Down Club Hurling & Football

[Sheedy]

Jesusssss, kilcoo aren't angels but this protraying of kilcoo bad everyone else good is embarrassing. Every club has players that sail close to the wind, kilcoo gets highlighted more because of how successful they are.
Not a supporter of kilcoo but if people are honest there's a lot of jealousy out there.

[Truth hurts]

Meenagh is an excellent choice, but our current retinue now matches McGeeney's background team.GAA clubs and county boards are paying out vast amounts to coaches who pocket more money than the average Joe Soap does in a working week.
We are grateful to the kind benefactors in the county who contribute a lot of money to our county teams. However, wouldn't setting up a centre of excellence be a better use of the funds? Our facilities lag well behind those in Derry, Tyrone, and Louth.
We will get a few days in Croker if we achieve a quick victory, but we are not planning for the future, and we wonder why our youth teams perform so poorly. Facilities are a major factor in this, and it would be fantastic if we had a headquarters to bring everything together.
We are all breaking the main ethos of the GAA and if we do not pull the reigns in then I wouldn't like to see our association in 30 years. And I understand the horse has bolted but we need some sort of reset. As custodians of this great organisation, we need to take our heads of the sand and plan for the future and not quick fixes.

[Maurice Moss]

Ex Derry manager Ciaran Meenagh has joined the Down senior set up as part of Conor Laverty's management team.
Very good appointment, brings lot of experience.

Can only be a positive for the whole set up. As you said a lot of experience which should hopefully help bring us on another level.

[Walter Cronc]

Ex Derry manager Ciaran Meenagh has joined the Down senior set up as part of Conor Laverty's management team.
Very good appointment, brings lot of experience.

Can only be a positive for the whole set up. As you said a lot of experience which should hopefully help bring us on another level.

Can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

[Maurice Moss]

Ex Derry manager Ciaran Meenagh has joined the Down senior set up as part of Conor Laverty's management team.
Very good appointment, brings lot of experience.

Can only be a positive for the whole set up. As you said a lot of experience which should hopefully help bring us on another level.

Can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

Now now 🤣

[marty34]

The way gaa is going at county level is that every team will have 'an offensive coach' and 'an defensive coach'.

As well as that there'll be a mid-field coach and set piece coach.

Money for old rope. A bus needed for the backroom team alone.

[Gaelforce123]

The way Gaa is going or has gone? The game is now at a much more professional level and to get to that takes professionalism in preparation. We talk of the great Dublin and Kerry Teams that play great football, they have 15+ members of a backroom team from coaches to stats to S+C logistics and more. Thats how we are a professional game played by Amateurs.

If we are to talk of something that really is a disgrace... we should talk about Down LGFA club championships. 3 graded championships in senior, intermediate and junior that also split into an A/B/C for losing teams. Is this a go games model of some sort where everyone gets a final or do the ladies teams actually be happy to play in a Senior B or Junior C final by default? At Adult level? Madness... do they make money at the gates for all these finals?

[supersub]

Meenagh is an excellent choice, but our current retinue now matches McGeeney's background team.GAA clubs and county boards are paying out vast amounts to coaches who pocket more money than the average Joe Soap does in a working week.
We are grateful to the kind benefactors in the county who contribute a lot of money to our county teams. However, wouldn't setting up a centre of excellence be a better use of the funds? Our facilities lag well behind those in Derry, Tyrone, and Louth.
We will get a few days in Croker if we achieve a quick victory, but we are not planning for the future, and we wonder why our youth teams perform so poorly. Facilities are a major factor in this, and it would be fantastic if we had a headquarters to bring everything together.
We are all breaking the main ethos of the GAA and if we do not pull the reigns in then I wouldn't like to see our association in 30 years. And I understand the horse has bolted but we need some sort of reset. As custodians of this great organisation, we need to take our heads of the sand and plan for the future and not quick fixes.

You'll maybe head to the launch of the 23-26 Strategic Plan and hear a bit more about what you have brought up.

[snoopdog]

Any word of a change to the Minor management team. Surely they won't get another year. They were destroyed in every single game this year.

[Johnnysboys]

Interesting referee choice for the senior final - thought my club comrade would have got it but Paul is very experienced and will be well fit to handle the environment.

[supersub]

Any word of a change to the Minor management team. Surely they won't get another year. They were destroyed in every single game this year.

Always interesting to hear this point of view. What work has been going on at club level to improve these players? After all, that is where they spend 80% of their time.

[Gaelforce123]

Thats also an interesting question supersub. Appears that if they are successful like good minor teams in the past then the Management & Co Board did a great job, if they lose then its 'what are the clubs doing'? Im not here to slate the management in any way as any group of men over a team only do their best I just hope last years results are a one off or we are in further trouble down the line

[snoopdog]

Any word of a change to the Minor management team. Surely they won't get another year. They were destroyed in every single game this year.

Always interesting to hear this point of view. What work has been going on at club level to improve these players? After all, that is where they spend 80% of their time.

The 2 u20 teams that won ulster titles were failed at minor level also by poor management teams. Its glaring what the issue is. Yes the clubs have these players as do the schools for a longer time than the minor management but so do the Down development.

[Too many steps]

Any word of a change to the Minor management team. Surely they won't get another year. They were destroyed in every single game this year.

Always interesting to hear this point of view. What work has been going on at club level to improve these players? After all, that is where they spend 80% of their time.

The 2 u20 teams that won ulster titles were failed at minor level also by poor management teams. Its glaring what the issue is. Yes the clubs have these players as do the schools for a longer time than the minor management but so do the Down development.

u17s vs u20s isn't an exact comparison.

u20s a wider age grade - the 1st u20 had 3 starters that were not available at u17 because they were u15 at that stage.

Also I believe the 1st u20 Ulster team had no minor u17 year as they fell into the age change year from u18 to u17 at minor so missed that grade. If that is correct then there is no real comparison to judge that team/management on.

Then the 2nd team while they undoubtedly underachieved at minor were in the Covid situation and I know from chatting to a few of the lads at the time that they found it very difficult with all the restrictions and if you remember it was very doubtful even up to very close to the match whether the competition would be played - and even if it got started it was doubtful if it would be finished - was very hard to stay motivated for young lads in that situation.

So while there is no doubt that the u20 management did better, the circumstances they had were not the same as the u17 in the same age group to be fair to them.

[befair]

Interesting referee choice for the senior final - thought my club comrade would have got it but Paul is very experienced and will be well fit to handle the environment.

Good choice; a great ref