Down Club Hurling & Football

[PMG1]

Lads do any of you know what stage the Dwon U16 championship is at? Your county website isn't showing any fixtures or results since U15 competition in 2021 😡

[No1]

https://www.downgaa.net/fixtures

Looks like it's at group stages.

[johnnycool]

Lads do any of you know what stage the Dwon U16 championship is at? Your county website isn't showing any fixtures or results since U15 competition in 2021 😡

Final this Sunday in Liatroim, 11am.

[johnnycool]

last round of the senior hurling championship this weekend with all to play for in the 3 and 4th spots.

All games are at 3.00pm this Sunday to avoid any skullduggery.

We've the top spot secured and Portaferry have second spot secured so the rest all have a shot at either the remaining two semi-final berths.

Ballycran would be favourites for the 3rd spot even if they lose to Liatroim but that could come down to score difference if Bredagh beat us. If we beat Bredagh and Liatroim beat Ballycran then Liatroim would go 3rd on head to heads and Ballycran going 4th with they'd probably prefer.

It's hard to see Carryduff get anything from their game with Portaferry but if we beat Bredagh and Ballycran beat Liatroim then it would be a three way tie for the 4th spot and that would come down to score differences..

Are you all still with me?

[Truth hurts]

Which hurling games are being streamed?

[ck]

I've narrowed it down to 4 now that I think can win it.

But that wasn't the point. There's been a lot of unforeseen results throughout the last month

Has there? I didnt see any major shocks tbh

You wouldn't consider a Glenn team missing Liam and Matty Bagnall plus the suspended Jack McCartan beating Clonduff a major shock?

No. Clonduff poor all year. Glenn got to semi last year. Without those boys I called it as a 50/50

[Splash]

The first round of the Junior Hurling Championship was enjoyable, and has given us some interesting scenarios going into the next round.

Ballyvarley v Ballela was good viewing. Ballyvarley will feel very hard done by over this one. Game was competitive, with both teams in it until the very end.

Ballea very solid from frees. Think they only missed one. Having  a player who can put the ball over from anywhere on the field is a massive asset. However, the fact they only scored 1-01 from play is concerning.

Some controversial decisions, and was unusual to see so much disagreement between a referee and his linesmen/umpires. Refereeing is a tough job, and I'm not one to say what calls were right and which were wrong, but general consensus is Ballela will not be awarded those sort of frees in the next round, or indeed, will get away with some challenges.

Both teams will be a handful for anybody they meet from here on out. Ballela aren't as swash-buckling as some teams, but they know how to get a job done, and can really pull it out of the bag when needs be. Ballyvarley are a young, hungry side, and will want to get another crack at Ballela, and will be out to make amends.

Interesting to see former Antrim hurler Domhnall Nugent with the Ballela men. On the team sheet as 'mentor.' Not really sure what that means, but I'm sure having someone from that level in the club will offer some benefits. Nugent has already played with St John's this year, but would be some craic next year to see him standing in midfield on green and gold. 


Castlewellan and East Belfast was a different game. East Belfast started well, but were blown away in the end. Castlewellan had a lot more in the tank in the second half (and look like they still have more in store). They were strong almost everywhere, and the areas they weren't, they protected well. They seem to have learnt a lot from last years' mistakes, fixed them, and will be hard to stop.

Castlewellan look very fit, and have a couple handy fellas in different positions across the pitch, and someone said they'd fancy them for the intermediate if they were in it. I don't know if they're that far yet, but they certainly seem to have their house in order.


East Belfast just seemed lost. They switched off and allowed Castlewellan to run through them far too easily and take goal chances. I don't think that match is a reflection of how good a team they actually are, and it could very well be the wake up call they needed. They seemed quite stand-offish, and the only plan was to lump the ball into the full forward line and hope for the best. They are a better team than that and I would expect there to be a higher intensity performance in the next round.



This weekend could be interesting.

Ballela v Castlewllan in a top of the table clash could throw up a surprise. Logic says that Castlewellan should be too strong for Ballela. But I don't think Castlewellan will ever get such a good day for hurling again as they did last week. Bright, dry, warm, at home. Things can change when it's a cold, wet day in Ballela, and Ballela drag you down to their level and force you to play their game. Castlewellan probably should come out on top, and there won't be the same types of frees for Ballela to utilise- but Castlewellan's full back line does not look as strong as Ballyvarley's and Ballela might be better from play.

Ballyvarley and East Belfast both find themselves in a must win situation. East Belfast scraped a draw last year, but won comfortably enough in the league this year.

Given there's been several bomb scares this week at Henry Jones, let's hope everybody is safe this weekend, and it sends a message to those behind it than hurling is not going away any time soon.

If both teams play like they did in the last round, Ballyvarley should win comfortably enough. However I doubt East Belfast will play the way they did the last day. I expect them to be far more competitive, and they'll not fear Ballyvarley after dealing with them in the league.

Ballyvarley don't have the same forwards that Castlewellan do, but they could still do damage to East Belfast up front if current form is anything to go by, but East Belfast will be out to keep their league/championship double hopes alive.

