Armagh Club football & hurling

[general_lee]

I main point still stands, what have the other clubs been doing that Cross have dominated, particularly from 96 onward. I fully accepted that there were a number of Cross teams in that period that will stand the test of time. However the there has been a period now where Cross have won and aren't close to being a threat in Ulster.
Someone reference my own county without realising they were making my point. Dungiven, Bellaghy, Ballinderry, Loup, Slaugtneil and now Glen all have won the Ulster club.  Our club championship is a graveyard for any club with ambitions of dominating for years such a Cross. The mentality of club football in Derry is fierce. Please don't tell me if Cross were in Derry they would be winning county titles year in and out. Definitely not.

You're complaining about Armagh clubs rolling over when the exact same is now happening in Derry? First Ballinderry, then Slaughtneil and now Glen. Fair enough there was greater competition back in the early/mid 00s but I know enough about Derry football to know it's a shadow of its former self. Magherafelt 5/1?

Your not getting it. Cross dominant in Armagh for how long. Meanwhile in the same period in Derry six clubs have won Ulster, four in AI Ireland finals, with two additional clubs making the county title breakthrough.
Do you see it.

Oh I get what you're saying, regardless of whether Cross are winning Ulsters/AIs or not, Armagh clubs remain shite. In a 12 year period 04-15 Cross won 8 Ulster titles, were the Derry/rest of Ulster clubs rolling over as well? 

[Armagh18]

How many clubs are in Armagh city? Pearse Ógs and Harps?

Any more?

That's it for football, hurling and camogie club as well. Few clubs like Grange, the Nab, Mullabrack and Blackwatertown within short driveof the city as well

[Armagh18]

This argument about our pick is a red herring. We have families who reproduce generation upon generation. The team that started on Sunday for instance the goalkeeper and the cumiskey lads are first cousins on both their mammies side,  their mammies are sisters of John Donaldson. The goalkeepers daddy played on the same underage team as me and is from a long line of his family who played in the club. The Cumiskey's are related to Orin McKeown, my nephew, through their daddy. Orin is also a brother of Paul McKewon county player and AI winning captain. Paul Hughes grandfather played on the 1947 county championship win and his family are absolutely core Cross people. AK we know, the O Neills we know, Cian McConville we know, Jamie Clarke's family have been associated with the club for generations we several of them having played for Armagh in the 1950's. Orin Kieran's transferred on but the Kieran's family are long associated with the club. The Morris family have been involved in the club for generations as well. The only 'outsider' is Chris Crowley,  he married a cousin of mine who's father played in the 1970's and his father played in the 1940/50's and were heavily involved in the establishment of our current grounds in the 1950's.  The point I'm making is that we have tradition throughout and that is our success. The same with clubs like Bsllyhale in the hurling. Generations of families decade on decade. That's what we are.

You could probably go to a fair few clubs though and read through the archives and have the same family names going back through the generations. Whatever Cross are doing they do it bloody well. Must clubs will have plenty at under 8's. It's tough going getting a squad of them through to u18's and even tougher to get those u18's to senior. Success breeds success. 

[toby47]

Saw very little Armagh club football this year.

Could Jamie Clarke still have a role in the county team? Or has that ship sailed?

[Armagh18]

Saw very little Armagh club football this year.

Could Jamie Clarke still have a role in the county team? Or has that ship sailed?

Still be well fit to I reckon be worth taking back just for the penalties lol. But I would say that ship has sailed, must be 35 by now is he? Aaron Kernan was similar I think be could have played county for a few more years at the time as well. 

[general_lee]

Saw very little Armagh club football this year.

Could Jamie Clarke still have a role in the county team? Or has that ship sailed?

No chance.

[tonto1888]

As Aaron Kernan picks up his 18th senior championship medal, it further confirms how crap the senior clubs in Armagh are that they annually role over. What is it Cross are doing the rest of you are not apart from living rent free in your heads.

having a catchment area that is second to none
there is simply too may clubs in armagh
lurgan has 4 teams
camlough/ bessbrook  2 teams and am not counting corrinshego)
cross has a committed area with no infiltration from soccer
fair play though to both clanns in lurgan they are investing in youth which will get rewards in the future

Some fair points there.

Cross do great work in bringing players through..just enough to keep supplementing the senior team with real quality. As said before they are usually there or threrabouts in Minor as well.

Having said that....when you think of competing for resources....against other GAA clubs (and numerous soccer clubs)

Lurgan actually has 5 teams:

Clann Eireann
Clan Na Gael
St Peters
St Pauls
Eire Og (you can debate it's in Craigavon, I'd say it's on the border, lol)

and 4 within a few miles of the town

Wolfe Tones
Sarsfields
St Mary's (Antrim)
St Michaels (Down)

Compare that to the catchment Cross have....... and imagine if Lurgan had 1 or 2 superclubs.....

