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Hearing really horrible things that Kilcoo players are supposed to have said on pitch last night to instigate the fight. Is there no level too low for them?

That can't be true, did you not hear Karl Lacey say again that his team is being targeted??

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0M5qnengrA8ztv9cV2rKpktBv9p5Wn6wz5SN6Abdtjx3oKAEKvDtdukfVENhCXdC2l&id=100057505095491

Down LGFA have mad a balls of that

I was just reading that this morning. Is it a case of two sides to every story? I can't imagine an oversight of an administrative error on the Down LGFA's side requiring a vote from participating clubs. And why the participating clubs would then vote them out on the back of a board error.

I recall in, I believe 2011 (although could have been 2010), the CB forgot to include Tullylish in the [men's] Senior Championship draw as an amalgamated team took part (ASK Lecale). The draw was simply redone a few days later.

I can't see how this couldn't have been done in this case.

I think there may be more to this story than is being told. Although if everything Saval say is true then the word 'shambles' comes to mind.

When is the last time a non Ards team reached the final?

Kilcoo looked like they had so much left in the tank in their victory this evening. If the draw is kind and keeps Kilcoo and Burren apart, we could have one of the best finals in years.

Ballyholland and Glenn had impressive victories as well today

[Do whatever it takes to be successful!]

The county champions up to their usual dirty tricks at the weekend there, nothing less than we have come to expect from them.

The first three words in your comment says it all. Do whatever it takes to be successful!

You land the wrong way on someone's head or neck, you can drastically and even potentially permanently alter someone's life. The day that is deemed to be acceptable in the pursuit of 'success' then its a game I'd no longer want to be associated with.

[Carryduff]

Morgan Fuels SFC R2 Draw
Qualifiers
Carryduff V Saul
Ballyholland V Saval
Castlewellan V Bredagh
Warrenpoint V Bryansford

Winners
Kilcoo V Mayobridge
Longstone V Glenn
Clonduff V Downpatrick
Burren V Loughinisland

Parador Lodge IFC Draw

Qualifier draw:
St Paul's V Annaclone
Aughlisnafin V Teconnaught
Clann na Banna V Drumgath
Tullylish V Attical

Winners draw:
An Riocht v St John's
Ballymartin V St John Bosco
Newry Shamrock's V Rostrevor
Liatroim V Darragh Cross

[SAUL]

SFC

SAUL      vs   RGU DOWNPATRICK
BREDAGH      vs   CLONDUFF
BALLYHOLLAND   vs   LOUGHINISLAND
MAYOBRIDGE   vs   BRYANSFORD
GLENN      vs   SAVAL
LONGSTONE   vs   CASTLEWELLAN   
CPN      vs   BURREN   
CARRYDUFF   vs   KILCOO


IFC

NEWRY SHAMROCKS   vs   AUGHLISNAFIN   
ANNACLONE   vs   ST JOHN'S   
ST JOHN BOSCO   vs   TECONNAUGHT   
BALLYMARTIN   vs   ATTICALL   
ST PAUL'S   vs   DARRAGH CROSS   
AN RIOCHT   vs   TULLYLISH   
DRUMGATH   vs   ROSTREVOR   
CLANN NA BANNA   vs   LIATROIM   

Why have the Senior Championship Fixtures been removed from the Down website? Anyone know where I can get them?

Fixtures are on the website


2023 Morgan Fuels Down GAA Senior Football Championship
TIME   VENUE   TEAM 1       TEAM 2   REFEREE
Thursday 24th Aug 2023
7 15 PM   Darragh Cross   SAUL   vs   RGU DOWNPATRICK   TBC
Friday 25th Aug 2023
7 15 PM   Downpatrick   BREDAGH   vs   CLONDUFF   TBC
7 15 PM   Castlewellan   BALLYHOLLAND   vs   LOUGHINISLAND   TBC
Saturday 26th Aug 2023
5 00 PM   Kilcoo   MAYOBRIDGE   vs   BRYANSFORD   TBC
Sunday 27th Aug 2023
2 00 PM   Burren   GLENN   vs   SAVAL   TBC
4 30 PM   Bryansford   LONGSTONE   vs   CASTLEWELLAN   TBC
7 00 PM   Páirc Esler, Newry   CUMANN PHEADAIR NAOFA   vs   BURREN   TBC
Monday 28th Aug 2023
7 30 PM   Páirc Esler, Newry   CARRYDUFF   vs   KILCOO   TBC

The failure of the Town and Bryansford to field at premier reserve level demonstrates the county's disinterest towards reserve football. How can we change this when two of our biggest clubs are unable to field?.

