Down Club Hurling & Football

[ardtole]

I'd be fairly ignorant of the club hurling scene in Down. I think splash and jc give a great insight into it, and it's positive to see the game develop in parts of the county more associated with football.

[befair]

It's that time of year. The hurling leagues start on Monday night and it could be an interesting year across all divisions.

ACHL Div 1:
Prediction for winner- Liatroim
Prediction for relegation- Castlewellen
Team to watch- Warrenpoint

Liatroim-
Last year's winners. Were competitive in the Senior Championship, and controversially missed out on a Senior Final. Were well fit to run with the Ards clubs in the championship, so you'd assume they'll have enough for the Ards seconds. Heard conflicting things about who's stayed and who's gone, so will be interesting to see what way they line out. They'll feel they were hard done by last year, and will have a point to prove, so I expect them to hit the ground running.

Portaferry IIs-
If anyone's going to give Liatroim a game, I'd say it will be Portaferry. They're a club that's going well. Expecting to see them in the final. I don't really think anyone else in the division outside Liatroim, Ballycran, and Ballygalget will have enough to trouble them.

Ballycran IIs-
Similar sort of situation to Portaferry . Should have enough to be competitive, and wouldn't be surprised to see them in a league final. Think we'll see a drop in standard from what we've been used to seeing from Ballycran in recent years, but I'd be surprised if that impacts their seconds this year. Well fit to win the league.

Ballygalget IIs-
Looking like it could be a tough year for Ballygalget firsts, which has me wondering, will this have a knock on effect on the reserves? They've some great players coming up, and they'll not fear anybody in the division.

Warrenpoint-
Potential surprise package of the year. Don't think the Point are yet at a stage where they can realistically win Division One, but they'll give it a fair rattle.  Mad depth in their squad, and some great hurlers in the ranks. Best of the rest, in my opinion.

Newry Shamrocks-
Have a feeling Shamrocks may struggle this year. May be wrong, and they've plenty of county standard players, but they don't seem to be going anywhere near as well as they were 2 years ago. Should still hold their own against most teams. Clash between them and the Point will be interesting.

Clonduff-
Could be a very rough year for the Hilltown men. Obviously very tragic circumstances surrounding the club at the minute, and also hear they're a lot of injuries. Retirement of former Antrim hurler Aaron Graffin will be a big miss. I'd expect them to have enough to just about avoid relegation, and when firing on all cylinders will be fit to compete with Shamrocks and CPN, but looks like it will be tough going.

Castlewellen-
Had an amazing league campaign last year before the wheels came off towards the end. Only won one game in the championship. Will be interesting to see if they can regroup and take any scalps. At the minute though, I can't see it, and think they'll go down. This is the level they want to be at, and in the coming years, they should be a competitive Div One side, but hard to see it this year. Local derby between them and Liatroim will be interesting.


ACHL Div 2:
Prediction for Winner-Ballycran IIIs
Prediction for promotion- Kilclief
Team to watch- East Belfast

Ballycran IIIs-
Not really a lot to say when it comes to the thirds. Combination of young fellas breaking in and former senior players. The fact that there'll likely be a few seconds players lining out at some point makes me think Ballycran should have enough to win Div 2 for the second year in a row.

Kilclief-
Funny one. Avoided relegation, but requested to come down. Won the junior championship, but apparently have lost a lot of players since. Struggled against Castlewellen and Ballyvarley in the Championship, but showed what they were capable of when it mattered against East Belfast. Expecting them to go up. East Belfast and Ballyvarley will want another crack at them, so some tough games in store. Think they've enough to go back up, though.

Bredagh IIs-
Bredagh continue to go from strength to strength at underage. If their seconds team begins to bleed in these hurlers form underage, who knows what way they'll get on. Of course, a large part of senior hurling is the physicality of it. All the same, don't see Bredagh dropping too many games.

Portaferry IIIs-
See comments on Ballycran thirds. Only difference is they seemed to struggle far more for numbers last year. Of course, it wouldn't be a surprise if they won the league. Will have to wait and see.