[Splash]

Intermediate went much the way it was as expected to, albeit, a closer affair in both games than was expected.

Last years seniors relegation team went head to head with last years junior promotion team, and it went much the way anyone would expect. Wasn't as handy for the Newry men as some had predicted, but they were well worth their win. There are other games Kilclief will be targeting, and this game simply was not one of them, but there is positives to take from it all the same. Very little else to say really. Shamrocks will be happy to get the win, and onto the next one.

Clonduff almost had the shock of the weekend and got a goal to go ahead of the Point with a few minutes left, before the Point tapped in a late minute goal to come away with the win.

Both teams were far from full strength, and both missed plenty of chances, and will have a lot of work to do.

Clonduff will be backing themselves to give Shamrocks a scare based off current form, and Kilclief will be up for it against the Point. Ultimately though, it is hard to see past Shamrocks and Warrenpoint again, given both teams are at home.

There's not a lot more to be said for the intermediate teams. They just don't have the resources to be challenging in the senior championship at the minute. Hopefully some day the senior championship expands further and we have these teams getting exposure to playing the top teams more often.

Unfortunately, it is very hard to be interested in the interlace championship, given 2 of Bredagh/Carryduff/Liatroim/Ballycran will come down and  in all likelihood clean up, it is hard to get as invested as the junior or senior championships. Hopefully someone sorts that soon. The intermediate championship should be for intermediate clubs, not senior clubs who didn't win the senior championship.

One thing I think we need to point out is what bad form it was from the county board to arrange for Clonduff to play both hurling and football on the same day. That's not fair on anybody, and was always going to leave the hurlers in a bad position.  Players shouldn't be forced to choose between one or the other, and nor should spectators. Football is king in Clonduff, and that's okay, but it seems very unfair to fix a hurling game at home on a Sunday afternoon, and at the same time, most of the parish is down the road in Mayobridge watching the footballers against Glenn.

Hopefully we have more cooperation between hurling and football for our clubs and players in the future. Both a great games, no one should be having to pick between them.

[Splash]

[\quote]
I may have the wrong figure on population then, if it is around the 20k mark then surely there is an opportunity there. I know in the past an odd player from RGU have played for Ards teams, as they have no football teams to conflict with, so the Kilclief hurlers are probably all from their own area. As long as it doesn't hurt an existing club in the long term then like you say it would be great to have another club in the area.
[/quote]

Either way, we can all see it's a big area to not be serviced by a hurling team.

Have heard of the odd Downpatrick fella heading across the water (like JC's mate  ), but we all know that the travel involved with that will never appeal to most people.

The only way to properly take advantage of the population is to have a local hurling team in the area.

Would be great to see (as long as it didn't damage another club, as you say- but I'd say it would be alright  )

[Splash]

last round of the senior hurling championship this weekend with all to play for in the 3 and 4th spots.

All games are at 3.00pm this Sunday to avoid any skullduggery.

We've the top spot secured and Portaferry have second spot secured so the rest all have a shot at either the remaining two semi-final berths.

Ballycran would be favourites for the 3rd spot even if they lose to Liatroim but that could come down to score difference if Bredagh beat us. If we beat Bredagh and Liatroim beat Ballycran then Liatroim would go 3rd on head to heads and Ballycran going 4th with they'd probably prefer.

It's hard to see Carryduff get anything from their game with Portaferry but if we beat Bredagh and Ballycran beat Liatroim then it would be a three way tie for the 4th spot and that would come down to score differences..

Are you all still with me?

No one ever said that following the senior championship was going to be easy JC...

[Armaghdog]

Intermediate went much the way it was as expected to, albeit, a closer affair in both games than was expected.

Last years seniors relegation team went head to head with last years junior promotion team, and it went much the way anyone would expect. Wasn't as handy for the Newry men as some had predicted, but they were well worth their win. There are other games Kilclief will be targeting, and this game simply was not one of them, but there is positives to take from it all the same. Very little else to say really. Shamrocks will be happy to get the win, and onto the next one.

Clonduff almost had the shock of the weekend and got a goal to go ahead of the Point with a few minutes left, before the Point tapped in a late minute goal to come away with the win.

Both teams were far from full strength, and both missed plenty of chances, and will have a lot of work to do.

Clonduff will be backing themselves to give Shamrocks a scare based off current form, and Kilclief will be up for it against the Point. Ultimately though, it is hard to see past Shamrocks and Warrenpoint again, given both teams are at home.

There's not a lot more to be said for the intermediate teams. They just don't have the resources to be challenging in the senior championship at the minute. Hopefully some day the senior championship expands further and we have these teams getting exposure to playing the top teams more often.

Unfortunately, it is very hard to be interested in the interlace championship, given 2 of Bredagh/Carryduff/Liatroim/Ballycran will come down and  in all likelihood clean up, it is hard to get as invested as the junior or senior championships. Hopefully someone sorts that soon. The intermediate championship should be for intermediate clubs, not senior clubs who didn't win the senior championship.

