Final Round of Leage Games

cruiserweight

Here are the fixtures for the final round of league games! I am most interested in the relegation battle in division 1B in the NFL, Wexford need to beat Armagh and for Meath to lose to Derry to avoid relegation, it is a long shot but you never know!

FOOTBALL

Division 1A
09/04/2006 Monaghan v Cork (3:30) Castleblaney
09/04/2006 Fermanagh v Offaly (3:30) Enniskillen
09/04/2006 Mayo v Tyrone (3:30) Castlebar
09/04/2006 Kerry v Dublin (3:30) Killarney

Division 1B
09/04/2006 Down v Galway (3:30) Newcastle
09/04/2006 Meath v Derry (3:30) Pairc Tailteann, Navan
09/04/2006 Wexford v Armagh (3:30) Wexford Park
09/04/2006 Laois v Kildare (3:30) Portlaoise

Division 2A
09/04/2006 Clare v Longford (3:30) Cusack Park
09/04/2006 Limerick v Leitrim (3:30) Páirc na nGael
09/04/2006 Roscommon v Donegal (3:30) Hyde Park
09/04/2006 Carlow v London (1:30) Dr Cullen Park

Division 2B
09/04/2006 Cavan v Waterford (3:30) Breffni Park
09/04/2006 Louth v Westmeath (3:30) Drogheda
09/04/2006 Sligo v Wicklow (2:00) Markievicz Park
09/04/2006 Tipperary v Antrim (1:00) Semple Stadium



HURLING

Division 1A
09/04/2006 Cork v Clare (3:30) Páirc Uí Rinn
09/04/2006 Offaly v Waterford (3:30) Birr
09/04/2006 Down v Wexford (1:00) Ballycran

Lemlin

Cavan will be back in Division 1 after this weekend. Hopefully we can be Divison 2 Champs as well.

dcr22B

I know it's a long shot but it'd be great to see the Dubs in the semis of the League. Basically, we need to beat Kerrygold by 5 points and at the same time, require that Mayo beat Tyrone by 4 points. Long shot but I have a funny feeling that we can at least fulfil our part of the bargain.

100th post!

Culchie

hmmm.

I think Kerry will just squeak it tbh.

Mayo/Tyrone will be a big game for Mayo, see what they are made of. If we win it could set us up for the season, if we lose I'm afraid the mental frailities will linger on.

I just have this feeling that the All Ireland is up for grabs this year for several counties, Tyrone and Armagh seem to have come back to the pack a little.

smashey

Lemlin wrote:

Cavan will be back in Division 1 after this weekend. Hopefully we can be Divison 2 Champs as well.

Donegal are already assured of Division 1 football next year. As for the Division 2 title, we have a score to settle with Cavan after last year. Beware.

Lemlin

smashey wrote:

Donegal are already assured of division 1 football next year. As for the division 2 title, we have a score to settle with Cavan after last year. Beware.

It looks like the semis will be Cavan, Louth, Donegal and Limerick.

digiman

Lemlin wrote:

It looks like the semis will be Cavan, Louth, Donegal and Limerick.

It should be pretty much that with Doneagal going on to win, hopefully we will get Louth in the final!!

The Rooster

dcr22B wrote:

.....but I have a funny feeling that we can at least fulfil our part of the bargain.

Love those funny feelings. Check if there's anything on your chair

I think Tyrone are clearly the best team in the country. I'm hoping they'll have lost a little bit of hunger and drive come the summer which will bring them back into the pack.

dcr22B

My chair is clean as a whistle, Rooster!

I'm just hoping we can continue the form that we showed against Mayo but you can't help feeling that our "collapse" against Offaly will end up costing us in the end and the two narrow defeats against Fermanagh and Langerland!

Galileo

Interesting games on sunday alright.

The Dubs can still make it but need help elsewhere. If they get anything against Kerry then Mayo make it regardless of what happens in Castlebar. Of course they can get there without any help if they get a result against Tyrone.

Laois look good as long as they get something against Kildare while Derry have the tricky task of getting something in Pairc Tailteann. If they fail Galway could sneak in by beating Down, but that is a big ask seeing as a lot of their panel are playing Mayo the night before in the U-21 Connacht final. Down can still make it by beating Galway.