East Belfast-
Could be a potential shock and gain promotion. Showed they can be competitive in the championship. Will be interesting to see how they build after the championship final. Could get wins against anyone, but hard to see them getting enough wins consistently to go up. A team going from strength to strength.

Ballyvarley-
Decent league last year, and in the end unlucky not to get promoted. Probably came the closest to catching Kilclief in the Championship. In saying that, didn't win a game in the Championship. Seem to be coming out of the dark period they've found themselves in over the past decade. Will be interesting to see if they can continue to rebuild, but wondering how they'll cope after their key player has left. Did they rely too much on him for scores? Hard to predict what way they'll get on this year.

Ballela-
No two ways about it. Disastrous year last year for Ballela. Expecting far more from them this season. Some big names back, and been going well in the Ulster League. They'll want to ensure they don't fall into a bad patch, and I'd be expecting them to compete with most teams.

Carryduff IIs-
Probably underperformed in the end last year. Not a bad side, and good stuff coming up from underage that may start to make an impact at senior level. Hard to know what sort of team will turn up in Division 2.

Antrim ACHL Div 1:

Portaferry-
Sitting top of the Antrim league after a big opening win against Ballygalget. Look like they're going very well and have the players to really be competitive. As shown in Ulster last year, they're well fit to run with the best of Antrim. Could really give Div 1 a good rattle.

Ballycran-
Drew with Loughguile last week. No small feat. May be taking a small step backwards from where they were, but still well fit to mix it with anyone in the division, in my opinion.

Ballygalget-
Could be a rough year for Ballygalget. Sitting bottom of the division after being well beat by Portaferry. Just don't think they have the numbers at the minute to challenge the top teams. Some great players, but just not enough of them right now. Some injuries and some lads away travelling, I hear. Wouldn't look too much into one game, but hard to see them being as competitive as previous years.

Antrim ACHL Div 2:

Carryduff-
Could be a team to watch in this division. Good win over Loughguile puts them right up near the top of the table. Carryduff really underperformed last year in the intermediate final, in my opinion. Couple real, real good players in the ranks. Don't think last year showed the level they are really at, and expect them to give Antrim Div 2 a real lash. Could be the team to watch come the championship.

Antrim ACHL Div 3:

Bredagh-
Fully expecting Bredagh to dominate Antrim Div 3. At the end of the day, Bredagh are a senior championship club, and they will be playing against junior level clubs in Div 3. Already showed what they're capable of by laying down a big marker against Lamh Dhearg. Hear they've a very strong squad at the moment, and playing at this level could be the perfect opportunity for them to begin to bleed players into their first panel and ensure they build up momentum and are ticking nicely before the Championship. Should be a good start to the year for the Belfast men.


——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Bit of a long post there, but the general consensus to the hurling discussions on here last season was mostly incredibly positive, with a lot of people saying they enjoyed the insight into the hurling landscape in the county.

As such, thought it would be a good idea to give a quick preview before the season starts to try and keep those who are interested up to date, especially considering we only have the couple senior hurling teams in Down and it's not hard to give each a mention.

I know some people won't like it, and thought of starting a new thread for this, but at the end of the day this a thread for club hurling.

Best of luck to all the teams. Looking forward to some good contests. Best time of the year for a club hurler.

Thanks for this, always good to know what is happening on the hurling front

[johnnycool]

It's that time of year. The hurling leagues start on Monday night and it could be an interesting year across all divisions.

ACHL Div 1:
Prediction for winner- Liatroim
Prediction for relegation- Castlewellen
Team to watch- Warrenpoint

Liatroim-
Last year's winners. Were competitive in the Senior Championship, and controversially missed out on a Senior Final. Were well fit to run with the Ards clubs in the championship, so you'd assume they'll have enough for the Ards seconds. Heard conflicting things about who's stayed and who's gone, so will be interesting to see what way they line out. They'll feel they were hard done by last year, and will have a point to prove, so I expect them to hit the ground running.

