The Leagues

[Hyper]

Does anyone out there know how the divisions 3 and 4 are to be decided this year? Also is still one up one down in all the divisions?

[OffalyDub]

We thought Div 4 was going to be spilt in 2, but seems now we're palying everyone. Could go on a while!

[Hyper]

The reason I ask is that rumour has it that in div 3 tall the games will be completed in or around today, seemingly there is two groups already and that the winners from each group will play each other in final, and Div 4 supposdly there are no more rounds to be played after the current on and the top 2 teams play each other in final.

[Lone Shark]

The reason I ask is that rumour has it that in div 3 tall the games will be completed in or around today, seemingly there is two groups already and that the winners from each group will play each other in final, and Div 4 supposdly there are no more rounds to be played after the current on and the top 2 teams play each other in final.

Doesn't make sense that there would be two groups. We (Ferbane) played Birr in the last round, and Birr have also played K/K, Tullamore and Rhode, none of which we've played against. We play Gracefield next, who have played Tullamore, Shamrocks, Killeigh, none of which we've met. There are countless instances of this.

There's no reason not to keep these leagues going throught the month of June and early July at least. County games won't interfere with these divisions and clubs will be delighted to have activity I'd say.

[Archangel]

Seems strange to arbitrarily break a 12 team division in two after only 6 rounds of matches. The 'rumour' is probably due to the fact that the Offaly GAA site doesn't show any fixtures in the near future. I think they have to sit down and plan another traunch of matches.

[Archangel]

Well slap me pink with blue rag... they've only gone and divided the divisions...
Div-3
http://www.sportsmanager.ie/t3.php?user ... &sportid=1
Div-4
http://www.sportsmanager.ie/t3.php?user ... &sportid=1

How the hell are we supposed to know what happens here?

[theman]

Offaly count board are some joke. Whats the point of splitting them now.
Im a clonbullogue man and we have played 6 teams so far and them 6 teams are all of division 4A excluding tubber - were playing them tonight?
What the hell is going on?

[club125]

I think what has happened here is as follows:

The league Semi Finals and Finals dates for all divisions were set in jan. (13/14th June and 19/20th June Respectively).

Because of the additional teams in Div. 3 & 4 it was decided to split them in order to ensure the league could be finished. in doing this they chose a format whereby you don't actually play any team in your own group, you play across the group. i.e. All the teams in 3A play the teams in 3B and vice versa. The top 2 teams from each group playoff in the semi finals. Each team is getting 6 or 7 games and possibly a league semi or final.

3 Weeks later they will be out in the Championship

[Hyper]

If this was the case how comes all clubs were not notified or were they? Is there a listing of these groups anywhere?

[club125]

Div-3
http://www.sportsmanager.ie/t3.php?user ... &sportid=1
Div-4
http://www.sportsmanager.ie/t3.php?user ... &sportid=1

Check with your County Board Delegate or who ever checks your club email

[Hyper]

These groups have only recently been update on the website! So is there semi finals or what in division's 3 and 4 or just a straight final between the tops of each group?

[club125]

top two from each side go to semi finals

1st in A plays 2nd in B and visa versa

[Archangel]

Each team is getting 6 or 7 games and possibly a league semi or final.
3 Weeks later they will be out in the Championship

So, it's fuck the Junior teams. Just give them a handful of games and concentrate on the Seniors & Inters!

I thought it was brilliant to be getting a dozen or so league games, which would be still going on while the Senior & Inter championships were starting up. A lot of teams would have looked to the second half of the league to start building up to their approach to the Junior A/B/C championships. So now it's trying to find challenge games to while away the weeks until we get a couple of days notice of our first Championship match.
Bollox!

[Hyper]

club123, surely when a decision was made on when the semi's and finals were going to be on, the "commitee" would have known on many teams were in each group and could have made the appropraiate calls then.

[Lone Shark]

This really makes no sense, fixture congestion is simply not an issue for junior teams, if anything it's getting games is the problem. This suited a lot of junior teams down to the ground and most players I know, including myself, are disappointed that there aren't more games down the road, particularly as we have two championship teams coming out of the one junior league side so more football time was needed.

Also, if they were going to be split like this, why in the name of God were they not done by area? It makes no sense to me that in Division three for example, we had to trek to Gracefield and similarly Kilclonfert and Daingean had to come all the way to Ferbane while there was no game between us and Shannonbridge, or between us and Kilcormac/Killoughey. Even if one area ended up stronger than the other, what the hell odds? It's not like anyone cares and there would have been no need for having to write off whole evenings to play games occasionally.

Also, who gets relegated? Birr finished bottom of division 3A with 3 wins and 4 defeats from seven games - is that relegation form? Still if the top of the group is decided that way, surely the bottom is as well. Nonsensical stuff.