Club Championship Draw

[Ballyman]

On the ballyfore saga.a good few of the players have played senior championship in the last 2 years.Colin maccormack,Barry Moore,Alan Doyle,stephen Doyle played championship under jack sheedy and Seanie Moore and Stuart Quinn played under sheedy and last year in championship.mark o Connor hasn't played football in a couple of years but played championship for Edenderry and was captain of Offaly minors.the rest of the players have all played junior football and some have won junior championships.the players just want to play football and ballyfore are more than happy to give them the opportunity.

[Plain of the Herbs]

I see Rahan have only one team entered - they don't seem to have a Junior hurling team. I had a look at the 2006 census figures and a population of 2,000 wuld be close to the mark (as Bazil Brush noted on the emigration thread here last week).

Shinrone, on the other hand, have three teams entered for the first time.

Meanwhile, Durrow and Tullamore seem to have 'divorced' for U21 football.

Can anybody confirm the junior hurling groups for A and B championships.

The lik to Offaly express link is showing Junior C championship hurling as well. Is that correct.

[offalyman08]

This is the fallout from last year when the soccer players were told to choose soccer or GAA cos they wouldn't be allowed play both. When their junior a team played daingean in the quarter final last year they were missing half of the team - mainly young lads - who were playing a soccer match. they only had 3 subs on the day.

Although i have heard since that some of them haven't kicked ball in a few years.

I think you'll find they were asked to pick between the two because of PREVIOUS fallouts such as not turning up for championship games, ie the minor final in 2008 among a host more. Some havent played in 7 or 8 years but transfered to make it look bad.

[hard2watch]

think it's actually only 8 players. This is the fallout from last year when the soccer players were told to choose soccer or GAA cos they wouldn't be allowed play both. When their junior a team played daingean in the quarter final last year they were missing half of the team - mainly young lads - who were playing a soccer match. they only had 3 subs on the day.

Although i have heard since that some of them haven't kicked ball in a few years.

How are Bracknagh going to go this year. ye have been struggling for numbers now for years but always hard beaten. Any chance of Davy Walsh swapping the ref jersey for a blue one anytime soon!!

Ballyfore got 16 new players lastnite..They have never refused any transfer overs the years so i say fair play to them and i wish them all the best this year..they are a tiny area and still give anything they,ve got year in,year out..

[Long John]

I see Rahan have only one team entered - they don't seem to have a Junior hurling team. I had a look at the 2006 census figures and a population of 2,000 wuld be close to the mark (as Bazil Brush noted on the emigration thread here last week).

Shinrone, on the other hand, have three teams entered for the first time.

Meanwhile, Durrow and Tullamore seem to have 'divorced' for U21 football.

Can anybody confirm the junior hurling groups for A and B championships.

The lik to Offaly express link is showing Junior C championship hurling as well. Is that correct.

POTH I answered the comment of Brazil Bush in the emigration thread. Shamrocks have the numbers in the parish but not the numbers that play GAA. Then they have lost a number of the players to Soccer, Rugby and other sports as well as others who have just not bothered to play anything. I was speaking to a player last night from the parish and he reckons they definately have a team in the junior B hurling as they were relegated from Junior A last year and also failed to field a team for some games.

[Lone Shark]

You'd be surprised how many players might come back to hurl if the club dropped a grade and it was perceived that the levels of fitness expected weren't as high. Hopefully the club will be able to field a Junior B side at least, because it's very hard to keep a senior club going with no second team to give regular game time to players that might get called on in times of need.

Fair play on creating a Junior C championship as well - no harm in having a third junior grade, plus it could encourage some football clubs to maybe put together a team in the long run, just as the junior C football got things going in Kinnitty and Drumcullen, and even Coolderry for a while.

[Black Spot]

Hopfully all goes well for Ballyfore with there new players.There a small club who will always give it their all but they have being one of the many clubs whove being hit withh lads moving away recently,there also an oldish team hopfully theses Edenderry lads will shake things up for them abit now and add bring some change to the intermediate championship.

Edenderry must be fairly sickend over it .I have heard it was one man in particular who would have a lot of say in the club, who implemented the ban on the players playing other sports .