What is with this constant assumption that teams are simply choosing not to play, instead of genuinely not having the numbers? I can tell you that I come from a club that has been fortunate enough to play most games this season, but some games we had a bare 15 with no subs. With the top 13 list, along with injuries and young lads that work on a Saturday, we struggle to make up a team. I would imagine that many teams up and down the county suffer with this too.

There was always going to be a few teams unable to field when the fixtures were on the weekend of a Friday/Monday senior league double.
I don't think we need to go reinventing the reserve league system on the back of one weekend

Huge victory this evening for Bredagh. I still believe Bryansford stay up but they are not making it easy for themselves

What makes you say that? This could well go to the last game of the season between us and Bryansford to do that, but time will tell. The bottom three have only won three games between them, all against each other, but I do expect a few scrappy wins against others in the second half of the season. Long long squeeky bum time.

It very well could go down to the last day certainly. I just picked the Ford as they seemed to be a lot closer scorewise in their games to the teams further up the league, but that being said they haven't won a game yet either. So Bredagh could very well pip them. In any case, it is going to make for a very entertaining second half of the season.

Huge victory this evening for Bredagh. I still believe Bryansford stay up but they are not making it easy for themselves

Downpatrick and Longstone didn't field yesterday, it's fair to say that's farcical.

Carryduff hammering teams after taking players in on sanctions (when They were already strong),  it's also fair to say that's farcical.

On the first point, it highlights the constant problem with this age group. Someone in a club will do a headcount of available players, and if there's enough they will enter. But if numbers are tight, it won't take much more than a handful of injuries and walkaways to arrive at not fielding. I think there is an inevitability about this each year: it'll always happen to one or two clubs.

But your second point isn't fair at all. The situation that County Board has created, whereby players from clubs that cannot field, can gain a temporary sanction to another club, is actually a good partial solution to this problem; for it mitigates internal club pressure to enter a competition when will likely struggle to field.

I know you think there might be a perfect solution here whereby the county board intervenes on every sanction and forces the players to "under-subscribed" teams only. But there's not. By virtue of entering a competition a club has indicated that they have the player numbers already in place, to compete. Which means that technically every one of them is "over-subscribed" and have no need for sanctioned help.

A club with the catchment of Carryduff should not be allowed a sanction, it defeats the purpose of this competition. They hammered the Point yesterday and fair play to Warrenpoint who played A when they could have hid in the B competion like a few other big named clubs, The county board should be sayng where teams play.

So on that basis, a player from a club unable to field a team is not allowed to play for a nearby club because they are 'too strong', and is left with two options: travel a considerable distance to a club which is, by definition, weaker, or sit out the year entirely?

That's a good way to keep young players interested in the game.

Is it not enough to win? You have to be sore winners too?

Right after covid, the county board had to call retired refs up and beg them to come back to the game due to a shortage of refs. After reading several of the posts on here, it isn't exactly difficult to see why very few want to get involved in refereeing any more.

The criticism on here has been nothing short of disgusting. Calling the man a 'cheat' because he gave a few decisions against the team that WON? Not a very good cheat in my book if thats the case...

Seriously though, what would he have to gain by intentionally favouring one team over another? Goes around the county doing games at all age levels, several times a week, in wind, hail or shine for years, to get to the biggest stage in Down football with the thousands in attendance, and the cameras there for the country watching, to what? Cheat one team out of it? Think about it. Please, just think.

If a referee does have a bad game, just remember that like a player they have about 2 seconds to make a decision. Sometimes they will get it wrong. They are human after all. A player sometimes makes the wrong choice, hits the wrong pass or hits a shot wide, and I can tell you they rarely get lambasted the way officials do.

It's ok to say a ref has had a bad game, but some of the posts here have been way over the line.

That would be a big boost for Liatroim, and could well be the decider. Not sure how the appeal was won, he clean burst the fella no excuses.

How exactly did he burst him? Just curious

Closed fist into the ribs about 5 seconds after the ref blew for the foul, with all eyes on him. Doesn't get much clearer. A closed fist is a closed fist. No excuse

Thanks. I wasn't at the game myself but the story I was told was there was a foul, and McCrickard attempted to knock the ball out of the defender's hands (ie no malice intended). I assume that's the plea they made when appealing, but I don't know.