I hear you Malonemagic and if its worth anything you have my sympathy.The arbitrary nature of rule enforcement on GAA fields would drive any sane person to distraction.The same applies to our games schedule.

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 06/04/2016 13:08:43    1842573

Gotmilk I will be honest, I totally understand both arguments, when made rationally, unlike some of UM's hyperbole.

As a Dub, nothing warms the blood like a Leinster final V Meath. To see Meath in the state they are currently in, genuinely is saddening to me. I love them as much as I hate them. I have nothing but Gra for the Meath team of 91. It was a group effort what happened that year, and we all lived to tell the tale together. Am I happy to see Meath reduced to where they are now, and the our games with them reduced to side shows....100% no, I'm not.

Ask Celtic fans are they happy to see Rangers and the state of them in recent years, and 90% will say they are. They will say its great and long may it continue. But, I would bet u the majority are silently happy that the Huns are back next year and the SPL can return to SOMETHING of what it used to be, because the way it is now, is a disaster.

Leinster football is similar. Do I want to lose Leinster finals to Meath...?? NO! But I want them to mean something again. I want to beat them by a point, not a cricket score!

The championship used to begin in early June for us. We would spend May looking forward to it. Nowadays, it doesnt start in reality until August. That, is sad.

The current situation is shambolic, and it needs to change, and soon, Very soon. But for me, the blame lies with Meath, Kildare etc, not Dublin and not funding. Why are Donegal and Mayo able to pool rescources and Meath and Kildare, counties with far more resources, not? Look at Fermanagh last year and what they did and how little they have to work with in comparison.

These counties (Kildare/Meath) need to take a long look internally, there in, for me, lies the problem.

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 06/04/2016 13:15:57    1842575

The gurning over Sky I don't get..

Firstly TV3 isn't an all Ireland entity and should never have been awarded coverage of games which can't be seen by all members of the GAA, so the switch to Sky was an emotive thing rather than practical. You gotta remember years ago the only games shown live were the AI semi-finals and finals and that was just the way it was.

We're better off now, either with Sky and RTÉ or whoever!!

bricktop (Down) - Posts: 2503 - 06/04/2016 13:19:06    1842577

I don't see how so many of you guys and girls don't understand the point I made about the premier league . I'll spell it out . 1 . The premier league has 38 games . Players don't train for weeks without games . 2. Even team has an equal amount of games and an equal amount of home and away games . 3 . Every team can measure progress and has a realistic goal to either win it qualify for champions league avoid relegation or whatever . And 4 . Soccer is professional so pay per view no problem . Gaa is amateur . Based on volunteerism . Plus I'm not from London so paying to watch arsenal is fair enough . But paying to watch laois while the players get no rewards is ridiculous .

Malonemagic (Laois) - Posts: 766 - 06/04/2016 13:19:09    1842578

would u believe of all the times i was in the Hill witnessing and participating in utter bedlam, one of the top 3 occasions was when Robbo scored a dodgy 1-1 inside the last minute to draw with Laois in a Leinster Semi about 10 years ago!

Those genuinely were the days......

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 06/04/2016 13:22:43    1842582

Leinster Semi about 10 years ago! Those genuinely were the days......

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - 06/04/2016 13:22

Ha ha try 17 years ago Liam ;) remember it well. The final is best forgotten about though.

Dubsfan28 (Dublin) - Posts: 2509 - 06/04/2016 13:30:23    1842588

17!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jesus Wept!!

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 06/04/2016 14:01:29    1842606

"1 . The premier league has 38 games . Players don't train for weeks without games .
2. Even team has an equal amount of games and an equal amount of home and away games .
3 . Every team can measure progress and has a realistic goal to either win it qualify for champions league avoid relegation or whatever
4 . Soccer is professional so pay per view no problem ."

1. Is this a player welfare moan now? They may be professional but soccer players frequently have to play three 90 mins-plus matches in the space of a week sometimes travelling large distances (for European games etc) & all through the holiday season at Xmas. I realise they're handsomely paid but it's not exactly ideal for their 'welfare'. Intercounty managers should be releasing players back to their clubs when there are no upcoming fixtures for more than a fortnight.
2. Gaelic Games have a league & a championship - soccer has league & cup(s). Our championships have evolved into being more important than the league whereas it's the opposite in soccer. Sin é.
3. Every GAA team can measure their progress in the league the same as in soccer. Championship is a different animal. Perhaps football people need to realise their county should be competing in something like the Christy Ring Cup in hurling.
4. If you're already paying for SKY & Setanta Sports to watch soccer then it's not costing you a penny extra to watch their GAA coverage.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 06/04/2016 14:43:49    1842634

Spot on there keeper. I would add that in the 'perfect world' of the PL you have 5-6 teams with up to 8 games left to play in the league this season and absolutely nothing to play for except some prize money for finishing higher up the league. They wont be relegated, and cant qualify for Europe but have to fulfil the fixtures. Its fine as they are getting paid but is woefully boring for fans and something amateur players surely would have no interest in seeing introduced to the GAA. Surely Laois should be aiming to defeat Wicklow, put it up to the Dubs in Nowlan Park and then in the likely event of them being beaten putting a run together in the qualifiers similar to Fermanaghs last year which they can build on in the years ahead, rather than just feeling sorry for themselves?

