Ulster Championship 2025

[Armagh18]

Going to be closer than people think, Monaghan might even nick it. 2 very good teams. 

[illdecide]

Sunday game panel fairly hyping up Tyrone's performance on Sunday, Armagh should not turn up as they'll get pumped by Tyrone who are now in the running for the All Ireland. Some turn around TBF and with Armagh struggling with a long injury list it's a Tyrone v Donegal final (apparently Monaghan need not turn up either)

[tbrick18]

I was just about to say you would need to stop giving your opinion on the rules lads or Rossfan would be in to give out to ya. But he beat me to it. 🤣

The only place there is constant giving out about the new rules is this forum
They were voted in by over 90%.

I think you need to speak to more people. There is a lot of discussion about them. Some positive, some not so much. But your constant attempt to shut down discussion about them is as irritating as f**k.

I've been to good few games this year, Derry, Armagh and Tyrone games. A few club games now too.
The constant discussion in the crowd is, these rules are sh*te.
The media are fawning over the rules - and that's where the perception of them being all positive comes from.
Some rules are good, such as the tap and go, the dissent rule. Lets the game move quicker and cuts out the nonsense.
The rules were brought in to make the game more exciting, encourage kicking and long range scores.
So far, games are not more exciting - for me it's exciting when an underdog has a fighting chance and games are close.  So far there have been no exciting games imo. I was at Tyrone v Cavan - even Tyrone fans were leaving before then end.

Have the new rules encouraged more kicking? Only from kickouts as far as I see.
How many balls are kicked into FF in any game? Has it increased since the new rules came in? I'd love to see the stats - which we were promised when these rules were brought in. We always had some long range scores, we now have some 2 pointers - has the % of long range scores gone up?

Have the new rules stopped the lateral play? Maybe reduced it a bit, but most lateral play now is across the new arc. Still plenty of lateral play.

I just don't get the where the huge improvement is as a spectacle.

[J70]

Can't see anything other than a comfortable Donegal victory next weekend. Monaghan have done well as a new team this year but will fall short against Donegals physicality and quality off the bench.
 A 7 to 9 point win for the Tir Conaill men.

I don't recall us ever having a comfortable win against Monaghan, even in the league. Even the last time we met in 2016 when we were easily the better team across the two games, I think we only won the replay by a point or two in the end.

This is a 50/50 game for me. McManus may be gone, but Beggan significantly tips the balance in any game towards Monaghan. It just depends on what else they have and whether McGuinness can counter him.

[Truthsayer]

I was just about to say you would need to stop giving your opinion on the rules lads or Rossfan would be in to give out to ya. But he beat me to it. 🤣

The only place there is constant giving out about the new rules is this forum
They were voted in by over 90%.

I think you need to speak to more people. There is a lot of discussion about them. Some positive, some not so much. But your constant attempt to shut down discussion about them is as irritating as f**k.

I've been to good few games this year, Derry, Armagh and Tyrone games. A few club games now too.
The constant discussion in the crowd is, these rules are sh*te.
The media are fawning over the rules - and that's where the perception of them being all positive comes from.
Some rules are good, such as the tap and go, the dissent rule. Lets the game move quicker and cuts out the nonsense.
The rules were brought in to make the game more exciting, encourage kicking and long range scores.
So far, games are not more exciting - for me it's exciting when an underdog has a fighting chance and games are close.  So far there have been no exciting games imo. I was at Tyrone v Cavan - even Tyrone fans were leaving before then end.

Have the new rules encouraged more kicking? Only from kickouts as far as I see.
How many balls are kicked into FF in any game? Has it increased since the new rules came in? I'd love to see the stats - which we were promised when these rules were brought in. We always had some long range scores, we now have some 2 pointers - has the % of long range scores gone up?

Have the new rules stopped the lateral play? Maybe reduced it a bit, but most lateral play now is across the new arc. Still plenty of lateral play.

I just don't get the where the huge improvement is as a spectacle.

There were a lot of good games in the league... rules do need tweaking. Is it really fault of the rules that Derry and Cavan got hammered?... 15 behind the ball and lateral and backward passing all day was a nightmare. Maybe the coaches have destroyed the game and it isn't retrievable.

[Cunny Funt]

Can't see anything other than a comfortable Donegal victory next weekend. Monaghan have done well as a new team this year but will fall short against Donegals physicality and quality off the bench.
 A 7 to 9 point win for the Tir Conaill men.

I don't recall us ever having a comfortable win against Monaghan, even in the league. Even the last time we met in 2016 when we were easily the better team across the two games, I think we only won the replay by a point or two in the end.

This is a 50/50 game for me. McManus may be gone, but Beggan significantly tips the balance in any game towards Monaghan. It just depends on what else they have and whether McGuinness can counter him.

