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Disappointed to learn that Clara juniors will not be competing in the Leinster championship as they have a senior team also. Why would this make a difference?

A very enjoyable final of open football with plenty of scores. Daingean came back into it well after looking beaten at half time. Clara’s full forward line (Willie Reynolds, Mark Scanlon and Padraig Moran) the difference scoring 5-7 of 5-9.

As far as I'm aware, only a first string team can take part in any of these competitions. I think the idea is to prevent somebody like Birr who might be knocked out early one year, and who might have had Seán Ryan and Dylan Hayden over in America, with maybe the two Hanniffy's out injured as well. They could regrade these four lads as junior and then cruise through a competition like this. Perhaps that's not the idea, but my best guess is that it's the case.

On another level, how have Daingean fallen so far? I really thought they had righted things this year - there's too much football over there for them to be loitering at junior level. I'm not trying to knock Clara who no doubt deserved to win this, but even so surely Daingean should have enough in the club to be able to get out of this grade?

There's plenty of football in Daingean, getting it out of them is the problem. Too many players haven't really put it in over the last couple of seasons. They lost a bit of belief/faith in themselves, got a bit back this year, but still a bit to go.
Rhode & Edenderry are now the only senior teams East of Tullamore.,.

To be honest I wouldn't blame Daingean for not being senior. Realistically in Offaly there's probably about six or seven clubs that can expect to be senior for 9 years out of every 10 at least (off the top of my head - Rhode, Clara, Tullamore, Ferbane, Edenderry, Shamrocks, Gracefield) while Daingean are part of a second tier of around a dozen or more clubs that over a period of decades could realistically expect to spend some time in senior and some in intermediate. However 2008 will now make it three years at junior for them, and that's way too long. It would be all too easy for a real rot to set into the club at that rate.


Is Gracefield not east of Tullamore btw? Or are ye just another breed altogether....

You hit the nail on the head LS with that last comment. I remember as a kid growing up we all got the impression that we were alienated from the rest of the county because of our geographical location and there are some so called football people here in Kildare who actually think that Gracefield is in Laois because of the Portarlington connection.

Ah, don't mind the Gracers, they're closet Laoismen anyway

As LS said, I can see where a 'rot' can set in, but can Daingean make it back to senior??? Not at the moment, but they should be Inters at least.

To clarify the geographical question, I refer to the clubs like Clonmore,Ballyfore, Clonbullogue, Walsh Island,Daingean,Raheen,Croghan,Ballycommon,Durrow,Cappincur,Bracknagh.
That amounts to approx 15 panels of 20 players = 300.
Ok, the biggest majority of these players will never be good enough for senior, but I always believed that the best players are entitled to play at the best level possible.

"Closet Laoismen", now now angel, that's a dirty dig. That would be like referring to Tubber folk as closet Wesmeath men or Bracknagh boys as closet Kildare men. Best hide behind the computer with that kind of talk

With regard to Junior I believe there are a few long serving Gracefield Seniors pulling the plug this year and being regraded to Junior for the coming year. The Gracefield Juniors have been doing ok in recent years so maybe this induction of 'Old Timers' might give the border club that little bit extra to cross the line at this grade. I believe the ability is in Gracefield at both levels and one or 2 championships at any level might spark a belief in the club to progress in a positive manner

It's only a jibe I lived in Port for years so understand the cross-border mentality. I remember giving John Guinan a hard time for years, when we worked together, .. sure you can't beat a bit of slagging!

I agree with the Fox. Gracefield gave Clara a bigger fright in the semi-final (both games) than Daingean did in the final. With a couple more ex-senior panelists, they could certainly win a Junior title. It was great to see lads like Kieran Mc and Darren Heno still putting it in and helping to bring on younger lads.

The Junior Final was a very exciting game. Lots of good goals. Some great old campaigners on the Clara panel with experience that you just can't buy. By the end of the game, 12 ex-senior footballers had participated - 9 or 10 of whom have one at least one Dowling Cup medal. The big regret this year is that the Clara Senior panel either couldn't or didn't call on their services.

Daingean disappointed to be honest. All of their bigger names seem too easy to knock-off their game. I couldn't help remembering at the game that the last time Clara won the County Championship, Daingean were a Senior Football team.

I heard Brosna Gaels cant compete in the Leinster junior Champ because of the Parish rule. Its hard luck on them if its true?

It's ridiculous if it is. Half the clubs in Cork and Galway for example draw on more than one parish.

That's Bo#$*x. If Shamroks had won the Senior does that mean that they wouldn't have been able to go further? The only thing I can think of is that it's a district team rather than a parish team, Tubber is not part of the Ballinahown parish (Doon, Ballycumber and Pullogh). Then again part of Casteldaly is in the Ballinahown parish but that's Westmeath. My only thinking here is that as it's more than a parish team then is`t's considered a district team so they can't go further.

The Offaly intermediate champions (or representatives, if the champions have a senior team) compete in the Leinster junior club championship. Therefore the junior winners do not qualify for the club championship.

As far as I am aware, Ballinamere will be the Offaly representatives in the Leinster junior club hurling championship this year.

the rat wrote:I heard Brosna Gaels cant compete in the Leinster junior Champ because of the Parish rule. Its hard luck on them if its true?

Lone Shark wrote:It's ridiculous if it is. Half the clubs in Cork and Galway for example draw on more than one parish.

I live in Cork and it's bonkers to suggest that 1/2 the teams draw on more than one parish. tHE v opposite is true. They are far more multi-GAA clubs in one parish than one club with multi-parishes. Newtownshandrum are a halfparish club with Dromina for example. The are four seperate GAA clubs operating in one parish in West Cork in around Timoleague direction, which must be something of a record. It is difficult enough to come think of clubs in Cork, outside of city, with more than one parish. Erins Own, might qualify, but I'm not certain if Knockraha is a seperate parish.

I'll be honest and say that I never lived in Cork, but I spent my year in London playing ball and sharing lifts to and from games with a guy from Killavullen who was talking about his club amalgamating soon because as a single parish club they just couldn't compete - how in the intermediate premier (where they play) all bar two or three clubs were drawing on more than one parish.

Also there was a big spiel about the Cork finalists (Ilen Rovers) being a great day for the small club too - another club which picks off two parishes and has three grounds.

I'll confess though that the "half" thing was just off the top of my head - I've no idea how prevalent it is or isn't merely that it's not uncommon.