General GAA - AOB

Heard a great interview with Willie McCreary on off the ball about his gaa career and racing a great warrior in the white jersey

I am a Kildare man through and through but I have to say that the treatment of Stephen Cluxton with regards to the All Stars awards over the last 5 years is nothing short of disgraceful.

I really feel that he is been penalised for having a low media profile which it appears to have a knock on effect for him in this regard.

Don't agree with that.

People are blinded by what he has done over the course of his career where he has revolutionized the kickout but All-Stars are given for the best goalkeeper in any given year and there's been a lot of years where he wasn't the best. He tends to have the odd meltdown when things aren't going his way. Beggan was way out in front this year and he hardly has a high media profile.

Beggan deserved his all star this year but if Cluxton won it nobody could complain. He was very unlucky to lose out in 3 or 4 years before that when he was clearly the best keeper. Not only the best keeper but one of the best players in the game full stop. Clarke got in ahead of him partly as a 2 fingers to Mayo management who dropped him for the replay. (Unimaginable that Dubs would be even consider dropping Cluxton.) I'd say he's a cert next year.

Well it does the heart good to see a great victory and as good as TMH winning their second Leinster Club title in quick succession is great for themselves and Kildare and I congratulate them on it but Mullinalaghta’s victory was brilliant. David against Goliath, Little v Large call it what you like it was no fluke. On the down side it will give Costello and Co their ammunition to say not all money buys titles. That and Gweedore winning in Ulster shows if you’ve got players and belief you can win titles. No doubt there isn’t a child in school today in Mullinalaghta. Hope they enjoy their celebrations

So John Horan is blaming the early exit of Mayo from the championship for playing a big part in the fall of 18% in football attendances in 2018 despite more games being played due to the Super 8's.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2019/0206/1027925-mayos-early-exit-hit-attendances-horan/

They just keep ignoring the writing on the wall.

#newbridgeornowhere

I see also in today's report is the news that after all those promises to even out games development money, the GAA had a cunning plan. With income down, they've increased Dublin's allocation from €1.2m in 2017 to €1.3m for 2018.

Have said it for years if you support the county game you’re a mug. That’s 13 years in a row at least Dublin have received far greater development funds that any other county. Not 4 or 5 years, 13 years! Support your club, leave the county game to dubs and mugs

That's year 15 sadly Caprea.

Just a few questions maybe someone has the answers

Do Home County Boards host league game ??

Who hosts Dublin Home League games in Croke Park ?

If it takes approx 30,000 to go through the turnstiles in CP who picks up the bill for the shortfall ?

I see Hill 16 is open for Dublins league games, how much is Entry to the Hill and to Hogan Stand with and without concessions ?

Why has Hill 16 has not been open for Kildare Leinster championship games in the past ?

Are all Division 1 and Division 2 leagues games now €20 entry without concession ?

To me it seems not only are the Dublin Team and county board getting a leg up from CP but also the supporters.

Thanks Newbridgeornowhere, some answers but suprised to see Dublin Season Ticket Holders on the hill on a cold miserable night when surely your season ticket entitles you to a seat in the stand when there is room, as with all other county season ticket holders, my real point is why open Hill 16 at all, when you have a half empty stadium.

totalgaa wrote:

Thanks Newbridgeornowhere, some answers but suprised to see Dublin Season Ticket Holders on the hill on a cold miserable night when surely your season ticket entitles you to a seat in the stand when there is room, as with all other county season ticket holders, my real point is why open Hill 16 at all, when you have a half empty stadium.

hill 16 tickets are on sale ticket.ie for mayo mayo Match only saying it could be for season tickets holders

I am open to correction but Dublin have their own Parnell park holders season ticket arrangement and I believe many of these choose to buy Hill 16 season tickets rather than stand tickets. I am open to correction on that though.

Just one point on the funding issue, how was the government and G.A.A allowed to ringfence over €1m for coaching in Dublin alone. That is outrageous in my opinion. We have a Dublin president now so I don't expect much to change over his span but this surely can't be allowed to continue. Praise is due to TK who seem to be ploughing a lone furrow on this in terms of media attention.

and dont forget the biggest selling gaa jersey is the dubs and they get 5 euro plus vat i believe per jersey sold from oneills ?

The 30,000 to break even is a bit of a myth. That only applies of all tiers of all stands are open with all vendors operating, police presence for this and so on.
As for government not stepping in, deal was done with Bertie backing it in 2004. Those above figures also don't include €5m of taxpayer money issues through the Department of Sport as a special grant for Dublin. Obviously then on top of the jersey, there's the near €1m a year sponsorship from AIG, they've 12 other parners including an official airline in Aer Lingus that are providing money and so on.
Seemingly though we are just bitter and don't understand the challenges they face.

