Down Club Hurling & Football

[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

[terrifictommy]

I think we are unduly harsh on the referee panel, there's a couple I think would do the job. But Paul is the top in the county so has to be first choice, it would be like having your quarterback on the bench at the Superbowl if he wasn't there.

[Splash]

All to play for heading into the final round of the Junior Championship tomorrow.

Think any team can still qualify for the final?

I believe Kilclief are guaranteed a final spot?

They've shown to be a good team this championship. Managed to hold off a massive comeback from East Belfast in the first round, before staging their own massive comeback against Ballyvarley.
Castlewellen will probably be their toughest challenge, but there's no reason they shouldn't back themselves. They have a great ability to score from anywhere on the field, and their backs seem to be able to hold their own. Perhaps a bit vulnerable when it comes to conceding goals, but Castlewellen haven't seemed like a team that can score goals- this championship they failed to score a goal against East Belfast and only scored one through a penalty against Ballyvarley. Kilclief seemed like they'd be well fit to mix it with Clonduff, CPN, and Ballela in the Intermediate; playing Division One hurling clearly has done them well.

Castlewellen suddenly find themselves in a very dangerous situation. Did they believe their own hype too much? This is not a game you want to have your back against the wall. From what I hear, East Belfast really rattled Castlewellen. Here Jason Croskery is in good nick atm, and no doubt the Town will want to be making amends to being on the wrong end of the shock of the championship. Some decent players the likes of Cairns, McCabe, etc., and they seem to move well as a team.
They could very well catch Kilclief and book their place in the final, and it would be foolish to write them off after one loss. Either way, will be a great game.

East Belfast are sixty minutes away from reaching their first men's final and making history. I'm sure they're absolutely buzzing after getting the win over a fancied Castlewellen side. A win should be enough to get them to the final?  They really seem to have got going this year. Seem vastly improved from last season. Not looking too deeply into one win, but they had a decent league and their defeats seem to be less of a hammering nature. They'll not fear Ballyvarley, they've beaten them once this year in the league, and will take great confidence from their win in the last round.

Ballyvarley have had a dreadful championship in the grand scheme of things, but they can still reach a final. Think they have to beat East Belfast by about 20 odd points to reach it, though. Not an ideal situation to be in. However, they have forwards who are happy to go goal hunting- Danny Magee in particular is a big goal threat.
All the same, it's a big ask, and they'll be without Liam Conlan, so could be well exposed in the back like.
Much like East Belfast, they've improved a lot this season, but they seem to be running out of steam whilst East Belfast seem to be riding a wave at the minute. Again, you never do know when it comes do or die time. They beat East Belfast well in the league, but hard to imagine they'll have enough to beat them by enough to reach a final. Again, I said it would be hard to see East Belfast finding a way to overcome Castlewellen, and look how that turned out. 
I'm told told Ballyvarley have an ex-East Belfast man in the ranks. Used to hearing of lads transferring in to East Belfast at this point, not too often to see it going the other way.

Worth pointing out, the game being played in Ballela is probably the best possible outcome Ballyvarley could have hoped for. If I'm not wrong, they're amalgamated with Ballela the entire way up to senior? Lads will be very comfortable there.

Very hard to call this week. Great viewing for the neutral.

[Saffrongael]

That looked a bad enough row between Ballycran & Laotrim in the hurling, supporters over the fence and into the middle of it