Down Club Hurling & Football

[Mournenan82]

Easy win for carryduff in the end. Too many passengers in that burren setup when times get tough. Treanor in particular has been the same for years

[Nanderson]

Tom Mc'Carroll and Odhran Murdock look like a future county midfield pairing. Carryduff certainly more physical all across the field which nulified Burrens flair players

[Leftmidfield]

Easy win in the end for Carryduff. Don't know how Odhran Murdock did not get a red card. He committed at least 3 red card offences in the same incident near the end.

[manwithnoplan]

It would make sense to play the jfc final in Downpatrick.

Why deny them the chance of playing a county final at the county ground? A county final at any level deserves to be a proper occasion for the clubs involved. I doubt any player or supporter cares about a 45 minute drive to Newry when it comes to their club playing in the final.

[Lowintotheforwards]

I'd agree with Ardtole. I may be wrong but don't think there's the same emotional attachment to Newry with a lot of clubs in north and east Down as there is with the clubs in the southern part of the County.

[manwithnoplan]

I'd agree with Ardtole. I may be wrong but don't think there's the same emotional attachment to Newry with a lot of clubs in north and east Down as there is with the clubs in the southern part of the County.

As opposed to the emotional attachment of the RGU? Not much of an occasion playing a county final on RGU's juvenile pitch. I suppose it's only smaller clubs from East Down, may as well take it out of the county ground.

[thebigfullforward]

Just seen that Kilcoo are into their 14th county final in a row lol. Assume it's a mix of them being that good and others not being up to standard?

[maldini]

How can Falloon, who's a great ref by the way, only give a yellow to Murdoch when you see some of the red cards given out this season

[Lowintotheforwards]

I'd agree with Ardtole. I may be wrong but don't think there's the same emotional attachment to Newry with a lot of clubs in north and east Down as there is with the clubs in the southern part of the County.

As opposed to the emotional attachment of the RGU? Not much of an occasion playing a county final on RGU's juvenile pitch. I suppose it's only smaller clubs from East Down, may as well take it out of the county ground.

The occasion is being in the county final. Just saying the idea of playing in the county ground may not be as critical to the clubs involved as you seem to think. May well prefer to have it closer to home with support, than having it in a half empty stadium.

[Mourne Red]

Some shite spewed.. Junior belongs in Newry were it's always been played.

Double header with the intermediate or the Senior final.

[manwithnoplan]

Some shite spewed.. Junior belongs in Newry were it's always been played.

Double header with the intermediate or the Senior final.

Had been played with the minor final on Sunday afternoons in recent enough years before being shifted to a Friday night. A return to that next year (or along with IFC/SFC as you say) would make for a better occasion, and would draw bigger crowds.

[downtothecore]

Just seen that Kilcoo are into their 14th county final in a row lol. Assume it's a mix of them being that good and others not being up to standard?

Great achievement from kilcoo. They dont look as convincing though but they still know how to win. Clonduff missed a big chance tonight and will be dissapointed. Carryduff will be quietly confident in the final.

[Sandstorm]

Shambles of a referring display in Esler, clear red card not given against Clonduff. Won't matter anyway in the long run. Burren Kilcoo final already assured, and this year I can see Burren beating the magpies easily. Kilcoo were dreadful against the yellas last week and weren't tested the week before against the Ford. Odhran Murdock is a cut above anyone else and Burren will have too much firepower for them up front this year. Big Treanor, Murdocks and half a dozen other county men in the ranks, only a matter of time before they start winning SFCs regularly again.  No Kerr or Magill against Island last day out and they looked as good as I've seen them in years. Hopefully we have a new champion this year, can see it coming back to Burren. They could give Ulster a real rattle

O dear, what's another year.

[ranch]

Some shite spewed.. Junior belongs in Newry were it's always been played.

Double header with the intermediate or the Senior final.

Does it belong on a Friday evening at 7.15/7.30? What time would the players involved need to leave work, meet up and then head into Newry for a warm up, etc? It might be the biggest game some the players involved ever play in, surely they deserve more than a Friday evening?
The two clubs involved in the junior final would be pretty small clubs I'm assuming-how do Kilclief manage to field in both hurling and football with such small numbers?

[Splash]

Plenty of good hurling talk going on here recently.

Regarding the current set up with senior teams dropping into the intermediate grade, in my opinion I think it's a mess.

I understand the argument that if the intermediate teams were good enough for senior championship, they would beat the senior teams, but I do not think that is a valid reason and makes it disheartening on the intermediate teams. I don't think anybody would suggest that Bryansford and Liatroim drop down to compete in the intermediate football, and if Saval/Annaclone/St John's/Banbridge were good enough for senior they'd have to beat them en route.

Open to correction, but I believe this system was introduced in 2023, and in that time, the only time an intermediate team actually beat a senior team that dropped down was when Carryduff beat Newry Shamrocks when they came down.

I am yet to see how it has benefited the intermediate teams.

I know from speaking to people from clubs that it is very disheartening knowing there will be a mountain to climb against the senior teams in the semi finals. I really fail to see how this is benefiting anyone.

I would also disagree with dropping the bottom intermediate teams to a junior semi final. I can understand the logic, but I fail to see how that would benefit the true junior teams.

In my opinion, the senior championship is the senior championship. The intermediate championship is the intermediate championship. The junior championship is the junior championship. If a senior team wins an intermediate championship and an intermediate team wins a junior championship, for me, that makes having the distinction between the grades pointless.  I understand the reasoning, and the want to have our champions being competitive in Ulster, but I think it would be better to try and invest in our clubs and bring them on par with their Ulster counterparts (a massive task, I know).

The main issue which I haven't seen anybody mention is we simply don't have enough teams. There are 14 teams fielding senior hurling teams in Down at the moment. There are 16 teams in the Senior Football Championship. It is difficult to find the solution when there are so few teams. Thankfully, we are in a far better situation than the likes of Derry, Armagh, Tyrone, etc., and there are clubs offering underage hurling in Down which hopefully in the future will add to our championships, but we still could do with more teams to improve the fundamental nature of the championships.

It is difficult to know what is the best thing to do for the hurling championships, as there are positives to take from different possible solutions. As it stands though, I fail to see how the current system is benefiting the Warrenpoints and Ballelas of the world. Would it be better for both these teams to be preparing for a final, knowing they are 60 minutes away from senior status, or is it better for them to come up against teams that had the beating of Ballycran in the senior championship? I can understand why it feels like a massive challenge for the people involved.