USFC Round 1 : An Cabhan V An Dun

[downredblack]

A Brolly wannabe .

[passedit]

Beat me to it Uladh, sigerson has much more relevance than club football, however the (secondary) point I was making about club football is that being the sole focus of the opposition's 'game plan' tends to toughen you up (mentally and physically) PDQ.

Wobbler are you suggesting that while county football has moved on, club football remains in 1982?

Mc Comiskey may never be the footballer Mickey turned out to be but he is more experienced and battle hardened than Mickey was when he broke onto the scene at the same age. and I think you'll find he's no stranger to the weights room either.

[spiritof91and94]

Paul is constantly training in the gym at The Burrendale Hotel. Although being from East Down it is a wonder he got a look in.

[Fionntamhnach]

There is a curtain raiser before the game at 2.30pm.

[The Bottom Brick]

he is an honest big hallion who belongs to a bygone era

An era where midfielders could win aerial ball, spray perfect low passes into a small full forward line and kick two frees from 50 odd yards?

[neutral]

Could we not hold championshiop replays midweek under floodlights.

[passedit]

he is an honest big hallion who belongs to a bygone era

An era where midfielders could win aerial ball, spray perfect low passes into a small full forward line and kick two frees from 50 odd yards?

Bit touchy there Brick, I think it was meant as a compliment!

[No1]

I suppose beating six cones and an inflatable goalkeeper would be even better preparation again?

Nothing more to add to the comments on the match.  Apart from a well done to Jack Lynch who held his own.

[thewobbler]

Spirit, Passedit - it's pretty obvious McComiskey is eating the weights these days. But as he's only a teenager, he's going to be a few years behind older players in terms of muscle development. More importantly though, he'd be up against lads who are used to using their extra muscle to their advantage, and not up against Division III club players who don't have the speed to catch him, let alone the strength to hold him up.

Passedit - you are festering one of the oldest myths of football, that the further down the leagues you go, the more hatchet men you meet. Over the past couple of years my club has been involved in Divisions I and II, and one of the biggest difference between the tiers is that when an average first division defender lines a player up, he consistently nails him with pace and power, while an average second division player misses the target as often that he hits it. Division I defences also tend to work as units, and when a player is propelled back, he's swamped. Hence Division I football is physically more demanding.

True, you see some bad challenges in lower league football, but the real nasty stuff happens up the top - immovable objects meeting unstoppable forces and all that.

[cavanmaniac]

There is a curtain raiser before the game at 2.30pm.

There is a two-bit contest between a pair of sides from the back arse of nowhere so the GAA can justify leaving the price of admission the same with no concesssion for students, I take it...

[passedit]

Passedit - you are festering one of the oldest myths of football, that the further down the leagues you go, the more hatchet men you meet. Over the past couple of years my club has been involved in Divisions I and II, and one of the biggest difference between the tiers is that when an average first division defender lines a player up, he consistently nails him with pace and power, while an average second division player misses the target as often that he hits it. Division I defences also tend to work as units, and when a player is propelled back, he's swamped. Hence Division I football is physically more demanding.

I harbour no illusions about standards and or toughness in Down club football. What I'm saying is that when you get a talent like Mc Comiskey playing at this level, understandably his club will try to play everything through him and equally understandably the opposition will figure that if he's stopped his teams stopped. The result is that the delivery to him is usually fairly predictable which reduces the impact of his speed and he will generally have at least two players on him when he gets the ball. Then when he gets it he'll be expected work miracles. Thus he passes through a lot more traffic than he would if playing higher up the leagues. Think of it like a test cricketer who gets a sunday leaguer to chuck the ball at him from ten yards to improve his reflexes.

[Uladh]

It's a young man's game. A GAA players best years window is narrowing to 20-27 and there's no merit in holding up a talent as precocious as Cumiskey,especially given the players being proposed in front of him. Physically, he's well able and he has the x factor so scarce in the game at the minute. The best players were always thrown in at 18/19 and they learn on their feet.

[ONeill]

Uladh may be a cretin of the lowest order but he's 100% spot on. McComiskey showed enough in those 15 mins to suggest is should be one of the top/starting 6 forwards in that Down panel. In the same way that young McGourty should start for Antrim and Martin Clarke would have been for Down, if you've got it, use it.

[cavan4ever]

If that Mc Comiskey lad was from Cavan he would be starting but for his own good he should be eased into Inter-County football.

[hectorsheroes]

There were three division 3 players on the finishing Down 15, McComiskey who is a complete class act, simple as that, Packie Downey and Kearney although apparantley he has yet to turn out for Mitchels this year. Says alot about Down at the minute though but lets get behind them, its the start of major rebuilding so give them a chance