Fermanagh Football & Hurling

[Fermanaghandsam]

Anyone at the match last night? Who performed well?

[FermGael]

Team for Sunday. First 2 league games will set the tone for the rest of the year.
1)   Chris Snow, Ederney
2)   Ryan McCluskey, Enniskillen Gaels (Capt)3)   Shane Lyons, St Oliver Plunketts4)   John Woods, Lisnaskea
5)   Marty O'Brien, Devenish6)   Brian Cox, Belcoo7)   Declan McCusker, Ederney
8    James Sherry, Roslea9)   Ryan Jones, Derrygonnelly
10)   Tommy McElroy, Brookborough11)   Shane McCabe, Belcoo12)   Eoin Donnelly, Coa
13)   Paul Ward, Derrygonnelly14)   Daryl Keenan, Tempo,15)   Kane Connor, Belnaleck

[tintin25]

Hard to see where scores will come from. Defense to midfield is solid enough.

[tintin25]

Pleasantly surprised at how well we have started this campaign! Plenty of scores anyway!

[FermGael]

Definitely. 
Sean Quigley was hitting free's for fun on Saturday.  That's one more reliable free taker than we had last year
We have a good defensive system in place and the fitness seems to be good.
Benefit's of a proper pre season.
Would worry that other teams may catch up with our level's of fitness with the break over the next fortnight. 
If anything, the break has come at a bad time for us. 

Next 3 games are all against Ulster teams.  Antrim away, Monaghan at home and Cavan away. They will be tough games.  It's a very tight league and every team has 2 points except us (on four) and Wicklow (on 0).  All to play for.  Both promotion and relegation are still possible. 

[FermGael]

I see the Cullen twins were at Tadgh Kennelly's talent ID day in Dublin for Aussie rules.

[ExiledGael]

Can't say I've ever seen the Cullens play. They must be rated very highly to be invited to that training camp? How good are they or are they county material yet?
Division Three going very well but I'd still be cautious, surviving in this division will be a good result. Few tough games to come, things could still go either way.

[tintin25]

Anybody at the game at the weekend? Sherry and Quigley will be big losses, particularly Quigley as his form had been good.  That said, hopefully a couple of others can come in and do a job. I think 7 points should be enough to stay in the Division.

[ExiledGael]

Bit of a frustrating night on Saturday, Quigley's absence was really felt. Ward and Cecil both had a few bad efforts from frees, Kille in particular after coming on mostly for that job. Missed first one and never looked like converting another after that. Encouraging though that we were well in the game and probably deserved a point despite the fact we are missing quite a few frontliners. Owens, McCluskey and a few Quigleys would really help.
Annoying that after all these years we're still talking about freetaking costing us games.
Truth is they had good bit more quality in the forward line and when Marty went off they dominated the midfield for last 10. Good to see Marty back in the middle and playing well but worrying how it worked out when he left. Finlay has the sweetest left boot I've seen, scored a few gorgeous points.
All in all, not a bad display and still in the shake up near the top. Away to Meath next week will determine whether we spend the next month looking at the teams ahead of us or those nearer the bottom behind us. They are simply bound to improve and a win on Sunday will have given them a boost. Good to see how we respond plus Owens and McCluskey must be getting close to full fitness.

[FermGael]

The tail is well and truly waging the dog i see
The club league fixtures have all ready been changed before the first league games of the year
2nd round of games moved forward to Friday the 19th at 7.15. Completely unrealistic with so many club players working in Belfast and Dublin, never mind the players who are flying home at weekends for games.
And then to make matters worse games have been scheduled for Tuesday 30th of April at 7.15.
Absolute joke and it's only the start of the year.
It will only get worse

[wanderer]

Bit of a joke with the fixtures at the minute, how was this not all discussed before the fixture list was published? There is still some rumours that some games will go ahead, and others scheduled will be postponed
Junior games or any game for adults on a Friday evening at 6:30pm is a joke. You would think they don't want people to play football

[AidyMac]

Agree totally

Biggest joke of the lot is the game on a Tuesday night.  Are the County Board / Senior Team willing to pay men to take time of work and travel to games?

[FermGael]

But the biggest joke it is only the start of the year.
Can you imagine what it will be like if Fermanagh go on a run in the championship?
Time the county board and its delegates grew a set

[wanderer]

You would think we were some sort of football super power the way they carry on. As you say its the start of the year, and why does these fixtures affect junior football where boys are only out for a bit of craic?

[FermGael]

Well any thoughts on yesterday?

Club football is a complete joke at the minute. County champions not toggling out last week in protest of having to play a starred fixtures.  Another round of starred fixtures this weekend and I am sure they will have to do the same on a matter of principle. Fixtures being changed with very little notice and club players getting schedules for games that are useless a week later.

Our county minor team and under 21's have been beaten yet again in the first round of Ulster.
Our minor and U-16 club champions have been continually beaten in the first round of the Ulster club competitions and the same can be said of our senior club champions in the last 5 years.

Our youth set ups have not produced anything in the last 20 years and the county board continue to ignore the problem. Only for St Michael's we would have nothing.

The county board is also badly in debt and they are looking for supporters to pay £120 a year.
Not going to happen because at lot of people would like to know exactly what there money would be spent upon. 

Drastic surgery is needed now otherwise, in the long term, things are going to get a lot worse.