Lads the U-21 football championship got underway at the weekend.

However, i think a big problem now exists with this competition.

Very few clubs are now entering their own teams.

The amount of amalgimations occuring is disappointing and the county board need to consider this issue.

Last years county winners were an amalgimated team (Grange - bruff plus others)

And now i look at the matches that took place at the weekend and the ones arranged for next weekend.

Last Saturday Mulcair Gaels (Ahane and Milford) played Oola in the East B football u-21 championship.

Next weekend i see the fixture list contains Mulcair Gaels V Naomh Brid (Another Amalgamation team of Ballybricken, Kilteely ,and other)

This Mulcair Gaels team contains two senior county footballers (Collins and Joyce-Power)

Yet they are playing in a B football competition.

The county board should consider forcing such amalgamated teams to play in A grade football.

My own club Claghaun have entered the B football competition this year, but what chance of silverware have we when we're coming up against amalgamated sides such as Mulcair United, Castletroy Rovers, Raheen Hotspurs, Shamrock City, Killtula Athletic etc

Great praise must be lauded upon clubs and the managers who have entered their own teams, such as my beloved Claghaun, St. Pa's,Na Piarsaigh to name a few.

I must also ask why Ahane have gone out of their own division to form an amalgamaiton. surely it would make more sense for the Milford players to join their local club Monaleen. Or at least join a club within the city boundaries.

I believe the U-21 format needs to be revised, in light of the path it is going down

claghaun1982 (Limerick) - Posts: 90 - 23/02/2009 18:51:18    215937

I think Shamrock gaels are the combo of st pats and Old Christians

speakers corner (None) - Posts: 62 - 23/02/2009 19:42:56    215991

Just to let you know speakers corner St Patricks are in the u/21 football championship and not shamrock gaels as stated by you......

Stiff1 (Limerick) - Posts: 46 - 24/02/2009 07:41:43    216390

Claughaun 1982, of course it would make sense for the Milford players to play under 21 with Monaleen. The Milford players played under 21 hurling and football with Monaleen for the past two years. As I recall they lost every single match they played in hurling and football and took some very bad beatings in hurling. In my opinion, Monaleen were more interested in trying to poach the Milford lads than try and win an under 21 championship. Because of Monaleen's antics, the Milford players refused to play with them this year. You will no doubt be delighted to hear that Milford will be joining your beloved Claughaun for under 21 hurling!

cove (None) - Posts: 683 - 24/02/2009 08:18:13    216393

Claughaun, just to clarify the Grange situation. Grange was made up of Bruff + 2 others from Fedamore who joined Bruff because Fedamore had no team and these 2 lads wanted to play football. Co.Board forced the name change. Bruff could compete quite well at A level on their own (as shown by their appearance in the final the previous year). Its a similar sitaution this year. Panel of 27 made up of 25 Bruff lads and 2 others namely Nigel Riordan ( Fedamore) and Sean Daly ( Kilmallock) , both of whom joined as their own clubs did not enter U21 football. In both cases the players actually wanted to transfer to Bruff for all grades. They are both entitled to the opportunity to play and we are very happy to accomodate them. I take your point about the number of clubs amalgamating but in most cases this is purely down to a lack of numbers and its been happening for years. Better to have teams amalgamating to form a strong A championship than have a load of weaker teams playing either B or 12 a side.

Red and White (Limerick) - Posts: 44 - 24/02/2009 09:14:10    216421

i have no problems with amalgamations, and certainly all lads should be given the opportunity to play their national game.

but when clubs are exploiting the system by forming a team full of superstars and then only competing in the B competitions, questions must be asked.

how can a club who enters on their own (e.g my own claghaun, mungret also) be expected to compete against dream team amalgamations (castletroy gaels, mulcair gaels, killtula gaels,shamrock gaels etc etc..the list is endless)

re:Cove,
Valid point regarding the beatings suffered by castletroy gaels in previous years, and also on the behaviour of Monaleen who do seem to have a disgusting obsession with eradicating Milford (however, here is not the place to discuss that).

However i question why Ahane/Milford have gone out of their respective divisions to form an amalgamtion...
Inter divisional amalgamtions blur the lines....
Surely it would make more sense on numerous levels for Milford to join up with Patricks?,Or Ahane to join with Ballybricken?
Even simple things such as travelling to trainings....Rhebogue is a lot closer to Milford than Annacotty surely??

What will happen if Milford face Ahane in the all county league this season? You'll have a situtaution where milford lads are playing with Ahane one night, and then playing against them a few days later...

Why also have Mulcair Gaels entered in the B competition???

At claghaun we've entered into the B competition. with the grace of god i pray we'll make it out to the county. But what happens if we meet Mulcair Gaels, a dream team of superstars, containing two established inter county stars and some former minor stars. Ye've a wealth of talent and we'd probably be looking at a serious beating if we faced ye. That to me, seems wrong. The B competition is there to give weaker teams a chance to win silverware, not for big time charlies to take advantage of it and go out and dish out a few hockeyings.

on a less serious note, i'm delighted to hear that ye'r superstars will be coming out to us for the hurling this summer!!!if your boys put the head down i guarantee you'll have a senior county medal in your back pocket come october!!!

claghaun1982 (Limerick) - Posts: 90 - 24/02/2009 13:27:10    216778

People seem to be of the oponion that Shanrock gaels are in the u 21 football championship its news to me St Patricks are in the u/21 A football championship on our own merit.....so claughaun 82 you also have your facts wrong...