Portaferry IIs-
If anyone's going to give Liatroim a game, I'd say it will be Portaferry. They're a club that's going well. Expecting to see them in the final. I don't really think anyone else in the division outside Liatroim, Ballycran, and Ballygalget will have enough to trouble them.

Ballycran IIs-
Similar sort of situation to Portaferry . Should have enough to be competitive, and wouldn't be surprised to see them in a league final. Think we'll see a drop in standard from what we've been used to seeing from Ballycran in recent years, but I'd be surprised if that impacts their seconds this year. Well fit to win the league.

Ballygalget IIs-
Looking like it could be a tough year for Ballygalget firsts, which has me wondering, will this have a knock on effect on the reserves? They've some great players coming up, and they'll not fear anybody in the division.

Warrenpoint-
Potential surprise package of the year. Don't think the Point are yet at a stage where they can realistically win Division One, but they'll give it a fair rattle.  Mad depth in their squad, and some great hurlers in the ranks. Best of the rest, in my opinion.

Newry Shamrocks-
Have a feeling Shamrocks may struggle this year. May be wrong, and they've plenty of county standard players, but they don't seem to be going anywhere near as well as they were 2 years ago. Should still hold their own against most teams. Clash between them and the Point will be interesting.

Clonduff-
Could be a very rough year for the Hilltown men. Obviously very tragic circumstances surrounding the club at the minute, and also hear they're a lot of injuries. Retirement of former Antrim hurler Aaron Graffin will be a big miss. I'd expect them to have enough to just about avoid relegation, and when firing on all cylinders will be fit to compete with Shamrocks and CPN, but looks like it will be tough going.

Castlewellen-
Had an amazing league campaign last year before the wheels came off towards the end. Only won one game in the championship. Will be interesting to see if they can regroup and take any scalps. At the minute though, I can't see it, and think they'll go down. This is the level they want to be at, and in the coming years, they should be a competitive Div One side, but hard to see it this year. Local derby between them and Liatroim will be interesting.


ACHL Div 2:
Prediction for Winner-Ballycran IIIs
Prediction for promotion- Kilclief
Team to watch- East Belfast

Ballycran IIIs-
Not really a lot to say when it comes to the thirds. Combination of young fellas breaking in and former senior players. The fact that there'll likely be a few seconds players lining out at some point makes me think Ballycran should have enough to win Div 2 for the second year in a row.

Kilclief-
Funny one. Avoided relegation, but requested to come down. Won the junior championship, but apparently have lost a lot of players since. Struggled against Castlewellen and Ballyvarley in the Championship, but showed what they were capable of when it mattered against East Belfast. Expecting them to go up. East Belfast and Ballyvarley will want another crack at them, so some tough games in store. Think they've enough to go back up, though.

Bredagh IIs-
Bredagh continue to go from strength to strength at underage. If their seconds team begins to bleed in these hurlers form underage, who knows what way they'll get on. Of course, a large part of senior hurling is the physicality of it. All the same, don't see Bredagh dropping too many games.

Portaferry IIIs-
See comments on Ballycran thirds. Only difference is they seemed to struggle far more for numbers last year. Of course, it wouldn't be a surprise if they won the league. Will have to wait and see.

East Belfast-
Could be a potential shock and gain promotion. Showed they can be competitive in the championship. Will be interesting to see how they build after the championship final. Could get wins against anyone, but hard to see them getting enough wins consistently to go up. A team going from strength to strength.

Ballyvarley-
Decent league last year, and in the end unlucky not to get promoted. Probably came the closest to catching Kilclief in the Championship. In saying that, didn't win a game in the Championship. Seem to be coming out of the dark period they've found themselves in over the past decade. Will be interesting to see if they can continue to rebuild, but wondering how they'll cope after their key player has left. Did they rely too much on him for scores? Hard to predict what way they'll get on this year.

