NFL Division 2 - 2021

[seafoid]

Oh to be in Ulster or Connacht and genuinely believe you have a chance at provincial honours. Finished with a very young team today. Kildare's attitude was good, Meath look like they need to freshen up management. Old heads pulled them back into it and remarkable considering Kildare's dominance for 60 mins almost pulled something out of it but not what you want to see when trying to develop and build a squad. So many teams lie between 3rd ranked and 14th ranked that it would be an exciting championship if Dublin and Kerry didn't exist. Well maybe just Dublin.

McEntee comes across very reactionary. You would imagine this year will be the end of the road for him. 
Hard to believe that Meath are where they are. Boylan was there for 23 years and in the 16 years since they have had 6 managers and done nothing.  With their populations, Meath and Kildare should be doing so much better.

https://mobile.twitter.com/TheSundayGame/status/1330254398535176204

[moysider]

Cillian O Connor going to be out for the Summer with damaged Achilles.

[Armagh18]

Cillian O Connor going to be out for the Summer with damaged Achilles.

ffs. That really is a shame.

[APM]

Oh to be in Ulster or Connacht and genuinely believe you have a chance at provincial honours. Finished with a very young team today. Kildare's attitude was good, Meath look like they need to freshen up management. Old heads pulled them back into it and remarkable considering Kildare's dominance for 60 mins almost pulled something out of it but not what you want to see when trying to develop and build a squad. So many teams lie between 3rd ranked and 14th ranked that it would be an exciting championship if Dublin and Kerry didn't exist. Well maybe just Dublin.

McEntee comes across very reactionary. You would imagine this year will be the end of the road for him. 
Hard to believe that Meath are where they are. Boylan was there for 23 years and in the 16 years since they have had 6 managers and done nothing.  With their populations, Meath and Kildare should be doing so much better.

https://mobile.twitter.com/TheSundayGame/status/1330254398535176204

I agree with that the financial doping of Dublin is a major problem.  But we have teams in Ulster (Donegal, Tyrone), Connacht (Mayo) and Munster (Kerry) that will at least give Dublin the semblance of a game.  Meath and Kildare haven't even been close to that standard, yet benefit from some of the same factors (population) that have helped Dublin and probably don't exist in some of the other Division 1 teams.  They should be in a more competitive position than what they are. It's like they have given up the ghost at all levels. 

[rodney trotter]

Kildare haven't done too bad underage recently
They should look to trial having all the Leinster games outside of Croke Park including the final. 
Dublin would still likely win but make it competitive if nothing else.
It should have been done years ago  but the other Leinster counties don't seem to make any objections because of finance

Last year with no crowds the games didn't need to be in Coker for Leinster

[macker15]

Does Andy McEntee owe Kildare an apology??

https://www.radiokerry.ie/sport/kildare-gaa-chairman-has-no-knowledge-of-spitting-incident-in-game-against-meath-240054

[Rossfan]

Hello Div 2.
I've a feeling we could be here for a longer stay this time.

[Armagh18]

Hello Div 2.
I've a feeling we could be here for a longer stay this time.

I wouldn't think it. No one in D2 look like pulling up trees. Yourselves and Galway should be aiming to come straight back up!

[macker15]

Hello Div 2.
I've a feeling we could be here for a longer stay this time.

Yerra

[rosnarun]

Kildare haven't done too bad underage recently
They should look to trial having all the Leinster games outside of Croke Park including the final. 
Dublin would still likely win but make it competitive if nothing else.
It should have been done years ago  but the other Leinster counties don't seem to make any objections because of finance

Last year with no crowds the games didn't need to be in Coker for Leinster

yeah move the whole thing to newbridge

[Captain Scarlet]

I agree here in this sense that Kildare people will rightly say how hard it is to compete with the Dubs, but every county could suffer at their hands and even if you look at All-Ireland semi-finals and finals you see that.

BUT, there is no reason why Meath and Kildare should not be harnessing their advantages to perform at Division 1 level. There was a survey done years back and Kildare were one of the very few teams that did not have a single player travelling from outside the county to train.

Maynooth University give lads scholarships and we are on Dublin's doorstep with options at the PWCs and KPMGs too. And many of our lads do beat the Dubs at underage but then at senior it just all falls away.

PS I come in peace on this one and I will say IF it is true I am disgusted BUT with professional TV and Press cameras zoomed in on the row v Meath there seems to be no evidence at all of the spit. I saw a Meath lad dropping the knee on a Kildare player's head mind.
Like surely something would have been thrown up at this stage?