As an aside if Cavan, Donegal and Louth go up which is quite possible they will join Tyrone, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh and possibly Monaghan ( if they beat Cork ) in the top flight. When was the last time a province had 8 teams in the top flight?

smashey

Galileo wrote:

As an aside if Cavan, Donegal and Louth go up which is quite possible they will join Tyrone, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh and possibly Monaghan ( if they beat Cork ) in the top flight. When was the last time a province had 8 teams in the top flight?

When did Louth become part of Ulster?:D

Shaque attack

lol thats a good one.... on a more serious note i cant see laois losing to kildare on sunday, everything points to a laois win but the battle for the other three places is very interesting indeed. hard to predict who'll go through but if i had to put money on it i'd say mayo, kerry, laois and derry will make it.

thirdmantackle

if Donegal don't beat Roscommon then Roscommon will be going up to Division 1. And Roscommon are unbeaten in their last 5 games

we'll be winning the Division 2 title then

Iascaire

thirdmantackle wrote:

if Donegal don't beat Roscommon then Roscommon will be going up to Division 1. And Roscommon are unbeaten in their last 5 games

we'll be winning the Division 2 title then

I'm glad you put an IF there:eek:

smashey

thirdmantackle wrote:

if Donegal don't beat Roscommon then Roscommon will be going up to Division 1. And Roscommon are unbeaten in their last 5 games

we'll be winning the Division 2 title then

I think not.

Blackjack

Reckon Mayo will beat Tyrone, especially as they are in Castlebar, they've played very well there this year. Whether it will be by 4 points, I don't know, but its certainly possible.

As Culchie said, this game wil auger well for the all-Ireland, provided we win it.

cruiserweight

An interesting set of results today! Kerry, Laois, Mayo and Galway into league semi finals, with Wexford, Meath, Offaly and Monaghan relegated! Louth, Westmeath, Donegal and Limerick promoted! Poor Cavan miss out again!

I am disappointed with the Wexford result, they came close to beating Armagh, but it would not have mattered in the end as Meath won!

KevIRL

cruiserweight wrote:

Poor Cavan miss out again!

!

2 league wins in one season for Waterford. Unbelievable!

netwhizkid

Kerry & Dublin for the All-Ireland Final please! An excellent game in Killarney, I was at it. Dublin have improved leaps and bounds. A fair result on the day, although Dublin will feel hard done, The gooch rescued Kerry by scoring a point and made 3 more. We owe this man a lot especially considering the hard week for him, (his father died). We made a few blunders on the managerial side of things, still the result was enough.

Mayo improving is delightful, hopefully they will continue to improve so that they could do the hard work with Tyrone in the Championship, and save Kerry the hard work of it. Good to see Kerry progress as last year many pundits were blaming our lack of tough games as a reason for what happened come September. The Laois game will be interesting, I know Micko is a hard nut to crack, He is vintage in the game. I think Kerry will win the league most probably against Armagh in the final (providing we don't meet before it) as they are the only super-power left in it, plus they are defending it. I really do love to see Kerry playing Dublin, Todays game was a vintage played at maximum Championship pace and Dublin are committed as ever. Also both sides were very clean, the only real uncalled tackle was Mark Vaughan's in the opening minutes, he earned a yellow card for his troubles but behaved himself after that infairness to him, A great player and definitely a future all-star.

I predict Dublin will win an All-Ireland in the next 3 yrs if not this year.

Shaque attack

I think Kerry will win the league most probably against Armagh in the final (providing we don't meet before it) as they are the only super-power left in it, plus they are defending it.

emm armagh are'nt in the semi's this year...
Laois v Kerry
Glaway v Mayo

anyone know where they'll be played?

Culchie

Announced later today, wouldn't be surprised if Galway/Mayo is in Dr Hyde Park, or west of the Shannon anyway.

Lemlin

I can't believe that Cavan fooked up

Shaque attack

Culchie wrote:

Announced later today, wouldn't be surprised if Galway/Mayo is in Dr Hyde Park, or west of the Shannon anyway.

sounds likely i hope they put on a double header in croke park though as i'll be in dublin in next sunday

dmeehan

when / where are the venues for the football semis going to be announced?

blackbelt

I think if you look at Dublins performance in the league,you will see a trend.We beat or draw against teams we are not expected to beat and lose against teams we are expected to beat.

Also if you look at the matches Dublin lost,there are some factors that hindered Dublins performance such as being reduced to one man,weather conditions,venues or the fact that there was a reluctance to get stuck in after the melees in Omagh.I think Dublin recovered well and salvaged a lot of pride in the games against Mayo and Kerry.So I will go on record now and predict Dublin to be in the leinster final and making the semi finals.

