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I have heard rumours that the league format is changing back to 4 leagues is that correct? if correct when will it be happening next season or 2016 season?

Are the 3 kilcoo boys really missing Sundays game???

Just seen back of Irish News, shocking that 3 lads who have featured in Down's previous games see fit to leave panel behind to go on holiday!!

That's some kick in the balls for Jerome Snr, what are they thinking when they would leave him in lurch or is the bigger question, how or why is Jerome Snr letting them go.

Regardless of reasoning, that has to be them off the panel for the duration of this season and hopefully a run in the qualifiers.

People talk about James building a team around youth and giving youth a chance, why would he when their allegiance lies with sunning themselve rather than putting in the hard yards with Down.

I bet you would be the first person to stand up and say that the Gaa players of the modern era should not be paid for what they do  as in train 5/6 nights a week sit in most weekends and not get a penny for it, yet when they decide to go on holidays they are a disgrace.

Kieran mcgeenay sums it up beautifully here at how the so called supporters of our county teams have double standards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1qbXGuuHQs

disgrace! the county board need to look at themselves how do ya plan anything around the gaa calendar if everything is just thrown together last minute, why was Friday nights games called of if the county players couldn't play anyway?

Downs problem Is bigger than the tyrone game. too many players on the starting 15 not good enough. but they try their best so to come on here and slabber about a man who trains 4/5 times a week for the love of it (because apart from Dublin its an amateur sport) is cowardly.
the management need to have a look at themselves also. ryan Johnson gets 15 mins after being outstanding in 2nd half v tyrone in omagh. dan Gordon was put to full forward and the team decides to run with the ball while they humped high balls to Laverty.
James and co should be thanked for there effort and asked to close the door on the way out

MDG, do you really have 70 at training? if that's true that's some achievement for a rural club. of the 70 how many would be consider senior 1st team players?

You must be a south down member wat if a hurler from ards wants to play football for down st Coleman's Newry is an 90min one way drive hardly fair ! county ground should have been castlewellan!

I don't like tyrone personally but everyone who had the foresight for this has to be applauded. what vision they had to build something like this in this economic times, The younger members of tyrone gaa will reap the rewards of this for many years to come. well done tyrone gaa.
P.S Derry GAA have also got outstanding facilities in owenbeg. pity Down gaa are f**king clowns building our county pitch in Armagh with no room to swing a cat. Which means 70%+ of down gaa members have a 40+minute drive to get to the county pitch which is also beside a slaughter house lovely smells .   

[Burren]

SFC
Castlewellan v Burren
Kilcoo v Clonduff
Bryansford v Saval
Mayobridge v Loughinisland

IFC
Shamrocks v St John's
Bosco v Bredagh
Clann na Banna  v Tullylish
Carryduff v Drumgath

DF do you think the smaller clubs are getting smaller?? that's an alarming stat that only 4 of the smaller east down clubs have a 2nds team, how many of that 2nds team you speak of have a lot of senior players playing?

6pm on a sunday is a joke , 2nds football on a sunday also needs to be looked at, most 2nds players play for the craic and by having sunday games often means they have to sit in on a Saturday or probably more likely play the games with a hangover therefore making the games less competitive

''in reply to your absurd assertion that no team in div 2 can compete with the top 12 in div 1 would suggest that you look at annaclone newly promoted who are presently 5th from the top .incidentally they were beaten by drumgath  in the intermediate championship last year .they fielded virtually the same team then that has won through to such a high position in div1. if rostrevor go down it will simply be that they are not good enough for div1. thats the purpose of promotion and relegation.''

six teams came up from division 2 last year and look at the league this year! 4 of them occupy the bottom four places as things sit at the minute and the teams that came up are far better than the teams that are going to come up this year. your point on annaclone is valid but I cant help but feel sorry for the division 2 teams next year as hammerings arnt good for team moral as my team learned last week at the hands of kilcoo

Not one team in division 2 could compete with the top 12 teams in division one.

[Kilcoo]

SFC
Longstone v Kilcoo
Castlewellan v Clonduff
Liatriom v Annaclone
Bryansford v Burren
Ballyholland v An Riocht
Saval v Mayobridge  @Clonduff 
Rostrevor v Warrenpoint
Downpatrick v Loughinisland

IFC
Glasdrumman v Clann na Banna
Glenn v Bredagh
Tullylish v Kilclief
Bosco v Atticall
Drumgath v Shamrocks
Ballymartin v Dundrum
Darragh Cross v St John's
Saul v Carryduff

JFC
Bright v Drumaness
St Michael's v St Paul's
Teconnaught v Mitchels
Aughlisnafinn v Killyleagh
Dromara v Ardglass
Aghaderg v Ballykinlar

The ACPRL is a better standard than div 3, if the top 5 teams is div 3 played in the ACPRL div 1 they would not finish above 4th position in the league , the county board should never have changed from the 10 team leagues them leagues meant every team had to play right to the end of the year as in div 1 top 4 and bottom 4 a few years ago was only a few points difference. if st johns do well and get promoted to the top division they will get ate up by burren , kilcoo , bryansford etc there is simply to much gluff in class

islandchampions08 How is your Half-back Turley, did he break his Collar bone in the semi? Will he be fit to play any part in the final??

havnt a clue mate havnt heard much from the camp at the mo if i do hear i let ya know

wardy and joe sound as a pound the two of them buck egjits.

most of the mayob lads same age?

all this talk about minor sucess has got me thinking we (loughinisland) never have a team good enough at underage to challange for A medals cause we normally have about 5-8 very good players with the rest made up of poor/average footballers but them few good players always seem to make it to county level at some stage.

to any off the mayobridge people on here can you let me know how many of your team have represented the county?

1) gordon - nets for minors
2) carville- never made it
3)o'toole- minor and under 21
4) doran- never made it, but very good if only a little bigger
5)o'toole- played minor hurley, only coming into himself this year
6)doran- seniors a few years back
7)turley- minor 99
8)gordon- all grades of down plus ulster
9)molloy- 10 years with down
10)mccarthy- minors and under21
11)stranney- under 21
12)o'reilly- minors captain last year
13)valeintine- nevr made it
14)magic- import but good signing
15)o'reilly- minor under 21

aswel as a few subs

brendan ward
gareth doran
willie russell
stevie molloy
niall mccarthty all these boys have represented county at some stage.


is it better to have very good players coming through each year or a good TEAM now and then