Joe Blacks Predictions

Bredagh to win the senior championship
Ballymartin the intermediate
Mayobridge the Junior

They say there are no certainties in sport but you can be sure of the senior and junior predictions.

The intermediate championship is less certain Bright or Burren would challange if they got their former coaches on board, but it looks unlikely in both cases. Shamrocks are capable of a championship run and should see off Kilcoo but Ballymartin have held onto their key players, developed a few young players and kept their management team- all in all they should be more together under pressure.

I expect Carryduff to beat Annaclone - I don't know the draw but is an all Belfast final possible?

JoeBlack (Down) - Posts: 3 - 21/05/2009 22:41:01    290517

Dont forget - burren and Carryduff havent played yet. Championship will go to form as it always does.
Bredagh, Clonduff, Saval and Annaclone in the semis

Burren, Bredagh, Ballymartin, Shamrocks in the semis of intermediate

Bridge to win junior

Simple!!

singer (Down) - Posts: 330 - 22/05/2009 09:47:36    290709

how did the championship matches go tonight? I went to the Carryduff game tonight as a neutral and once again singer your wrong at putting teams down! Carryduff showed a display worth mention of. Their full forward had an outstanding game and was a young age. It just shows it doesnt matter how many county players you have on a team....dont think carryduff had any but were equally if not a stronger side than Annaclone who im aware had several on their panel. Fair play to carryduff for gettin a step further in the championship and i would love to see them making the final just purely for their determination

southside (Down) - Posts: 11 - 24/05/2009 00:32:19    291967

Burren fans will be disappointed their girls did not progress at the expense of Bright last night, Bright scored a goal to square the match last kick- it may have been a square ball ? To their credit Burren appear to be improving with every game but it is a very differant team to that which played in this league two years ago while Bright with a few new faces themselves still have the aggression referred to in other comments but look much less organised than they have been over recent years.

In the other tight game at intermediate level Kilcoo beat Shamrocks.

It would appear an all-Belfast final is still a possibility-

JoeBlack (Down) - Posts: 3 - 24/05/2009 17:06:03    292139

Southside - Carryduff have no county senior players as they simply refused to attend county trials... How do they expect to be picked if they do not attend?? Yes there are players certainly good enough to be on that panel - but dont be throwing up that sorta stuff especially not to singer who has had enough digs at county management in the past without giving hem fuel for more. The three senior teams left in the senior championship are all very strong and i fear for Carryduff if they draw the likes of Bredagh who would seriously dint their confidence. Bredagh are one of the best club teams i have ever seen and have at last got the blend right with all their transfers.

duff (Down) - Posts: 145 - 26/05/2009 09:55:11    293940

duff are you's staying on as a management team next year ? Big blow for the ladies if you s move on to bigger things !

sam12345 (Down) - Posts: 24 - 26/05/2009 10:36:39    293984

Duff-Just to clear this up. You are right no Carryduff players attended county trial this year but there are no girls who would expect to get selected. There are a number of reasons whyno one went to trials; firstly this year in a panel of 23 there are 11 senior girls, 8 minors and 4 under16s that make up the carryduff team most of the players are too young to play senior county. There is only one of these 11 players who is not still at tech or uni and many find it hard enough to make club training with work and study commitments on top of their own personal lives and feel they wouldnt be able to commit to county training. It might seem in some way selfish but the girls enjoy playin for their club and when it comes down to it most have no interest in playing county. This may change in a few years when there are girls who have played county at minor and under16 coming through. But for now the team dont feel that they are in any way inferior because they dont have any senior county players and know that whoever comes next in the championship is goin to be tough, especially our neighbours down the road, but all we can do is give it our best and keep our heads up at the end and you never know. Sorry for the long rant!!