Eire Og is definitely not a Lurgan club

Anything north of Armagh city is by definition a shower of yappy townie huers from Lurgan!

Except for Eire Og haha

[brokencrossbar1]

As Aaron Kernan picks up his 18th senior championship medal, it further confirms how crap the senior clubs in Armagh are that they annually role over. What is it Cross are doing the rest of you are not apart from living rent free in your heads.

having a catchment area that is second to none
there is simply too may clubs in armagh
lurgan has 4 teams
camlough/ bessbrook  2 teams and am not counting corrinshego)
cross has a committed area with no infiltration from soccer
fair play though to both clanns in lurgan they are investing in youth which will get rewards in the future

Some fair points there.

Cross do great work in bringing players through..just enough to keep supplementing the senior team with real quality. As said before they are usually there or threrabouts in Minor as well.

Having said that....when you think of competing for resources....against other GAA clubs (and numerous soccer clubs)

Lurgan actually has 5 teams:

Clann Eireann
Clan Na Gael
St Peters
St Pauls
Eire Og (you can debate it's in Craigavon, I'd say it's on the border, lol)

and 4 within a few miles of the town

Wolfe Tones
Sarsfields
St Mary's (Antrim)
St Michaels (Down)

Compare that to the catchment Cross have....... and imagine if Lurgan had 1 or 2 superclubs.....

Eire Og is definitely not a Lurgan club

Anything north of Armagh city is by definition a shower of yappy townie huers from Lurgan!

Except for Eire Og haha

Anything north of Cullyhanna I'd say....

[Armagh18]

As Aaron Kernan picks up his 18th senior championship medal, it further confirms how crap the senior clubs in Armagh are that they annually role over. What is it Cross are doing the rest of you are not apart from living rent free in your heads.

having a catchment area that is second to none
there is simply too may clubs in armagh
lurgan has 4 teams
camlough/ bessbrook  2 teams and am not counting corrinshego)
cross has a committed area with no infiltration from soccer
fair play though to both clanns in lurgan they are investing in youth which will get rewards in the future

Some fair points there.

Cross do great work in bringing players through..just enough to keep supplementing the senior team with real quality. As said before they are usually there or threrabouts in Minor as well.

Having said that....when you think of competing for resources....against other GAA clubs (and numerous soccer clubs)

Lurgan actually has 5 teams:

Clann Eireann
Clan Na Gael
St Peters
St Pauls
Eire Og (you can debate it's in Craigavon, I'd say it's on the border, lol)

and 4 within a few miles of the town

Wolfe Tones
Sarsfields
St Mary's (Antrim)
St Michaels (Down)

Compare that to the catchment Cross have....... and imagine if Lurgan had 1 or 2 superclubs.....

Eire Og is definitely not a Lurgan club

Anything north of Armagh city is by definition a shower of yappy townie huers from Lurgan!

Except for Eire Og haha

Anything north of Cullyhanna I'd say....

Now you're talking!

[Truth hurts]

This argument about our pick is a red herring. We have families who reproduce generation upon generation. The team that started on Sunday for instance the goalkeeper and the cumiskey lads are first cousins on both their mammies side,  their mammies are sisters of John Donaldson. The goalkeepers daddy played on the same underage team as me and is from a long line of his family who played in the club. The Cumiskey's are related to Orin McKeown, my nephew, through their daddy. Orin is also a brother of Paul McKewon county player and AI winning captain. Paul Hughes grandfather played on the 1947 county championship win and his family are absolutely core Cross people. AK we know, the O Neills we know, Cian McConville we know, Jamie Clarke's family have been associated with the club for generations we several of them having played for Armagh in the 1950's. Orin Kieran's transferred on but the Kieran's family are long associated with the club. The Morris family have been involved in the club for generations as well. The only 'outsider' is Chris Crowley,  he married a cousin of mine who's father played in the 1970's and his father played in the 1940/50's and were heavily involved in the establishment of our current grounds in the 1950's.  The point I'm making is that we have tradition throughout and that is our success. The same with clubs like Bsllyhale in the hurling. Generations of families decade on decade. That's what we are.

That is the GAA and I am sure you could walk into any GAA club in Ireland and it would be the same story.