Monaghan had three weeks to prepare before this game enough time sharpen up defensively? as only the two relegated teams conceded more than them in division 2.  Even in the league final that was won comfortably in the end Roscommon got 31 scoring chances in that game and Donegal are sure to more clinical if given a similar amount of chances

[tbrick18]

Can't see anything other than a comfortable Donegal victory next weekend. Monaghan have done well as a new team this year but will fall short against Donegals physicality and quality off the bench.
 A 7 to 9 point win for the Tir Conaill men.

I don't recall us ever having a comfortable win against Monaghan, even in the league. Even the last time we met in 2016 when we were easily the better team across the two games, I think we only won the replay by a point or two in the end.

This is a 50/50 game for me. McManus may be gone, but Beggan significantly tips the balance in any game towards Monaghan. It just depends on what else they have and whether McGuinness can counter him.

Monaghan have been going well and I've no doubt they'll put it up to Donegal, more than Derry did anyway.
Donegal got 1-10 from the Derry kickout, I don't see that happening against Monaghan with Beggan.
But Donegal will be too strong over the 70 I think. It's the first proper championship game though on paper, looking forward to it.

[tbrick18]

I was just about to say you would need to stop giving your opinion on the rules lads or Rossfan would be in to give out to ya. But he beat me to it. 🤣

The only place there is constant giving out about the new rules is this forum
They were voted in by over 90%.

I think you need to speak to more people. There is a lot of discussion about them. Some positive, some not so much. But your constant attempt to shut down discussion about them is as irritating as f**k.

I've been to good few games this year, Derry, Armagh and Tyrone games. A few club games now too.
The constant discussion in the crowd is, these rules are sh*te.
The media are fawning over the rules - and that's where the perception of them being all positive comes from.
Some rules are good, such as the tap and go, the dissent rule. Lets the game move quicker and cuts out the nonsense.
The rules were brought in to make the game more exciting, encourage kicking and long range scores.
So far, games are not more exciting - for me it's exciting when an underdog has a fighting chance and games are close.  So far there have been no exciting games imo. I was at Tyrone v Cavan - even Tyrone fans were leaving before then end.

Have the new rules encouraged more kicking? Only from kickouts as far as I see.
How many balls are kicked into FF in any game? Has it increased since the new rules came in? I'd love to see the stats - which we were promised when these rules were brought in. We always had some long range scores, we now have some 2 pointers - has the % of long range scores gone up?

Have the new rules stopped the lateral play? Maybe reduced it a bit, but most lateral play now is across the new arc. Still plenty of lateral play.

I just don't get the where the huge improvement is as a spectacle.

There were a lot of good games in the league... rules do need tweaking. Is it really fault of the rules that Derry and Cavan got hammered?... 15 behind the ball and lateral and backward passing all day was a nightmare. Maybe the coaches have destroyed the game and it isn't retrievable.

In the league the rules changed half way through and there were plenty of rubbish games too.
And now we have 12 behind the ball with lateral passing around the arc. So that hasn't changed and there's no massive deluge of goals unless there is a sending off.

And no, the rules were not the reasons Derry and Cavan got beat, but they certainly contributed to the manner of defeat.
Under old rules, if you we losing all the MF battles from a long kickout, you have the option of going short to try to get back into the game, or at least to take pressure off by getting some possession. That's almost impossible now, so you just have to keep with the same long kick and continue to get wiped out. Who does that help? Not the spectator or either of the teams in my view.

From the perspective of the stronger teams, the rules are probably great. Dublin, Kerry, Donegal, Armagh...the underdog is now less likely to catch them. So the status quo remains.
I guarantee if Dublin/Kerry are getting continually beaten by 10 points under the new rules, all of a sudden the rules will change again.

Also in the league, not all the rules were applied to all the games! No hooter in Div 3/4.
No hooter in championship now either unless televised. So it's not an even playing field. Either apply the rules to every game or don't apply them I would have thought.

[Rossfan]

Are high scores because
1 - players don't know how to defend anymore due to the blanket of recent years
or
2 - it's virtually impossible to dispossess or stop a ball carrier within the rules?

[flowerpot]

3. Ref moving in frees and folk opting for 2 pointers.

[Milltown Row2]

3. Ref moving in frees and folk opting for 2 pointers.

Ref can only move it forward if the players break the rules?

[Armagh18]

3. Ref moving in frees and folk opting for 2 pointers.

Yeah daft rule that.

[Rossfan]

3. Ref moving in frees and folk opting for 2 pointers.

Pesky refs enforcing rules 

Against stupid players who breach said rules.

[flowerpot]

Imagine anyone playing football for over two decades one way and given a few weeks to learn it another way, refs may as well give a penalty for an accidental or precieved breach that would teach them. Point is you asked what was contributing to the large scores this is a factor.

[Wildweasel74]

Point is refs seem to making multi mistakes during matches. A player queries that,  its moved up. Who reviews a poor ref performance. Does somebody ever come out and say. Sorry that mistake cause you a game.