Down Club Hurling & Football

[Brick Tamlin]

It was the first competitive match of the season.

It was the first competitive match for a new management team.

It was the first time that half these players had taken to the field with each other.

This is the pre-pre season competition. It matters marginally less than a club RFC. It's used to prune players and test players. It's January, the grass is 4" long and it's about 3 degrees.

Tactics don't come into it. what players do today has no relevance on what they'll do in May.

It's closer to a waste of time than a meaningful exercise.

So calm the f**k down lads.

Regardless of all this you would still expect a level of competency or consistency in executing the basic skills of our game, especially from more seasoned players.
Our lack of physicality or should I say ability to tackle or make contact with a blue jersey was astounding. We let a lightweight Cavan side dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge their way around us at times.

[our_fella]

Can anyone answer me this.. If Mooney has just returned from Oz, and went straight from school, is he able to play Sigerson too, as do you not have to play freshers before you can play sigerson? Or is the McKenna cup different?

[Brick Tamlin]

Starters from the minors in 2012 not even in the panel are Miceal O'Hare, Darren Doyle, Daniel Mc Carthy, Ronan Mc Alinden, Jack Haughey, Tom Grimley and I am sure there are other lads who were in this panel who have made good progress since. What point is Dawson trying to prove here, that he knows Down players better than any trials will prove?  His arrogance has always gotten the better of him and I guarantee that some of the names listed above will be in his panel come championship time.

From what I've heard Conal Gallagher is injured, and daniel mccarthy is only coming back from injury so i would imagine they will be brought into the setup when they are fit. Ronan McAlinden and Declan Doyle apparently can't commit and they other boys I would assume didn't make the trials. in fairness Miceal O'Hare is one of the best defenders in the county never mind at u21 level so he should have been a cert!

I find this u21 set up quite unbelieveable, from the management team right down to the training schedule. Without doubt Dawson has carried favouritism with his bryansford contingent as well as with the other two selectors in Brendan mason (senior manager of darragh cross and former carryduff manager) and paddy Murray (kilcoo coach) The lads who have been starting and playing well for their seinors all year have been overlooked to players who just show up to trials, players who have never made the seinor grade or 2nds players, players nobody has heard of, have all seemed to be given the chance in some cases anyway! No harm to the lads who have been picked, But the management has a lot to answer for by not selecting the 'real cream of the crop' and I hate to say it but when Derry beat Down, Dawson should be given the boot. I have followed this age group since u14 and you see the players who drop off due to losing interest, university, soccer etc, and you see the players who develop naturally into their position and become real seinor players. I could pick a team that would beat the current u21 team right now. I just hope to God, Dawson sees sense before it's too late.

Knock yourself out there and name that team.
Don't go holding back on your first post either.

[Centre 3/4]

Mckeever from carryduff, phare from cpn and possibly Harney from saul are 3 players I would've thought are definitely good enough yet weren't picked

[Centre 3/4]

3 loughinisland and 4 bryansford tells it's own story

[Shamrocks Gaelp]

Reports in the Irish News say that Gearard McGovern had fermanaghs best player (for the past 4 years) Sean Quigley 'well marshalled' as he only scored one point fom play. They also reported that he and Micky Cunningham are 'within McCorrys plans' for the full panel. Any truth to this?

[outinfront]

Early days although Tyrone and Armagh weren't taking it lightly by looks of things!

[outback]

3 loughinisland and 4 bryansford tells it's own story

Managers have different points of view. If Dawson had been the
Manager of the Minors in 2012-I could understand the fuss but these
are the players he thinks are up to it in 2015 at U21.

[elk]

Starters from the minors in 2012 not even in the panel are Miceal O'Hare, Darren Doyle, Daniel Mc Carthy, Ronan Mc Alinden, Jack Haughey, Tom Grimley and I am sure there are other lads who were in this panel who have made good progress since. What point is Dawson trying to prove here, that he knows Down players better than any trials will prove?  His arrogance has always gotten the better of him and I guarantee that some of the names listed above will be in his panel come championship time.

From what I've heard Conal Gallagher is injured, and daniel mccarthy is only coming back from injury so i would imagine they will be brought into the setup when they are fit. Ronan McAlinden and Declan Doyle apparently can't commit and they other boys I would assume didn't make the trials. in fairness Miceal O'Hare is one of the best defenders in the county never mind at u21 level so he should have been a cert!

I find this u21 set up quite unbelieveable, from the management team right down to the training schedule. Without doubt Dawson has carried favouritism with his bryansford contingent as well as with the other two selectors in Brendan mason (senior manager of darragh cross and former carryduff manager) and paddy Murray (kilcoo coach) The lads who have been starting and playing well for their seinors all year have been overlooked to players who just show up to trials, players who have never made the seinor grade or 2nds players, players nobody has heard of, have all seemed to be given the chance in some cases anyway! No harm to the lads who have been picked, But the management has a lot to answer for by not selecting the 'real cream of the crop' and I hate to say it but when Derry beat Down, Dawson should be given the boot. I have followed this age group since u14 and you see the players who drop off due to losing interest, university, soccer etc, and you see the players who develop naturally into their position and become real seinor players. I could pick a team that would beat the current u21 team right now. I just hope to God, Dawson sees sense before it's too late.

Knock yourself out there and name that team.
Don't go holding back on your first post either.

Has a first 15 been picked already? Would be interested to see your team of 15 to take on the current squad.Dawson has chosen his squad so lets just see how they get on. I am sure the lads selected are delighted to be part of it and will give their all.

[supersub]

Obviously a personal gripe in there in some shape or form, some opening post.

[downup]

After reading Mc Corry's interview in the Belfast Tele. where he is complaining about the blanket defence tactics of Cavan on Sunday where Down were up against one and sometimes two sweepers. Well from what I seen on Sunday Mc Corry had Kevin Mc Kernan playing as a sweeper for the majority of the match and Down were certainly not playing this open football as Mc Corry eludes to. As a matter of fact you could nearly have brought both sidelines in about 15 yeards each and very few Down attacks would have went over these lines. Sundays match was very little to do with tactics from Cavan nor Down for that matter. Cavan were hungrier, Down made far too many mistakes, Cavan tackled hard not allowing the Down defence out easily whilst Cavan defence came out without hardly being touched. Now I'm not going to worry about a result in the first week in January but surely the manager should have more cop on than to go slating the tactics of Cavan in a Mc Kenna cup game, we have enough problems of our own to sort out.

[rosskarr]

  U21'S and Seniors in disarray--it's January. Sober up!

[Shamrocks Gaelp]

Good to hear about Jim McCorry talking (in the Irish news) about Marty Clarke joining up with the panel in a while.

[SHEEDY]

Good to hear about Jim McCorry talking (in the Irish news) about Marty Clarke joining up with the panel in a while.

still think he could have showed the same leeway to benny and a couple of others.

[Shamrocks Gaelp]

Good to hear about Jim McCorry talking (in the Irish news) about Marty Clarke joining up with the panel in a while.

still think he could have showed the same leeway to benny and a couple of others.

Great column by paddy Heaney. Although he didn't explicitly state his own personal opinion he subtly connoted towards siding with giving the old guard a rest, which I completely agree with. Benny or Dan  G didn't have to go in the manner in which they did. Good article with good quotes also. Thought he would have mentioned other players that couldn't commit to the '5 days training or nothing' and were turned down by McCorry, however id say that particular story has been kept within our confines, however he did mention it briefly.