USFC Round 1 : An Cabhan V An Dun

[An Cloch Scoilte]

Down need to be more tactically aware.

When cavan withdrew McKeever from the forward line to play as the sweeper it in effect gave Cavan 7 defenders, which did not give our boys alot of space, and in doing so gave the Cavan forwards alot of room, as there was only five of them operating in the Down defence, something which was seen when Lyng made the break for the second goal!!

What down need to do is sacrafice McGovern for John Clarke, and play the An Ríocht man as the extra defender, cause he is one of the players in our panel who can defend a bit(I know he had a stinker on Sunday, but he will improve), and be comfortable on the ball at the same time.

[cavan4ever]

What time is the game at on sunday and is the pitch in the town?

[5 Sams]

4pm and the pitch is on the edge of the town. Follow the signs for Warrenpoint and you can't miss it. Even better you'd be better off parking in the town and following the crowds it not that far of a walk.

[cavan4ever]

o.k  cheers is there a game before it?

[5 Sams]

Not that I know of. Probably giving people a chance to watch Tyrone Fermanagh on the telly.

[DownFanatic]

My Down 15 for Sunday:

1. M.McVeigh - Id keep faith with Mickey. His shot stopping was pretty good on Sunday past despite that one glitch. His kickouts get great distance and although they were mostly down the middle Id expect him to vary them come this Sunday.

2.M.Cole - He has got bags of pace and can mark tightly. When needed he can also attack. Has the fitness and speed to carry off both roles.

3. D.McCartan - All this talk of him being on the county panel just because of his name is bullshit. He showed in the Sigerson Cup this year what he can do at full back. He'll track his marker all day and although he is not very conventional, forwards will not like him on their tail. Also, he is good at sweeping up.

4. B.Grant - Grant has experience at this level which makes it easier for him to adapt. Can put in a solid hours work when needed. Will have the know how to do this position.

5. R.Murtagh - An excellent move by Ross and DJ converting him to wing back. Will run all day and possesses the finished product - scores. He suprised me by his marking abilities. He's going to be Down's most important player this year bar Benny.

6.D.Rooney - Played well here during the NFL. Need him in for the breaking ball. He may have a very important role to play if McKeever drops back.

7. P.Murphy - Murphy seems to be a very confident player and when given his chance on Sunday he responded well. He could be an option on the wing for Mickey's kickouts. He needs to start.

8. D.Gordon - On Sunday he looked a cut above at times. He's a great fielder and is extremely dangerous going forward. As Wobbler says it would be great to see him put them over from distance.

9. C.McCrickard - He is a lot fitter than Lynch and a better all round player. He has the engine to last the full length and his passing ability could be useful for the inside forwards.

10. A.Carr - Thought he played well on Sunday. His passing is top notch and he is always looking to get other players involved. Down need a couple of scores from him though and he needs to deliver big time.

11.S.Kearney - Kearney is a player who may not be able to cut it against the Tyrones or Armaghs but he can definitely do a job on Sunday. He can drop back to field kickouts as he has height or he can drive forward. Can take a score from any angle. He is a joy to watch on the ball. Has great pace and technique and a varied passing range.

12. R.Sexton - He is in good form and will give 110% every time. Can operate in attacking or defensive situations. He poses a threat going forward but he may be needed more this week in a deeper role.

13. D.Hughes - Poor game on Sunday but can turn it on when needed. He has the potential to rip Cavan's defence to shreads.

14. P.Downey - Has to start. He made a lot of encouraging runs on Sunday and done the simple things right. If anybody knows Packie Downey then they will know that he can turn on the style when needed. Once he gets a sniff of goal he is predatory.

15. B.Coulter - All this talk of moving Benny out the field is ridiculous. This Cavan full back line is shite and Benny showed what he can do last week. Needs to opt for points more often but Id expect him to have a hey day in Newry with a lot more space.

Subs - McComiskey needs to be introduced in the 2nd half. Id have have him on for at least 15 minutes as he is bound to grab a score or two and his pace will be too much for a tiring Cavan defence. McGovern and Clarke are also options. If Carr isnt scoring and Downey or Kearney arent producing the goods then McGovern and Clarke should be introduced. Burns is also an option here.Lynch can also be utilised if the middle third is going Cavan's way.

[passedit]

Calls to start McComiskey are nothing short of ridiculous. He has the potential to become our most destructive forward since Mickey Linden, but he's only 19 and he's built like a 19 year old.

Would that be the Mickey Linden who made his championship debut at 19 and whose club had just been promoted from division three that year?

I would humbly suggest that carrying an entire team in div 3 (and dealing with the inevitable 'close' attention) is as good a grounding for intercounty football as swanning around in, a frankly not very demanding division one, with more decent players to take the weight off. Additionally Mc comiskey has a season of sigerson football behind him as well. I could see your point if he was a central player but he's well able for the position he should be picked in and as the cliche goes if you're good enough you're old enough.

[Feckitt]

What is the new capacity of the marshes?  Is there any chance that with this game not being on telly that it could be close to a full house?