theblackspot (Down) - Posts: 17 - 26/05/2009 12:17:57    294106

ok sam12345 - i am not part of or indeed have never been involved with any down ladies team or panel in the past and have no intention of being involved any time soon.... i do however know th two lads in charge and they are extremley disappointed that no one from carryduff attended trials as they won a major piece of silverware last year and were well in contention in the league standings as well.. I however, do not accept your excuses as to why they dont go to trials blackspot. It is an absolute honour to play for your county at any level in any code and for girls to turn it down because they would rather play for their club is not saying a lot for them.. Imagine everyone took that stance - the county wouldn't be worth much in either mens nor the womens games. If asked to go for a trial - you should be jumping for joy and excited by the prospect of playing with the best players in the county week in week out. Last season a girl from St Michaels made the down panel and this year there is another junior player on the panel from Tullylish. At least these girls do their clubs justice and show up for trials.. I honestly feel there isnt enough of a push within carryduff and other clubs towards the county - every club should send at least two players to trials - they might not make it in the end - but at least they gave it a shot. Whilst the club is always number one with any player - the county is just that little bit special.

duff (Down) - Posts: 145 - 26/05/2009 14:42:48    294373

Carryduff provide key players to all of the underage county teams and are very well placed to progress into the senior ranks. I do agree the present Bredagh side are head and shoulders above all else in the top division this year, but i would also back Carryduff against the rest of the senior division, I believe Ballymartin could also cope at the higher level. Its not really about clubs having county stars, its about a group of players committing to play together be it at club or county level.

JoeBlack (Down) - Posts: 3 - 26/05/2009 20:19:21    294838

Playing for your county is an honour but it is also a huge commitment. To attend county training is almost a four hour round trip, by the time you travel there and back. Many of the senior girls made this commitment at minor level, attended every training only to stand on the side line for every match. Also although the set up now is great it wasnt always as good, a couple of years ago there was a time when there was no regular manager or place to train or even time to train and there were friendly matches where only 13 girls showed up. Im not saying that thing are a milion times better now but a bad experience can really put people off. You play sport not for honour or to win but because you enjoy it and training your ass off and standing on the sideline is not enjoyable.

theblackspot (Down) - Posts: 17 - 27/05/2009 10:22:46    295142

Yeah it is a massive committment and i totally understand where your players are coming form as i have players on the panel and they are not getting played at present.. It is so frustrating on them as when they come back to club games they are rusty and out of touch with the pace of games.. I feel the county should only be allowed to carry 22 - 24 players and no more. It is so difficult to keep the girls at club level motivated when they ate training with only about 8 or 9 others. Cut the county panels is the only answer.

singer (Down) - Posts: 330 - 28/05/2009 22:48:27    297073

Best of luck to Eliza, Lisa, Kyla, Jenna, Michaela & Aileen in Saturday's InterPro's. A great representation for our clubs & the County!!

leg_end (Down) - Posts: 62 - 29/05/2009 10:50:23    297250

I think Brenda Russell should take the ladies team in Rostrevor next year.She has years of experience and could coach and train the girls well.She also would have the support and respect of everyone in the village.The ladies team has slowly but surely gone down hill this year and the people who take them have to take the blame cause they simply wernt good enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

downsup09 (Down) - Posts: 1 - 02/06/2009 19:47:02    299949

Once again why are people bashing the rostrevormanagement team!
Rostrevor have not gone down hill this they are just playing in a much harded league, they have improved greatly. I heard that they played well against Castlewellan and were only a few points doen at half time but there experiance showed but Rostrevor will gain this experiance as time goes by. They have only been in existence for 3 years. Why do you think the management has not got respect in Rostrevor? ihane not heard anything!