I think Mayo are on fire though.I can't see them losing against Galway and Kerry should get by Laois.I think this is Mayo's year.The only game they lost against Dublin was convincing and fair but I always wonder if it would have been different with Ciaran McDonald and Conor Mortimer.Kerry are still on track but have lost their edge a little bit.

As for Cavan,I am a bit surprised but the games they won were scalps..one point wins aren't too convincing and I always felt that Cavan were in trouble of losing to a team who aren't in the All Ireland picture.Shocking it would turn out to be Waterford.

Glad to see Offaly go down.They bore the hell out of me in league fixtures.The most entertaining match I saw them in was against Laois in the Leinster quarter final and they still lost.I would like to see Cork follow them but Monaghan are relegated.I think Monaghan will come back to division 1 after next year.Freeman has impressed a lot in the league.

But the big picture is turning to Sam and I think Mayo will reach the final,if so,I hope they don't choke unless its Dublin they are with.The two dream finals for me are Mayo v Dublin or Kerry v Dublin.No puke football please.

Lemlin

blackbelt wrote:

I think if you look at Dublins performance in the league,you will see a trend.We beat or draw against teams we are not expected to beat and lose against teams we are expected to beat.

Also if you look at the matches Dublin lost,there are some factors that hindered Dublins performance such as being reduced to one man,weather conditions,venues or the fact that there was a reluctance to get stuck in after the melees in Omagh.I think Dublin recovered well and salvaged a lot of pride in the games against Mayo and Kerry.So I will go on record now and predict Dublin to be in the leinster final and making the semi finals.

I think Mayo are on fire though.I can't see them losing against Galway and Kerry should get by Laois.I think this is Mayo's year.The only game they lost against Dublin was convincing and fair but I always wonder if it would have been different with Ciaran McDonald and Conor Mortimer.Kerry are still on track but have lost their edge a little bit.

As for Cavan,I am a bit surprised but the games they won were scalps..one point wins aren't too convincing and I always felt that Cavan were in trouble of losing to a team who aren't in the All Ireland picture.Shocking it would turn out to be Waterford.

Glad to see Offaly go down.They bore the hell out of me in league fixtures.The most entertaining match I saw them in was against Laois in the Leinster quarter final and they still lost.I would like to see Cork follow them but Monaghan are relegated.I think Monaghan will come back to division 1 after next year.Freeman has impressed a lot in the league.

But the big picture is turning to Sam and I think Mayo will reach the final,if so,I hope they don't choke unless its Dublin they are with.The two dream finals for me are Mayo v Dublin or Kerry v Dublin.No puke football please.

No puke football as opposed to what, a poor Leinster-style showing? When was the last time a Leinster football team even made an All-Ireland semi-final? A good few years now. Most of them are busy being knocked out by the poorer Ulster teams in the early rounds of the qualifiers, the teams you would accuse of playing 'puke football'.

Do yourself a favour and don't jump on the media bandwagon. Spillane invented the term 'puke football' because he couldn't handle Tyrone and Armagh hammering Kerry, which they are still doing to this day.

Defcon 5

My sentiments exactly Lemlin !

Shaque attack

it sounds like the usual crap you'd read in the papers with respect to most of what blackbelt said although tbh i definitely rate dublin this year. theres alot more to come from them but at the same time i reckon they'll have a good run in the qualifiers after being knocked out in the semi's .
i dont think mayo are as good as everyone is saying after watching the game yesterday, imo tyrone are still the best team around and come championship time i think they'll prove it.
really looking forward to laois v kerry it will be a good measure of how far we've come.

i'll also put it on the record that i believe laois will win the leinster this year

KevIRL

Lemlin wrote:

I can't believe that Cavan fooked up

Up the Deise!

elurhs

Semi Final fixtures announced:

Mayo v Galway - Castlebar
Kerry v Laois - Killarney

Should be two good games, and hopefully we'll see some good football.

cournioni

FFS! Useless shower of... :mad:

Lemlin

PORNAPSTER wrote:

FFS! Useless shower of... :mad:

My sentiments exactly. I know a fella down here in Sligo and he plays for Donegal and was saying how Donegal had a good laugh at the Cavan team after their game. Apparently one of the Cavan selectors texted a Dongel selector before the game on Sunday and said "if you's win today, we'll be playing yas in the semis".

All this just a month before our opener against Down. I can only hope the team will be out to prove a point.

