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Let the games begin!!!

  • 05-01-2006 12:38pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,307 ✭✭✭


    The inter county season officially begins tonight when Wexford take on Wicklow in Craanford! Hopefully it will be a good victory for Wexford! We have players returning who will bolster us in defence and attack, in particular in defence Richie Purcell, Leigh O'Brien and Anthony Materson replacing John Cooper in goals should yield an improvement! If John Hudson can stay injury free and if PJ Banville continues to improve we should have an improved attack!

    Does anyone else have any opinions or outlooks for their teams chances in 2006?
    NEW Wexford boss Paul Bealin has to plan without big guns Mattie Forde and Philip Wallace for his first competitive game at the helm - tomorrow night's O'Byrne Cup clash with Wicklow.

    International Rules scoring ace Forde is suffering from a knee injury sustained in the annual fixture between Wexford and the Purple-and-Gold Stars on December 28, and full-back Wallace picked up a hamstring injury in training last Saturday.

    Adding to the problems of the former Dublin midfielder is that also on the unavailable list are midfielder Nicky Lambert and corner-forward John Hegarty, both with hamstring injuries, and attacker Redmond Barry, who is on holidays in Thailand with the Wexford hurling team.

    However, Bealin is optimistic that Forde won't be sidelined for too long. "In Mattie's case, fortunately the problem with his knee is only bruising, so he should be available for the league (which starts on February 5)," explained Bealin, who was appointed to succeed Pat Roe in early November.

    "We'd like to do well in the O'Byrne Cup, but obviously it's more important that we have as many players as possible available for the league, to give ourselves a favourable chance of retaining our Division One status.

    "So it would be unwise to risk any players in tomorrow's match who are not 100 per cent fit," added Bealin, who cut his managerial teeth with his club, Ballyboden St Endas, from 1999 to 2003, winning the Dublin league in his last year.

    Tempering the injury situation for the new boss is that Leigh O'Brien and Rory Stafford, not involved with Pat Roe last year, have all returned to the frame under the new supremo.

    Committed

    "Leigh and Rory are very committed and ambitious for Wexford football and that's a major bonus for us," enthused Bealin, who steered Mullahoran to runners-up spot in the Cavan Championship in the last two years.

    Horsewood clubman O'Brien, whose last outing for Wexford was in the All-Ireland Qualifier loss to Derry in July 2004, has been named at centre-back for tomorrow's game at Craanford, near Gorey (8.0).

    An interesting name in the subs is Adamstown's Richie Purcell, who last played for Wexford in 1997 before moving to New York and lining out in the Connacht Championship.

    On the downside for the Slaneysiders is that Bealin, who played with Dublin from 1987 to 1998, winning an All-Ireland medal in 1995, would like to have had more time to prepare for the clash with the Garden County.

    "Unlike most other counties, we haven't had the opportunity to play any challenge games, as we're still in the process of holding trial matches to check on players from around the county," explained Bealin.

    "Already, we've had four trials and we'll be continuing with this programme until the end of January, when we'll name a panel for the league."

    The clash with Wicklow is being played tomorrow night, rather than at the weekend, because Hugh Kenny's team is going away on holidays on Saturday for a week to Gran Canaria.

    But for the fact that the Craanford club, who have an intermediate football and a junior hurling side, possess excellent floodlighting facilities, Wicklow would have been forced to give Wexford a walk-over.

    "We trained at Craanford on Monday night, and the lights are so good that you could play a hurling match," added Bealin.

    WEXFORD (SF v Wicklow) - A Masterson; C Morris, R Mageean, N Murphy; P Curtis, L O'Brien, D Murphy; B Doyle, P Colfer; C Deeley, D Fogarty, G Sunderland; G O'Grady, J Hudson, PJ Banville.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,307 ✭✭✭cruiserweight


    Also an interesting outlook for th upcoming season from the Irish Independent, don't agree with all of it but some interesting predictions! For example I don't agree that Dublin will win Leinster :)
    5 COUNTIES MAKING PROGRESS
    Monaghan

    The main movers in '05 will seek to establish Division 1 status in '06. If they can do that their progress will have been sustained but it's a tough group they face.

    Galway

    Won an All-Ireland under 21 title, reclaimed the throne in Connacht, lost naively to Cork in an All-Ireland quarter-final. Still heading in the right direction though.

    Carlow

    Liam Hayes has big ambitions for Carlow and after a rare championship win over Offaly maybe those beliefs aren't far-fetched. Promotion from Division 2 of the league must now be a target.