HOwever Brenda Russsel will make a fine coach and leader in years to come but she is still a fine player now and can still play for many years. She is great example to all young footballers

down.sup. (Down) - Posts: 19 - 02/06/2009 20:48:34    299995

Hold on a second, surly downsupo9 your not implying the single factor contributing to Rostrevor's defeats is the management???? Lets look logically at this, a team is created less than 3 years ago and works its way up a long ladder and has managed to reach Senior level, (which by the way all the other teams they are competing against have been in for a number of years and too had to work hard like Rostrevor to get there and stay) and they're expected to beat all round them??? That is completely ridiculous and arent you forgetting they have managed to get points against Annaclone who have been there and have the advantage of experience on their side! You can not compare a team who has only one Senior county member on the team and an age average of 18 against a team like Breadagh who are made up of practically a county panel and have experience on their side!!! Why cant a team be allowed to reach their full potential in their own time and support Ladies teams who are doing the sport proud- for a team to be the best they have to play the best, so give them a break!!!!

The_kid (Down) - Posts: 3 - 02/06/2009 21:50:43    300055

downsup09, you are obviously the sameperson as point111, with the same obsession; get over it!

I hope Carryduff get promoted; they have a lot of potential,and if any team can make the jump from intermediate to senior it willbe them.I can't see Bredagh being touched,though,if they keep their team together;maybe the university summer break will weaken them a bit and give the others a chance

befair (Down) - Posts: 238 - 03/06/2009 01:39:40    300273

So Bredagh continue with their domination of the Senior League and whopped Downpatrick and Clonduff this week, anyone else find this a hard pill to swallow seeing as hardly any of their players hail from Down and the team is basically a 'whose who' of County Stars (non Down)?

leg_end (Down) - Posts: 62 - 03/06/2009 11:31:56    300456

Its comments like the one above the really gets my blood boiling (and I have NO allegiance to Bredagh GAC in ANY format). What is wrong with players joining the club they are closest to in order to play Gaelic Games? If they move to a different location through work or getting married or whatever, are they to quit playing Gaelic Games? Wise up!! The GAA was set up to provide Gaelic Games to ALL regardless off race, creed, religion, and certainly NOT to discriminate where the player was originally born!! I ask you, if a Colm Cooper, or Henry Shefflin or any player that wanted to join your local club, was to move to your area, are you suggesting you would tell them 'Sorry, you cant play for us as you where originally affiliated with a club in another part of Ireland'… Wise Up!!!

One word - Jealousy !
THEMOLE2

THEMOLE2 (Down) - Posts: 1615 - 03/06/2009 13:49:26    300676

I think its an absolute disgrace that Bredagh are allowed to transfer in as many players as they wish. This is not jealousy in any part but there are other clubs in the Belfast area whom these girls could play for - Carryduff, St Pauls, St Galls, St Brigids - so why do they all go to Bredagh... Its simply because our county board are too weak and allow it to happen. There should be a cap of 3 transfers per club each year maximum. No wonder Bredagh can put a team into the senior and intermediate leagues in down - the only thing i fear is that all the good young players who play underage for this club who are down girls - seem to disappear when it gets to senior level. Why - because their competing with Donegal, Tyrone, Derry, Antrim players for a position on the team of their club..... These young girls will be lost to the gaa in a few years and what will you slabber about then - how good every other county is thanks to Bredagh - or the state of our own......... And to compare it to mens sport is totally wrong. There is no team in the county of down who takes all players on offer - and all players dont want to go to the same club - so wise up...

duff (Down) - Posts: 145 - 03/06/2009 15:28:22    300835

Deep breath Mole! I was only asking how people in the county feel about it, I was slating anyone, I don't have a problem with transfers, however, i do feel there should be a limit on how many intercounty transfers a club is allowed each season.
Bredagh are perfectly entitled to recruit players. And I'm not jealous, Envious of their catchment area, which is Donegal, Cavan, Armagh, Fermanagh, Monaghan, any county which is too far to travel for regular 'home town' training, perhaps. My team, along with every other club in the county (except Carryduff and Clonduff who also field a Junior team) have to work hard to support and encourage girls to get 15 to matches never mind training! But that's been the case in the GAA since as long as I've been a member.

leg_end (Down) - Posts: 62 - 03/06/2009 15:48:58    300872