Culchie

At the risk of running the Cavan gauntlet, I have to say, I really don't rate Cavan at all.

I'll admit that that is mainly based on last years championship performance against Mayo last year, which was truly the worst game of football ever seen.... but I honestly think Cavan are a long way off a top 6 team.

I'll get me coat now:o

blackbelt

Yap yap Lemlin,you know you quote all of my text for an opinion I give,then go on your ridicule campaign.You probably quote the whole Bible when talking about religion.

Puke football,I'm referring to the dirty tactics of Tyrone.Players who dive and ruin the game of gaelic football.You talk about jumping on the bandwagon,well I'm entitled to feel that way about Tyrone and to a lesser extent Armagh.We are also entitled to quote Spillane as you are to quote everything everyone says.I just don't like that style of football.I'm into a more clean,flowing game of football.You seem to accuse me of branding poorer Ulster counties as puke football.Where do I mention Down,Derry,Donegal,Fermanagh,Cavan and Monaghan as puke football?

You mention Leinster counties not making semi finals either.Well its 2006,a lot can happen.Wow Cavan knocked out Meath,Laois knocked out Derry,so what?I could go on and talk about Ulster teams being knocked out by Connaught teams as well,Mayo beating Cavan.

Shaque Attack,don't get cocky yet because as I remember correctly,Dublin beat Laois the last time in Croke Park for the Leinster final,a match I was at.The predictions going around then was that Laois had the match won and they would win Leinster.That didn't exactly happen and it was Laois who went through the qualifiers.

Just because Laois made the semi final of division 1 doesn't exactly reflect where Dublin and Laois are in terms of the championship.Division 1a is tougher,we have Kerry,Tyrone,Mayo and Cork.The only real difficult teams I see in division 1B is Armagh and Galway.So you had a semi finalist and a quarter finalist while Dublin had the champions,the finalists,and two semi finalists.Dublion and Laois haven't even crossed paths yet,you never know,they might not either.

Lemlin

Culchie wrote:

At the risk of running the Cavan gauntlet, I have to say, I really don't rate Cavan at all.

I'll admit that that is mainly based on last years championship performance against Mayo last year, which was truly the worst game of football ever seen.... but I honestly think Cavan are a long way off a top 6 team.

I'll get me coat now:o

I don't rate them either. As I've said, they're about the fifth best team in Ulster after Armagh, Tyrone, Monaghan and Derry. And even that is debatable. That said, that still makes them better than a majority of Leinster, Connacht and Munster teams, and I do believe they are in the top 16, if not 12, in the country.

blackbelt wrote:

You mention Leinster counties not making semi finals either.Well its 2006,a lot can happen.Wow Cavan knocked out Meath,Laois knocked out Derry,so what?I could go on and talk about Ulster teams being knocked out by Connaught teams as well,Mayo beating Cavan.

Connacht teams knocking out Ulster teams? Where exactly are you getting this from? Mayo were the only Connacht team to knock out an Ulster team last year AFAIK, although I may be wrong. If you want to post an opinion at least try to have some backing for it. Ulster teams consistently knocked out Leinster teams last season. I certainly don't remember Connacht teams consistently knocking out Ulster teams.

blackbelt wrote:

Yap yap Lemlin,you know you quote all of my text for an opinion I give,then go on your ridicule campaign.You probably quote the whole Bible when talking about religion.

Puke football,I'm referring to the dirty tactics of Tyrone.Players who dive and ruin the game of gaelic football.You talk about jumping on the bandwagon,well I'm entitled to feel that way about Tyrone and to a lesser extent Armagh.We are also entitled to quote Spillane as you are to quote everything everyone says.I just don't like that style of football.I'm into a more clean,flowing game of football.You seem to accuse me of branding poorer Ulster counties as puke football.Where do I mention Down,Derry,Donegal,Fermanagh,Cavan and Monaghan as puke football?

Look at the posts above, I'm not the only one to have accussed you of following the media.

The problem I have is that supporters of Kerry and Dublin and the like can't handle their teams losing time and time again to Armagh and Tyrone so they fall back on this 'puke football' crap that Spillane invented.

Tyrone and Armagh are often involved in free flowing fantastic games of football. Just look at the games between the two last year, not to mention the games between Tyrone and Dublin.

There's one thing you have to get into your head: TYRONE AND ARMAGH DON'T WIN BECAUSE OF PUKE FOOTBALL, THEY WIN BECAUSE THEY'RE BETTER. Its as simple as that. Just as Kerry and Dublin were better in the 70s and dominated those.

kaimera

League is not a true indicator for the Championship.

