Down Club Hurling & Football

[DanTheMan12]

Will there be any coverage of tomorrow's game on TV or radio?

Don't be so hungry and buy a ticket

[snoopdog]

Will there be any coverage of tomorrow's game on TV or radio?

Not on TV or Streaming that I'm aware off.
Radio i dont know. Maybe ClareFam. Dont think the local radio stations in the north offer any service to the GAA.

[Splash]

This weekend, Down will play in the Division 1 of the NHL for the first time since 2007.

Down are favourites to go straight back to Div 2, but staying up is not out of the question and it would be amazing for Down's development to regularly get games against Liam MacCarthy teams in the coming years.

Clare, Wexford, and Dublin will, in all likelihood, be far too strong.

But it is well worth remembering Down beat Kildare to win the league last year, and had been something of a bogey team for Carlow in the not too distant past.

If what is coming out of Antrim is to be believed, they could be in for a rough year and I really do believe Down should be targeting that game on the last day for survival.

Carlow will be favourites this weekend, but it is certainly a winnable game for Down. The preseason was fairly unremarkable and it is clear that the management knows who their key players are.

The step up this year will be huge, but there is no reason Down can't solidify themselves in Div 1.

[snoopdog]

Best of luck to both Down teams tomorrow.

[snoopdog]

Lads. Trying to buy tickets for tonight's match. Nothing showing for children though???
Are thry back to free entry??

[snoopdog]

Lads. Trying to buy tickets for tonight's match. Nothing showing for children though???
Are thry back to free entry??

Ignore. Sorted , note children u16 free and no need for ticket.

[ardtole]

Lads. Trying to buy tickets for tonight's match. Nothing showing for children though???
Are thry back to free entry??

Ignore. Sorted , note children u16 free and no need for ticket.

Im just after spending a tenner for the wee man

[manwithnoplan]

Is the game being streamed anywhere?

[Nanderson]

Tough win for Down. Game was in the melting pot right down to the wire but a bit of class from Murdock and Guinness kill the game off for Down

[downtothecore]

Oran Murdock so vital for this team. Down would struggle without him. Daniel maginnis was the other highlight on the night.

[snoopdog]

Very sloppy through out. Clare were much better than I thought they would be. Scored some really good 2 pointers.
Down played like a team who hadn't played together for a while. Good to get the win. Murdock is immense, his goal was fantastic. Guinness 2 pointer made the scoreline better than it should've been. Clare will wonder how they didnt get something.referee was poor I thought. For both sides. Clare 2nd goal was dubious, maybe also Downs 1st.
Without the benefit of seeing it again.
But a wins a win. Hopefully they will build off that.
Cellium  Doherty got a good few scores and did well.
On a fiff note were new floodlights installed in Newry. Looked a lot brighter.

[ardtole]

Murdock is a generational talent similar to Benny and Marty Clarke. His goal last night won the game, and not only that he won the next kickout too. He just provides big moments in every game.

I thought Finn Murdock done well and Shane Annett, he disposed the Clare men on a couple of of occasions and has a bit of dog about him which is needed.

Dreadful conditions and 2 points and hopefully no injuries is all you can ask for.

Is Liam Kerr injuried? Id love to see him perform under the new rules.

[johnnycool]

This weekend, Down will play in the Division 1 of the NHL for the first time since 2007.

Down are favourites to go straight back to Div 2, but staying up is not out of the question and it would be amazing for Down's development to regularly get games against Liam MacCarthy teams in the coming years.

Clare, Wexford, and Dublin will, in all likelihood, be far too strong.

But it is well worth remembering Down beat Kildare to win the league last year, and had been something of a bogey team for Carlow in the not too distant past.

If what is coming out of Antrim is to be believed, they could be in for a rough year and I really do believe Down should be targeting that game on the last day for survival.

Carlow will be favourites this weekend, but it is certainly a winnable game for Down. The preseason was fairly unremarkable and it is clear that the management knows who their key players are.

The step up this year will be huge, but there is no reason Down can't solidify themselves in Div 1.

There's two going down from Div1B and Down are a certainty for one of those spots sadly.

Carlow won well pulling up on Saturday, the harsh red didn't help (seems to be if someone loses their helmet in a melee or coming together then someone is getting a red, Ruairi in this case) but Carlow were dominant throughout.
Scoring and getting the ball to our forwards with anything like a decent bit of play is going to be an issue.

We'll get nothing from Clare, Wexford and Dublin as you point out, so Kildare and Antrim are the only 2 games where Down might compete and yes whilst Down beat Kildare twice in the league last year Kildare have kicked on but Down have regressed.
Kildare gave Kilkenny their fill of it in the Kehoe Shield final recently and whilst Antrim do seem shorn of some of their best club players will be expected to beat Down in the marshes.

That's no a slight on anyone, it's just the hard reality of Down hurling.

[Splash]

Disappointing for the hurlers on Saturday. Went into the break with a lead and I was probably over optimistic in thinking they could hold onto it.

Although disappointing, it is probably worth acknowledging that Down were far more competitive with Carlow than they have been in previous encounters.

When Down met Carlow in the championship last year, Carlow won by 20+, slotting 6 goals. They also bagged 6 goals in the last championship encounter before that. Carlow won the Joe McDonagh the year before last, and are not a bad side.

So to be competitive with them is not bad at all, although it doesn't take away from the eventual defeat.

Discipline was something of an issue, with 3 yellows in the first half, and a red in the second.

Agree Kildare have gone from strength to strength. Not sure if Down have regressed, or if they have hit their ceiling for the time being, but Kildare will certainly be favourites. I'm not going to look too much into them being competitive with Kilkenny in the Kehoe Shield- although that is obviously massive for themselves.

An experimental Wexford were very lucky to fall over the line at home to Antrim. Take from that what you will, but both those games will be tough.

Wexford at home next weekend is going to be wildly difficult, but it is great to see Down playing teams of this standard.

U20s were soundly beat by Antrim over the weekend. Down need to go right back to the beginning and make efforts to introduce hurling to every primary school in the county. Currently we rely on putting everything into one performance and hoping our opponents have an off day. Gets a result every once in a while, but if Down are to really progress, we need to see a systematic change.

[thewobbler]

Splash why is it that hurling people always seem convinced that every Irish person will love playing hurling, if only they are exposed to it young enough?

You folks could do with taking a wee step back and accepting that choosing to be chased around a field by 15 people holding sticks, is not a natural human instinct.

It can of course become a normalised thought process if everyone else is at it. This is evident in Kilkenny, Waterford, other places.

But the idea that a single hour a week of a guest coach bumming and blowing about hurling, is going to somehow reverse those human instincts? No chance.

Be realistic.