Wicklow v Offaly, July 7th, Aughrim @ 3.00pm

Lone Shark · Post by **Lone Shark** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 9:06 pm

I think you're doing the TM cup a lot of favours by lumping it in with next years league. I can't see our performances in this having any bearing on next year's NFL. Realistically we're going to be going into next spring with a different squad and possibly a different manager - certainly different training techniques etc.

I can't see this having any bearing whatsoever.

DD · Post by DD » Fri Jun 29, 2007 10:58 pm

Until the GAA decides to merit the winners with a genuine prize (i.e. re-entry into the final round of qualifiers or the all Ireland Q/F in the same competition year) the Tommy Murphy Cup will continue to be treated with contempt and ridicule. If this doesn't happen in the near future, the competition will just be abolished as it will become more and more meaningless.

Offalys Future · Post by **Offalys Future** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 11:55 pm

If Offaly were now entering the qualifiers they wouldnt have a hope in hell of winning an All-ireland and the best they would probably do is win one game if they got an easy draw in the first round.
If they were in the qualifiers they would still train hard and try to do well.
Now that they are in the Tommy Murphy Cup the feeling is that they wont benefit from it. But would they have benefited from the qualifiers? Did they benefit from the qualifiers last year?
In the Tommy Murphy Cup they would get a chance to play teams of their own standard.

the bare biffo · Post by **the bare biffo** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 12:54 pm

OffalyManAway wrote: Winning TM Cup and Div 4 undefeated would.
.

How about a compromise ? Forget about TM and just win Div 4 undefeated!!

BTW , anyone know if there will be divisional semi finals and finals next year or will it be a proper league ?

black and red exile · Post by **black and red exile** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 7:42 pm

Magpie, why don't you get a life. LS hit the nail on the head, what use is there in winning this mickey mouse nothing piece of silverware, because as LS said that more than likely next year, we will probably again have a new manager with different training techniques and its not as if a great momentum will be built up even if we do win the COOPER cup, seeing that it will be 5 months when our County team will be in competitive action again in that other great competition the O'Byrne cup.

The Magpie · Post by **The Magpie** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 2:43 pm

Ok. There's no need to get too defensive about this issue. This wasn't a personal attack on anybody and I don't think for one minute that any of you were intentionally showing a lack of respect. Black and Red, I guess in spite of what I tried to point out, you seem determined to continue to call it the Tommy Cooper Cup. Fair enough.

Have the GAA devalued the Tommy Murphy Cup? I don't think so. In many other sports 'shield' type competitions exist so that teams that are not in the running for the big prize get a chance to compete for something else. Why isn't winning the tournament itself enough? Why does there have to be more than that? Somebody suggested re-entry into the All-Ireland series. The whole point of this competition is that it's targeted at teams that are not competing at that level - if you're not considered good enough to be competing in Round 1 of the qualifiers, why in God's name should you be considered for the later stages?

Winning the Tommy Murphy Cup would be enough for Wicklow, wouldn't it?

The Magpie · Post by **The Magpie** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 3:09 pm

Black and Red, surely my new avatar, taken from a 1970s childrens television program, proves that I have a life?

Lone Shark · Post by **Lone Shark** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 3:47 pm

While I agree with your concept up to a point there Magpie, the issue here is that the players in question have competitions that they would much prefer to be involved in - i.e. the club championship.

It's difficult to find a comparison, because in both of the obvious cases (international vs club soccer and provincial vs club rugby) there is the key differential that one of the two entities pays the player's wages, the other doesn't.

The point here is that I would contend (perhaps I'm wrong) that there is not one player on that Offaly panel who would choose whatever medal you get for winning the Tommy Murphy Cup over winning a county senior/intermediate championship with their club. You are forcing players to take part in a tournament they have no interest in and forego time with thier club, who they do care about. You are doing all this for a dead end tournament. Sure, it's a tournament and it's possibly worth winning for it's own sake, but it's worth winning in the same way that the Centenary Cup or the Interprovincials, or the Oireachtas hurling cup were. Nice, but ultmately no-one cares. I'd say you could count on one hand the amount of posters on this or any other GAA site who could name the last winners of each of those competitions without resorting to google or whatever.

In a world where the players didn't have better things to be doing, I'd say fine. But they do.

Kevin · Post by **Kevin** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 5:33 pm

Let's just go out and win the damn thing. We should go out with a point to prove. That we will win, that we expect to win and can follow through on that.

We despearately need to re-establish our tradition of winning. If that means we need to play in the tin cup against moderate competition then so be it.

Winning and the mentality that comes with it and the confidence and expectation it breeds cannot be replaced by anything other than...winning.

Lets look at the Tommy Murphy as an opportunity to regroup and send a message. We are well capable. The pressure of the championship is no longer upon us. Let's go!

black and red exile · Post by **black and red exile** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 8:59 pm

Magpie, I'm sure you will agree that in the last number of years our senior footballers have shown no appetite whatsoever for the qualifiers, so how in the name of God are they expected to get a real mad energy rush for the (pardon me,) TOMMY MURPHY CUP?! Its obvious that all these players want to do after last Sunday is to go back to their clubs and come back before Christmas to prepare for 2008. Can you imagine the thoughts of trying to stomach 70 minutes in that Aughrim kip next Saturday night for a meaningless tournament match that is as interesting for both players and spectators alike as watching grass grow!
Magpie, I've always enjoyed reading you're postings and its obvious you have great knowledge of Offaly GAA, but you have got to have a sense of humour and stop taking things so seriously. Half the County is now calling this stupid competition the TOMMY COOPER cup and not because of disrespect to the great Tommy Murphy but because everyone who has Green White and Gold blood is so upset after that massive let down of a year, that just to bring a bit of humour to proceedings eases the pain in a very small way.

black and red exile · Post by **black and red exile** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:07 pm

Sorry Magpie, I was more a Blue Peter fan myself in the 1970s. I guess we are both showing our age.

Lea-Bally-man · Post by **Lea-Bally-man** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 4:54 pm

Team talk for next Sunday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU9PWCqEdPE

Hyper · Post by **Hyper** » Wed Jul 04, 2007 10:43 am

Is this game not schedule for 7pm?

The Biff · Post by **The Biff** » Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:38 pm

Hyper wrote:Is this game not schedule for 7pm?

7pm it is, according to the Fixtures List on gaa.ie. http://www.gaa.ie/page/this_weeks_fixtures.html

the bare biffo · Post by **the bare biffo** » Wed Jul 04, 2007 2:16 pm

Regardless of what any of us may think, I assume Offaly will not be concedeing a walkover so the game will go ahead.
Anyone know if the panel has been training since the Dublin game, who's like to start and what sort of attitude will be brought to Aughrim ?