Hell, we've done well against Northern teams in the league the last few years but commeth the Championship..well..look at how we faired against the big two up there.

Relax guys. Only a game

blackbelt

Lemlin,I am not following the media in terms of Dublins progress in the championship.It is also my right to follow the term "puke football" even if it was invented by a Kerryman.

I'm not saying that Tyrone are guilty of this in every match but they are guilty of playing dirty most of the time.The first match against Dublin and the final against Kerry was the cleanest football I saw them play in last years championship.However,the second match against Dublin and the armagh matches were dreadful for this type of unsportmanship.

You could also see the puke football in Omagh back in February.It didn't work for them then though.I just don't like seeing Tyrone cheat to win,thats why I hope they are not in the final this year,end of story.

As far as Leinster teams being knocked out consistently by Ulster teams,can you make a list?I can't remember all the results off hand but it i think its mainly Tyrone and Armagh who did,not Cavan or Monaghan.

You never referred to the question i asked.Where did I say the poorer Ulster counties play puke football?

Lemlin

blackbelt wrote:

Lemlin,I am not following the media in terms of Dublins progress in the championship.It is also my right to follow the term "puke football" even if it was invented by a Kerryman.

I'm not saying that Tyrone are guilty of this in every match but they are guilty of playing dirty most of the time.The first match against Dublin and the final against Kerry was the cleanest football I saw them play in last years championship.However,the second match against Dublin and the armagh matches were dreadful for this type of unsportmanship.

You could also see the puke football in Omagh back in February.It didn't work for them then though.I just don't like seeing Tyrone cheat to win,thats why I hope they are not in the final this year,end of story.

As far as Leinster teams being knocked out consistently by Ulster teams,can you make a list?I can't remember all the results off hand but it i think its mainly Tyrone and Armagh who did,not Cavan or Monaghan.

You never referred to the question i asked.Where did I say the poorer Ulster counties play puke football?

I feel the comment I've highlighted in bold best shows how 'educated' you are on this topic. How could Armagh and Tyrone have been the ones knocking out Leinster teams in the qualifiers when Tyrone only played one qualifier game all year and that was against Monaghan? Armagh won Ulster so they went straight into the quarter finals. Again, impossible for them to beat any Leinster teams in the qualifiers.

Some of your comments really do amaze me and you seem to make shocking statements for someone who claims to know about Gaelic football.

The games where Ulster teams won in the qualifiers:

Donegal beat Wicklow
Monaghan beat Wexford
Monaghan beat Louth
Cavan beat Meath

Then from the quarter finals:

Armagh beat Laois
Tyrone beat Dublin

In the qualifier series, Meath managed a win against Antrim and Laois beat Derry. That means two Ulster sides went out to Leinster teams while 6 Leinster sides fell foul to Ulster teams. Most of the Ulster teams were knocked out by opposition from their own province (Donegal, Fermanagh, Down, Monaghan)

Monaghan actually beat the most Leinster teams yet that's another fact you seem to have forgotten.

Again, your Dublin bias shows when you address the match in February. Are you really wearing glasses that Dublin-tinted that you feel Tyrone were the sole blame for the disgraceful scenes at that match?

As regards the poorer teams not playing puke football, I'm sticking up for my province. You basically said no Ulster teams in the final would mean no puke football but as current standings are, it would also mean that the best teams aren't there.

digiman

Lemlin wrote:

I don't rate them either. As I've said, they're about the fifth best team in Ulster after Armagh, Tyrone, Monaghan and Derry. And even that is debatable. That said, that still makes them better than a majority of Leinster, Connacht and Munster teams, and I do believe they are in the top 16, if not 12, in the country.

Thats very unrealistic Lemlin, you would be lucky enough to be the seventh best team in Ulster. I would rate them as follow:
Tyrone, Armagh, Derry, Donegal, Down, Monaghan, Fermanagh, Cavan, Antrim.
In fairness any team that gets beat by Waterford could be considered in the bottom 3 of the country!!
You will probably say that you beat Donegal last year, fair enough but I think that was a one-of day.

smashey

digiman wrote:

Thats very unrealistic Lemlin, you would be lucky enough to be the seventh best team in Ulster. I would rate them as follow:
Tyrone, Armagh, Derry, Donegal, Down, Monaghan, Fermanagh, Cavan, Antrim.
In fairness any team that gets beat by Waterford could be considered in the bottom 3 of the country!!
You will probably say that you beat Donegal last year, fair enough but I think that was a one-of day.

