Messages

Teams running  down the clock until the hooter  is a hateful  bollox of a thing. Louth and Donegal did it for 4-5 minutes.

They should make  the rule where the ball should go over the end  line to finish the game . At least then  there'd be none of this  piggy in the middle sh*te and teams would  have to attack , to kick a score or put it wide

Not even sure that would work because you could do the same thing but then kick it out over the end line. Unfortunately this is supposedly more exciting than how things used to be.

Yes but the team running down the clock would have to  enter the opponents half,  to get that kick over the end line after the hooter.

It wouldn't prevent  the 3-4 minutes of tootling about with the ball , but it would at least give it a bit of jeopardy, as the other team could turn them over , and counterattack.

Team A can only run down the clock if Team B allows it to happen. There is no jeopardy if there is little to no pressure on the ball carrier.

Towards the end of extra time yesterday. Cawley threw the ball in and the clock restarted at 17.57, outside of the foul from Rafferty how many Armagh men got close to a putting in a tackle or hand on a Donegal man.  It was only when the game entered the last 30secs (after the free kick)that Armagh started really harassing and going after it.

I think the game should end when the hooter goes (or if the ball is in motion - as soon as it stops - so if a the ball has been kicked for a point and but hasn't crossed the bar before the hooter..it still counts).
Only exceptions for frees and penalties (so no last minute cynical fouling)

Well done Louth!

Can we stop talking about getting rid of Provincials now?

Look at what this means to Louth..don't take this chance of silverware away!

The problem with the provincials isn't what they mean to those involved it's the disproportionate impact they have on the All Ireland. With the greatest amount of respect to Clare and Meath they aren't in the top 8 in the country and therefore don't deserve to be seeded second. For me they should be a standalone competition between the league and the all Ireland. Or the calendar should be reshuffled.

You have far easier routes for some counties to Sam than for others. It's inherently unfair.

They would never mean as much without the link to the all Ireland.

The seeding doesn't mean much in the current format anyway. Every team still has to get through the round Robin. (And 1st and 2nd seed are likely getting through these anyway)

Well done Louth!

Can we stop talking about getting rid of Provincials now?

Look at what this means to Louth..don't take this chance of silverware away!

I'm sure 90% of Armagh season ticket holders wouldn't be that bothered if they miss what will realistically be a low intensity walk in the park for Armagh, no disrespect to Antrim.

I don't think that season ticket holders in any county would be happy if the GAA can arbitrarily set up games to exclude them

So Dublin sell 25,000 season tickets then basically all their opponents would have to sacrifice home advantage?

The size of Corrigan Park may be small but so is practically every county pitch in Ireland if compared to Croke Park

Kerry were better than them and they were poor today and still hung in there.

Shane Walsh still a great player btw.

Kerry are not better..in case you have forgotten Armagh beat Kerry in the semi-final

I think that the obvious answer is to pair the Tailteann Cup Semi-Finals with the All-Ireland (Sam Maguire) Semi-Finals and the Tailteann Cup Final as curtain-raiser to All-Ireland Final.

(It is a pity that minor grade was changed from U-18 to U-17 and we no longer have an opportunity to see the emerging talent at minor level).

The semi-finals should be in neutral venues..wether or not that's croke Park should depend on who is playing- honestly given the teams involved..Dublin isn't a bad location!

No Tailteann cup finalist wants to have to fight for tickets for the final and pay €100 for them!

I think the final should be played as a double header with the ladies final or similar..its need to be a final day not an opener for the "main' match being the semi-final!

Anything that's a final also needs the national anthem played before it!

Offaly, Limerick and London then?

Seems like it..

Home to limerick
Away to London
Neutral venue for Offaly

If our league performances are anything to go by this shouldn't be difficult


League Results:

Down 4.12 Off. 2.14
Down 3.16 Limerick 0.09

So possible the Offaly game is the only one that might be worth attending..but still it's a no from me.

If someone  is clearly  drunk while entering the ground , can they not be  refused entry?

There  are other events/establishments  people would be refused entry to  in such a state, so why  not a GAA match as well?

Stewarding needs to be better..

But the jovial attitude towards young lads 'enjoying' themselves usually gives them a bye ball

My parents didn't go this year cause they couldn't face the same crowd as last year (and they are very much hill or nowhere - not fans of the stand!).
I went but went to the Pat McGrane stand and it was fine but it was really obvious the same louts were back this year.

No respect for the minutes silence or anthem for a start.