[downredblack]

The Marshes handled Down v Tyrone in the qualifiers a couple of years ago with a smaller stand , I think it will be able to handle this game ok . Only 13.500 at Breffeni are the Cavan posters expecting a big crowd  to travel ? Hope there is a big crowd and a bit of atmosphere .

[Fíor Gael]

1. B Connell - I found it strange big Mickey's kickouts got praise from lots of quarters. I'd say it must be easy to practice them when you use the same kickout every single time.  He's probably the best keeper I've ever seen, but it's time to move him on.
2. M Cole - Pace and a bit of elegance. The kind of player you need around Seanie Johnston.
3. B Grant - He had a fair enough game at CHB, but I don't want to ever see Rooney at full-back again, and it's the wrong time of year to be trying someone new out there.
4. D McCartan - Got stronger as the game went on and deserves another shot. If Dee Rafferty is 75 % fit though, I'd have him in instead.
5. R Murtagh - His best outing in a Championship game.
6. D Rooney - I reckon Rooney would be better as a forward, but by all accounts he was useful here in the league. If McKeever plays as a shield in front of his defence, he should be a good man in there protecting space.
7. K McGuigan - The Shamrocks man would be a whole lot happier out here. He can actually play a bit.
8. P Murphy - Did more in 20 minutes than big Jackie did in 50, so he has to stay in.
9. D Gordon - More of the same this week Dan, except do what you do for Loughinisland and sling it over from distance.
10. R Sexton - Very useful game on Sunday. Tireless, and links well with Coulter.
11. S Kearney - It's a bit harsh on Carr. But some players are much more comfortable up the middle than the wings, including Carr and Kearney, and I reckon Stevie has the edge at the moment.
12. J Clarke - His best position. Should Cavan go nuts with an 8 man defence, he is one those capable of shooting from distance.
13. D Hughes - Danny won't play that badly again.
14. B Coulter - Leave him and Danny up there on their own.
15. J McGovern - Not as a conventional forward, but coming back to support his defence. If Hughes and Coulter are getting swamped, take him back in as a conventional forward. This lad actually has the fitness and skill to carry off the role. I couldn't say if he has the intelligence to carry it off, but the enthusiasm is there.

Wobbler this is an interesting selection and I can see sense with it but I'd have to question a few selections;
If we are going to use a corner forward in a third mid-fielder/extra defender role then surely the obvious choice is Paul Murphy. He is made for this job, can read the game well, sweep up, start attacks good fielder and confident on the ball, but just not physically strong or big enough to play the mid field role at county level.
Jack Lynch while unspectecular on Sunday shackled McCabe well and his first experience of championship football will stand to him, he'll only get better.
I have been critical of Aidan Carr in the past but I was impressed with his vision and passing on Sunday and although I feel he is still shy on break ball I think he also deserves another chance and that he'll improve.
Kearney looks like a footballer but I'm not convinced he his. Can't see him mixing it and winning 50/50 balls but I might be tempted to start him instead of McGovern to give us more pace on the half forward line.
Thoughts??

[spiritof91and94]

It looks like the game has a 4.15 throw in due to the Down Hurlers in action in Casement at 1.45. This is fine but to fix the Minor game for 7.30pm in Crossmaglen is an absolute joke and piss take to GAA followers from Down - how much money do they want? Down should boycott this fixture and demand it be a 2.45 start in Newry instead.
I have stated here before several times that Luke Howard should be on the County set up. For Bryansford he has been outstanding so far this season and won a Sigerson with the rest of the boys. He would fill in at number 2 or 4 no problem, even after we beat Castlewellan last week several 'town' supporters couldnt believe he wasnt on the Panel at least, Ross had him at Minor level so he knows his strengths.

[downredblack]

Pictures of Marshes set up on the Official Down Site , Looks well .

[amallon]

What is the pitch going to be like for Sunday?  The new sod was only laid a few weeks ago I hear, it looks good from the Dublin road.  I'd imagine it could cut up very easily as the root might not have had time to knit in properly.

[thewobbler]

Would that be the Mickey Linden who made his championship debut at 19 and whose club had just been promoted from division three that year?

I would humbly suggest that carrying an entire team in div 3 (and dealing with the inevitable 'close' attention) is as good a grounding for intercounty football as swanning around in, a frankly not very demanding division one, with more decent players to take the weight off. Additionally Mc comiskey has a season of sigerson football behind him as well. I could see your point if he was a central player but he's well able for the position he should be picked in and as the cliche goes if you're good enough you're old enough.

Apples and pears passedit. When Mickey Linden was 19, weights hadn't even been invented. County teams started training 3 weeks before the Championship. Defences didn't have tactics. As long as you were fit to take a punch in the head every once in a while, you were old enough.

As for your humble suggestion that Division III football might be a better grounding than Division I football, well words escape me. I suppose beating six cones and an inflatable goalkeeper would be even better preparation again?

[Uladh]

Young Cumisky (sp) started on the QUB Sigerson team ahead of McGovern and the big full forward never made the poly team. Sigerson football is often more physical than intercounty football. Cumisky is well fit for The ulster championship... not something i could say for a lot of players who started the game on sunday on both sides.