2016 All Ireland U-21 football championship

[From the Bunker]

O'Connor like some one mentioned earlier know how to manufacture a free. Mayo very lucky to be in the final. Dublin played well for the middle third of the game only. Nearly bottled it like all Mayo teams do eventually. Cork will have more than enough for them in the final. Being a final you can take a couple of scores away from Mayo. Because Mayo teams psychologically need to be better than they think they are to win finals. Mayo teams have already lost 3 All Ireland finals this year. They just don't have the bottle in the final hurdle. In all three finals they were seriously outclassed! I presume the final will be in Limerick?

I'm glad you have written this after a Mayo triumph. Especially against the odds in the last couple of minutes against a decent Dublin side. Yeah, we have had our bad days in the office and Mitchels let themselves down in the final this year. But hey we keep going! And coming back and back! It takes some character to keep that hunger going? As for the other defeats! Take a look at your own joke of a grading system for Intermediate and junior. If we had the same system, Davitts  Ballyhaunis  Ballaghaderreen  Claremorris  Crossmolina Deel Rovers  Ballinrobe Charlestown Sarsfields  Shrule/Glencorrib would be all intermediate and god help you if one of them was our Champions! Look deeper anymore mate! It's not all what it looks like on the surface!

By the way you said the Dubs would hammer us today. Some knowledgeable bloke you are!

[Il Bomber Destro]

Why are people so upset over the grade being changed to u-20?
Will the difference be noticeable even?
The grade was changed to reduce the pressure on young players who are playing for too many teams.
Don't get the outrage myself.

I'd prefer the Sigerson was scrapped or did not involve senior county players ahead of modifying the u21 and minor grades.

[Cunny Funt]

Why are people so upset over the grade being changed to u-20?
Will the difference be noticeable even?
The grade was changed to reduce the pressure on young players who are playing for too many teams.
Don't get the outrage myself.

The majority of the best players at U-21 level are senior players. The non senior U-21s can become better footballers by testing themselves against those senior players.

No senior player will be allowed to play in the U-20 grade it will totally dilute the grade. If you want to reduce pressure you scrap the O'Byrne,FBD,McKenna cup competitions or the sigerson cup instead of the U-21 grade.

[Throw ball]

Why are people so upset over the grade being changed to u-20?
Will the difference be noticeable even?
The grade was changed to reduce the pressure on young players who are playing for too many teams.
Don't get the outrage myself.

I'd prefer the Sigerson was scrapped or did not involve senior county players ahead of modifying the u21 and minor grades.

I feel sick - I agree with a Tyrone man!

[Jinxy]

Why are people so upset over the grade being changed to u-20?
Will the difference be noticeable even?
The grade was changed to reduce the pressure on young players who are playing for too many teams.
Don't get the outrage myself.

The majority of the best players at U-21 level are senior players. The non senior U-21s can become better footballers by testing themselves against those senior players.

No senior player will be allowed to play in the U-20 grade it will totally dilute the grade. If you want to reduce pressure you scrap the O'Byrne,FBD,McKenna cup competitions or the sigerson cup instead of the U-21 grade.

Explain this to me in more detail.

[Cunny Funt]

Why are people so upset over the grade being changed to u-20?
Will the difference be noticeable even?
The grade was changed to reduce the pressure on young players who are playing for too many teams.
Don't get the outrage myself.

The majority of the best players at U-21 level are senior players. The non senior U-21s can become better footballers by testing themselves against those senior players.

No senior player will be allowed to play in the U-20 grade it will totally dilute the grade. If you want to reduce pressure you scrap the O'Byrne,FBD,McKenna cup competitions or the sigerson cup instead of the U-21 grade.

Explain this to me in more detail.

Best players taken out of any grade dilutes it.

[Captain Obvious]

Why are people so upset over the grade being changed to u-20?
Will the difference be noticeable even?
The grade was changed to reduce the pressure on young players who are playing for too many teams.
Don't get the outrage myself.

The majority of the best players at U-21 level are senior players. The non senior U-21s can become better footballers by testing themselves against those senior players.

No senior player will be allowed to play in the U-20 grade it will totally dilute the grade. If you want to reduce pressure you scrap the O'Byrne,FBD,McKenna cup competitions or the sigerson cup instead of the U-21 grade.

+1000 times.

[Syferus]

Why are people so upset over the grade being changed to u-20?
Will the difference be noticeable even?
The grade was changed to reduce the pressure on young players who are playing for too many teams.
Don't get the outrage myself.

The majority of the best players at U-21 level are senior players. The non senior U-21s can become better footballers by testing themselves against those senior players.

