn't hold out much hope either but to be fair we'd a relegation battle last saturday in terrible conditions against Ballycastle and there was a marked improvement in performance and touch. That game did us the power of good even though we did lose a young lad to a broken hand.

The first 10 minutes or so there were some good points from both teams and the Crans were keeping in touch with some great long range points from midfield but once the first goal went in we took a lead that they couldn't get back, I think at half time we were 9 points up. We then got the better start after half time with a well taken goal and a few points either side of it to really open up a lead but in fairness to them they got a goal back and had a period of ascendency but never really troubled Graham that much other than a few goal mouth scrambles.

finally we got the tactics right where we got the players we wanted into the spaces where they could do damage. Stevie Clarke in particular was given far too much latitude by Paudie Flynn and he was able to turn and pick out magic and Danny and if nothing was on take his own scores after a few bad wides early on. If you can get the right ball into magic you need a dozer to stop him. Michael Ennis is a very good hurler but he was on a hiding to nothing yesterday and even when he did manage to clear a ball from Magic it was returned down to field to Magic who'd took off to the edge of the square, caught it and goaled it. That's soul destroying for a defender.

Out of our starting defence, only one played in defence last year which tells its own tale of where it was felt we went wrong last year. The lads brought in can certainly run if not the biggest but as the Crans are a very small team we got away with it. The forwards made life difficult for Ballycran to get clean posssession away and that helps the defenders contain their respective forward.

Ben Toner, Joe Smyth, Deccy McManus are 19 and Danny Toner is 18, all got their first championship final start and all done well although Deccy has a finger broken in three places and won't feature in the next game. These young lads mustn't drink enough milk nowadays.

Hopefully the bodies will drink themselves into oblivion the next few days as I'm sure they think they've the four seasons in the bag already, but sure we'll give them a rattle and see what happens.

I was at the antrim final jonny. Obviously i didnt see your game, but going on what i saw from loughgile a performane like youse put in yestrday would beat them id say. cushendall werefar the better team and only for terrible shooting they shpould have won easily. clearly it will still be tough but  id say yur boys should go into the game with a high level of confidence.

[Minus15]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness

[Square Ball]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness

[behind the wire]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness

[dodgy umpire]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness

[Out in Front]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness

[Dubh driocht]

SFC Quarter finals
Burren v Ballyholland
Mayobridge v Longstone

IFC Quarter finals
Annaclone v Darragh Cross
Kilclief v Tullylish
Carryduff v Glenn
Drumgath v St Johns

Plus one. I'm lazy BTW, not copying !

JFC Final
St John Bosco v Drumaness