Down Club Hurling & Football

[johnnycool]

No only did they win the U-14 A Camogie Championship. They won the U-14 A LGFA Championship. I think this is the first time this has ever happened in Down.

I think Clonduff may have done similar in the recent past.

[knowbetter]

Will we still be the whipping boys in the junior championship in Ulster?

Depends what championship your talking about.

In hurling I can see Castlewellan giving it a fair rattle and are a strong choice. They have been there or there abouts for years, but lets be honest any team that wins the Junior provincial championship was never a Junior team to begin with.

In Derry Lavy won their 'Junior' I didn't watched the game but seen it was an easy win for them.
They would be my favourites but I also wouldn't call them a Junior team.

EDIT:
Just seen Cuchulainns Armagh are their champions. They were Senior a couple years back. They must have went down hill dramatically but were competing with Keady and Middletown not long ago.

Armagh have also changed their championship were their Senior champions go into Ulster Intermediate and then their Intermediate go into Ulster Junior. Their actually Junior championship just stops within the county. Nice idea to always have a strong representative.

[johnnycool]

I fancy Liatroim to give Glenariffe a right good rattle tomorrow in Loughgiel with the winners of that being favourites to come out of Ulster.

Burt should have too much for Castlewellan, they make up the biggest proportion of the Donegal county team who have improved immensely in recent years.

[Ed Hardy]

Has there been many new faces called into the Down panel for next season?

[Splash]

Find it hard to see past Lavey for Ulster Junior. It's been talked to death by now how the Derry setup leads to stronger clubs in Ulster. Cootehill may give them a game this weekend, but I still think it's Lavey's to lose.

Castlewellan are probably the strongest junior side to come out of Down in a few years, and hopefully will go on a bit of a run. Unfortunately would agree Burt will probably be too strong for Castlewellan. Burt were well beat in the Donegal Junior Final, so don't know how they've ended up in Ulster, but I would imagine it will be a stronger squad with some senior players making an appearance.

Cuchullains won an Armagh championship about 10 years ago, but have gone downhill it seems since. They were in the final a few years ago and were well beat by Middletown. They've been overtaken by Craobh Rua and Derrynoose it would seem. They should make the latter stages of Ulster, though.


Agree the winner of Liatroim/Glenariffe will be favourites for Ulster. The Oisins are very much on the up, and it is probably the hardest game Liatroim could have got. But they are probably saying the same thing up in Glenariffe. Ulster Intermediate is a great championship- feels like any of the teams could win it.

No reason Portaferry can't win the senior. Slaughtneil obviously a massive hurdle but Portaferry have established they are one of the top teams in Ulster.

[Be even better]

Portaferry have every chance against Slaughtneil. A lot of the good minor team are well established and a year stronger. They left something behind them last year. Should be a cracker.
Liatroim v Glenariffe is tough to call but should be a good game also. The game is in Loughgiel and home advantage may help but the way Liatroim dug in second half last Saturday showed the can do it.
Castlewellan have a tough one. Burt seniors finished 3rd in the round robin Donegal SHC and actually won it in 2024 so just like Derry the grading system is out of kilter with the rest of Ulster. Lavey not Junior either. Burt seniors then got nominated for Ulster junior. Their actual seconds lost the Donegal Junior final. Expecting Castlewellan to give a good account of themselves.
Best of luck to all our representatives in Ulster.

[Nanderson]

Will we still be the whipping boys in the junior championship in Ulster?

Depends what championship your talking about.

In hurling I can see Castlewellan giving it a fair rattle and are a strong choice. They have been there or there abouts for years, but lets be honest any team that wins the Junior provincial championship was never a Junior team to begin with.

In Derry Lavy won their 'Junior' I didn't watched the game but seen it was an easy win for them.
They would be my favourites but I also wouldn't call them a Junior team.

EDIT:
Just seen Cuchulainns Armagh are their champions. They were Senior a couple years back. They must have went down hill dramatically but were competing with Keady and Middletown not long ago.

Armagh have also changed their championship were their Senior champions go into Ulster Intermediate and then their Intermediate go into Ulster Junior. Their actually Junior championship just stops within the county. Nice idea to always have a strong representative.

Who approves this? Is it the county that decides it or does Ulster council have to agree to it?

[general_lee]

Just seen Cuchulainns Armagh are their champions. They were Senior a couple years back. They must have went down hill dramatically but were competing with Keady and Middletown not long ago.