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 06/04/2016 15:05:06    1842647

the leinster championship is actually a mirror image of the laois senior championship, Dublin have won 9/10 portlaoise 9/10 so I can see why it might be depressing there, surely a change at club level might freshen things in the county hardly surprising laois best era came when there was greater competition at club level?

coopersleftfoot (Kerry) - Posts: 91 - 06/04/2016 15:16:03    1842654

the leinster championship is actually a mirror image of the laois senior championship, Dublin have won 9/10 portlaoise 9/10 so I can see why it might be depressing there, surely a change at club level might freshen things in the county hardly surprising laois best era came when there was greater competition at club level?

How would you go about meaningful change at club level, and how at county level to correct this?

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 06/04/2016 15:34:19    1842672

Tearintom you are bang on. I couldn't agree more .

Malonemagic (Laois) - Posts: 766 - 06/04/2016 15:49:55    1842682

Exactly, Soma. The backbone of Laois' relative success in the not-too-distant past was their underage system. They were a real force for a number of years in minor & U21 football. That well seems to have dried up now, though.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 06/04/2016 16:04:03    1842698

Malone stick with it. My brother has not been at a GAA match since the Leinster final of 2010. After that day he lost faith.

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 06/04/2016 16:06:31    1842702

How would you go about meaningful change at club level, and how at county level to correct this?

At club level its easier in Kerry we have divisional sides, or there could be amalgamations for championship one team in portlaoise a huge town is also a joke in a small county. county level is a different kettle of fish impossible I think, my point was a healthy county championship can only help the intercounty team. I would refrence Armagh aswell with cross. the Dublin championship is super competitive which is a huge bonus to Dublin as all their players are benefiting from good training etc making the step up to intercounty less steep. I think bravery is needed in lots of counties at county board level start from club up not intercounty down

coopersleftfoot (Kerry) - Posts: 91 - 06/04/2016 16:13:51    1842710

What would you want changed MaloneMagic to improve things?

I worry that introducing B championships would be detrimental to promoting the games in weaker counties. Would we start losing our talented young players to other games in these counties if a number of teams were left stuck in a second or third tier. You look at Fermanagh, Monaghan, Roscommon teams doing well at underage. Would they have had the same young talent coming through if they were stuck in a lower tier championship for 10 years, with little short term prospect of promotion?

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4226 - 06/04/2016 17:03:43    1842737

I don't see how so many of you guys and girls don't understand the point I made about the premier league . I'll spell it out . 1 . The premier league has 38 games . Players don't train for weeks without games . 2. Even team has an equal amount of games and an equal amount of home and away games . 3 . Every team can measure progress and has a realistic goal to either win it qualify for champions league avoid relegation or whatever . And 4 . Soccer is professional so pay per view no problem . Gaa is amateur . Based on volunteerism . Plus I'm not from London so paying to watch arsenal is fair enough . But paying to watch laois while the players get no rewards is ridiculous .

Malonemagic (Laois) - Posts:403 - 06/04/2016 13:19:09

You pay to go to watch Laois in O'Moore Park so why is it any difference to pay to watch them on TV.

It isn't of course it's juts apparently one of these thing people have an issue with without wanting to admit to their completely hypocritical stance.

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 06/04/2016 17:12:20    1842744

Uibhfhaili1986 I can't believe you think there's no difference between attending a game and watching it on TV. There's supporting the team , enjoying the atmosphere , sharing the experience with thousands of others. If you can't see that then ....

Malonemagic (Laois) - Posts: 766 - 06/04/2016 17:44:16    1842756

Ollie,

"My brother has not been at a GAA match since the Leinster final of 2010. After that day he lost faith."

I wouldn't blame him for that.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 06/04/2016 17:55:21    1842761

The GAA has bigger problems than Dublin to be honest, my interest has been on the wane for a long time because I can no longer ignore that fact that the sport as a whole is a shambles. Organisationally it is all over the place with glaringly obvious mismatches and needless inequities in championship structure. Entertainment wise it has gotten boring as hell, not only because of those inequities but also because the rules haven't kept pace with tactical revolutions.

But most importantly, from a moral and ethical point of view the sport is a cesspool. Its not just the fact that inter county players are whipped like donkeys for their pound of flesh, its not even the fact that 98% of the people actually wanting to play the game with their clubs are treated like inconvenient afterthoughts.

No, the worst part is the players themselves and how they act. It is a sport in which young lads will walk onto a field and intentionally try to physically hurt the man they are marking, they will actively try to do anything to take him out of the game. Young lads wanting to play a game getting punched, spat upon, wrestled, kicked, and of course the ubiquitous verbal abuse. Insulting your mother, your sister, your dead father, your personal life, your religion, whatever can be used will be used in the noble sport of gaelic football.

There will of course be those troglodytes that will call it a "mans game" but the reality is that it isn't a mans game, its just a nasty nasty sport that isn't much fun to play and no longer much fun to watch. I'm with Jamie Clarke on this one, why on earth would anybody want to put themselves through that crap year on year?

Enjoy the sport if you wish, but as the years go on I find less and less to enjoy about it and everything to do with it.

Steve (Fermanagh) - Posts: 293 - 06/04/2016 18:53:49    1842791