    Down

    Lost out narrowly to Derry in the qualifiers but away from the top level there were significant strides with an Ulster 21 title and then a highly impressive All-Ireland minor title win to celebrate. The only way is up for Down in 2006.

    Wexford

    An obvious choice after reaching a league final and a Leinster semi-final but Pat Roe was in a hurry to get away which is worrying.

    5 COUNTIES LOSING GROUND
    Fermanagh

    The glory team of '04 disappeared without trace in '05. Can they recover their position on the radar again? With Armagh blocking their route to an Ulster final again it's doubtful. That same bolt of lightning could never strike twice.

    Laois

    When they lost to Armagh in an All-Ireland quarter-final in 2003 by just a couple of points they looked like the coming team. Two years and they lost the same match by nine points to the same opposition.

    Limerick

    Have they reached the pinnacle of what they were going to achieve in '04. They again pushed Kerry hard in '05 but, with Liam Kearns gone, will the momentum be sustained?

    Roscommon

    They lost to Louth by a point having beaten London in the Connacht championship by just a point. It was an 'annus horribilis' on and off the field for the Rossies and a slide that now has to be arrested.

    Meath

    Time was not so long ago when they were on every shortlist for the All-Ireland title. Now they would be hard pressed to make the top half in the order of merit. With doubts over the future of established names the ground lost will be hard to make up.

    5 POSSIBLE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
    Michael Meehan (Galway)

    If there is a push from Galway expect the talented corner-forward to lead it. Padraig Joyce has led the Galway attack for the last eight years but in 2006 Meehan will be the focal point with his instinctive eye for a goal and educated left foot.

    Bryan Cullen (Dublin)

    Operated out of position as a roving half-forward in 2005 but still showed what a magnificent and influential player he can be. He hasn't too many weaknesses but if Dublin restore Cullen to the No 6 shirt and build their team around him 2006 should see the best from him.

    Sean Cavanagh (Tyrone)

    He may not be the current player of the year, but he'd surely be the first name on most team sheets for what he can do. Not the quintessential midfielder but is the quintessential modern-day player. He's always good enough to figure on this list.

    Paddy Bradley (Derry)

    Maybe, just maybe, Derry can get it together under new management and make a significant surge. If they do then the most scorned man of 2005, rejected by the international rules selectors and the All Star football selection committee, can play a prominent role as he seeks revenge for those who doubt him.

    Colm Cooper (Kerry)

    Not since Maurice Fitz was in his pomp almost a decade ago has a Kerry forward line been so dependent on one character. If Kerry are to exact retribution for last September Cooper will do the talking. But he may not have the support around him.

    5 PLAYERS IN THEIR LAST SEASON
    Seamus Moynihan (Kerry)

    Now entering his 15th season and with nothing to prove the most valuable defender of his generation may be looking at 2006 as his swansong.

    Dara Ó Sé (Kerry)

    When Moynihan bows out Ó Sé will surely follow, heralding a new and decidedly uncertain future for Kerry football. Like Moynihan, he owes nothing, three All-Ireland medals is a decent haul and if a fourth doesn't arrive in '06 there won't be much point in continuing.

    Kieran McGeeney (Armagh)

    Already the signs are there. He'll be 35 this year, he's already been taken off in an All-Ireland semi-final and now the captain's armband has been handed on to Paul McGrane.

    Ciaran McDonald (Mayo)

    It's hard to see McDonald continue to give the commitment beyond 2006 if Mayo are gone before September again.

    Paddy Christie (Dublin)

    Not as clearcut as any of the above but Christie showed signs of wear and tear in '05 despite captaining Dublin to the Leinster title.

    5 MANAGERS UNDER PRESSURE
    Jack O'Connor (Kerry)

    Well, when is a Kerry football manager not under pressure? After two seasons that yielded two All-Ireland final appearances, one title and just one championship defeat, O'Connor finds himself under the microscope in his own county where there is some dissatisfaction over the failure to make more telling changes at half-time against Tyrone.

    Joe Kernan (Armagh)

    Standards have soared high in Armagh under Kernan's management but so too have expectation levels - one is a consequence of the other. Armagh are a top three team so their currency is now All-Ireland titles, not Ulster or league crowns. That's the pressure Kernan has created for himself.

    Mick O'Dwyer (Laois)

    Led them to the Promised Land in '03 but since then has narrowly lost two Leinster finals and then bowed out tamely to Ulster's big two. His contract ends after this season and if significant progress isn't made Laois may decide to look elsewhere.