Stiff1 (Limerick) - Posts: 46 - 24/02/2009 14:53:22    216940

Shamrock Gaels were a combination of St Pats and Old Christians in the U21 Hurling last year. It may have been a one off, as I believe Pats are on their own this year.

The East U21 Football is one competition(round robin) with 5 teams, top 2 in the A Final, next 2 in the B Final. Oola and Naomh Brid would be favourites for the A Final(only 2 teams entered last year). Mulcair Gaels, Pallasgreen and Cappamore make up the rest of the group.

m_the_d (None) - Posts: 1099 - 24/02/2009 15:57:04    217023

the county board should consider scrapping 21's competition.

our club has no chance against the dream teams!!

it'll be Very disheartening for our players if we come up against mulcair gaels in the county!!

we might aswell not bother even turning up on the day!!!

claghaun1982 (Limerick) - Posts: 90 - 25/02/2009 16:08:41    218056

if ye are tight on guys on age then maybe go the 12 aside route.
Did ye play any game last year?

speakers corner (None) - Posts: 62 - 25/02/2009 22:16:26    218479

claghaun 82, surely your club who are one of only a few clubs in the county to play senior hurling and football have a better underage structure that ye should be competing at U21A level at both codes. you stated claghaun entered U21 B this year. this group consisted of ballybrown, na piarsaigh , claghaun and killulta gaels who are not exactly a strong footballing region. should claghaun not have join up with milford and competed at A level. alot of the amalgamated teams you mentioned are junior A or junior B clubs who even after joining up wouldnt be strong enough for A level. i may be wrong but is there not a gaa rule which stated that if senior or intermediate clubs amalamate at U21 level then that team must play at U21 A level. anyone got rules booklet to verify. hence the reason most of these teams are only playing at B level.

POD09 (Limerick) - Posts: 486 - 26/02/2009 00:53:02    218641

Red and White, This is from the Limerick Leader notes on a recent county board meting on the subject of Grange U21 football team. You will have to admit its a big area to pick from.

"OUR by-laws are out-dated," proclaimed Limerick GAA chairman, Liam Lenihan at the February County Board meeting.
"We have a committee looking at our by-laws" said Lenihan as he spoke out about his frustration of 'free agents' joining other clubs.
The chairman said that he was powerless to stop players choosing what clubs to play with, if their own club was not to field a team at any particular level.
The comments were made as it became apparent that Bruff will play under-21 football in 2009 as Grange, with assistance from players from Kilmallock, Ballybricken-Bohermore and Fedamore.
"There is no rule where we can stop that. I am not in favour of criss-crossing divisions," said Lenihan.

Clubgaa (Limerick) - Posts: 879 - 26/02/2009 09:36:16    218680

ClubGAA - I can tell you - and I am in a position to know - that there is nobody from Ballybricken Bohermore playing football with Grange - that is purely for hurling. And the size of the pick is not correct either. We have not joined with Kilmallock. One player approached Bruff interested in playing U21 football as Kilmallock had no team - Likewise in Fedamore. 2 players coming in, in my opinion, does not make it a huge pick. It is no different from lads transferring to Claughaun from Bruff or anywhere else or from Claughaun to Murroe Boher or any other transfer you want to reference. These 2 lads transferred to Bruff to play U21 Football. We are not joined with Kilmallock or Fedamore or anyone else in U21 Football. The name Grange is now what Bruff will be called going forward at this level as the other club in the parish Camogue Rovers field adult teams and so a name change for u21 was imposed by Co.Board. Anything else you hear or read is untrue.

Red and White (Limerick) - Posts: 44 - 26/02/2009 10:38:23    218767

Totally agree Red and White couldnt have put it better myself. wouldnt read too much into what some others post they clearly havent a clue. To the best of my knowledge it probably will be Bruff that goes on both the south and county cups for 2008 so in a few years time when all this talk about grange (in the parish of bruff) is over people will see that it was Bruff who won the county in 2008 not south east gaels as some might as well refer to it.

Diego_Vega (Limerick) - Posts: 16 - 26/02/2009 12:51:59    218930

i think grange and mulcair gaels should be kicked out of the competition, its gone beyond a joke at this stage...

i implore the county board to conduct a thorough review of the 21's competition.

claghaun1982 (Limerick) - Posts: 90 - 26/02/2009 16:43:57    219230

claghaun1982 u obviously dont have a clue what you are talking about.....kicking teams out of the competition because they have one or two players trasnfered in for the 21's championship. If Grange picked the best players from Bruff,Kilmallock,Fedamore and even Ballybricken whom they havent, they would have a team better than most senior teams. the fact is that they only have one or two players and therefore cant be considered "cheating" and or picking the beset players because they obviously are not.

peilnandeise (Limerick) - Posts: 9 - 26/02/2009 22:19:41    219572

I fancy mungret for the u21 champ this year! Some great young players!

dreamstar (Limerick) - Posts: 37 - 06/03/2009 17:47:34    226075

would you go away out of it, mugret havent done nothing for a few years now, your players are all defecting off to the foreign sports, i'd nearly say ye'll drop down to intermediate within the next two years

claghaun1982 (Limerick) - Posts: 90 - 15/03/2009 15:34:33    232662

claghaun82, mungret are intermediate in hurling and football.

POD09 (Limerick) - Posts: 486 - 15/03/2009 19:43:19    232774

POD:

well spotted,


sorry slight typo on my part, meant to say "will drop down from intermediate"

claghaun1982 (Limerick) - Posts: 90 - 17/03/2009 13:47:08    233715