Intermediate Championship

[theman]

Just Wondering who do yee think will the intermediate football championship.

i Think it will be either Brigids,Walsh Island or Doon?

Altough at the moment it could be anybody's!!!

And when is the next round of the championship for senior and intermediate been played. 10 weeks since last round.....too long of a wait!

[Oceans 15]

I think Brigids will win it barring a serious off day by the Croghan men.

[sIR bIFFSALOT]

Hi everyone, jut thought I'd re-kindle this thread and see if anyone has any insights. The last week has seen convincing victories for Walsh Island, Croghan and Doon. Also Birr had a good win over Clonbullogue (surprised me this, could they be contenders??) Intermediate should be very interesting this year, Walsh Island will be once again trying to climb the ladder to senior after coming close the last few years. Doon will need to get up again before they get too accustomed to intermediate and Croghan also will be looking for an immediate return to senior ranks after last years disappointment. The stage is set for some good matches, any thoughts/predictions??

[theman]

[quote="sIR bIFFSALOT"]Also Birr had a good win over Clonbullogue (surprised me this, could they be contenders??) Iquote]

As a clonbullogue man myself,i have to agree with this. I couldnt believe how good birr were. Sean ryan is unreal,how he isnt on the county team,he scored one of the best goals i have ever seen. Micheal verney was aslo very good. Birr got off to a great start scoring 1-2 in the first few mins,but we just couldn't get back even though we had a very good second half and only held them to 3 points in the 2nd half (only 1 from play). Birr could be dark horses but it all depends on how there hurlers do. Just to note,sean ryan's father came into our dressing room after the game,and gave a great speech. But just to note a point he made,he was telling us that every effort is made within birr to stop the footballers progressing and that they couldnt even get brendans park to train in. If thats true birr should be ashamed for not letting football develop in the town.

[Lone Shark]

My gut feeling is that much like the intercounty hurling, you have one team which appear to be way ahead of the rest (Brigids), two more who could catch them on a given day (Walsh Island, Doon) and one team who'll make up the numbers in the semi finals but probably wouldn't be able to beat any of the teams above them, certainly not twice - and that would be Birr. I would have ranked Raheen over Birr at the start of the year and the result against Brigids might just have been a bad day but to lose to Clara suggests that they (Raheen) are really going nowhere. I would say that Birr lack depth and that they are forced to field a few lads who wouldn't get onto the team of the three clubs ahead of them, but Seán Ryan gives them a real X factor. As for how he isn't on the county team, well only our ex-county manager knows that. To not give a lad with that kind of explosive potential a run is unforgiveable in my book. Plenty of steady Eddie type players got plenty of chances this year while one guy who might have added something different got ignored - awful stuff.

As for the football in Birr situation, well I don't know enough about the internal politics of Birr GAA club to know what's the story, but I will say this - the bias is not just within the club. This is not meant as a dig at Clonbullogue, obviously they play where they are told just like everyone else, but how in God's name Gracefield was the chosen neutral venue for that match I'll never know. Any of the pitches in the Tullamore area would have made sense - Killurin, Mucklagh, God knows even Capincur. I don't know what Clonbullogue thought of it but you may rest assured that Birr were well aware of the spirit behind the gesture. Methinks Clon may even have got the brunt of that.

[theman]

Well to be honest we were all amazed that this was played in gracefield,sure its only out the road. We played them last year and the year before and both were in mucklagh. I remember thinking on the way to the match,birr are gona be coming out all guns blazing having to travel so far. Must be an hour drive for them,10 mins for us. But in saying that birr have a few quality footballers in their ranks. As for raheen i never tought they were any good,i know they got to the final 2 years ago,but since then they havent realy preformed. Think brigids will win it,doon are good but i dont think they will do it this year,maybe next year. Walsh Island will be to cocky as always and think they will throw it away,look at last year they beat edenderry then edenderry beat them in the quater's.

[Lone Shark]

But in saying that birr have a few quality footballers in their ranks.

