They do not have to remain in Senior as they are no longer intermediate champions and are not in the senior league so they have decided to drop down

TheKingdomgael (Down) - Posts: 167 - 03/01/2012 11:37:07    1087992

There are many good teams within the senior league and as Burren are the new promotion team do you think they will struggle in the Senior league? And what players do you think will be there main key players?

GAADOWN (Down) - Posts: 1 - 04/01/2012 20:37:44    1088759

Burren - unless they have changed alot of personnel from three or four years ago will struggle for sure. they simply didnt count last time they went up. Although they might catch a couple of teams on the hop in the early stages of the league - but i doubt it.

B.Ford or
Bredagh
Carryduff
Annaclone
Castlewellan
Downpatrick
Burren
Saval

thats my prediction for league one. Burren to survive - but only just because Saval are actually worse than them with loss of players etc.

Championship - includes Rostrevor as they won the intermediate this year. Would like to say some one different than Bredagh, B.Ford, C.wellan or Downpatrick. It also depends if Carryduff actually field this year in the championship.



Division 2 could be more interesting though

Rostrevor
Shamrocks
Kilcoo
Clonduff
Mayobridge
Tullylish
Teconnaught
Ballymartin

Thats my prediction for league 2. Ballymartin to go as they fell to pieces last season after a very bright opening and then got thrashed in county final again for second successive year. Think Teconnaught could surprise a few this year.

Championship also includes Carryduff II as Junior winners. Rostrevor are out as they won competition last year. Hard to look past Clonduff or Kilcoo for it to be honest. Shamrocks possibly as dark horses.

Division 3

Saul
Bosco
Loughinisland
Carryduff II
Bredagh II
St Michaels

No Carryduff IIs in this championship so St Michaels might finally get their hands on the championship. They have been trying hard for long enough so lets hope they are rewarded for their effots.

singer (Down) - Posts: 330 - 06/01/2012 13:49:36    1089483

Strange that Im agreeing with Singer for a change.

Will be another Bryansford/Bredagh year with Annaclone just not having the firepower to brush off these too hungry sides. I still see a 3rd place in the league for them. I Think Downpatrick will suprise many this year and castlewellan will falter. On the note of Burren they are a much changed side and may suprise you in the league.
Intermediate championship should be between Shamrocks Kilcoo and Clonduff. Shamrocks and Kilcoo have lost their managers but i think im right in saying the twins are back for newry. Kilcoo are always hungry so it just depends what kilcoo team takes the field. Clonduff have employed the services of mark copeland to the managment team with ryan mcshane but they would need to work some miracles with the downeys now headed back to bosco. Balymartin will slip and fall as usual but knowing little on teconaught.....who knows what will show from them

TheKingdomgael (Down) - Posts: 167 - 06/01/2012 14:23:56    1089516

any word on the game today?

fairisfair (Down) - Posts: 1 - 08/01/2012 17:33:50    1090361

Tanked again. I read today that Tyrone have 14 players on university duty and they still hammered down of the pitch. Why are we so weak at county senior level?? Tyrone have good players at all levels from underage up and this bears fruit for them at senior level. Why cant we put in place a structure to do the same?? We are behind at the minute and risk falling further and further behind unless we get our acts together........

singer (Down) - Posts: 330 - 09/01/2012 13:26:04    1090698

Ive said it before and ill say it again. Its the attitude in the county that kills us. Some great footballers dont want to play county. They want to play club and not let anything too much affect their lives other than that. County is too much for some. In the tyrone camp, football is number one, in down its number 2 if not further down the pecking order. I do not question or fault the girls who have turned out to play; I do question the minds of those who choose not to represent their county. We do have better ladies footballers in Down that do not represent county and in many cases are not fully committed to club either.... In our county it is not a lack of ability nor is it a lack of commitment from those who are involved. it is just a pity that the most talented players from youth systems of the past etc have lost interest

TheKingdomgael (Down) - Posts: 167 - 09/01/2012 15:54:40    1090808

Despite committment issues - there must have been something that has turned them off playing county football. Personally i dont see why the girls have to train in annsborough all the time - no harm to annsborough or its people tho. Why cant we get club pitches like the men do? Why cant we get the gear that the men do Are there not enough good players in our county to compete at the top level?

singer (Down) - Posts: 330 - 09/01/2012 18:02:22    1090903

Did anyone play well for the ladies team on Sunday?? I see some of the big names were back in the fold. Does this not put girls off playing for down? Some girls have been trialing and others havent - but yet when the team is picked its a mix of both sets of girls. thats not fair imo.

duff (Down) - Posts: 145 - 10/01/2012 10:10:48    1091105

Great result for the girls yesterday... What was the team for the game - information is hard to get...

singer (Down) - Posts: 330 - 16/01/2012 13:59:33    1094385

Great win for the ladies, especially without the uni girls (obviously Fermanagh were missing players too). A number of minors were playing and a new keeper!

down.sup. (Down) - Posts: 19 - 16/01/2012 16:38:53    1094501

Great to get a win under the belt. Who were the stand out players against fermanagh? are the clubs all under way? any big news on that scene?