I was at that game and Donegal were absolutely terrible. They could have snatched a very unlikely victory but for Brendan Devenny missing a last minute penalty. What was common knowledge at the time was the lack of discipline within the squad. I saw a prominent member of the team on the beer a week before the first Championship game. That doesn't happen in Tyrone or Armagh. I think with the new manager, discipline is a big thing and the players seem to be responding to him. Without discounting Derry and Down, if Donegal get their act together, they are the team in Ulster most likely to challenge Tyrone and Armagh.

blackbelt

Lemlin,where does it say in black and white that I brand all Ulster teams of playing puke football?....this is a point you fail to back up so quit riding your Ulster high horse because that is a piss poor argument on your behalf.You talk about me being educated about gaelic football,well nobody on boards could ever hold a candle to you mr gaelic guru.

I could only remember Armagh and Tyrone beating Laois and Dublin,as a Dublin follower I wouldn't remember all the statistics of other counties in the qualifiers that clearly as Dublin were not in the qualifiers.The only other results I could remember in regards to qualifiers was Monaghan and Wexford,Cavan-Meath,Laois-Derry and Laois-Armagh.

Also where do I claim to be highly "educated" in gaelic football anyway?I never once said that.You consistently try putting words in my mouth.You also mention that I'm Dublin biased,well thats where you let your guard down.Its all well and good that you think that but I never said Tyrone were SOLELY responsible,in fact if you dig up the posts of the Tyrone-Dublin game you can quote me as saying it was not acceptable by BOTH teams.However,I do feel,like most,that Tyrone were mostly responsible for it.

I can also go on record to say that you are biased.You claim to defend Ulster football so you had to jump to Tyrones rescue in my previous posts.You also sounded full of distain for a Leinster side being in the all Ireland final.So your pro Ulster football is coming on a bit too strong.Basically what your saying,is that if a Leinster team gets to the final you will be disgusted..dubbing it a poor Leinster showing.

You amaze me Lemlin,coming in with your Ulster rules football and accusing me of branding all Ulster teams of playing puke football but I guess yet again its a situation where you're right and everybody else is wrong

Shaque attack

Originally posted by blackbelt
Shaque Attack,don't get cocky yet because as I remember correctly,Dublin beat Laois the last time in Croke Park for the Leinster final,a match I was at.The predictions going around then was that Laois had the match won and they would win Leinster.That didn't exactly happen and it was Laois who went through the qualifiers.

Just because Laois made the semi final of division 1 doesn't exactly reflect where Dublin and Laois are in terms of the championship.Division 1a is tougher,we have Kerry,Tyrone,Mayo and Cork.The only real difficult teams I see in division 1B is Armagh and Galway.So you had a semi finalist and a quarter finalist while Dublin had the champions,the finalists,and two semi finalists.Dublion and Laois haven't even crossed paths yet,you never know,they might not either.

i was at that match too and laois were beaten on the sideline tbh but its too early for discussion of who'll win leinster i suppose.
btw i wasn't basing my opinion of laois on league form, rather the difference between their form and attitude this year and last year. really should have mentioned that . basing championship form on league form is an easy recipe for losing money at the bookmakers but none the less i still believe laois will beat dublin in the semi's.

nice to see neutral venues for the league semi's, its good to see how important it is considered

The Rooster

I think Dublin and Laois are very closely matched. Both seem to have improved a little on last year. Be interesting to see how Laois do against Kerry. But either way I'd expect a close Leinster semi-final. I'd similarly rate Galway and Mayo.

I think Donegal have the potential to trouble the top 2 in Ulster and other good teams. Most of the rest of Ulster I'd lump in with the likes of Kildare and Meath - if they have a good day and their opponents don't, they can beat almost anyone, but they won't be contending for Sam.

I'd probably rate Cork in Derry, Down, Kildare etc grouping, but towards the top of it.

I can't really predict how the 2006 championship will pan out. I'm hoping Tyrone will have lost a little bit of edge, as the champions seem to do each year. But my favourites for 2007 are Tyrone and Galway.

Lemlin

blackbelt wrote:

Lemlin,where does it say in black and white that I brand all Ulster teams of playing puke football?....this is a point you fail to back up so quit riding your Ulster high horse because that is a piss poor argument on your behalf.You talk about me being educated about gaelic football,well nobody on boards could ever hold a candle to you mr gaelic guru.