No senior player will be allowed to play in the U-20 grade it will totally dilute the grade. If you want to reduce pressure you scrap the O'Byrne,FBD,McKenna cup competitions or the sigerson cup instead of the U-21 grade.

Explain this to me in more detail.

Best players taken out of any grade dilutes it.

Agreed. Moving it in the year and making it U20 doesn't necessarily kill the grade but making sure it isn't a showcase for the best players in an age group will dilute it and sap the supporter interest in the grade. It will also disproportionately benefit bigger counties with deeper panels.

The fact U21 hurling wasn't changed makes an utter joke of this whole revision. Football lads seemingly very soft and easy to convince on questionable changes - the mark and U20 being this year's low lights.

[Blowitupref]

For example if U-21 championship had the rules that U-20 will have then Mayo would not be allowed to play Loftus,Hall,Coen,O Connor today. If you just play one minute for your seniors you are then ruled out to play at U-20. U-21 should have been kept IMO maybe moved to another time of the year or play the Sigerson cup before Christmas.

Well done to all four teams today two highly entertaining games in a grade that rarely disappoints. The best two teams on the day won and it should make for a great final.

[Rossfan]

Did ye make all these arguments to ye're clubs and Co Board conventions?
Or is it the usual GAA tradition of wait till the decision makers make a decision and then start moaning about it.

[Syferus]

For example if U-21 championship had the rules that U-20 will have then Mayo would not be allowed to play Loftus,Hall,Coen,O Connor today. If you just play one minute for your seniors you are then ruled out to play at U-20. U-21 should have been kept IMO maybe moved to another time of the year or play the Sigerson cup before Christmas.

Well done to all four teams today two highly entertaining games in a grade that rarely disappoints. The best two teams on the day won and it should make for a great final.

Forget one minute - the rule is if you're named on a senior panel at all that year you're not eligible for U20. It's utterly draconian and perhaps the least creative and most ham-fisted way to 'protect' players I could imagine.

[Rossfan]

If you can be on two panels you can be sure that a lot of thick managers will expect a lad to be at every training session and burn the daylights out of lads.
Remember some years ago some Ros U21s trained 4 successive days over Easter weekend - 2 with the Seniors and 2 with the U21s.

[Syferus]

If you can be on two panels you can be sure that a lot of thick managers will expect a lad to be at every training session and burn the daylights out of lads.
Remember some years ago some Ros U21s trained 4 successive days over Easter weekend - 2 with the Seniors and 2 with the U21s.

Nothing stopping the same happening at senior/U20 and club and third level.

http://m.hoganstand.com/Home/Details/253681?county=Roscommon

[muppet]

I really don't get scrapping competitions or changing age groups as a way to minimise plater burnout. That would be like scrapping soccer matches to prevent hooliganism.

The only way to do it my opinion is to make the elite young players, who are most vulnerable to burnout, ineligible for some of the lesser competitions once they appear at the top level.

[moysider]

O'Connor like some one mentioned earlier know how to manufacture a free. Mayo very lucky to be in the final. Dublin played well for the middle third of the game only. Nearly bottled it like all Mayo teams do eventually. Cork will have more than enough for them in the final. Being a final you can take a couple of scores away from Mayo. Because Mayo teams psychologically need to be better than they think they are to win finals. Mayo teams have already lost 3 All Ireland finals this year. They just don't have the bottle in the final hurdle. In all three finals they were seriously outclassed! I presume the final will be in Limerick?

I'm glad you have written this after a Mayo triumph. Especially against the odds in the last couple of minutes against a decent Dublin side. Yeah, we have had our bad days in the office and Mitchels let themselves down in the final this year. But hey we keep going! And coming back and back! It takes some character to keep that hunger going? As for the other defeats! Take a look at your own joke of a grading system for Intermediate and junior. If we had the same system, Davitts  Ballyhaunis  Ballaghaderreen  Claremorris  Crossmolina Deel Rovers  Ballinrobe Charlestown Sarsfields  Shrule/Glencorrib would be all intermediate and god help you if one of them was our Champions! Look deeper anymore mate! It's not all what it looks like on the surface!

By the way you said the Dubs would hammer us today. Some knowledgeable bloke you are!

A wum, pay no heed to him.

Delighted we won today. Tbh I had given up on our underage stuff after a terrible few years. I didn t see this coming.

As for the final I dunno. Thought our fb line struggled at times today and Cork look big and powerful inside. Hurley has pace and quality. Even when we were on top today we struggled to create good scoring opportunities. We struggled badly in midfield at times in second half.

Thought Diarmuid was immense today and dragged us over the line. One of the most heroic performances I ve seen from a lad in a Mayo shirt. Decisions went for and against him but the most important thing for me was he got stuck in and led the resurgence when the game had all but gone away from us.