[Armagh18]

I agree here in this sense that Kildare people will rightly say how hard it is to compete with the Dubs, but every county could suffer at their hands and even if you looks at All-Ireland semi-finals and finals you see that.

BUT, there is no reason why Meath and Kildare should not be harnessing their advantages to perform at Division 1 level. There was a survey done years back and Kildare were one of the very few teams that did not have a single player travelling from outside the county to train.

Maynooth University give lads scholarships and we are on Dublin's doorstep with options at the PWCs and KPMGs too. And many of our lads do beat the Dubs at underage but then at senior it just all falls away.

PS I come in peace on this one and I will say IF it is true I am disgusted BUT with professional TV and Press cameras zoomed in on the row v Meath there seems to be no evidence at all of the spit. I saw a Meath lad dropping the knee on a Kildare player's head mind.
Like surely something would have been thrown up at this stage?

With the ever increasing populations of both those counties they should definitely be operating in D1, at a higher level than ourselves and Monaghan for sure.

[Laois Rising]

This argument that Kildare and Meath should be doing better than they are is slightly unfair. It is exceptionally hard to maintain positively, motivate players, develop a team long term when you are coming up against Dublin season after season in the Leinster championship. Having to try overcome them year in, year out to win a provincial title would take the wind out of any teams sails. Take the Kildare team of 2017 that lost to Dublin by 8/9 points in a Leinster final with nearly a full compliment of their best players available at the time and playing some fantastic football- I think they scored 1-17 on the day. That Kildare team was at its peak and still fell well short ultimately of the Dubs. Very hard to come back the following year with the same enthusiasm and dedication knowing that even if you do everything right again you are still going to fall short. In other provinces you still have that carrot of if you get things right you could challenge for a provincial title- that what keeps players motivated and returning year on year with some enthusiasm for playing intercounty football e.g. counties like Roscommon, Cavan, Monaghan, Cork who can realistically target provincial titles. Counties like Laois, Westmeath and Meath who would be of a similar standard to some of these counties cannot.

[Rossfan]

In Counties like Cavan, Ros, Monaghan etc Gaelic football is the only serious sport.
That wouldn't be the case in all those big half jackeen commuter towns where a large proportion of the population of Meath and Kikdare live.

[twohands!!!]

In Counties like Cavan, Ros, Monaghan etc Gaelic football is the only serious sport.
That wouldn't be the case in all those big half jackeen commuter towns where a large proportion of the population of Meath and Kikdare live.

Number of football teams registered in 2020

Cork   1525 Dublin   1443 Meath   808 Kildare   778 Tipperary   667 Kerry   643 Mayo   627 Galway   575 Donegal   524 Louth   522 Limerick   501 Tyrone   495 Waterford   462 Wexford   418 Down   380 Cavan   379 Clare   344 Armagh   335 Antrim   319 Monaghan   314 Derry   303 Wicklow   301 Roscommon   293 Westmeath   293 Laois   281 Sligo   253 Longford   231 Kilkenny   226 Offaly   213 Fermanagh   206 Carlow   166 Leitrim   162

Number of football teams registered in 2009

Cork      1300 Dublin      918 Kerry      631 Meath      590 Tipperary      584 Galway      542 Tyrone      534 Limerick      512 Mayo      491 Kildare      483 Donegal      450 Louth      426 Wexford      419 Antrim      385 Cavan      363 Armagh      353 Down      346 Waterford      309 Clare      294 Derry      289 Kilkenny      283 Monaghan      282 Wicklow      277 Westmeath      240 Laois      238 Roscommon      215 Sligo      210 Leitrim      188 Carlow      178 Longford      172 Offaly      166 Fermanagh      152

Change in number of registered football teams

Cork   225 Dublin   525 Kerry   12 Meath   218 Tipperary   83 Galway   33 Tyrone   -39 Limerick   -11 Mayo   136 Kildare   295 Donegal   74 Louth   96 Wexford   -1 Antrim   -66 Cavan   16 Armagh   -18 Down   34 Waterford   153 Clare   50 Derry   14 Kilkenny   -57 Monaghan   32 Wicklow   24 Westmeath   53 Laois   43 Roscommon   78 Sligo   43 Leitrim   -26 Carlow   -12 Longford   59 Offaly   47 Fermanagh   54

Population in Ireland increased by about 536k over this time period.