I could only remember Armagh and Tyrone beating Laois and Dublin,as a Dublin follower I wouldn't remember all the statistics of other counties in the qualifiers that clearly as Dublin were not in the qualifiers.The only other results I could remember in regards to qualifiers was Monaghan and Wexford,Cavan-Meath,Laois-Derry and Laois-Armagh.

Also where do I claim to be highly "educated" in gaelic football anyway?I never once said that.You consistently try putting words in my mouth.You also mention that I'm Dublin biased,well thats where you let your guard down.Its all well and good that you think that but I never said Tyrone were SOLELY responsible,in fact if you dig up the posts of the Tyrone-Dublin game you can quote me as saying it was not acceptable by BOTH teams.However,I do feel,like most,that Tyrone were mostly responsible for it.

I can also go on record to say that you are biased.You claim to defend Ulster football so you had to jump to Tyrones rescue in my previous posts.You also sounded full of distain for a Leinster side being in the all Ireland final.So your pro Ulster football is coming on a bit too strong.Basically what your saying,is that if a Leinster team gets to the final you will be disgusted..dubbing it a poor Leinster showing.

You amaze me Lemlin,coming in with your Ulster rules football and accusing me of branding all Ulster teams of playing puke football but I guess yet again its a situation where you're right and everybody else is wrong

You exact statement was "You could also see the puke football in Omagh back in February.It didn't work for them then though.I just don't like seeing Tyrone cheat to win,thats why I hope they are not in the final this year,end of story".

Where exactly in that statement does it mention Dublin at all, to me you're blaming Tyrone entirely.

I was backing up Ulster by highlighting the inadequacies of your own province. I'll go on record to say that Leinster is the weakest province for football too, would you disagree with me?

You basically said that if no Ulster team made the final there would be no puke football, are you denying that? I'm standing up for my province like I said.

digiman wrote:

Thats very unrealistic Lemlin, you would be lucky enough to be the seventh best team in Ulster. I would rate them as follow:
Tyrone, Armagh, Derry, Donegal, Down, Monaghan, Fermanagh, Cavan, Antrim.
In fairness any team that gets beat by Waterford could be considered in the bottom 3 of the country!!
You will probably say that you beat Donegal last year, fair enough but I think that was a one-of day.

I don't mind either way, the top teams in Ulster, apart from Armagh Tyrone being one and two, and Antrim being the worst, are highly debatable. I wouldn't bet on league form for anything though TBH.

Culchie

Boy, it's only April and the feathers are flying .... roll on the championship !

opa01_2000

Cavan are poor. I would have to disagree with Lemlin - I think Cavan are in 8th out 9 Ulster teams.

When you see average club players like Eddie Reilly playing full-forward it's time to find another outlet for our sporting enthusiasm. This combined with a useless county board makes it unlikely that there's anything to look forward to.

Lemlin

opa01_2000 wrote:

Cavan are poor. I would have to disagree with Lemlin - I think Cavan are in 8th out 9 Ulster teams.

When you see average club players like Eddie Reilly playing full-forward it's time to find another outlet for our sporting enthusiasm. This combined with a useless county board makes it unlikely that there's anything to look forward to.

I'd disagree. Cavan are poor but we're carrying alot of injuries. Hopefully Gerald Pierson and other players coming back will have an impact on the team.

opa01_2000

Current Standing is based on results. Our results have been poor. Injuries don't matter. If we get to an Ulster final and have 10 players injured we won't get a postponement or a booby prize - we'll just get beaten. With the current selections we'll not reach an Ulster final anyway.

Carb

At the risk of bringing up the league again, I must say I'm very diappointed with how Monaghan's league run went. It seemed to be a case that they played well against the good teams, and bad against the teams they needed/should have beaten. The end result was that they won hardly any of the games. Cork probably on average played worse during the entire league, but got results when it mattered. Unlike another poster, I wouldn't rate Cork at all, based on what I've read in the papers and what I seen last Sunday. The only strong position they seem to have is midfield.

As for Monaghan going forward, it's still a very young team, but playing in division 2 next year will not help any, especially if this years champioship was to come to a quick end. The league could have been so much different. They could have beaten Kerry, should have beaten Tyrone, and apparently were useless against Mayo and Fermanagh. As for the Cork match, they should have stayed in the dressing room, and I suppose the atrocious eather would have worked in Corks favour, but all the excuses in the world won't change the fact they didn't deserve to win.

