2023 Club Scene

Hi Lads,

So the Pre-Season competitions are coming to a close soon enough and I think the leagues are starting 2/3 weeks? Anyone taken in some of the games so far? I was at Confey for their game against Clogherinkoe. I have to say the Clogherinkoe sideline and supporters behaved appallingly towards the referee. Every decision was questioned with aggression. Mentors were out on the field constantly remonstrating with him. It's amazing to think there is such a shortage of referees and club treat them like that. Ref dealt with it well to be fair. Basically told them that he could go home if they wanted to ref it themselves.

Cloghs won in the end. Confey still reliant on James Gately and Slattery. I was impressed with Cloghs centre forward and the 2 Grehans in midfield are big players for them.

Took in Maynooth Kilcock on Friday night. Local derby but wasn't a lot of bite to it at all. Shadow boxing I suppose enjoyable for a Friday night. Both teams missing a fair few.

Looking forward to the start of the leagues now. Probably more on offer than some of the county games!!

From what I hear a lot of clubs are finding it difficult to get their strongest team out. So bar the bigger clubs who can absorb that I would not read too much into these competitions.

I feel Kill have been very harshly done out of a Dowling Cup QF spot. They finished level on points with Milltown and Grange. Milltown had the far superior scoring difference so they top the group and into the semi final. One spot left. Kill and Grange finished level on points and on scoring difference. Kill have the superior goals and points scored (and they beat Grange) but Grange go through because...stay with me here... Ardclough gave Grange a walkover at the weekend.. Kill hammered Ardclough by 12 points but those 12 points now have to be wiped from the Kill scoring difference because the result is void seen as Grange got a walkover from Ardclough. Kill now drop out. VERY harsh.

They give a team a minimum of 3 games. Probably marginally better than challenge games in that regard.

Yeh I saw that with Kill. Surely they could have left it to the two teams to come up with a solution. A playoff maybe. Again better than a challenge match and a training session.

You know I hear lads giving out about these competitions. A bit like the Obyrne cup or what have you. At the end of the day though it's always nice to win something and it can help set a tone for the year.

Definitely hard to get full teams out but again they'd have that with challenge games and training though.

When is the league due to start? Is it the 25th of March weekend?

Jesus that one is one of the worst decisions to decide on a team to go through ive ever heard !!!

I watched Caragh v Allenwood last night. Dan Lynham was unmarkable in midfield. He scored three points in the first ten minutes by getting the ball and driving at the defence and kicking from 30+ yards. I don't know what he finished with but he is one serious midfielder.

I hear that Roli Sweeney scored 1.01 against JTB las night in the Aldridge Cup.

Yeah i heard Roli was back in the full forward line for moorefield ! Mad

Moores have seriously regressed though. In saying that so have a lot of clubs.

Senior Championship could be wide open this year. Obviously Naas are the front runners but if the likes of Maynooth or Clane could put a run together they'll be dangerous. Celbridge with Brophy and Conway away from the county can only help.

MickosMen wrote:

Moores have seriously regressed though. In saying that so have a lot of clubs.

Senior Championship could be wide open this year. Obviously Naas are the front runners but if the likes of Maynooth or Clane could put a run together they'll be dangerous. Celbridge with Brophy and Conway away from the county can only help.

Naas should have been taken last year. Sarsfields will still be sick that they let it slip and we all know what happened in the final. I'm 100% convinced we will have a new senior champion this year. Division one will also be really competitive. Leixlip and Johnstownbridge replacing Eadestown and Larries means that it is stronger again. You would imagine that a year in Division 1 will help Leixlip and Castledermot push towards the Intermediate championship this year too.

Out of curiosity, are many clubs struggling with loss of players via emigration? I know my club has been decimated over the last two years

SplitThePosts wrote:

Out of curiosity, are many clubs struggling with loss of players via emigration? I know my club has been decimated over the last two years

It's an age old problem for rural clubs. Bigger clubs don't seem to have an issue. Now retention is an issue when lads are hitting 24 or 25 but I just think that's the way its gone at this point. You could see a situation in the next few years where certain clubs will have to join up even at senior level to field a team.

MickosMen wrote:

SplitThePosts wrote:

Out of curiosity, are many clubs struggling with loss of players via emigration? I know my club has been decimated over the last two years

It's an age old problem for rural clubs. Bigger clubs don't seem to have an issue. Now retention is an issue when lads are hitting 24 or 25 but I just think that's the way its gone at this point. You could see a situation in the next few years where certain clubs will have to join up even at senior level to field a team.

Yeah. We will struggle this year for that reason. And even if they are here lads have gaa well down the priority list.

I think Ballykelly are struggling this year as they had to drop out of the Dowling Cup. Kildangan didn't even enter and they struggled last year. The introduction of the "Junior B" is a good idea. Hopefully teams in the second half of the junior pot can be more competitive and not get disheartened by hammerings every week.

Junior championship reverts back to the old way prior to last year
Open draw two groups
Because kildangan have decided to go back to the reserve championship
Good call imo pitty a few more wouldn’t follow suit

There are to many teams in intermediate and the same with Senior. Really we could look at a total restructure and have 4 really competitive championships rather than the current setup.

MickosMen wrote:

There are to many teams in intermediate and the same with Senior. Really we could look at a total restructure and have 4 really competitive championships rather than the current setup.

I'd go 12 senior and 20 in intermediate. The gulf in class to the weakest teams in intermediate is not as large as it is in Senior.

Columbo wrote:

MickosMen wrote:

There are to many teams in intermediate and the same with Senior. Really we could look at a total restructure and have 4 really competitive championships rather than the current setup.

I'd go 12 senior and 20 in intermediate. The gulf in class to the weakest teams in intermediate is not as large as it is in Senior.

The format I'd go for in senior off the top of my head is 2 groups of 6 (seeded based on League standings). Each club plays 2 round robin games at home and 2 away with the final rounds neutral. Top of each group goes straight to the semi finals with 2nd and 3rd playing in quarter finals. Bottom team in each group play the relegation final.
The downside is the lack of knockout football but the upside would be more meaningful games, especially at the latter stages of the group stage. We don't play enough football matches in Kildare (compared to the likes of Kerry)

Whatever they do get rid of the preliminary round for the love of good. It's absolute horse shot and literally nobody wants to play those matches. It's to do with gate receipts obviously and generating an extra few quid but players, mentors, officials and supporters don't value it at all.

MickosMen that preliminary round if you win that game you dont get relegated so its very important anyway players want to play games so no harm.

Milltown v grange dowling cup final
Sash v celbridge aldridge cup final

No sign of Kildangan in Div. 4 fixtures. They were down to play Robertstown. They also didn't enter the Dowling Cup this year so might be struggling to get a team in. I don't think the Gaa allow it at adult level but they should seriously think about amalgamating with Ballykelly at some stage or set up a new club to allow it.

The flour bags wrote:

Junior championship reverts back to the old way prior to last year
Open draw two groups
Because kildangan have decided to go back to the reserve championship
Good call imo pitty a few more wouldn’t follow suit

Sorry I only saw this after I posted. Good to see they will be playing some sort of football this year.

steviegenius wrote:

MickosMen that preliminary round if you win that game you dont get relegated so its very important anyway players want to play games so no harm.

Yes that's correct but there isn't really any element of risk attached to it though as you have another few bites at the cherry.

I see the Aldridge cup is down for Paddys Day at 4.

I keep trying to upload a picture of a set of the opening league fixtures for the divisions but it just has the file name and not the image. Anybody have a clue?