Personally I would now avoid the hill in Clones (although I do get the impression that it's mostly Armagh fans)

Some people expect miracles from Day 1. The fact is Down are coming from such a low ebb its going to take 5 years minimum. We can't be compared to Derry, thry had better players and a quite a bit of underage success minor finals winning minor all irelands. Not just one strong club but a few. We don't seem to have the natural forwards we once had either, so there's a lot of work to do. The Tailteann won't be easy, teams like Fermanagh, Kildare, Antrim, sligo,Offaly, we will need to win all thr group games to be guaranteed the home QF. After that it's anyone's.

So true, not sure what people expect

I went to Clones fully expecting us to get hammered and finished upa at an exciting competitive games (yes at times the possessive style was frustrating). Full credit to the management and players for getting it right tactically.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and so did any Down fan I was talking to at it, it is so obvious how far we have come on from last year.

There is lots of areas we need to work on, especially free taking but we have the bones of a good team again, a year in Division 2 against stronger teams is exactly what we need and we proved on Saturday we aren't going to get hammered in every game.

As for the Tailteann, as Laverty said, no disrespect to it, but it's not where we want to be. We have every chance to do well in it, but other than games against the other seed 1 teams it's not where we need to be right now.

If we are going to insist of having a 2nd tier championship, I think we need an intermediate tier too.

Anyone want a ticket for the Down antrim game DM me..I bought one but won't be able to make it now..someone might as well get use of it!

any single tickets going folks?

I think I have a spare hill.ticket if you interested?
Available for collection in Castlewellan/Newcastle area

I see HQ are looking at getting rid of league finals in an effort to free up the calendar. Are pre season competitions untouchable? Surely it would make more sense to start the NFL mid January instead of the last weekend of the month. Option B should be to push the AI final out to early August.

The league finals should have been scrapped back when Division 1A/1B were scrapped.
The league winners should be whoever tops the league

First sensible decision by the GAA

Let's hope tickets will be easy to come by. All depends on who is on the AI SF that day. Prob be 60 euro a ticket

it's £45 sitting, £30 for the hill

Not worth it when the only match I'm interested is the Tailteann final.

Might go if Derry happen to being playing the semi on the same day (hubbie is from Derry) and I can get a hil ticket

+1.
As for the soccer bucks talking about "Cup" competitions...

Call it whatever you want, the league is the league. The other major competition (Sam Maguire, All-Ireland, cup or whatever, name doesnt matter) is the knockout - zero need for the round Robins and extra games.

If the winner of the Tailteann made it into the Sam Maguire in the same year it would definitely improve it though!

Have zero interest in soccer

[The only reason to win it is to guarantee a place in the AI next year]

To be honest I'd say if you asked Cavan and Fermanagh what they would prefer, promotion or Tailteann winners then they'd choose the former all day long.

Don't quite understand that logic at all. The chance of winning a national trophy in Croke Park in front of a big crowd during the summer on a big championship day with a guaranteed holiday. As opposed to getting promoted playing winter League football with no tangible success. Nobody will remember finishing 2nd in division 3 at the end of their career.

No-one is going to remember winning the Tailteann Cup either

The teams already have a chance at winning something at their level..the divisional national leave finals.

The problem with the Tailteann cup is that the teams at the top of it it don't want to be in it, and the teams at the bottom of it have no chance of winning it so ultimately no one is interested in it.

The only reason to win it is to guarantee a place in the AI next year, which the winning team will probably get via promotion the next year anyway.

Total nonsense. They are playing to lift silverware in Croke Park in mid summer. By using that logic then the same applies to the winner of every junior and intermediate club championship up and down the country every season. If some of the 'top counties' don't want to be in it then by virtue of the fact that they aren't in the Sam Maguire, then they aren't actually a 'top county'. If they think they are too good for it then it boils down to having over inflated notions about themselves.

Why don't you ask the players why they are playing it?

Down manager said after the game on Sunday that he would trade it to be in the All Ireland..they have no interest in the Tailteann.

They don't care about the silverware, they care about the guaranteed AI spot.

All the messing with structures has removed the excitement from the championship. It was great when an an underdog county could get an unexpected win and finish up in the semi final or whatever, it was exciting, every county played to the best of their ability in every game, anything was possible, it's not anymore with the tier 2, round Robins, super 8's or whatever else is dreamed up.

The league is for playing teams at your own level, the Cup is for knock out games and the chance to play (and maybe beat) teams far higher in the league than you.