Let’s call a spade a spade here, Munterconnaught and Maghera have no excuse. They are in an area of huge population growth with large, well attended schools in both parishes.
For clubs like Corlough, the population just isn’t there and we are going to continue to see demographics come into play in the coming years.
What meaningful action can be taken?
Maghera & Corlough are both playing in the junior shield. Mountnugent loosing all 4 games and conceding 16 goals in 2 games plus Killeshandra loosing their four games has to set alarm bells ringing in the county board. Teams and clubs can get into trouble very quickly - playing numbers are down and if there isn't a meaninful action more and more small clubs will fall by the wayside and we'll be left with just the big town teams fielding huge amount of underage teams and 2 or 3 adult teams.
I'd say Maghera are totally screwed to be honest at this stage although that has been said many times over the years and they have managed to keep it going.
Seems a messy enough situation. Adam Reilly would have played underage with Maghera and switched to Cuchulainns after Minor level. I don't think there was an issue then.
Keith Greene is the successful candidate for the Cavan GAA Performance/Talent Development Lead role if the grapevine is to be believed..
https://cavangaa.ie/2024/06/job-opportunity-gaa-performance-talent-development-lead-in-county-cavan/
Never said they were. Never said they didn't lose their discipline and take the bait at the weekend. Never said Gowna were wrong.
I said the referee was a disgrace and ruined the game.
No transfer yet County board put a stop to it. At least one is training away with Cuchulainns and won't play again for Maghera.
What happened with the transfers of the Maghera players to Cucu's? Are those players playing any football currently or in the reserve championship?
Every winning side does do it alright. I'd just feel it's annoying to see refs sometimes in awe of some teams and letting them nearly do whatever
I always find that the players who play on the edge are the biggest gentlemen of pitch and wouldn't say boo to anyone.
Any winning team has an edge to them, it’s a fact of the game. My issue is clubs crying foul when another does it.
You’ll often find the best loved players in clubs are those that other teams hate because they play on the edge.
Hopefully nothing like this happens with the last rounds in Cavan this weekend, some mess to sort out!
https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/longford-football-championship-thrown-into-chaos-over-disputed-half-time-score-as-tv-footage-reviewed/a120797114.html
Or the Gowna team of the 90s
I don’t remember the Gaels team of the noughties being angels when they were dominating Cavan football.
Sidenote: does anyone know where the County Board publishes their disciplinary info? Years back you'd see in the Celt weekly who was banned, for how long and so on after a red card (Joe Bloggs - rest of game, AN Other - 2 weeks etc). I can't see this anymore, yet I saw Damien Barkey play and score a (very important) goal for Ramor last weekend after a straight red the week before. Was he banned, was it appealed, or in process of appeal so he could play in the meantime? Does he miss a dead rubber game next week instead?
Who knows. He was No. 30 in the programme and then came on and made an impact. So he seems to have been initially left out (he's normally a nailed on starter) but did play. Clear as mud as usual
It's common enough around the Country. Cork do it and I think Galway.
Just checked. Donegal at least do our system (only with 16 teams) and they do seed them. Fermanagh base their groupings on League finishing (so seedings in a way). I'll see if there are any more
Not aware of any. But then again not many have this weird format which depends so much on draw luck
Any other county seed teams ?
But to this extent where you have 12 teams but 4 group games? Basic seeding would just have it a little more equitable is all
Don't know Championship should be luck off the draw imo.
Indeed, but if they lose, Kingscourt jump up above them, and then their score difference will drop a bit too (depending on the manner of a loss). So yeah, how much some win by and how much some lose by could tighten this up rightly. Be a very interesting last day, with games on at the same time.
Gives some modicum of equity? If we're gonna have a Championship that's group games and not knockout immediately, maybe teams should have similar levels of games rather than just simple luck of the draw. Basic seeding on positions last year could be done and everyone could get similar games
Ballyhaise on 4 already. I'm assuming there will be a number of teams on 4 points so score difference will likely come into play. Ballinagh are minus 11 and Castlerahan minus seven. Gaels and Ballyhaise are even score.
Why should there be seeding?
Castlerahan too. They'll get to 4 with a win against Laragh. With them and Ballinagh on 4 points and most likely through, we'll potentially see one of Gowna/Killygarry and Ballyhaise/Kingscourt in relegation when they all got tough draws, and the lads at the bottom beat Lavey and Laragh to stay up. Even the Gaels are at risk if Ramor decide they want to play what is a dead rubber to them. Possibly need some sort of seeding
It is odd how the draw has worked out though with the four teams you’d expect for relegation (Rahan, Ballinagh, Laragh & Lavey) nearly having their own mini League amongst each other.
Ballinagh will probably stay Senior by beating Laragh & Lavey, the two worst teams in it. I know Laragh have lads away but they must be absolutely atrocious that they lost to a terrible Lavey team yesterday.
Huge win for Mullahorn, that's two big wins for a young team. So far it's the Lough, Ramor and Mullahorn who are through. Hard to see 3 points being enough, so one of Gowna or Killygarry to lose out.
You could have potentially Ballinagh or Lavey on 4 points alongside Castlerahan and one of the Gaels, Gowna, Killygarry, Ballyhaise and Kingscourt depending on how results go.
Only a win will work for Gowna or Killygarry, and Ballyhaise / Kingscourt would need at least a draw to be sure, and a win for the Gaels to be 100%.
Should be a serious last day for the group on Sunday. Who said this system was boring? :)
As a neutral at Breffni on Saturday evening, Gowna can feel more than lucky to have scraped a draw and the Gaels were hard done by. I was on the terrace on the halfway line and for the whole of the game, Ryan Brady was mauling McKiernan. As the Gaels began to dominate, McKiernan was literally looking across the line to the linesman to do something. The melee came from Gowna pulling and dragging that went unpunished. The Gowna fans that were near me were very worried when it ended as they felt that some of their lads would see the line.
As with most melees it's hard to see who does what so I cannot say that Emmanuel Shehu was rightly sent off or not but if justice was served, a few other lads should have seen the line too. That's not all on the ref. A word 15 minutes earlier from the linesman to the ref might have calmed things down before it got to that point. I thought Pierson was very lucky after the melee not to get a red card. I thought the second red for the Gaels was unbelievably harsh. Favour Shehu goes up to block a handpass and his momentum did mean he clattered a player but didn't look intentional.
You're 100% etuzyuk that Durneen managed that throw ball very badly. He didn't even attempt to get players away from the ball both times almost ensuring there was going to be some form of scrap.
Aside from all that, Gowna were awful. Tiarnan Madden must have a sore back from carrying that team. Aside from him (and a brief spell from Pierson in the first half) they were pedestrain. Walking pace, no ideas and no sense of urgency. I know they have managed to peak in the last two years once it goes into knock out, but if they play like that against Killygarry (who don't fear them) they won't be in the knock out stages this year.
