Thin line

[redser]

Its a thin line between facing into relegation or adavancing to knockout stages. Arguably Tullamore and Tubber have been blessed by the new score difference ruling. Tullamore could have been easily facing relegation and in Tubbers case i doubt they would have fancied meeting shamrocks in a playoff. They would struggle to get close to them.

Indeed Edenderry can feel a tad bewildered to find themselves in a relegation struggle when they could so easily have beaten Gracefield in the opening round. They were second best last night and deserve credit for keeping the game so close even though we really outclassed in most areas. If they work put in any effort at all in the relegation playoffs we should easily be good enogh to stay up but then again ya just dont know.

Shamrocks, Shannonbridge and Ferbane must feel very unfortunate too but thats the bit of luck ya need.

Tullamore find themselves in a quarter final even though they finished after 3 games on less points than both Erin Rovers and Shamrocks who both have a win and a draw while Tullamore only had a win and two losses.

[Hocker]

I agree, it's been the strangest championship in many a year.
Hard to look past Rhode or Gracefield at this stage but you never know. Tullamore looked quiet strong today.

Regarding the relegation playoff between Ferbane, Edenderry & Rynaghs, you'd have to fancy the Cloghan men to fall through the trap door but then again the way things have gone this year, who's to predict what will happen.
As a bridge man on the sideline today we were just gutted... put in a big effort the last 6 weeks in particular and just just fall short by 3 points of score difference is hard to take.

I heard the ref Con Costello rode Ferbane against Rhode today was anybody at the match? Was it close for long periods? Tullamore got a very fortuitous goal in the first half which lifted them when it seemed Shannonbridge were getting a foothold on the game. Bridge dangerman David Corbett was well marshalled by Cathal Daly who reverted to full-back. Tullamore ran out 1-10 to 0-7 victors.

[Lone Shark]

I heard the ref Con Costello rode Ferbane against Rhode today was anybody at the match? Was it close for long periods?

We definitely got the rough end of the decisions today, no question about it. Two overcarrying calls when the game was close in the second half, Paddy Moore's shirt being pulled off him for one of the the Rhode scores, Colin Egan being whistled with three lads hanging out of him for no discernable reason, I'd say that Costello definitely didn't do us any favours - however that's football. Refereeing decisions are part of the game and Con Costello didn't beat us any more than Catch Buckley beat Tullamore.

I genuinely don't think we were six points worse than them, but we weren't better than them either. What it showed is that when you play Rhode with Niall McNamee off form, you'd better take your chance - the Bridge didn't and that's their pity. He scored 1-10 today, 1-6 from play and some of his scores were absolutely top drawer. It was as good as I've seen him play for a long time.

Regarding the scoring difference issue, obviously we haven't done too well out of it in Ferbane, but it's up to clubs if they want to change it back. It's in the rule book now and I personally would like to see it repealed, but that's what the whole democracy aspect of the GAA is there for. Ironic how the problem was that club players were being shunted into winter due to huge county seasons, so the solution was to shorten the club season - but there you go.

[Square Cab]

Con didnt beat Ferbane yest (although some of his decisions, particularly when the game was in the melting pot were questionable), an inability to kick scores from very favourable positions and giving hard won ball away cheaply cost them the game. Its a problem at all levels of the game, players can run all day but when it comes to kicking a ball over the bar from twenty yards out they bottle it. The bridge did it against Rhode and Ferbane did it yesterday. Ferbane won enough ball around the middle to win that game yest, but they really needed a bigger scoring threat up front. And for all the criticism he gets, Alan Mc showed real cuteness when he orchestrated the slowing down of the game in the final quarter. Just like Kerry last week, they held possession and worked the ball up the field and converted it into scores. Rhode are slowly but surely moving up through the gears.....

