I see the county senior team was relegated yesterday, they won div 2 last year and were relegated this year, what has happened?

gaa2 (Down) - Posts: 116 - 12/04/2010 10:56:42    614560

ok i can take a hit on the chin. Last year we had the season of our lives and i really thought this year could only get better - but i was wrong.. If there was any way on getting last years management back on board i would make the earth move in order for it to happen... They obviously had their heads screwed on and i hav eno doubt if they were still involved we would not have been relegated and probably would have pushed on for promotion instead. We need them back - start a petition.....

singer (Down) - Posts: 330 - 15/04/2010 11:16:57    618008

ok singer we ll come back then ;-)

gaa2 (Down) - Posts: 116 - 15/04/2010 13:36:33    618248

How did the matches go last night? Bford beat Dpk 0-14 to 1-7. Good game and close to the end. Played on the big lower pitch and both teams seemed to take a while to settle. Its early season and its hard to tell but both teams will improve as season goes on. Ford seconds won their first ever game against Drumgath. Close enough first 1/4 but then Ford put on a few scores and eventually won by quite a bit. Good to see some of the younger players playing with older "mature" players. Should be good season for the seconds and hopefully we'll be able to offer football to all the girls that maybe just haven't the time or committment to play seniors.

ford_abu (Down) - Posts: 50 - 18/04/2010 14:40:20    620896

castlewellan beat saval 1-11 to 1-7. good tight game, lisa morgan was the difference in the two sides and was able to pick up a string of scores when saval had their full back sin binned. bredagh hammered clonduff and carryduff had a good win over rostrevor. Annaclone picked up a one point win over kilcoo.

jaffa5 (Down) - Posts: 13 - 18/04/2010 16:16:53    620966

Bredagh are back to normality again after their non-Down players returned to Belfast after their Easter holidays. No club will be able to compete when they are at full strength. Lets just concede the league and championship to them now and have a new cup for runners up!!!!! More non-Down county players have been transferred in this year again - where do we draw the line?????

gaa2 (Down) - Posts: 116 - 19/04/2010 12:26:40    621738

In responce to gaa2 there were 2 girls that transfered in this year from outside down. The team that beat Clonduff was made up of girls from the ormeau road with the execption of 4/5 players. The team has changed a huge amout this this year. There are alot of minors playing this year and the younger players being brought through. I assume that you wernt at the game to see the team?

weepats5 (Down) - Posts: 295 - 19/04/2010 12:50:20    621798

wee pat one of the girls brought in is naimh woods correct? she is the tyrone all star if im not mistaken.

cwellantillidie (Down) - Posts: 127 - 19/04/2010 13:20:31    621842

Cathy Conway has come to the club. As far as im aware shes an all star from derry. Havent heard of a niamh woods?!

weepats5 (Down) - Posts: 295 - 19/04/2010 14:51:39    621992

Another good win for the minor Ladies in the Ulster A championship.I was a Clonduff on Saturday, when they comprehensively defeated Cavan. Forwards weere very good, defence still a bit leaky. Toughr challenes await, away to Monaghan and Donegal. Donegal in particular are formidable, last years minor All-Ireland winners and U-16 runners up.
By my reckoning if they beat Monaghan they are through to the Ulster final and All-Ireland quarter-finals, so next weeks match is crucial. Best of luck to the whole squad and to the mamagement, who have done a great job with this team

befair (Down) - Posts: 238 - 19/04/2010 15:21:33    622039

Well thats ok then so long as you have only taken in ONE ALLSTAR!!!!!! How about not taking in any players for a change and playing with home grown players. Even one of the ex Down players you have is really from Antrim and plays camogie for Antrim and her home club Rossa, why does she have to travel right across Belfast to play for Bredagh. Its getting beyond crazy and although there is nothing that can be done about it through the county board or croke park its only a matter of time before the clubs refuse to play against you's at all.

gaa2 (Down) - Posts: 116 - 19/04/2010 15:35:59    622063

Bredagh have brought through a number of minor players this year who have benifited from being with the county minors and are sharper than most at this time of the season. Dont be too surprised if they hold on to their places.

soprano (Down) - Posts: 38 - 19/04/2010 20:48:00    622671

It doesn't matter who plays for what club, i couldn't see castlewellan or bryansfor etc complaining if they were to get transfers. It's just a case that Bredagh is a city based club and when people move to work live or study in Belfast Bredagh is a central club. Bredagh do not go out and poach players, they come through choice. As far as I'm aware (and I'm right on this) Bredagh have won only ONE senior c'ship title up until last year so it's not as if people flock to the club for being successful it's more for handiness. And when people move back home etc they leave Bredagh for eg Denise Maguire came from Fermanagh and I never heard anyone complain when she pulled on a Down jersey. Yes Bredagh do have a camogie player from Antrim but that is simply because football was not really up and running in the area and I don't think a 10 minute drive across town is travelling half way across belfast as you put it! This player has only played for Bredagh and is not a transfer in, therefore a homegrown player.

