Down Club Hurling & Football

[tone]

Has anyone heard anything about tickets for this Sunday,s game v Moneghan.There was quite a few went on sale at the ground the last game,I would say that the game will attract a bit more intest this time round some people thought that Down would be beaten by Cavan and never bothered coming out,if things go right for Down the could play in an Ulster final this year.

[GRASSEYBANK]

Superhans

Young fegan is still playing for Annaclone and his scoring average is excellent.

[Fiodoir Ard Mhacha]

What's the latest score from Casement.

[Square Ball]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/6716747.stm


Antrim in front at the minute.

[TORGAEL]

Tone, the Drumgath manager, Harry Toner, quit a few weeks back. As far as i know there were very poor turnouts at training & thats why he left. Vincie Burns [former player] is taking the team for now. Team has been playing fairly well, but they miss their county players badly when not available due to having a very small squad of players.

[tone]

Tone, the Drumgath manager, Harry Toner, quit a few weeks back. As far as i know there were very poor turnouts at training & thats why he left. Vincie Burns [former player] is taking the team for now. Team has been playing fairly well, but they miss their county players badly when not available due to having a very small squad of players.

a
Torgael,thats a common problem throughout the county,hows it going for this new man,it will be hard to get a new man this time of the year and you are also in the senior championship this year,what kind of experience has this man of senior football.who did you get in the senior championship.

[amallon]

Drumgath got the stone in the senior Championship

Div 1
Rostrevor 2:9 Atticall 1:12
Clonduff 2:6 Bryansford 2:12
Longstone 0:12 Castlewellan 0:14
Kilcoo 1:13 Mayobridge 0:7
Loughinisland 0:9 Burren 1:11
Liatroim 0:12 An Riocht 1:8

Anoter clutch of strange results this week.  I wouldn't have given Attical much hope of getting a point in Rostrevor and no hope at all to the Ford going to Clonduff.  Maybe the heavy defeat to the Bridge last week gave the Ford he kick they needed.  The stone is a hard place to go and get the point but Castlewellan have a bit more grit to them this season.  Gregory McCartan was in nets for them and saved 2 penalties.  I wouldn't have fancied Burren to get the points away in the Island but fair dues to them, I suppose Gordan is a massive loss for the blues.

[johnneycool]

Did I hear correctly at the weekend that Anthony Cunningham of Crossmaglen fame now lines out for Burren?

Does he live in the parish?

[amallon]

Yes Cunningham has transfered to Burren.  I'm not sure if he is playing for their seniors or seconds or what. 

[thewobbler]

It's fair to say I don't have much interest in hurling, but could one of our resident stick wielders please explain what happened yesterday?

I'm not looking for a scapegoat, a sob story or an in-depth analysis, but how is it possible that people who love the game, who have spent their whole life with sticks in hand, and who train constantly at the sport can put on such a dismal performance? If Ballygalget can prosper in the AI club scene, surely those fellas can do likewise for Down, no?


I don't know about recent weeks, but Cunningham was certainly starting at midfield for Burren at the start of the season. Him and Sean Ward would be a scary midfield partnership, if not in a footballing sense.

[No1]

  There are many reasons for yesterdays fiasco.  

 One of the main reasons is that there were 7 or 8 fella's sitting in the pub/walking the dog/spending time with their family yesterday who are far superior players than what was on the field yesterday.  Johnneycool stated on another thread that there were 2 fellas playing yesterday that don't even stand out as reserve club hurlers and that is 100% correct.  You'd have to ask those other fella's why they don't want to play for their county.

[johnneycool]

It's fair to say I don't have much interest in hurling, but could one of our resident stick wielders please explain what happened yesterday?

I'm not looking for a scapegoat, a sob story or an in-depth analysis, but how is it possible that people who love the game, who have spent their whole life with sticks in hand, and who train constantly at the sport can put on such a dismal performance? If Ballygalget can prosper in the AI club scene, surely those fellas can do likewise for Down, no?

There is no quick fixes to the Down hurling saga, but I believe the problem stems from the county boards complete lip service to hurling.
Take the Ballygalget example you ask about, the clubs are far more professionally organised and resourced than the county board in relation to training equipment. Ballygalget order 7 dozen hurling balls maybe 4 to 5 times a year with the vast majority being used at training, the hurling board secretary complained one year when the county squad used 60 balls in a complete season. Yesterday there were no 36" hurls for the team if they needed one, they were ordered months ago but never made it to the senior team, the general feeling is that the order was cancelled. No wonder players walk away from such a shambolic set up.

I was involved with the county team under Sean McGuinness, he took no shit from anyone, players, county board officials, the lot and the players were better treated and more loyal to whole setup as a whole. Its not just coincidence that was probably the last time that Down put out a team able to compete at a national level.

The cost of hurling is shockingly high especially to anyone who has never been involved in hurling at club level  i.e. Brian McEvoy, Mickey Keenan, Jimmy Keenan etc, etc.
The guys in charge really don't have an inkling and you reap what you sow I'm afraid.

[5 Sams]

Johnny,
I have been watching the trials and tribulations of the county hurling team from afar and I also was shocked by yesterday's result. I can see exectly where you are coming from when you mention the efforts of the county board......but my question is this....

Why do no hurling men stand for election to the chair of the hurling board....surely if someone form the Ards or one of the mainland hurling clubs with the county team's welfare at heart took control things would change?

I know Brian McAvoy and while he is a very able administrator and is a Gael to backbone....he is a football man from a football club in South Down as is Mickey Keenan.....is there no one from Ballygalget, Portaferry, Ballycran, etc who could take the reins and change things around.

[johnneycool]

Johnny,
I have been watching the trials and tribulations of the county hurling team from afar and I also was shocked by yesterday's result. I can see exectly where you are coming from when you mention the efforts of the county board......but my question is this....

Why do no hurling men stand for election to the chair of the hurling board....surely if someone form the Ards or one of the mainland hurling clubs with the county team's welfare at heart took control things would change?

I know Brian McAvoy and while he is a very able administrator and is a Gael to backbone....he is a football man from a football club in South Down as is Mickey Keenan.....is there no one from Ballygalget, Portaferry, Ballycran, etc who could take the reins and change things around.

The hurling board has no real powers so why get involved, it's bollocks. Everything they decide to do or decisions they make have to go to the full county board and get lost. I've known a few lads who were on the board and felt they were wasting their time and stopped going. The one and only time the clubs got together was to get the juvenile academies up and running, in a way forcing their hand but even that is turning into shambles thanks to lack of support from the county board.

Kevin Bell is allegedly a hurling man but he's a useless bollocks in any mans terms, football or hurling and has made life difficult for the current senior management at every opportunity. He undermined Crossey and is doing the same to Gerard Coulter. As treacherous a man you will never meet.

[Lecale2]

You don't pull your punches Johnnycool! Very depressed after yesterday.