The honest state of the club scene in your county

I firmly believe that the club scene is dying a slow death with the life blood been drawn out of it with continuously expanding and confusing intercounty scene.
Each year clubs do not know what to expect because if there county get a run the club championship comes to a grinding halt.
People say play away without these players well then you would be handing county titles to town teams hand over fist as the rest of us (small rural clubs) would not be able to compete.
Also the dudlin scene would be decimated - honestly how many intercounty stars ply there trade up there, St Slyvestors spring to mind as the have 2 of the present Wexfrd squad, 1 from Mayo and another from Cavan that I know of.
JC's club had a few of them too from up North as do many other city clubs.
Here's the kicker if the club scene gets weaker logically so to will the intercounty scene.
Only my thought but I think one mr cooney should look at seen as the rest of thoose in Croke park haven't

As I said on another thread Jim I can see it getting like the rugby with county players taken from the clubs altogether. There is a serious option of running club champos between Sept (only finalists can't start) and Feb March. It means the worst of the weather maybe but counties should be told they cannot use club players at this time.

It is vital that the integrity of the club is retained and its importance recognised. Otherwise pay for play is the logical conclusion to the way things are going.

In Antrim the club really does come first.

Now some will say given our inter county record in recent times what do you expect.

However it is the attitude of the big clubs towards the county that explains that record.

How else can you explain 6 (SIX) different antrim club sides in all Ireland club finals?

Look at last Sunday. 5 St Gall's men started for Antrim, but St Gall's best three players were not there.

That sums up Antrim.

And the club scene is thriving. St Gall's still one of the top football teams in the country, Cushendall beaten in extra time in the all Ireland semi at hurling, and Rossa all Ireland Champions at Camogie.

It goes without saying Club comes first in Derry, that's the main problem in the county team!

Meath are normally out ofthe championship by the end of June.

So we have nothing to worry about.

totally agree jim i have serious issues with this as i still play on the club first team i have also said this on another thread and as you know jim we wexicans had a the 2nd round of club championship down for this weekend but now that has been put back till the last weekend of july our first round game was on the 17th of april!!! can anyone argue thats fair on club player training since febuary

Club hurling is quite poor apart from one or two clubs. Portumna have not lost a game since that final in 2006 against Loughrea. The group stage is uncompetitive as once you win 2 of your 4 games to make the knockout stage, in some cases 1 is enough. 4 out of the 5 in a group go through.

In the 1980's club hurling in Galway was miles better. You had a different club winning it every year and at the same time the county team enjoyed its most succesful period. Then in the 90's you had one club dominating for a few years at a time, Sarsfields first, then Athenry and now Portumna. Clarinbridge might give Portumna a run this year but a Portumna 3 in a row is more likely.

tyrones club scene last year was a joke - half over by june then no more football till october! still sam was in the bag so everything seemed ok until the championship was being played every evening of the week in the worst weather with unfit teams as club players hadnt trained for months.

this year it has improved immeasurably league fixtures set up to be completed by end of september and fixed around all possible county matches . and the first round of all championships played .

thank god we havent got situations like antrim or derry where players put club before county and have players banned for panels because they got in a fracas at a club match and only bought tea and buns on tuesday night at training!

The system in Sligo has worked quite well in the last year or two in terms of getting matches played in time, but I'm still not too sure how keen on it I am.

Starts off with Warm-up competitions in late February/ early March, with the league kicking off in mid-March. County players only play some league games for their clubs, and matches are played most weekends, whether or not there is a County game on. We've currently played 12 rounds of league games (two left to play). To get round the county players not being available, relagation/promotion in the league is completely seperate to relegation/promotion in the Championship.

The Championship starts up in late July, and is scheduled to be finished by early October. Problems emerge the odd years that the county team go on a run. Sometimes they play Championship between the county team's games, and sometimes they don't.

The biggest problem I find is that you end up nearly having two teams, one for the league and another for the Championship. You play most of the league missing senior, minor and U21 county players, and when they come back for the latter stages of the league (u21 & minor) or for the Championship (senior) there tend to be a few lads who've played all year suddenly missing out.

The football is so bad in Cavan it does not really matter if county players are playing or not. Sometimes its hard to tell which are county players and which are club. We played the first round of the junior championship last friday. The next round is at the end of july. It does not make sense. There is one junior player on the Cavan panel I can think of. He is causing the rest of us a lot of bother.

Gunit wrote:The football is so bad in Cavan it does not really matter if county players are playing or not. Sometimes its hard to tell which are county players and which are club. We played the first round of the junior championship last friday. The next round is at the end of july. It does not make sense. There is one junior player on the Cavan panel I can think of. He is causing the rest of us a lot of bother.

Aye gunit - thats crazy alright - not as if its Seanie Johstone

If 'Jelly' decided he wanted to play tomorrow the county board would probably arrange it.

Gunit wrote:If 'Jelly' decided he wanted to play tomorrow the county board would probably arrange it.

Know what you mean but he's pure class. Whats he like do you know - seems a bit of a character.

Dont know him well. Do see him about town. Dont have a lot of time for any of the gaels lads to be honest. He comes across very well on t.v. Irreplaceable. If he gets any sort of an injury in the next 5 years Cavan will be in a lot of trouble.

Gunit wrote:Dont know him well. Do see him about town. Dont have a lot of time for any of the gaels lads to be honest. He comes across very well on t.v. Irreplaceable. If he gets any sort of an injury in the next 5 years Cavan will be in a lot of trouble.

Is that Breffni in your avatar Gunnit? Looks great where ever it is.

Yeah thats breffni. Its a good spot all right. Could do with getting a few more games mind you to get a bit of use out of it.

Gunit wrote:Yeah thats breffni. Its a good spot all right. Could do with getting a few more games mind you to get a bit of use out of it.

Good man. I've been there a good few times. Louth and ourselves played a couple of games there for the div 2 league final a few years ago. It's a great ground I have to say and that's a super picture.

Mountnugent = Cavan Junior Champions 2009!

FACT.

Loyal does that make you an oldcastle man so??

Oldcastle people don't tend to like their neighbours especially with regards to football.

I just know a lot about the junior championship in Cavan.

You must know the lie of the land fairly well, johnny.

Mountnugent will not win the junior championship.