Enough of all the people talking anyways, Bredagh had a comprehensive win on Saturday night over Clonduff, and the team that lined out hosted only 7 of last years 'first' team. They had new faces in, alot of minors have came up through the ranks and also they have lost alot of girls from last years panel. All the best to the girls, because the Bredagh belles do not and have not got caught up in this gripe that people in county Down seem to have agains them.

guts (Down) - Posts: 3 - 20/04/2010 10:26:03    622997

well form all accounts naimh woods has transfered to you's pat. she is tyrone's centre half back who also captained ulster in 2008 and has various all star awards. basically she is tyrone's best player. so that must be 4 or 5 all star players you have no but not 1 was born and bread any near you club.

as for winning championship last year you's with all your all stars were very lucky to beat us in 1st round if we had of taken 1 of are ten good goal chances we would of won.

least we can be proud of home grown talent not taking in blown ins

cwellantillidie (Down) - Posts: 127 - 20/04/2010 11:37:11    623101

cwellan your information maybe correct. My understanding is that the club are trying to crack down on the amount of transfers coming in. To be honest i dont agree with it myself. I think when players transfer in there isnt the same pride in playing for your parish if you get what im saying. The two girls that im aware of that have transfered in from what i understand is that they will be playing the remainder of there club football at Bredagh. If there are people that move into the parish that want to play football are you saying they should be turned away? Are you saying that if a a girl from another county moved to castlewellan and wanted to play for your club would you turn them away?

weepats5 (Down) - Posts: 295 - 20/04/2010 12:11:58    623151

no pat im not saying that at all i just think there shud be a limit to the amount of transfers you take in

i might have been a bit harsh in my last comment but it reli gets my goat up clubs taking in lots of all star players.

i am friends with a breadgh player and i know your club have chased a few of these girls and that is 100% accurate

cwellantillidie (Down) - Posts: 127 - 20/04/2010 12:58:32    623232

Are you having a laugh castlewellantillidie, castlewellan are renowned for poaching players from neighbouring clubs. Is greg mccartan a castlewellan man?, was colm mcalarney not originally a leitrim man? At one time castlewellan were known as the league of nations, they had players fron annsborough, st johns,leitriem etc. Talk about the the kettle calling the pot black. Burren, castlewellan and loughinisland would be the worst offenders in the county.

heartandsaul (Down) - Posts: 112 - 20/04/2010 13:06:29    623241

Im not sure if players were chased to join Bredagh but if that was the case then i think its joke. If a player wants to play and they turn up to the club then they should be allowed to play. As for chasing players we dont want the game turning into soccer.

weepats5 (Down) - Posts: 295 - 20/04/2010 14:12:41    623370

yes your just right about soccer, I don't see Alex Ferguson chasing away players who are not from Manchester...nor any other soccer teams for that matter, because if it wasn't for transfer windows then teams would not exist!!!!

and no, niamh woods has not transferred to Bredagh. Funny how rumours start on these pages, duno where u got that 1 from...and pleas name the '5' allstars playing for Bredagh??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

guts (Down) - Posts: 3 - 20/04/2010 16:05:12    623566

On the transfer debate it seems Bredagh are "legally" playing it by the book. They are technically not breaking any rules as such. I have to say "morally" I believe Bredagh are not playing it by the book. However each club has a committee to deal with such issues and then take or make their own stance. Every club in Down is guilty to a greater or less extent on this issue, as each has had transfers or atleast has players from outside their parish. Castlewellan are not exempt with their past and present list of players and that includes juveniles and it wasn't that long ago that the county board in their wisdom allowed Clonduff to accept transfers of 3/4 "handy" players from the Newry district. Indeed my own club has had transfers of girls but these were generally from the neighbouring parish that weren't offering football or on a temporary basis. The question is are these clubs doing their best to promote and give girls access to football in an acceptable and reasonable fashion? Theres no question of that in most instances it just seems to be that success is measured by some clubs in terms of actual trophies at the end of the season and not by the amount of juvenile teams or by the numbers turning out at training, or by the progression of the girls in terms of fitness thus health, or indeed by their better performances and skill levels as the season progresses. Have we in Down taken the eye of the ball, has the County Board being guilty of letting these issues being swept under the carpet or indeed have they been complicit in this transfer debacle? Who in Down is going to benefit from an open transfer rule that obviously is more beneficial to 1 club over the many thus leading to a painfully uneven playing field? Rather than claim and counterclaim let the clubs and the County Board address the issues once and for all as it appears none of these transfers will be offering their services to Down county teams. Is there any point in bringing a young or inexperienced team up to Belfast to be hammered by a team of intercounty players? Who is benefitting certainly not the losing team and i'm sure the winning team will glean little satisfaction from such matchs. For Clonduff to score so little is an absurdity as they were County champions recently for a couple of years in a row. Indeed some refs are getting fed up and find these games boring, counterproductive and generally are put off by such 1 sided games. This is a important issue and if not addressed and met head on will lead to more discontent, more back stabbing and eventually will pull the county apart. Is Mise Ford Abu

ford_abu (Down) - Posts: 50 - 20/04/2010 16:09:12    623576