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Lone Shark wrote:Jaysus. I'm as hopeful as anyone about Ferbane's future, but so far it's just one minor title. Let's win a few more and maybe an under-21 or two before anyone starts presuming that senior success is inevitable.

Back to back titles at under 16 level, Cruising to a Minor title and Gallens All Ireland success. The future has to be bright for Ferbane. On top of that I still think Ferbane are not getting the max out of the senior players they have the last couple of years. They have a squad good enough to make semi final stage. And looking at the current standard of football in the county they would not be too far off beating anybody on their day. Edenderry showed that this year.

With a few of these young lads adding to an already pretty decent outfit they could claim a title sooner than some would think.

Long John wrote:
Back to back titles at under 16 level, Cruising to a Minor title and Gallens All Ireland success.

Out of interest, how many of the lads involved in these wins are from Ferbane and how many will be plying their trade with their own clubs come senior level?

Don't get me wrong, of course they could - I agree that the current squad is also under-rated by many and would be capable of a lot more if they got the right guidance and a little bit of luck - but I just think that this view is forming that underage success makes senior success inevitable, when it certainly doesn't. We're living in a time when a lot of people have to work very hard to make ends meet, and many of these lads may end up in careers that don't facilitate football. Others may end up going off to Australia or Canada. Most of them play hurling as well, and may find that they would prefer to keep both sports going than to excel in either. There are countless hurdles to cross between now and a senior championship, and while it's nice to be in this situation, there's no point presuming that everything will just work out.

Of the Gallen team that played in the All Ireland final earlier this year, Darragh Corbett is from Shannonbridge, Ryan Delaney is an Erin Rovers man and Blaine Rigney is from Doon. There may be others on the bench from the surrounding clubs but those are the only lads that played in Croke Park and will play for any club other than Ferbane.

Not sure this conversation is particularly suited to a thread that goes by the name of 'most unpopular clubs in Offaly'.

I can only imagine LS dismay when he read 'West Offaly Power's comments - as club PRO you'll have to give the young bull some media training, GAA style - tell them nothing, give them nothing to work with, play poor relation constantly.

Regarding underage success in football in Offaly, recent evidence would point to the fact that underage success has always been followed up with senior success soon after. Take for example the last 15 years of minor football champions (1997-2011). Prior to Ferbane's victory last month, there are only 4 winners of the Minor A championship in that period:
1997-2011
Tullamore - 5
Rhode - 5
Clara - 2
Edenderry - 2
and now:
Ferbane - 1

In the same period, there have been also only 4 winners of the Senior Championship

Tullamore - 3
Rhode - 6
Clara - 2
Edenderry - 4

No surprise that these clubs are the very same. Between them, they really dominated the underage ranks for a long time, in the same way that Ferbane are doing for the last few years.

Each of them would have faced the same issues that Lone Shark is talking about in terms of people moving away, losing some underage talent to other sports (be that hurling, soccer, rugby, or in the case of Edenderry and Rhode - losing some players to their adult club).

With the proper guidance, I don't see any reason why Ferbane couldn't continue that trend and be Senior football champions by 2015.

In fact, what odds would you get on that? I would imagine that looking at it from a statistical point of view, that the bookies would not give great odds at all.

well with the standard of this years club football if Ferbane do come good they could well win it in 2013
even doe something tells me Rhode will be back in 2012.

Look, of course it's better to be in the situation that we're in than to be struggling at underage, and all the more so since any of the young lads involved seem to be well grounded, sensible individuals who won't get ahead of themselves - with the notable exception of West Offaly Power, if I'm correct in my guess that he's the holder of a medal or two himself.

I do think there's a difference between now and then though. If you were a minor any time from 1997 through to 2004 or even 2005, you had plenty of options upon finishing school. If you wanted to play football, there was nothing to stop you. Of course there were those who emigrated out of choice, and those who lost interest either entirely or in terms of competing at a high level, but if you wanted to play senior football, you had the talent and you had the work ethic, you'd make it. Now, you could have the best will in the world but you could still end up working for an employer who won't let you leave the Dublin office before 7pm, or you could have no option at all and have to leave.

I hope the tide will have turned by the time all these young lads leave college, for all of our sakes, but I do think there are factors at play here that weren't previously. Equally, all of those other four clubs won more than one minor title - like I said before, lets wait till we put a few more on the board before getting ahead of ourselves.

west offaly power wrote:clara's dominance with football seems to be cumin to and end , with very little succes of late under age it seems that a famine is on the cards for the hawks , while on the other hand ferbane underage dominating nd looks good for seniors of the future

But your just after going of the subject...you stated that clara are more concerned with how they look on the field and i simply replied to that statement you made which we all know is rubbish...maybe ferbane should try looking good on the field if thats what it takes to compete at senior level