The Dub dominance is single biggest issue facing football and instead we're debating straw men like handpass rule and similar crap.

If things continue as they are, football as we know will be dead within 20 years. I can foresee a scenario where level of public interest is akin to PRO14 group games.

Definitely I can foresee a situation in next 10 years where I stop going. And believe me, if a supporter like me loses interest, football is truly f****d.

But it's 100 percent GAA's fault - can't say we didn't warn them.

PS Someone above said that Dublin pay rent on Croke Park. I've had sources suggest otherwise. Cannot confirm but the GAA refuse to show me where that is in accounts around their league games. Lastly the great Dublin defence is that they get their money from GAA, rest from provincial councils. Under games development money, literally the only county mentioned in Leinster accounts is under "Dublin Coaching Project" which is another quarter of a million each year.

County boards up and down country should be rioting over Dubs' finances, resources and home advantage. Jesus Christ it took us staging a campaign on here last summer to get fair play over Newbridge Or Nowhere.

And why the f**k are Dubs still playing pre-Leinster final games in Croke Park?! Playing us in Newbridge would be good start on way to making Leinster championship competitive again & rekindling public interest.

Just goes to show the utter incompetence of county boards. They are useless.

And don't give the brain-dead "Well why don't run yourself" drivel. Anyone with half a brain can see Dublin are the biggest problem in football.

To repeat: county boards are useless.

well if its kildare v dubs in leinster semi final this year play it in newbridge and no kildare people would get a ticket or very few , catering for dublins season ticket holders would be impossible ,so it is already fixed for croke park .

I didn't get a ticket for Mayo game last year and didn't care - what that win did for football in the county was more invaluable than the few shillings extra we would have got playing in Croker.

If we do play Dubs in Leinster semi this year, obviously can't be in Newbridge due to redevelopment. But that game should 100 percent not be in Croke Park - should be in Tullamore or Portlaoise. It's f*****g LEINSTER championship not the Dublin-Croke Park championship.

Hopefully, we can start a campaign to get that game moved when time comes around. Also, we need to start ball rolling on splitting Dublin and redistributing finances more equally. Those are the next big issues post-Newbridge Or Nowhere. I am DEADLY SERIOUS about this. If you remove traditional Kerry-Dublin rivalry, ourselves & Mayo only counties left who'll stand up to them.

We're not bending the knee to them, on or off the field. We never have. We never will.

Will be returning to these subjects later in the year.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Carlow beat us in first round last year.

Haunted so true and too many people were thinking about Leinster Finals and the Dubs etc. last year and forgot about what Carlow could do!

https://soundcloud.com/sportsjoe-gaa-hour/special-episode-director-general-tom-ryan-interview

That is incredible. Tom Ryan says that only Dublin fund half the GDOs themselves, the rest don't, thus that's their fault. (Leinster Council says we fund half ours as do all others, can someone tell me if this is correct). Then says Dublin fund the GAA so they couldn't be taking money from them. Basically ends up admitting that Dublin run the GAA and there's nothing they can do. Also blames Leinster attendence fall offs on Kildare and Meath and Laois and Offaly not stepping up to the mark.

TommyKeegan wrote:

PS Someone above said that Dublin pay rent on Croke Park. I've had sources suggest otherwise. Cannot confirm but the GAA refuse to show me where that is in accounts around their league games. Lastly the great Dublin defence is that they get their money from GAA, rest from provincial councils. Under games development money, literally the only county mentioned in Leinster accounts is under "Dublin Coaching Project" which is another quarter of a million each year.

Considering the national leagues are run by Central Council, I'd be surprised if they did anyway. IIRC it's usually the other way around, IE the home county either keeps or is subsequently refunded a portion of the gate receipts to cover their operating costs. So you'd imagine that in Dublin's case, they just don't get this portion of gate receipts.

So one club semi done and dusted. Corofin just have that extra bit of class in more areas of the pitch and were able to pick Gaoth Dobhair off. In fairness in the first half there were a couple of diving last-ditch interceptions too.

On a couple of other points of note:
Kevin Cassidy is a beast of man, but apart from his strength it's his footwork and ability on the turn that seems to have improved.

I know Corofin were calling Healy out last year for simulation but glass feckin houses! There were a couple of very bad ones today.
No 12 must have the biggest flute in Ireland coz when he got hit on the knee he went down holding his!
Just v v bad to see and it's not new either, but something should be done to stop cheating like this.