Down Club Hurling & Football

[Naomh Pol CLG]

St Pauls  2-12 1-10 Teconnaught 

We were 1-08 to 1-02 down at half time....We were bloody awful.....A bollocking and some strong words in the changing rooms and we come out and play some great football...

Game of two halfs!!!

[dundrumite]

Drumaness got beat in Saul by a pt or drew, depending on when you asked the ref, after the game or after he got harangued by the Drumaness supporters 

Was it a drawor not though?

[Dubh driocht]

Team for next week
Mc Veigh
Rafferty Dan Benny Mc Ardle
Garvey Mc Kernan(just) Rooney
King and Fitzie
Maginn Marty Doyle ( or Danny if fit)
Poly Lavery Benny
Subs ; Daniel, Danny, Carr, Colgan, Ambrose,Duffin,Mooney,Alder,Murtagh, Murphy ( assuming all fit).Full Stop.

[Leo]

Team for next week if sense prevails
McVeigh
Brannigan Rooney  Rafferty
Doyle Garvey McKernan
King Gordon
Hughes (orMooney) Maginn Poland
Laverty Coulter Clarke

[whitegoodman]

Lol Doyle and mckernan in the same half back line, with Doyle on the right 

[EagleLord]

You would leave Brannigan out of next lineup? I thought he had a very good game today. Thought Benny was great too, kicked some lovely points. Laverty was his usual imaginative but sometimes frustrating self. Rooney virtually inefective at midfeild, Peter Fitz should be in there. Even King too, Dont think he added much today.

[whitegoodman]

You would leave Brannigan out of next lineup? I thought he had a very good game today. Thought Benny was great too, kicked some lovely points. Laverty was his usual imaginative but sometimes frustrating self. Rooney virtually inefective at midfeild, Peter Fitz should be in there. Even King too, Dont think he added much today.

Were u at the game?? Rooney was wing back and mckernan started midfield !!!

[Dubh driocht]

I forgot about Mc Comiskey- easily done on today's performance- but he is well worth his place in the squad and will only get better.
I cannot fault Brannigan's commitment but felt he was not stong enough today when it mattered-the goal came from him being too easily held off the ball-he can run all day but doesn't anticipate the way Rafferty does. On the Dan debate - it's three for me.

[NP 76]

Its Dan at full back for me also did well today . Putting him at mid field for the throw ins was a good move shows that James is not afraid to try something different but prefers him at full back . Mc Comiskey didnt get going today and the harder he tried the worse it got . Mc veighs attempted short kickouts were very poor to say the least

[Mourne Rover]

Leo, Rooney was tried at full back in the USC under Ross and it simply did not work. We would all love to see a new no 3 emege who would allow Dan to go back to midfield, but it is pretty clear that we do not have one at the moment. Dan has been a full back for barely a year, and is still learning his trade there, but he has been a vast improvement on everyone else in the position since Brian Burns. If Doyle was fit enough to go to centre half, with Garvey beside him, McKernan pushing forward from wing half and Hughes, Poland and Maginn dropping back as necessary, we might just come up with a viable defence. Gerard McCartan has been a huge loss, but Rafferty is back and O'Hagan could also do a job for us as well.

[T O Hare]

The Dan Gordan debate is a hard one to call...from watching Down club and county football i can safely say he is the best midfielder we have... But there has been an air of confidence since he has lined out in the number three position!!

[Leo]

Lol Doyle and mckernan in the same half back line, with Doyle on the right 

Were you laughing at Doyle on the right (half forward) today? Or at No. 5 where he played a few seasons back?

[supersub]

Think he was laughing at the prospect of having Doyle and McKernan in the same half back line!

[whitegoodman]

Lol Doyle and mckernan in the same half back line, with Doyle on the right 

Were you laughing at Doyle on the right (half forward) today? Or at No. 5 where he played a few seasons back?

Think he was laughing at the prospect of having Doyle and McKernan in the same half back line!

Both.

Playing right half back is very different from playing right half forward for a left footer.  Ross Carr or Doyle play on the right in the forward line so they can come inside and shoot off the left.  Playing on the right in defence means invariable Doyle would have to come inside the majority of the time to solo or kick which is very dangerous for a defender.

The idea of 2 ball playing, non man marking half backs such as doyle and mckernan playing along the same line would scare the life out of me if I had the 2 o'shea's, Conor Gormley and Joe McMahon beside them never mind our limited defenders.

[Dubh driocht]

In praise of.......little and large

Amid the debate on Dan, I think it's worth praising the little and large of Down football- Lavery and Dan.The two East Down men might have the odd disagreement but they're emerging as pivotal players in the 2011 season
Lavery plays like we all did after school with jumpers as posts. He ducks and weaves and darts about with a free spirit but is so effective. Having seen him at close quarters over the years, he is the most competitive man in Down, and I think he would bring the same will-to-win to a game of tiddlywinks as he does to our forward-line.He is playing the football of his life and James clearly sees him as the perfect foil for Benny and Marty, as epitomised by his flick from Marty's diagonal ball for Benny's fine second half point.
Dan is IMO the unsung hero of last year's run to the final.Forced to play in an unfamiliar position, he just got on with it, and brought a calmness and presence to a jittery full-back line. This man will do whatever it takes for Down and never complains or makes a scene. Cool Hand Dan deserves an All-Star for his service to Loughinisland, Down and Ulster but we know it doesn't work that way- however, a good run this year and you never know.