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Wicklow GAA thread

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When do tickets go on sale do ye know? Wife is from Kiltegan so will call down and support ye

thebronze14 (Donegal) - Posts: 62 - 25/06/2026 16:13:22    2681896

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Replying To Hoggie10:  "Winning a trophy in Croke Park for the first time was back in 2007, the Tommy Murphy cup was a momentous day. Tommy Gill was captain and scored a late goal. It did bring great belief to players in the county, unfortunately Mick didn't stay after that, who knows what would have continued for that team if he stayed. Age was not on his side. Delighted for the current team and management. Great game to watch and Delighted to witness it with my young family in Croke Park"
I agree, it was my favourite day as a Wicklow supporter, but we improved after that under Micko. Getting to the last round of qualifiers was tougher than winning the Tommy Murphy.

Bowl (Wicklow) - Posts: 18 - 25/06/2026 18:31:22    2681930

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Replying To Hoggie10:  "Winning a trophy in Croke Park for the first time was back in 2007, the Tommy Murphy cup was a momentous day. Tommy Gill was captain and scored a late goal. It did bring great belief to players in the county, unfortunately Mick didn't stay after that, who knows what would have continued for that team if he stayed. Age was not on his side. Delighted for the current team and management. Great game to watch and Delighted to witness it with my young family in Croke Park"
I think Micko stayed a year or two after that. Micko declined to train or manage the team for the Tommy Murphy. He said that ""( Tommy Murphy Cup) wasn't a name he was familiar with. His segundo, Arthur French took over for that successful campaign. At least these are my recollections of those times. And, no, Micko never won promotion for us, his successor Harry Murphy did but we got demoted the following year having lost a few matches by the minimum score.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 2292 - 25/06/2026 19:29:06    2681934

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Replying To Freethinker:  "I think Micko stayed a year or two after that. Micko declined to train or manage the team for the Tommy Murphy. He said that ""( Tommy Murphy Cup) wasn't a name he was familiar with. His segundo, Arthur French took over for that successful campaign. At least these are my recollections of those times. And, no, Micko never won promotion for us, his successor Harry Murphy did but we got demoted the following year having lost a few matches by the minimum score."
You are correct, Arthur French managed the team during the Tommy Murphy cup winning campaign. I think I'm correct in saying that team won the cup in 2008 and Micko remained manager until defeat by Armagh in Aughrim (replay) at end of 2011 championship. Micko's philosophy was that everything was about the championship, he used the league campaigns to prepare team for championship especially when Wicklow were allowed back into the qualifiers. There is no doubt in my mind that winning the Tommy Murphy cup gave that team confidence. We beat Kildare in Croke Park in 2009 and reached the last twelve (final round of the qualifiers before quarter final) of the All Ireland series the following year, losing to Kildare who qualified for the All Ireland semi-final. It is different now in that Wicklow aren't in the All Ireland series. This will change next season if we manage to win the Tailteann cup in a couple of weeks time. I think promotion out of division four should be a priority but I'm not as sure as I was before. The number of teams who performed well in the league but are out of the championship suggests the championship is most team's priority now. Donegal won division one, Meath won division two; both didn't win quarter finals of All Ireland along with Armagh who performed well in the league.

wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2242 - 26/06/2026 14:01:56    2682068

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While I agree that getting out of division 4 would be more beneficial to our development, the whole point of developing should be to do better in championship. If we win the Tailteann Cup we'll have gone a long way towards achieving the end goal without getting the first step done lol.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is, yes, league is the bread and butter for lower ranked counties, but championship is where history is made.

Bowl (Wicklow) - Posts: 18 - 26/06/2026 23:08:32    2682161

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Our problem in recent years seems to be getting mentally in gear for the league. We seem to improve as the year moves along. There is no doubt that our performances in league and championship are like chalk and cheese. Looking at our Leinster and TC form, there is no way we are playing at Div 4 level. Looking at some power stats for the counties, some have us at 20th - 22nd place. That would be comfortably Div 3, which begs the question, is there a lot of difference in standard between Div 3 and the top 4/5 in Div 4 ? Looking at present form, Wicklow should be a shoo-in for promotion in 27, but as we have found, there are no givens in Div 4.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 2292 - 27/06/2026 12:01:02    2682188

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Anyone see the video footage from the game between Rathnew and Annacurra last Tuesday evening?

kodak13 (Wicklow) - Posts: 139 - 28/06/2026 13:16:02    2682396

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Replying To kodak13:  "Anyone see the video footage from the game between Rathnew and Annacurra last Tuesday evening?"
Nope and haven't heard anything other than that it was a pretty emphatic win for Annacurra.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 2292 - 28/06/2026 14:05:57    2682400

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Replying To kodak13:  "Anyone see the video footage from the game between Rathnew and Annacurra last Tuesday evening?"
Nasty enough incidence to be fair

InterestWicklow (Wicklow) - Posts: 18 - 29/06/2026 10:13:00    2682773

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When do tickets go on sale for Saturday week? Going to be busy with Louth and Mayo there as well!