[armaghniac]

This argument about our pick is a red herring. We have families who reproduce generation upon generation. The team that started on Sunday for instance the goalkeeper and the cumiskey lads are first cousins on both their mammies side,  their mammies are sisters of John Donaldson. The goalkeepers daddy played on the same underage team as me and is from a long line of his family who played in the club. The Cumiskey's are related to Orin McKeown, my nephew, through their daddy. Orin is also a brother of Paul McKewon county player and AI winning captain. Paul Hughes grandfather played on the 1947 county championship win and his family are absolutely core Cross people. AK we know, the O Neills we know, Cian McConville we know, Jamie Clarke's family have been associated with the club for generations we several of them having played for Armagh in the 1950's. Orin Kieran's transferred on but the Kieran's family are long associated with the club. The Morris family have been involved in the club for generations as well. The only 'outsider' is Chris Crowley,  he married a cousin of mine who's father played in the 1970's and his father played in the 1940/50's and were heavily involved in the establishment of our current grounds in the 1950's.  The point I'm making is that we have tradition throughout and that is our success. The same with clubs like Bsllyhale in the hurling. Generations of families decade on decade. That's what we are.

That is the GAA and I am sure you could walk into any GAA club in Ireland and it would be the same story.

The point about pick is not quite a red herring. The other clubs in Upper Creggan have similar strong traditions and family connections, but have less families and so are unlikely to win a senior title unless an especially strong group come along. Rangers have a critical mass to be able to keep success going most years. This pattern is found throughout Ireland too.

[brokencrossbar1]

I am not saying we are any different to other clubs, in fact I'm saying we are exactly the same as them in that all our teams from top till bottom are built around families. I suppose the difference is that when the 'blood line' is as strong as it is and the culture and ethos is built into the children literally from birth then we keep those people around the club. I left the club as a playing member properly in 2006 but I am a Cross man and always will be one. My children are not involved in the club actively but they identify as Cross people (much to the disgust of their mother but that's another tale!), my youngest is only 3 but she knows all about the importance of it. Herself and myself discussed it the other night about the mindset and I made a comment which I didn't think was outrageous. She had been talking to one's in her work about the amount of titles we had won and AK in particular. We spoke about expectations of titles and about us hitting 50 and how many AK had in comparison to Hearty and McConville. I won't say what I said but she said it was the most Cross thing ever but then laughed and said that I was probably right! 

Mindsets are the main thing and that mindset enables us to retain players. Of the team that started in 1997 10 have players playing with the club are various levels. Of the squad you're probably adding another 6-7. That's some level of continuity

[armaghniac]

I am not saying we are any different to other clubs, in fact I'm saying we are exactly the same as them in that all our teams from top till bottom are built around families. I suppose the difference is that when the 'blood line' is as strong as it is and the culture and ethos is built into the children literally from birth then we keep those people around the club. I left the club as a playing member properly in 2006 but I am a Cross man and always will be one. 

The phenomenon is not unknown in other parts of Ireland, they even made a phrase about it "you can take the man out of the bog, but you cannot take the bog out of the man".

[brokencrossbar1]

I am not saying we are any different to other clubs, in fact I'm saying we are exactly the same as them in that all our teams from top till bottom are built around families. I suppose the difference is that when the 'blood line' is as strong as it is and the culture and ethos is built into the children literally from birth then we keep those people around the club. I left the club as a playing member properly in 2006 but I am a Cross man and always will be one. 

The phenomenon is not unknown in other parts of Ireland, they even made a phrase about it "you can take the man out of the bog, but you cannot take the bog out of the man".

You've obviously seen me still playing Dads and Lads!

[Armagh18]

I am not saying we are any different to other clubs, in fact I'm saying we are exactly the same as them in that all our teams from top till bottom are built around families. I suppose the difference is that when the 'blood line' is as strong as it is and the culture and ethos is built into the children literally from birth then we keep those people around the club. I left the club as a playing member properly in 2006 but I am a Cross man and always will be one. My children are not involved in the club actively but they identify as Cross people (much to the disgust of their mother but that's another tale!), my youngest is only 3 but she knows all about the importance of it. Herself and myself discussed it the other night about the mindset and I made a comment which I didn't think was outrageous. She had been talking to one's in her work about the amount of titles we had won and AK in particular. We spoke about expectations of titles and about us hitting 50 and how many AK had in comparison to Hearty and McConville. I won't say what I said but she said it was the most Cross thing ever but then laughed and said that I was probably right! 

Mindsets are the main thing and that mindset enables us to retain players. Of the team that started in 1997 10 have players playing with the club are various levels. Of the squad you're probably adding another 6-7. That's some level of continuity

I was reading this the first time I was thinking f**k me thats an advanced 3 year old to be discussing the mindset of Cross!