On the plus side for the championship, Armagh don't seem to be going much better.

cruiserweight

Some interesting proposals for the league from todays Independent

IT may lack the giddy excitement of big championship occasions but there's something about the final day of the Allianz Football League divisional series that's as unique as it's special.

Semi-final and promotion slots are decided amid a whirl of ever-changing permutations while the heavy thud of relegation's trap door is heard at four different venues. Last Sunday, it rattled in Pairc Tailteann, Wexford Park, Enniskillen and Castleblayney as Meath, Wexford, Offaly and Monaghan were despatched down the drop chute.

Meanwhile, Donegal, Limerick, Louth and Westmeath were celebrating promotion which, in the latter's case, was achieved in such unlikely circumstances as to make them feel that maybe the gods are back on their side.

And then there was Kerry, Mayo, Galway and Laois, all heading for the division one semi-finals and the positive spin-off they bestow.

The margins were remarkably tight, with scoring difference deciding that Kerry rather than Tyrone reached the semi-finals, that Meath rather than Kildare or Armagh, were relegated and that Westmeath rather than a mortified Cavan won promotion.

There's a championship air to the final round of the League but, since all teams have only had seven games, there's a substantial lottery element to it, too. For instance, had there been one more series of games, it's likely that the tables would alter considerably - just as they did over previous weeks. And, if there were three extra rounds, would a completely different set of counties have reached semi-finals, won promotion and gone down?

What? More inter-county fixtures? What about the clubs? Amid the higher-profile demands made by the GPA recently, it may have gone unnoticed that one called on the GAA to address the fixtures crisis currently effecting club and county players.

It's a pressing issue but amending the League to give counties extra NFL games would actually bring more order to the club scene, provided the necessary amendments were made to the championship.

Ensure

Here's how. If the League was split three ways (11-11-10), it would ensure that counties in the top two sections would get ten games while those in the lower group would get nine. Under the new system, the League finals would be contested by the top two in each group, with no semi-finals.

So how would the extra games be fitted in? Here's where the championship needs re-visiting. This year's campaign will run for 19 weeks from May 7 to September 19, during which around 65 games will be played. That compares with 112 League games over the past nine weeks.

Because of its unwieldy make-up, it's difficult to put a structured time frame on the championship and, as a result, counties struggle to combine it with club activity. Effectively, the choice is whether to prolong the League in a clearly defined manner and amend the championship format so that it can be played over a shorter period or continue with the present system where it's all but impossible for many counties to plan a club programme throughout the summer.

There's a growing view that it's time to re-examine the 'back door' system which, having served a very useful purpose, may need a lick of paint.

Does it really serve any purpose to give weaker teams a second chance, once they're eliminated from the provincial championship? Surely, they would be better off in the Tommy Murphy Cup. If the weaker teams headed in that direction after their provincial exit and the second chance for stronger counties was confined to those who lost provincial finals, it would be far easier to streamline the programme, creating more openings for club activity.

That would also facilitate an extended League programme which would run from mid-January to the end of April. It should also be possible to complete the All-Ireland championships by mid-September which would greatly benefit clubs.

Based on this year's finishing NFL positions, this is how the three divisions would be comprised:

Division One (11): Mayo, Kerry, Tyrone, Dublin, Cork, Laois, Galway, Derry, Down, Kildare, Armagh or Fermanagh.

Division Two (11): Armagh or Fermanagh, Offaly, Monaghan, Meath, Wexford, Donegal, Limerick, Roscommon, Louth, Westmeath, Cavan.

Division Three (10): Leitrim, Longford, Clare, Carlow, London, Tipperary, Sligo, Antrim, Waterford, Wicklow.

That would give three competitive groups, played over a slightly longer period. What's more, counties would be playing at their own level, unlike the championship where there are often big variations in standard.

cournioni

digiman wrote:

Thats very unrealistic Lemlin, you would be lucky enough to be the seventh best team in Ulster. I would rate them as follow:
Tyrone, Armagh, Derry, Donegal, Down, Monaghan, Fermanagh, Cavan, Antrim.
In fairness any team that gets beat by Waterford could be considered in the bottom 3 of the country!!
You will probably say that you beat Donegal last year, fair enough but I think that was a one-of day.

I suppose drawing with Tyrone, beating yourselves and Meath is the form of the third worst team in the country. If that is the case, yourselves and Meath are the 2 worst teams in the country by your reckoning.

Remove your head from your arse please.