I know and im sure evry club had the same problem at some stage , lads going off to play a soccer or rugby match the day of a game or training but the players should have a choice in what other sports they want to play. Managment would be better off trying to work with players rather than against them.

The county board want to enter Ballyfores second team into junior A cant see them fairing out to well in that but i think its fair enough.It wouldnt be fair on junior b teams if ballyfore were in that competion and won it with all there new players .Not saying that would happen either but its possible.

[offalyman08]

Edenderry must be fairly sickend over it.

The word your looking for is relieved

[TheManFromFerbane]

I know and im sure evry club had the same problem at some stage , lads going off to play a soccer or rugby match the day of a game or training but the players should have a choice in what other sports they want to play. Managment would be better off trying to work with players rather than against them.

It's becoming nigh on impossible to manage teams in this environment now. Soccer and Rugby until April\May and starting again in September. You can either do it the way Edenderry has and lose a load of lads or you can do it the way we have and have 12 lads turning up for training sessions.

I don't know what the solution is because I'd never expect lads to stop playing another sport just to play football and hurling (even though I'd like them to!). The only way to do it is to make GAA more appealing, you do that by winning, you can't win without complete commitment and hence you have Rhode, Clara, Coolderry and Birr bursting with numbers and then the rest trying to manage it as best they can.

Tullamore is excluded obviously cause of sheer numbers.

[offalyman08]

It's becoming nigh on impossible to manage teams in this environment now. Soccer and Rugby until April\May and starting again in September. You can either do it the way Edenderry has and lose a load of lads or you can do it the way we have and have 12 lads turning up for training sessions.

I don't know what the solution is because I'd never expect lads to stop playing another sport just to play football and hurling (even though I'd like them to!). The only way to do it is to make GAA more appealing, you do that by winning, you can't win without complete commitment and hence you have Rhode, Clara, Coolderry and Birr bursting with numbers and then the rest trying to manage it as best they can.

Tullamore is excluded obviously cause of sheer numbers.

I agree 100% and Edenderry hasnt lost 1 single player that played even junior last year

[Lone Shark]

Games is an issue too.

Take somebody in Ferbane for example.

You play 6 league games, plus possibly one more, and five championship games, plus possibly 1/2/3 more. Say thirteen games on average, spread out from March to October.

West Offaly Lions give you sixteen league games, three games in preseason competition and I presume (but I don't know) an average of 2/3 in cups, giving you over 20. Playing for Gallen Utd you'd get 16 league matches this year (which is comparatively low for Junior soccer) and you'd play in three cup comps (I think) which at an average of two games per cup, which statistically would be roughly the long term average, then they're looking at a 20+ game season as well.

Of course there are challenge matches as well, but most sports have those, plus give me a league fixture with a reasonable chance of knowing where and when the thing is on at least two days in advance over an ad hoc challenge match any day.

[Fargo Boyle]

Best of luck to the Ballyfore lads this year. They have been struggling along with the same few lads for the last few years. They haven't had much coming through from under age but they still stuck at it. Whatever they lacked in skill they made up for in effort and belief. Hopefully they'll win something for all the new players and keep them interested and they'll probably get a few more the year after if they won something.

[Ballyman]

It's becoming nigh on impossible to manage teams in this environment now. Soccer and Rugby until April\May and starting again in September. You can either do it the way Edenderry has and lose a load of lads or you can do it the way we have and have 12 lads turning up for training sessions.

I don't know what the solution is because I'd never expect lads to stop playing another sport just to play football and hurling (even though I'd like them to!). The only way to do it is to make GAA more appealing, you do that by winning, you can't win without complete commitment and hence you have Rhode, Clara, Coolderry and Birr bursting with numbers and then the rest trying to manage it as best they can.

Tullamore is excluded obviously cause of sheer numbers.

I agree 100% and Edenderry hasnt lost 1 single player that played even junior last year

you sure about that offalyman????

[hero12]

great to see so many matches in the club football this year its about time. 13 matches for div 2 teams plus s/final and final
really lookin forward to it. master fixture plan looks really good