Ballela-
No two ways about it. Disastrous year last year for Ballela. Expecting far more from them this season. Some big names back, and been going well in the Ulster League. They'll want to ensure they don't fall into a bad patch, and I'd be expecting them to compete with most teams.

Carryduff IIs-
Probably underperformed in the end last year. Not a bad side, and good stuff coming up from underage that may start to make an impact at senior level. Hard to know what sort of team will turn up in Division 2.

Antrim ACHL Div 1:

Portaferry-
Sitting top of the Antrim league after a big opening win against Ballygalget. Look like they're going very well and have the players to really be competitive. As shown in Ulster last year, they're well fit to run with the best of Antrim. Could really give Div 1 a good rattle.

Ballycran-
Drew with Loughguile last week. No small feat. May be taking a small step backwards from where they were, but still well fit to mix it with anyone in the division, in my opinion.

Ballygalget-
Could be a rough year for Ballygalget. Sitting bottom of the division after being well beat by Portaferry. Just don't think they have the numbers at the minute to challenge the top teams. Some great players, but just not enough of them right now. Some injuries and some lads away travelling, I hear. Wouldn't look too much into one game, but hard to see them being as competitive as previous years.

Antrim ACHL Div 2:

Carryduff-
Could be a team to watch in this division. Good win over Loughguile puts them right up near the top of the table. Carryduff really underperformed last year in the intermediate final, in my opinion. Couple real, real good players in the ranks. Don't think last year showed the level they are really at, and expect them to give Antrim Div 2 a real lash. Could be the team to watch come the championship.

Antrim ACHL Div 3:

Bredagh-
Fully expecting Bredagh to dominate Antrim Div 3. At the end of the day, Bredagh are a senior championship club, and they will be playing against junior level clubs in Div 3. Already showed what they're capable of by laying down a big marker against Lamh Dhearg. Hear they've a very strong squad at the moment, and playing at this level could be the perfect opportunity for them to begin to bleed players into their first panel and ensure they build up momentum and are ticking nicely before the Championship. Should be a good start to the year for the Belfast men.


——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Bit of a long post there, but the general consensus to the hurling discussions on here last season was mostly incredibly positive, with a lot of people saying they enjoyed the insight into the hurling landscape in the county.

As such, thought it would be a good idea to give a quick preview before the season starts to try and keep those who are interested up to date, especially considering we only have the couple senior hurling teams in Down and it's not hard to give each a mention.

I know some people won't like it, and thought of starting a new thread for this, but at the end of the day this a thread for club hurling.

Best of luck to all the teams. Looking forward to some good contests. Best time of the year for a club hurler.

Some of our young guns will get a run out tonight so it'll be interesting how they fair (if not pulled by U20 management) which is probably a good thing as the minor league has all the hallmarks of being a disaster yet again this year.

I'm hearing O'Rahillys have pulled out of it but some of the Castlewellan lads are now playing for Portaferry under sanctions...

[johnnycool]

Potentially good news for Truth Hurts, East Down and Down in general;

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/councillors-overturn-decision-not-to-back-eu-funding-application-by-down-gaa-for-new-centre-of-excellence-AZVJTRKBYZF4BKUJLS2XERJZSQ/

[Truth hurts]

Ballykinlar would be wonderful for the residents of East Down who must travel to Armagh to watch Down.

[johnnycool]

Ballykinlar would be wonderful for the residents of East Down who must travel to Armagh to watch Down.

I hope they build a jetty for the Ards people.

The St Brendan would do a roaring trade.

[RadioGAAGAA]

Potentially good news for Truth Hurts, East Down and Down in general;

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/councillors-overturn-decision-not-to-back-eu-funding-application-by-down-gaa-for-new-centre-of-excellence-AZVJTRKBYZF4BKUJLS2XERJZSQ/

Decidedly mixed feelings on this.


Short term, something is needed. Badly.
Medium term, its probably at a good price and on a sandy base to save some costs in drainage installation.
Long term, its a poor geographic location at the end of very bad roads.