One thing I think we need to point out is what bad form it was from the county board to arrange for Clonduff to play both hurling and football on the same day. That's not fair on anybody, and was always going to leave the hurlers in a bad position.  Players shouldn't be forced to choose between one or the other, and nor should spectators. Football is king in Clonduff, and that's okay, but it seems very unfair to fix a hurling game at home on a Sunday afternoon, and at the same time, most of the parish is down the road in Mayobridge watching the footballers against Glenn.

Hopefully we have more cooperation between hurling and football for our clubs and players in the future. Both a great games, no one should be having to pick between them.

Ye I am hearing that in the u16 Hurling championship the final is down for Sunday. It was postponed 2 weeks ago because Carryduff complained as one player from their u14s is involved and they had u14 football championship that weekend. Final now fixed for Sunday morning and county in their wisdom have made Castlewellan play u16 championship on Saturday with many involved in both. You couldn't make it up. There is a dual club 48 rule at adult level. Why not at juvenile. You couldn't make it up!

[Too many steps]

Lads do any of you know what stage the Dwon U16 championship is at? Your county website isn't showing any fixtures or results since U15 competition in 2021 😡

I take it you mean u16 football?

Groups finished today. QF next week. Final scheduled for 12 October.

[johnnycool]

Intermediate went much the way it was as expected to, albeit, a closer affair in both games than was expected.

Last years seniors relegation team went head to head with last years junior promotion team, and it went much the way anyone would expect. Wasn't as handy for the Newry men as some had predicted, but they were well worth their win. There are other games Kilclief will be targeting, and this game simply was not one of them, but there is positives to take from it all the same. Very little else to say really. Shamrocks will be happy to get the win, and onto the next one.

Clonduff almost had the shock of the weekend and got a goal to go ahead of the Point with a few minutes left, before the Point tapped in a late minute goal to come away with the win.

Both teams were far from full strength, and both missed plenty of chances, and will have a lot of work to do.

Clonduff will be backing themselves to give Shamrocks a scare based off current form, and Kilclief will be up for it against the Point. Ultimately though, it is hard to see past Shamrocks and Warrenpoint again, given both teams are at home.

There's not a lot more to be said for the intermediate teams. They just don't have the resources to be challenging in the senior championship at the minute. Hopefully some day the senior championship expands further and we have these teams getting exposure to playing the top teams more often.

Unfortunately, it is very hard to be interested in the interlace championship, given 2 of Bredagh/Carryduff/Liatroim/Ballycran will come down and  in all likelihood clean up, it is hard to get as invested as the junior or senior championships. Hopefully someone sorts that soon. The intermediate championship should be for intermediate clubs, not senior clubs who didn't win the senior championship.

One thing I think we need to point out is what bad form it was from the county board to arrange for Clonduff to play both hurling and football on the same day. That's not fair on anybody, and was always going to leave the hurlers in a bad position.  Players shouldn't be forced to choose between one or the other, and nor should spectators. Football is king in Clonduff, and that's okay, but it seems very unfair to fix a hurling game at home on a Sunday afternoon, and at the same time, most of the parish is down the road in Mayobridge watching the footballers against Glenn.

Hopefully we have more cooperation between hurling and football for our clubs and players in the future. Both a great games, no one should be having to pick between them.

Ye I am hearing that in the u16 Hurling championship the final is down for Sunday. It was postponed 2 weeks ago because Carryduff complained as one player from their u14s is involved and they had u14 football championship that weekend. Final now fixed for Sunday morning and county in their wisdom have made Castlewellan play u16 championship on Saturday with many involved in both. You couldn't make it up. There is a dual club 48 rule at adult level. Why not at juvenile. You couldn't make it up!

didn't prevent Castlewellan prevailing on Sunday so well done to them.

I know they've a few Liatroim lads in their ranks but they need to get as many to commit to minor next year and take it from there. Some really good hurlers in that team.

Underage championships all outside the Ards again for the third or fourth year on the bounce.

Minor - Bredagh
U16   - Castlewellan
U14   - Liatroim


As for your comment on linesmen wanting to overturn referees decisions I've seen it a few times by the same gentleman who when he's refereeing certainly wouldn't stand for it..
He must think he's in the Premier league.

[johnnycool]

It's seems the Liatroim/Murphy experiment is well and truly over, no involvement with them yesterday in Carryduff.

It was strongly rumoured during the week of an acrimonious split but the teamsheets yesterday confirmed it.


Still waiting on the CB confirming but the Senior semifinals in two weeks time look to be;

Ballygalget v Liatroim
Portaferry v Ballycran

Bredagh and Carryduff will be dropping down into the Intermediate grade.

Bredagh TBH were disappointing yesterday, allowing our lads to pop off points at will in the first few minutes but they did manage a few of their own, the two goals in quick succession killed the game off as a competition.
Our lads continued where they left off against Portaferry with a high % of their shots resulting in scores but there was little pressure on the shooter for a lot of them.
All the same, we've been dire for most of the year and no one in Ballygalget of a sound mind saw us sitting top of the round robin in September but it will be for nought if we don't perform in the semi-final.

[Truth hurts]

Why were so many games conceded in the u16 championship at the weekend? Should we go back to a straight knockout championship at underage or are the groups ok?

Do clubs get penalized for not fielding at the juvenile level?