FearThoir (Wicklow) - Posts: 24 - 29/06/2026 10:16:18    2682774

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Replying To kodak13:  "Anyone see the video footage from the game between Rathnew and Annacurra last Tuesday evening?"
Wasn't a great look

InterestWicklow (Wicklow) - Posts: 18 - 29/06/2026 11:21:32    2682796

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Replying To Freethinker:  "Nope and haven't heard anything other than that it was a pretty emphatic win for Annacurra."
I'm sure you will see it shortly. Nasty incident which won't go down well with the ccc

kodak13 (Wicklow) - Posts: 139 - 29/06/2026 11:27:09    2682800

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Replying To royaldunne:  "What is circulating online that I have seen (didn't see the build up or what happened prior) but it is a disgrace, and I think both clubs should be banned from all grades for at least 1 year."
I would love to know why you think both clubs should be banned.The video shows a player contesting for the ball, falls face down, A Rathnew player on top of him who then repeatedly punches him on the back of the head before stamping on his neck twice while getting up.Maybe you should not post something unless you actually can comprehend what you see.There has been two incidents at minor level already this year involving this club,A disgraceful incident late last year and several incidents in the last no. of years.While last years incident resulted in lengthy bans,It was only because of pressure from the sponsor of Wicklow Gaa.
Wicklow Co.Board have proven to be pretty inept in dealing with this Club,as have most Referee's who seem to be intimidated by them.This recent incident could have left a player paralised for life.
Only a matter of time before something like that actually happens,then County board and the club will be facing a lawsuit for dereliction of duty.
There has to be a high five figure fine and ban from playing in the years rather than months for this.If it happened on the street,There would be a prison sentence. The club officials have to take responsibility for having done v little to stamp this out.

Rockofsense (Wicklow) - Posts: 9 - 29/06/2026 15:12:41    2682921

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Replying To kodak13:  "I'm sure you will see it shortly. Nasty incident which won't go down well with the ccc"
County board will want this like a hole in the head. As another poster has pointed out, the CB has a poor record in dealing with this club. I would imagine this will be no different - and yes, referees have been intimidated over the years - not all, fair play to them, but some. But then, there was a disgraceful video doing the rounds of an incident was it last year involving deliberate striking etc by the other club and I don't think any action was taken, so, I wouldn't hold my breath on this particular incident. It's all down to the referees report. Video footage isn't regarded as evidence.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 2292 - 29/06/2026 17:13:15    2682972

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Replying To Freethinker:  "County board will want this like a hole in the head. As another poster has pointed out, the CB has a poor record in dealing with this club. I would imagine this will be no different - and yes, referees have been intimidated over the years - not all, fair play to them, but some. But then, there was a disgraceful video doing the rounds of an incident was it last year involving deliberate striking etc by the other club and I don't think any action was taken, so, I wouldn't hold my breath on this particular incident. It's all down to the referees report. Video footage isn't regarded as evidence."
County board will do the bare minimum as per usual but it's well past the stage where Rathnew should be banned from all comps for at least a year. Shameful scenes once again

Dunlavin4Miley (Wicklow) - Posts: 43 - 01/07/2026 07:28:36    2683345

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Replying To Dunlavin4Miley:  "County board will do the bare minimum as per usual but it's well past the stage where Rathnew should be banned from all comps for at least a year. Shameful scenes once again"
I've no love for Rathnew and the incident is shocking. However those calling for a blanket ban should reflect on the consequences. The Rathnew no 3 immediately goes to the assistance of the Annacurra player. His concern is for the injured player and is obviously horrified by what has happened. Does he deserve a ban?

themaddog (Wicklow) - Posts: 192 - 01/07/2026 11:45:54    2683410

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Replying To Freethinker:  "County board will want this like a hole in the head. As another poster has pointed out, the CB has a poor record in dealing with this club. I would imagine this will be no different - and yes, referees have been intimidated over the years - not all, fair play to them, but some. But then, there was a disgraceful video doing the rounds of an incident was it last year involving deliberate striking etc by the other club and I don't think any action was taken, so, I wouldn't hold my breath on this particular incident. It's all down to the referees report. Video footage isn't regarded as evidence."
It is easy to blame the county board in such a scenario but they are between a road and hard place in terms of what to do with these culprits. If they ban the club from all competitions, they are punishing all players within the club when it is probably a small few who are involved in these type of incidents. Plus what happens if another club does something similar? Fingers will be pointed at the county board for having a vendetta against one particular club. I think the onus should be on the club itself to have a long hard look at its behaviour and the number and nature of incidents it is becoming involved in on a regular basis - they should really have more regard for their reputation which is becoming more about their bad behaviour than their achievements.

If the clubs within the county feel so strongly, why don't the clubs get together and refuse to play against this particular club or petition the county board and inform them of their unwillingness to line out against them as they are worried about their players safety. This way, the county board have a mandate to punish self same club. But as things stand, it is unlikely the county board can solve what is an on-going problem. Is there anything in the rules of the GAA whereby the county board can refer the matter to Croke Park.

wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2242 - 01/07/2026 12:29:58    2683428

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Replying To themaddog:  "I've no love for Rathnew and the incident is shocking. However those calling for a blanket ban should reflect on the consequences. The Rathnew no 3 immediately goes to the assistance of the Annacurra player. His concern is for the injured player and is obviously horrified by what has happened. Does he deserve a ban?"
You make a fair point, but at the end of the day there's a culture in the club there that needs to be stamped out and clearly Rathnew themselves aren't doing anything about it. County board have been far too soft on these incidents for many many years and they need to show some balls imo

Dunlavin4Miley (Wicklow) - Posts: 43 - 01/07/2026 13:15:48    2683442

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Replying To Dunlavin4Miley:  "You make a fair point, but at the end of the day there's a culture in the club there that needs to be stamped out and clearly Rathnew themselves aren't doing anything about it. County board have been far too soft on these incidents for many many years and they need to show some balls imo"
Club should be banned from senior competitions, if the true GAA players in that club still want to play let them transfer to Glenealy,newtown,St Pats. This happens far to often with Rathnew. Playing GAA is a privillage not a right.
When the ban is over they can return to their club , atleast then they will have experienced how to behave and they players and supporters who forced them into the ban will not be welcomed back and this will help rathnew clean up it's act.

Or any other team that behaves this way across the country.

ulsterrules (Donegal) - Posts: 315 - 01/07/2026 15:28:47    2683470

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