Armagh have also changed their championship were their Senior champions go into Ulster Intermediate and then their Intermediate go into Ulster Junior. Their actually Junior championship just stops within the county. Nice idea to always have a strong representative.

For the past 20 or so years the Armagh SHC winners have went into Ulster Intermediate, because that's the level Keady, Middletown and until recently Cuchulainns are at.

Keady and Middletown have both won Ulster intermediate, and I think the rule is, or at least was that they had to compete at senior level for the next 3 years on the provincial stage should they come out of Armagh. They are what I would class "strong intermediate level" teams.

This year an "intermediate" championship was introduced in Armagh, in reality it is Junior level with perhaps the exception of Cuchulainn's (the last time they played in Antrim leagues they were Division 3 so that might give an indication of their ability). The other clubs are all Junior standard. The junior championship in Armagh is more like Junior B, St Malachy's Portadown won it this year and they wouldn't be the strongest.

[nrico2006]

I fancy Liatroim to give Glenariffe a right good rattle tomorrow in Loughgiel with the winners of that being favourites to come out of Ulster.

Burt should have too much for Castlewellan, they make up the biggest proportion of the Donegal county team who have improved immensely in recent years.

Burt wouldnt be any great shakes now and its not like the past when they were the majority of the Donegal team.

[Square Ball]

I fancy Liatroim to give Glenariffe a right good rattle tomorrow in Loughgiel with the winners of that being favourites to come out of Ulster.

Burt should have too much for Castlewellan, they make up the biggest proportion of the Donegal county team who have improved immensely in recent years.

In that neck of the woods so hopefully going to Loughguile for that one.

[Saffrongael]

Liatroim were strong down the middle but just probably didn't have enough outside of the McCrickards when it came to scoring power. They had an extra man for probably the guts of 45 minutes after the Glenariffe sending off. 

Ruairi McCrickard very strong at 3.

[Square Ball]

Liatroim were strong down the middle but just probably didn't have enough outside of the McCrickards when it came to scoring power. They had an extra man for probably the guts of 45 minutes after the Glenariffe sending off. 

Ruairi McCrickard very strong at 3.

Was the red warrented?

[knowbetter]

First round of the Ulster Intermediate and Junior hurling championship over.

Unfortune for Liatroim but they represented the county well. Always a hard ask to travel away and get a result in North Antrim.

Glenariff have been on the up and up over the past number of years. Not that the league really represents a teams true capabilities but they won Division 2 of Antrim this year and beat our Down teams Bredagh and Carryduff comfortably who are on parr with Liatroim.

They will be strong favourites for Ulster now.

Burt beat Castlewellan away by 21 points, so that's interesting and kind of highlighting a couple of flaws in the 'Junior' aspect of the Junior championship but its been spoken about before.

Lavey and Cuchulainn's also won without much contest.

Castleblaney beat Middletown in the intermediate which was probably the most surprising result for me but Armagh hurling has dropped off alot in recent years.

[DuffGael]

First round of the Ulster Intermediate and Junior hurling championship over.

Unfortune for Liatroim but they represented the county well. Always a hard ask to travel away and get a result in North Antrim.

Glenariff have been on the up and up over the past number of years. Not that the league really represents a teams true capabilities but they won Division 2 of Antrim this year and beat our Down teams Bredagh and Carryduff comfortably who are on parr with Liatroim.



They will be strong favourites for Ulster now.

Burt beat Castlewellan away by 21 points, so that's interesting and kind of highlighting a couple of flaws in the 'Junior' aspect of the Junior championship but its been spoken about before.

Lavey and Cuchulainn's also won without much contest.

Castleblaney beat Middletown in the intermediate which was probably the most surprising result for me but Armagh hurling has dropped off alot in recent years.

The reality is our Senior and Intermediate teams are similar in standard to what is in Ulster but our Junior teams are not at that level. The teams in our Intermediate group are closer to the junior level required in Ulster. Should they play Junior and introduce a Junior B for the developing clubs. I seen there was an Ulster junior B completion this year too.
The same could be argued for our Intermediate and Junior football winners too- I hope Saval prove me wrong but Clonoe are a quality side

[Brendan]

Derry man noseying into the hurling chat here and ive been thinking likes of Lisbellaw and Castleblaney would make up the vast majority of their county panels so those clubs players have all the luxuries of an inter county player so does that give them an unfair advantage against the likes of Swatragh who have hardly any county reps. It goes back the GAA trying to do away with inter county teams for counties with less than 5 clubs