    Eamonn Barry (Meath)

    Barry should be enjoying a honeymoon period after replacing the longest serving manager in the modern game. But a highly publicised row over backroom staff with the county board that he survived ensures he will have enemies and that has placed unnecessary pressure on him. He needs the players to pull behind him now.

    Paddy O'Rourke (Down)

    Now into his fourth year, the comfort of reaching an Ulster final with the team at its first attempt has since dissipated. Down have talent coming through and they now expect.

    5 YOUNGSTERS TO WATCH
    Raymond Mulgrew (Tyrone)

    The star of Tyrone's All-Ireland winning minor team in 2004 has graduated to the McKenna Cup panel on duty in the weeks ahead. He can play at midfield or across the half-forward line.

    Charlie Vernon (Armagh)

    Joe Kernan threaded a few new faces into his team in 2005 and Vernon may be the next. Being in direct competition to Kieran McGeeney is the stumbling block however. The 19-year-old was a star of an under-17 international rules team and has a commanding physical presence suitable to centre-back.

    Darren O'Sullivan (Kerry)

    He's an obvious choice after his All-Ireland final cameo last September. O'Sullivan should get decent league exposure and bring a badly needed injection of pace to the Kerry attack.

    Daithí Carroll (Laois)

    From the vast production of Laois minor footballers over the last decade Carroll looks a bit special. He destroyed Dublin among other teams in last year's championship. Mick O'Dwyer can throw in Donie Brennan at the deep end so why not Carroll?

    John Colgan (Down)

    An All-Ireland minor winning captain who was centre-back on his county's under-21 team that lost an All-Ireland final underlines an incredible level of maturity. Down manager Paddy O'Rourke says he will resist the temptation to use him and other minor and under-21s in the league but how can he resist?

    5 THINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN
    1

    Laois to win the National Football League title.

    2

    Cork to end Kerry's four-year reign in Munster.

    3

    Galway to retain their Connacht football title.

    4

    Dublin to retain their Leinster football title.

    5

    Tyrone to reclaim an Ulster football title.

    5 THINGS THAT SHOULD HAPPEN
    1

    The rules of Gaelic football have been preserved by the five-year experimental moratorium but the case for a mark from a kick-out caught between the two 45s - to preserve the art of fielding - and an advantage rule (as proposed by Kilkenny at Congress some years ago) should be examined once more.

    2

    A far greater challenge to the big three (Tyrone, Armagh, Kerry) in football who really had it all their own way in 2005.

    3

    More of Dublin in 2006. Whether you like them or not the atmosphere in Croke Park when they play is intoxicating.

    4

    A more robust and expansive players' injury scheme at all levels in the GAA. The comparisons between Armagh's John Toal and Meath's Richie Kealy are stark.

    5

    The establishment of a games committee that would see the opinions of players, managers, referees and officials collated and discussed on a monthly basis during the league and championship when all problems could be ironed out.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,307 ✭✭✭cruiserweight


    !
    5 THINGS YOU COULD HEAR IN 2006
    "Thank God for that!" Some of his fellow GAA Management members after the outgoing GAA president Sean Kelly clears his desk and shuts the door of his office behind him for the last time!

    "Whatever way you view him he has certainly made an impact." Joe Duffy, Gerry Ryan, Joe Public on the Kelly presidency.

    "We're losing patience. Unless there is a dramatic change in attitude towards player welfare something dramatic is going to happen." Dessie Farrell.

    "I'm happy with what I've done with Laois but I've taken them as far as I can." Mick O'Dwyer bows out in Laois.

    "It has been confirmed that a GAA player tested positive for a banned substance after a championship game on Sunday." GAA statement on a ground-breaking development.

    5 THINGS YOU WON'T HEAR IN 2006
    "We've decided players can enter negotiations with county boards on contracts for the 2007 season." GAA president Nickey Brennan.

    "Put it up to them and those Australians are nothing but a bunch of wimps." Ireland international rules manager John O'Mahony on the eve of the first test.

    "I'm sick and tired of listening to it. You would swear the game of football was only invented in 2002." Any of the 30 rival managers to Tyrone and Armagh.

    "I'm quitting. I'm tired of it. I've had enough. I'm going to look for another challenge in a different sport." Mickey Harte decides he wants no more to do with Tyrone and Gaelic football.

    "It's a wonderful team. I'd have to agree with every one of the 15 selections. How did they manage to get is so right." Reaction to the All Star football team.


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