No doubt about that - their best four or five players would match up with the best four or five players in any Intermediate clubs and several senior clubs. People don't realise how good a footballer someone like Michael Verney is because they don't see him play - the guy would be one of the first names onto the teamsheet in any club and would be better than plenty of players that are seen as county standard. However Birr's problem is not their best five, it's their weakest five. They have plenty of lads who can do a job, but the depth that someone like Walsh Island or Brigids would have would destroy them. Birr are the only intermediate club who don't field a second team - it's very hard to carry that lack of freshness to be called on if necessary, the surprise package that plays a few blinders at Junior B or Junior C and just hits a vein of form.

[theman]

Your right there,you could see a few weak links in there team. But i think they can go far tis year,there into the knock out stages anyway,could make it to the final if they put their mind to it. There should be scouts around the county looking at the junior and intermediate matches because thers quality footballers there but dont get the attention. Also i think the standard in intermediate is poor so far,not as competitive as it used to be.

[Lone Shark]

There should be scouts around the county looking at the junior and intermediate matches because thers quality footballers there but dont get the attention.

Perhaps - but on the other hand, of the 30 names on the programme for the Down match, 21 were senior and 9 were intermediate. Perhaps a few junior clubs could feel hard done by, but I'd consider that to be around about a reasonable ratio - probably erring on the side of generous to the intermediate teams if anything.

[theman]

Well i dont think a few of the intermediate players on the county pnael are worth their place,im not gona say names. But aswell,some of the senior club players dont deserve to be on the panel as well. Thers a few junior players that are worth their place. Ballingar used to have a rock of a full back,young treacy from cappincur is good,daingean aslo have 1 or 2. But i dont think well c any of these on the county squad anytime soon unless their club makes it up to intermediate.

[Lone Shark]

Well i dont think a few of the intermediate players on the county pnael are worth their place,im not gona say names. But aswell,some of the senior club players dont deserve to be on the panel as well. Thers a few junior players that are worth their place. Ballingar used to have a rock of a full back,young treacy from cappincur is good,daingean aslo have 1 or 2. But i dont think well c any of these on the county squad anytime soon unless their club makes it up to intermediate.

Okay, but to take this on another tangent then - how about we put in place divisional teams, as in Kerry. This was covered before on the board and basically the diocesan boundaries worked quite well, so every intermediate and junior club player in Kildare and Leighlin would be eligible for that team - as would the ones in Meath, Ardagh + Clonmacnoise and Killaloe be eligible for theirs. Lusmagh would be tagged onto A+C while Clareen would be in with Killaloe. However these things always come at a cost - the cost would be that there would only be room for AT MOST ten senior clubs along with these four divisions, while Clonbullogue players could get injured playing for Kildare and Leighlin. The scheduling would have to be such that the clubs play first and then the divisions a day or two later so as to give the clubs the better end of the deal, but the goal of senior status would move even further away. So my question is this - would Clonbullogue, or indeed any other intermediate or junior clubs, support such a move?

We're back to the same issue - it might be for the greater good, but when sacrifice is involved, would your club vote for it?

This was my original thread on this btw - viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1444

[theman]

To be honest,in my opinion it would never work. Any of the players on our team would die just to get senior,as with any other intermediate or junior team. I remember back in 1995 Clonbullogue,Bracknagh and Walsh Island joined up as a senior team St Broughans and it was a disaster. Altough they knocked out shannonbridge (who were county champions) in the first round,the whole set up was just each club trying to get as many players from their own onto the team and never realy trained. Remember a former player from the village telling me that before there last match that year they were about to start the match when jody gunning from rhode was doin commentator and didnt have the full team on paper and asked your man who a few of the players were. He couldnt even name 4 of them because he hadnt seen them before as they never trained and when they did there was only a handfull. So i dont think it work,there would be to much parish rivarly,and as u said the chance of winning an intermediate or junior title wouldnt be the priority.

[The Magpie]

I remember back in 1995 Clonbullogue,Bracknagh and Walsh Island joined up as a senior team St Broughans

94

Altough they knocked out shannonbridge (who were county champions) in the first round,

You're right about the County Champions, but it was Clara. Frank Weir was outstanding that evening in O'Connor Park.

[True Red]

who won the Senior championship in 1994 then?

[Bord na Mona man]

who won the Senior championship in 1994 then?

That was the last time Ferbane won it.
I remember Weir was only 19 back then and his genius was obvious.