http://www.balls.ie/gaa/future-senior-all-ireland-winners/306189

What are people's opinions on this article. The stats are baffling - not even traditional counties like Kerry and Dublin, with bigger populations have anywhere the figures Tyrone produce?

Is this because Tyrone have such a rigid system that only players that have worked on it for years can make the grade at Senior, at which point they execute the system to perfection - whereas players in Dublin and Kerry are slower developers and focus on being developing as individuals?

That aside, how do Tyrone manage not to lose so many minors along the way and how do they manage to make the set-up so successfully. This isn't a one-way team - there are three examples. Is there a blueprint, that the rest of the country can follow?

rover08 (Longford) - Posts: 443 - 27/08/2015 12:30:41    1777034

Fantastic stats for Tyrone. If you look at them closely the majority of players came from 98 and 01 teams and reduced as time went on. There is no doubt MH unearthed an extrembly talented group of footballers at underage level and he was the perfect manager. He was then able to add that group to experienced seniors like Canavan, Dooher, Cavlan, Lawn etc. So yes it worked well but I dont believe there was a blueprint ... just the perfect mix of talent, youth and experience. I honestly think they will struggle to put such a group together again.

sam1884 (UK) - Posts: 999 - 27/08/2015 13:07:53    1777050

Fascinating article. The Tyrone example provides an interesting contrast with the likes of Westmeath and, particularly, Laois who produced very good minor teams in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Neither county seemed to have managed to get the same level of continuity. I think Mickey Harte was/is central to the progression that Tyrone achieved. Laois, for example, were probably missing a similar character. It will be interesting to see if Tipp footballers manage to convert their talented minors into "winning" seniors in the next few years.

football first (None) - Posts: 1259 - 27/08/2015 15:41:17    1777161

Hopefully Tipp can make the step up for the sake of the Munster Championship. Problem they may have is they will be young senior team with little top quality experienced players. They may have to take a few bad years which may sap the confidence. It would be great to have 5 really established quality players for the underage teams to join.

sam1884 (UK) - Posts: 999 - 27/08/2015 15:54:12    1777168

sam1884
County: UK
Posts: 141

1777168
Hopefully Tipp can make the step up for the sake of the Munster Championship. Problem they may have is they will be young senior team with little top quality experienced players. They may have to take a few bad years which may sap the confidence. It would be great to have 5 really established quality players for the underage teams to join.


Yeah, the same point was made re Cavan on another topic some months ago. I think a 2nd wave of successful underage teams must come through to join the established players that remain from the 1st wave.

Donegal had some top players when Jim brought the u21s through.
As mentioned above, Harte had top players on the panel when he brought the underage players through.

In Cavan, and over the next few years in tipp, the manager is starting from a low base and trying to get the first group of players established. It will take another 2-3 successful teams of minors or under 21s coming through IMO. That would mean a consistent DECADE of underage success before Cavan see any real success at Senior level. And I think it will require the same in Tipp's case.

cavanman47 (Cavan) - Posts: 5012 - 27/08/2015 16:10:46    1777174

If Laois had Canavan, Dooher to build a team on I believe they would have had better results. They lost a really good forward in Stephen Kelly to injury.. early on. I could be wrong but not one Westmeath 1995 minor winner or 1999 under 21 winner were on the pitch when the senior team won a Leinster senior medal in 2003. I think there was a few of them on the bench. I don't know how that's possible especially with the 1999 under 21 team.

crikey (Australia) - Posts: 355 - 28/08/2015 10:35:24    1777369

According to Philip Jordan, the figure for the 1998 team should be 11 - they forgot Brian McGuigan and and Ryan Mellon. Freak of a team.

MichaelO (Tyrone) - Posts: 820 - 28/08/2015 14:29:51    1777525