Down Club Hurling & Football

[Leftmidfield]

Never doubted who the winners would be today, thought Burren would have produced a bit more but it didn't come for them.
Does not and can not take away from what was the disgrace in the lead up to the game. As paying members of the GAA in Down our clubs should request and receive a full report and timeline of the events that lead to the removal of a top intercounty referee in our county even after an apparent request was thrown out at all levels of the association. The clubs have a right to know what went on and reasons behind such decisions. A real can of worms opened today for future competitions and I would have preferred that all officials refused the game and a full report published before the game would be played with a different referee. Well Done to Kilcoo (on the field) hard lines Burren, disgrace from elected county executive to give no backing to a great person and referee. 

On a football note only leaving aside the other referee stuff from a neutral point of view Kilcoo won pulling up. Without Murdock next year assuming he goes to Australia the gap will be even bigger

[Saul goodman]

Kilcoo were very good today and full value for the win. They deserve credit for the win after a poor first 10 mins and losing Jerome they really upped it. Few lovely scores from play from Aaron Bran and Morgan and PD.
watching the pace of burren players at county level like magill and Kerr I thought they would have caused kilcoo more problems.

[galwayman]

Lads what's the deal with Kilcoo and Faloon?
What was the reason for the objection re him reffing it - some past incident?
As an outsider it beggars belief that a club can object to an appointed referee and get it changed.
Sure that opens a huge can of worms.
You could have this craic going on every week. I'd say most clubs have certain refs that they feel havent done them any favours in the past.

[Nanderson]

Lads what's the deal with Kilcoo and Faloon?
What was the reason for the objection re him reffing it - some past incident?
As an outsider it beggars belief that a club can object to an appointed referee and get it changed.
Sure that opens a huge can of worms.
You could have this craic going on every week. I'd say most clubs have certain refs that they feel havent done them any favours in the past.

Allegedly he has said things to them and they've said things to him/about him.

[Moonshine]

Did the whole ref scenario not manifest from a few years ago from a few players phoning him in middle of night and giving him abuse classy boys. Wouldn't get away with it in Derry or Tyrone. Down Co board seem spinless. I seen a stat about them winning 10 or 11 out of 12 championships. How many times in that period were they beat in championship I can remember a couple. Back door nonsense.

[PTC]

Did the whole ref scenario not manifest from a few years ago from a few players phoning him in middle of night and giving him abuse classy boys. Wouldn't get away with it in Derry or Tyrone. Down Co board seem spinless. I seen a stat about them winning 10 or 11 out of 12 championships. How many times in that period were they beat in championship I can remember a couple. Back door nonsense.

Started few years before that when faloon said he would do everything in his power to stop Kilcoo winning the championship

[thewobbler]

Lads what's the deal with Kilcoo and Faloon?
What was the reason for the objection re him reffing it - some past incident?
As an outsider it beggars belief that a club can object to an appointed referee and get it changed.
Sure that opens a huge can of worms.
You could have this craic going on every week. I'd say most clubs have certain refs that they feel havent done them any favours in the past.

My understanding of what they went to Dublin with is that it was a broad brush claim of historical bias, with no specifics (or evidence) in terms of names, dates or location.

In other words, a witch hunt.

I generally support the county board in what they do. Seemingly unlike  most people in the county, I do not think they've an agenda against my club or any other club.

But on this occasion they facilitated a chain of events that saw Kilcoo get exactly what they want.

It was short term thinking to solve an immediate problem, which will result in much bigger problems down the line.

The right thing to do would have been to collapse the game and get behind their referees.

[Gaelforce123]

Spot on Wobbler. Will Ballyholland be asking the Co Board for a breakdown of events that lead to the decision? I believe all clubs should as it will very much lead to issues in future championships. The game itself was never the issue, a clubs ability to change a match official and in the process damage his credibility without and ounce of backing from his county board is the main issue here. Every club has referees they feel give them 'nothing' etc. Im ashamed of my county board this weekend and i disagree with referees decision to officiate the game at the time.

[johnnycool]

Does the head of the referee's make these appointments or is it the CCC or is it another gentleman sticking his neb in?

[statto]

Did the whole ref scenario not manifest from a few years ago from a few players phoning him in middle of night and giving him abuse classy boys. Wouldn't get away with it in Derry or Tyrone. Down Co board seem spinless. I seen a stat about them winning 10 or 11 out of 12 championships. How many times in that period were they beat in championship I can remember a couple. Back door nonsense.

Started few years before that when faloon said he would do everything in his power to stop Kilcoo winning the championship

Has he did Kilcoo games since these alleged comments?

[Hard2Listen2]

It's getting into 🎠 merry-go-round time.
Any management changes been made or are imminent?

I'd expect at least a couple following the weekend results.

[Truth hurts]

AN embarrassing weekend of events for everyone involved in Down. There should be changes at the top, and whoever rang David Gough should be sacked this morning.

Kilcoo is an excellent team, but it's important to highlight the circus that accompanies it. Do none of the players tell the committee to wise up and let us play football? The off-the-field antics are tainted their legacy.

And Karl had no issue with whoever refereed the game LOL

[Truth hurts]

Thank god for Kilcoo
Thank god for McCorry and Adams having no plan and costing a fortune.
Thank god we don't have to listen to the noisy neighbours slabbering for the foreseeable..
This game should never have gone ahead and the referee and his assistants should hang their heads in shame. At least our club ref has the good sense to say no. We as a county struggle on a yearly basis to recruit referees and this shambles won't ease the recruitment process for next season.

Who will Burren turn to now?

[Applesisapples]

As an outsider it seems absurd that the Down County Board would change the Ref, especially since Kilcoo lost out with their Disputes Resolution appeal. sets a bad precedent. I obviously don't know the cause of the objections, but it beggars belief that any one trying to make it as a national ref would make any statements about stopping a Club winning championships. It will be interesting to see how the Referees respond.

[GAA Madness]

As an outsider it seems absurd that the Down County Board would change the Ref, especially since Kilcoo lost out with their Disputes Resolution appeal. sets a bad precedent. I obviously don't know the cause of the objections, but it beggars belief that any one trying to make it as a national ref would make any statements about stopping a Club winning championships. It will be interesting to see how the Referees respond.

There will be no response, it will be forgotten about in a few weeks and they will all start next season as if it didn't happen. Kilcoo won't suffer, the only person who will suffer is Faloon, he reputation in tatters due to this appeal, zero backing from Down CB or his peers in referees Committee. Wouldn't be surprised if he gave up on the refereeing or went to another county, as its a joke what went on. The phone calls to the county board over the past week would have been constant, threatening no doubt, and Lavery no doubt the ring leader