Here is 17 acres of land just off the main Castlewellan Clough road.
Yeah, its ~£300k and you could probably fit in only 3 pitches. But in a ~£12m project, is 3% more worth it when your then located just off a main road slap bang in the (GAA) centroid of the county?


Its only a 25 year lease the county board have on the site. Amortised, thats ~£500k a year then the MoD could potentially pull the rug out from under you?

[manwithnoplan]

Potentially good news for Truth Hurts, East Down and Down in general;

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/councillors-overturn-decision-not-to-back-eu-funding-application-by-down-gaa-for-new-centre-of-excellence-AZVJTRKBYZF4BKUJLS2XERJZSQ/

Decidedly mixed feelings on this.


Short term, something is needed. Badly.
Medium term, its probably at a good price and on a sandy base to save some costs in drainage installation.
Long term, its a poor geographic location at the end of very bad roads.


Here is 17 acres of land just off the main Castlewellan Clough road.
Yeah, its ~£300k and you could probably fit in only 3 pitches. But in a ~£12m project, is 3% more worth it when your then located just off a main road slap bang in the (GAA) centroid of the county?


Its only a 25 year lease the county board have on the site. Amortised, thats ~£500k a year then the MoD could potentially pull the rug out from under you?

Near Castlewellan is a slightly better location, but how likely would it be to get planning permission there? Look at the access road for example. A lot of drama made about the road to Ballykinlar, which is an A road and 5mins from Clough (and 15mins from Castlewellan).

[Mourne Red]

Potentially good news for Truth Hurts, East Down and Down in general;

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/councillors-overturn-decision-not-to-back-eu-funding-application-by-down-gaa-for-new-centre-of-excellence-AZVJTRKBYZF4BKUJLS2XERJZSQ/

Decidedly mixed feelings on this.


Short term, something is needed. Badly.
Medium term, its probably at a good price and on a sandy base to save some costs in drainage installation.
Long term, its a poor geographic location at the end of very bad roads.


Here is 17 acres of land just off the main Castlewellan Clough road.
Yeah, its ~£300k and you could probably fit in only 3 pitches. But in a ~£12m project, is 3% more worth it when your then located just off a main road slap bang in the (GAA) centroid of the county?


Its only a 25 year lease the county board have on the site. Amortised, thats ~£500k a year then the MoD could potentially pull the rug out from under you?

Near Castlewellan is a slightly better location, but how likely would it be to get planning permission there? Look at the access road for example. A lot of drama made about the road to Ballykinlar, which is an A road and 5mins from Clough (and 15mins from Castlewellan).

It's 'A' shite road

[RadioGAAGAA]

Near Castlewellan is a slightly better location, but how likely would it be to get planning permission there? Look at the access road for example. A lot of drama made about the road to Ballykinlar, which is an A road and 5mins from Clough (and 15mins from Castlewellan).

It's 'A' shite road

Agreed its a shite road and its a bit of a misnomer to hide behind an arbitrary designation of "A" road.

The only significant problem with that location at the Finn is indeed the junction onto the main road which I'll freely admit is currently a crap one with cars flying over that brow coming from Castlewellan. But placing up smart signalling like this would go a long way to mitigating the problem. Other than that, hard to see the roots of any planning objections.

But lets not lose the forest for trees - that land is literally me querying propertypal this evening. More suitable have probable been ignored over the years to chase Ballykinlar and more suitable will probably coming up over the next few years too.

[manwithnoplan]

Potentially good news for Truth Hurts, East Down and Down in general;

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/councillors-overturn-decision-not-to-back-eu-funding-application-by-down-gaa-for-new-centre-of-excellence-AZVJTRKBYZF4BKUJLS2XERJZSQ/

Decidedly mixed feelings on this.


Short term, something is needed. Badly.
Medium term, its probably at a good price and on a sandy base to save some costs in drainage installation.
Long term, its a poor geographic location at the end of very bad roads.