[Tar Man]

Couldn't agree with that statement about Alan Mc. Thought he was given a lesson by Jimmy who showed at this late stage of his career that he is still the best midfielder in the county by a mile. I hope that he sticks around for another year. I thought Alan Mc slowed down rather than slowed the game down in the last quarter which could have cost Rhode if ferbane had been able to deliver more ball into the Full Forward Line. I think that we have now seen how to beat Rhode. Their Full Back Line is really weak. Any high balls had them in complete diserray. I thought the ref was atrocious although I don't think it made any difference to the final result. Although he definately gave Rhode two frees when the game was in the melting pot (from which they scored two points) which should have gone the other way and Colin Egan also should have got a free in front of the posts. Could have made it interesting at the end. I also thought that Niall Mc in a class of his own. Couldn't fault Paddy Moore who done quite well on him but 1-10 is some score.

[the Untouchable]

Con has a habit of giving Rhode a game or 2....I recall he was reffing the Rhode V Doon semi final a few years back...Doon led by 2 points at half time...for the entire 2nd half Doon couldn't touch a rhode lad without a free been given while Doon were not awarded 1 scoreable free in the entire 2nd half!!!

The worst decision came with some 3 or 4 minutes to go with the scores level I think, Trevor Phelan turned Mark Cassidy & headed for goals, cassidy in a last ditch attempt to stop phelan took the legs from under him, Con decided it was a fair challenge and said play on, Rhode strolled out with the ball kicked it down the field, Des Egan looked at Niall Mac...Con whistles for a free...Dingle (who was sprung purely because they were getting so many frees) kicked it over. I always think ref's get way more abuse than they should, but I think its not surprising when ref's clearly go out to do a team!!! Ok you can say that Con didn't beat Ferbane, but if the game had been closer at the end those 1 or 2 decisions would have been massive.

[Bord na Mona man]

I think the relegation system in the days of the weak group was better. At least the 2 or 3 worst senior clubs in the county would be nearly guaranteed to be battling relegation.
Under the current system, you could be in a stinker of a group with the two best teams in the county and a very strong 3rd team.
One result, or points difference could be the difference between a knockout place or a relegation battle.

[Lone Shark]

Con has a habit of giving Rhode a game or 2....

I'm surprised that Con keeps letting himself be put in this position. Again, lest there be any confusion, it was Niall McNamee that beat Ferbane yesterday and not Con Costello and I don't doubt for a second that his contentious second half calls were simply human error rather than anything else, but due to his family connections he will invariably be carefully watched when whistling Rhode games. If things like this happen, then he's leaving himself open to criticism in ways that another referee who might make exactly the same calls wouldn't be.

I think the relegation system in the days of the weak group was better. At least the 2 or 3 worst senior clubs in the county would be nearly guaranteed to be battling relegation.
Under the current system, you could be in a stinker of a group with the two best teams in the county and a very strong 3rd team.
One result, or points difference could be the difference between a knockout place or a relegation battle.

I wasn't necessarily the biggest fan of the weak group structure, however I will agree in this regard and I certainly hate to see points difference being used to decide such contentious issues. It's not natural to gaelic games and while it's all swings and roundabouts, sometimes it throws up anomalous situations.

For example I wasn't at the Gracefield Tubber game last Saturday night, but Tubber went from eight points down to three points down in the space of a few minutes at the end. Perhaps they would have done this anyway - but the key point is that Gracefield had little or no incentive to play at 100% intensity at that stage, while they did in the closing stages against Shamrocks since they needed the scoring difference advantage for themselves.

That's not Tubber's fault or indeed Gracefield's, but it's a system that threw up a dodgy situation.

[True Red]

Whats Con's family connections in Rhode?

[Lone Shark]

Whats Con's family connections in Rhode?

I'm going to backtrack on this one, not because I think I'm wrong, but because I need to check it for certain. I heard connections from a guy I'd normally trust very well and have had it corroborated elsewhere, but without being stonewall certain I'm going to pull back on this - my apologies. I may be right, but I can;'t say definitively.

As I pointed out above though, and as any Ferbane people would re-iterate, Con was not the reason for Rhode's win, and I don't think anyone thinks any of his contentious calls were wilful. They were simply harsh calls at a really bad time, as can happen in any game of football.