TheKingdomgael (Down) - Posts: 167 - 17/01/2012 09:25:43    1094861

Ladies brought back to earth with a complete bang on Wed night. Monaghan who have 13 girls playing for various universities handed out a complete hammering to our ladies. I ask again - why are we so far behind these teams and what can we do to start competing with them. I know Monaghan club football is very strong as well. We need to get to that level in our clubs too. there are too many clubs out there who dont take thier ladies team seriously and just appoint a manager for the sake of it. the ladies need to be coached right from underage up to and including seniors. When is the last time we won a title at club level in ladies Ulster competition?? Why cant we compete here? Surely when we watch the likes of Annaclone, Bredagh and Clonduff in the past getting hammered by various teams from different Ulster counties - we need to sit up and take note. Its not good enough anymore to say - ah but sure they are from tyrone or Donegal or Monaghan - its almost as if we expect to be beaten before the game even starts. The three counties mentioned are streets ahead of us in terms of club preparation and county teams. We need to address this.......... Start with clubs - grass roots and work upwards.

singer (Down) - Posts: 330 - 20/01/2012 18:20:48    1097267

Singer, where you at the match? What sort of squad/team had Down out???

vocational (Down) - Posts: 26 - 20/01/2012 19:18:59    1097332

Singer - When were Annaclone "hammered" by an ulster team?????

bannside (Down) - Posts: 20 - 23/01/2012 18:27:56    1098781

02/10/2011 Glenfin (Donegal) 3.13 - Annaclone 2.07 - If you dont call 9 points a hammering you need to wake up....

singer (Down) - Posts: 330 - 24/01/2012 10:08:48    1099117

singer - 9 points is 3 scores- to me three scores is not a "hammering" . You are strike me as the sort of person who make judgements on the scoreline you see in the paper and not the facts of the match _ the sort of person who has a limited knowledge of football - mens or ladies.
Here are the facts - Annaclone travelled for three hours to get to Donegal. Glenfinn scored 7 points in the first ten minutes without reply - after that Annaclone matched them point for point. Last two minutes Yvonne Mcgonagle (several times an allstar) scored two first class points.
Had the game been played in Annaclone then Gelennfin would have had the hurdle of the three hour drive and things would have been different
I am not saying Annaclone would have beaten them I just telling you 9 points is not a hammering!!!! To say any different belittles the efforts of the Annalone team that day!!

bannside (Down) - Posts: 20 - 24/01/2012 13:29:35    1099343

without causing an increased argument, and maybe not a hammering... 9 points is a large deficet but it does not show the lack of class in the Annaclone side, more the superiority of ladies football in Donegal compared to Down. A 3 hour drive cannot be used as any excuse....as the old saying goes...fail to prepare....prepare to fail. Annaclone managment should have taking the drive into account to ensure it was not affecting the girls. If Down Senior men travelled to ballybofey and ot bear by 9 points....nobody would be blaming the drive. Annaclone had an excellent season but ulster was a step to much for them as it has been for Down champions for a number of years

TheKingdomgael (Down) - Posts: 167 - 24/01/2012 15:01:23    1099477

"singer - 9 points is 3 scores- to me three scores is not a "hammering" . You are strike me as the sort of person who make judgements on the scoreline you see in the paper and not the facts of the match _ the sort of person who has a limited knowledge of football - mens or ladies.
Here are the facts - Annaclone travelled for three hours to get to Donegal. Glenfinn scored 7 points in the first ten minutes without reply - after that Annaclone matched them point for point. Last two minutes Yvonne Mcgonagle (several times an allstar) scored two first class points.
Had the game been played in Annaclone then Gelennfin would have had the hurdle of the three hour drive and things would have been different
I am not saying Annaclone would have beaten them I just telling you 9 points is not a hammering!!!! To say any different belittles the efforts of the Annalone team that day"

Are you serious with your argument? 9 points/3 scores it still amounts to the same thing - a hammering. Get over it. There was nothing to stop the annaclone ladies staying the night before the game in Donegal and do bit of fundraising for it. There was nothing to stop them making the journey early in the morning of the game and taking regular breaks along the route to keep them refreshed. Teams and people travel all the time - dont put a hammering down to travel. I am not belittling the effort of Annaclone either for that matter - county champions in their own right and fully deserved it for their performance. But my point was that other counties like donegal are ahead of us in terms of club teams and county teams. And dont question my knowledge of either code of football - this is a forum where you express your opinion...

singer (Down) - Posts: 330 - 24/01/2012 15:08:37    1099487

in response to both kingdom Gael and singer.
I am not blaming the drive for the defeat -I was putting forward the case that the loss was not a hammering. I was giving you the overview of the game - you cannot say teams get "hammered" because you see the result in the Irish news - were either of you at the game? if you were- then you can make a judgement to the manner of the defeat. If not accept the words of those that were
In particular Singer - you have called for improvements in grass route level of football and then ridicule a team in Annaclone that has just done that. won a senior championship, final of an u16 Championship and is deveoping their ladies structure.
Just to clarify - the team were wll prepared for the game, the journey was broken up with stops for food etc. A small club like Annaclone cannot affored -£2000 to ttake a team overnight. Had the game been in a neutral venue the result would have been different.
Glennfinn had only the opening ten minutes to beat Annaclone as they had to sake off the effects of the journey- How do i Know - Frank McGlynn the Glennfinn manager told me after the game.

bannside (Down) - Posts: 20 - 24/01/2012 17:43:52    1099649