AFL Trials...

If it was to happen how would you fund it lads ??

rgb wrote:

I was gonna ask vodafone to explain why Ciaran Kilkenny and young McCaffrey are there attending the trials when there's no new arrivals in Dublin pushing them further down the pecking order, but I have decided not to bother engaging in a reasonable debate. Someone might rat me out to the Feds.

All I know is, when I was 21, and if I ever had been asked, I'd have gone in a heartbeat.

To be honest both shall be a massive loss to both hurling and football , maybe they have decided at there age (minors) there would be time in the future if things dont workout in AUS ,but if they made it all well and good , I think we are fortunate we have few good prospects , in comparison to most counties who maybe struggling in the forseeable future , still they shall be missed !!! best of luck to them in the chosen futures

Thats the simpliest way I can answer you rgb

Surely the same reasons might apply to the Kildare lads then?

If lads have a chance to make a living out of playing sport then good luck to them. Liam Rushe the Dublin hurler said a very imteresting thing in the paper last week.

Said that hurlers have now reached their fitness and skill peaks and cannot improve any more without going professional.

I reckon he is spot on and it goes for football too

rgb wrote:

Surely the same reasons might apply to the Kildare lads then?

It could yes I would entirely agree , but not to be dismissive of Kildare ,they cant readily afford to lose players of hurleys ability regularly , and its not as if players of his ability are readily available in comparison to the large counties , Cork. Kerry & .......... !! , if he was to go I would wish him well like everyone else here , and hope for your countys sake he would return a better player if he chose to come back to repersent the county,

You think with one All-Ireland in 16 years, no minor since '84 etc, that Dublin can readily afford to lose players of Kilkenny's ability? I think placing Dublin in the category of Kerry is a bit premature in regard to the production line of quality players.

However, as regards players that are actually lost to AFL... what is it .0000000000000001% or something like that? It's a non-issue.

Ogie wrote:

You think with one All-Ireland in 16 years, no minor since '84 etc, that Dublin can readily afford to lose players of Kilkenny's ability? I think placing Dublin in the category of Kerry is a bit premature in regard to the production line of quality players.

However, as regards players that are actually lost to AFL... what is it .0000000000000001% or something like that? It's a non-issue.

What about thrown in the U21 AI 2010 & Junior AI 2008 into the mix with our category of litany ??

Yes I agree whole heartedly with your assertion with our minor success on the A.I plateau , and I did say in regards to .............! it will be a massive loss to both codes with regards to "Kilkenny & Mc Caffery" , but generally at provincial level we would be more sucessfully then Kerry or Cork ,"No"

As for comparsions with Kerry , hhhhuuumm whatever to support your comment what about Cork and there credential are they more or less not the on the same level as .....!! !! since 1990

I agree on your second point , Its not as big of an issue for the bigger counties as such , and yes with them as you say "It's a non-issue" , but for counties with increasingly limited resourses it can be a hell of a lot more crippeling , and become a bigger issue "No"

Do any of these guys actually come back as better players as everyone seems to take for granted on here? Would Clarke and Keneally not be as least as good if not better if they stayed at home playing football with a round ball instead of an oval one. They do build up body strength and stamina but surely that is not the advantage it once was due to the modern training methods at home. Tough on Hurley's club if they lose him as well as Cribben.

Ok, so vodafone. If it's a great opportunity for the Dublin lads, and it's a great opportunity for the Kildare lads, then the Seanie Johnston factor that you speak of is actually not really a factor at all.

rgb wrote:

Ok, so vodafone. If it's a great opportunity for the Dublin lads, and it's a great opportunity for the Kildare lads, then the Seanie Johnston factor that you speak of is actually not really a factor at all.

Agreed in part on the opportunity aspect but at what cost to clubs is the 1st question 2nd counties , who really can afford to lose good players , With young messer's Hurley can Kildare afford to lose potentially a good home grown player , who may (not proven i will say) have chosen to go due to the arrival of SJ , yes its still heresay I know !! What if by some accounts !!! SJ takes a strop with Kildare management , not unlike in Cavan , and off we go to the next facilitor , thats the underlining deep question you all must ask , is there potential for this to happen ,yes he is a good player , and as some accounts have eluded to he has his days , at what cost is bring in a player with a so called history worth ?? I maintain he is a liability , in esssences , at the end of the Day !! SJ really has to get here 1st. to find foundation in my remark i will conceed

For the likes of Westmeath, losing Heslin, even though he was 18, or Michael Quinn at the same age to Longford, or Brendan Murphy to Carlow, or Brian Donnelly to Louth was a loss, as Cribbin was to Kildare, but hardly catacylsmic. You're talking an 18-year-old. If they're back at 20, away you go, although it will take a little to time for them to drop some muscle mass and readjust to the round ball. But they've had a bit of life experience, they've experienced full-time sport.

Look, all I'm saying is anyone can google the amount of players that have actually gone. And then the amount of players who have been gone for more than three or four years.

Some weren't better players coming back - we'll take that to mean that they were county players when they left but didn't make it senior, or even weren't great seniors. But I venture that if you go through every minor football team of ten years ago, the percentage of those that were top class inter-county players is low. The point being, that there are no guarantees about 18-year-olds becoming stars.

So no, in no sense do I see players going away as an issue except in one way - for clubs - but sure all that's happening is a guy is going away to work. Many of them are going away for 12 months or more to the same place to get pissed and maybe throw a bit of work in there in the meantime. It's all good.