Here is 17 acres of land just off the main Castlewellan Clough road.
Yeah, its ~£300k and you could probably fit in only 3 pitches. But in a ~£12m project, is 3% more worth it when your then located just off a main road slap bang in the (GAA) centroid of the county?


Its only a 25 year lease the county board have on the site. Amortised, thats ~£500k a year then the MoD could potentially pull the rug out from under you?

Near Castlewellan is a slightly better location, but how likely would it be to get planning permission there? Look at the access road for example. A lot of drama made about the road to Ballykinlar, which is an A road and 5mins from Clough (and 15mins from Castlewellan).

It's 'A' shite road

I would seriously question a person's ability to drive if they can't navigate that road.

[johnnycool]

Potentially good news for Truth Hurts, East Down and Down in general;

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/councillors-overturn-decision-not-to-back-eu-funding-application-by-down-gaa-for-new-centre-of-excellence-AZVJTRKBYZF4BKUJLS2XERJZSQ/

Decidedly mixed feelings on this.


Short term, something is needed. Badly.
Medium term, its probably at a good price and on a sandy base to save some costs in drainage installation.
Long term, its a poor geographic location at the end of very bad roads.


Here is 17 acres of land just off the main Castlewellan Clough road.
Yeah, its ~£300k and you could probably fit in only 3 pitches. But in a ~£12m project, is 3% more worth it when your then located just off a main road slap bang in the (GAA) centroid of the county?


Its only a 25 year lease the county board have on the site. Amortised, thats ~£500k a year then the MoD could potentially pull the rug out from under you?

Near Castlewellan is a slightly better location, but how likely would it be to get planning permission there? Look at the access road for example. A lot of drama made about the road to Ballykinlar, which is an A road and 5mins from Clough (and 15mins from Castlewellan).

It's 'A' shite road

I would seriously question a person's ability to drive if they can't navigate that road.

Being from the peninsula I'm happy enough with Ballykinlar but no one can deny it's a shíte road no matter what way you cut it.

[johnnycool]

Shíte weather is having a major impact on fixtures;

chara

CCC have met this evening and given the current weather conditions have decided to postpone all fixtures, adult and juvenile, football and hurling scheduled for Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th of April.


CCC will review matters again on Sunday evening in relation to the coming week.


The All County League Fixtures scheduled for tomorrow night Friday proceed as planned and Clubs are reminded of the protocol surrounding postponements.


Is mise le meas

Seán Óg 

[manwithnoplan]

Shíte weather is having a major impact on fixtures;

chara

CCC have met this evening and given the current weather conditions have decided to postpone all fixtures, adult and juvenile, football and hurling scheduled for Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th of April.


CCC will review matters again on Sunday evening in relation to the coming week.


The All County League Fixtures scheduled for tomorrow night Friday proceed as planned and Clubs are reminded of the protocol surrounding postponements.


Is mise le meas

Seán Óg

It sounds like there are plenty of clubs really struggling with their pitches at the minute, especially those clubs with only one pitch. In this case I think it's the right decision. It could also mean a slightly bigger crowd at the county game, with no premier reserve games tomorrow.

[Truth hurts]

Shíte weather is having a major impact on fixtures;

chara

CCC have met this evening and given the current weather conditions have decided to postpone all fixtures, adult and juvenile, football and hurling scheduled for Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th of April.


CCC will review matters again on Sunday evening in relation to the coming week.


The All County League Fixtures scheduled for tomorrow night Friday proceed as planned and Clubs are reminded of the protocol surrounding postponements.


Is mise le meas

Seán Óg

It sounds like there are plenty of clubs really struggling with their pitches at the minute, especially those clubs with only one pitch. In this case I think it's the right decision. It could also mean a slightly bigger crowd at the county game, with no premier reserve games tomorrow.

The county LGFA has declared that their games will still take place. Would it not make sense, for example, to cancel their games as well, giving the clubs a natural break?