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Post by Annascaultilidie on Dec 5, 2018 14:48:13 GMT
there is no reason why so many county finals around the country are played so late in the year. The Kerry hurling championship was run off in exemplary fashion this year and it included a losers round. Things can change if the will is there. Is the J1 exodus the reason for the delay around the country i wonder I understand it is a factor.
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Post by kerrygold on Dec 5, 2018 16:40:08 GMT
Holding the finals on Paddys Day is delaying the start time for every county championship around the country! The county championships can't start earlier as there are national league fixtures from late January to late March. All counties bar two are out of the championship by end of July. Most county finals around the county were played middle to late October this year................There was also a 4-6 week window in April for club championship which was largely ignored around the country, Kerry and a few others aside.
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Post by kerrygold on Dec 5, 2018 16:44:17 GMT
there is no reason why so many county finals around the country are played so late in the year. The Kerry hurling championship was run off in exemplary fashion this year and it included a losers round. Things can change if the will is there. Is the J1 exodus the reason for the delay around the country i wonder There is no incentive to finish county championships early with the club provincials starting in November and with the finals on Paddys Day. The J1 exodus just fits nicely into the overall picture. Hard to see the turkeys voting for Christmas on this one.
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Post by clarinman on Dec 5, 2018 17:31:12 GMT
Are there enough weekends after the all Ireland football final to finish the club championship in December? The first 3 weekends in December would be needed for the hurling semi, football semi and the 2 finals. Before that the worst case is the Leinster club championship which takes 7 weekends to complete (4 football rounds and 3 hurling rounds). You are now backed up to the start of October. That's not enough time for the dual counties to finish their country championships.
The only way around it would be to put provincial club football and hurling games on the same weekend. I don't think that's a runner. We had the ridiculous situation this year where kilmacud had to play both the Dublin hurling final replay and the football final on the same weekend. Player welfare has to come in to this too.
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Post by southward on Dec 5, 2018 20:15:40 GMT
Holding the finals on Paddys Day is delaying the start time for every county championship around the country! Is it? I am not sure that is accurate. I am not sure if we want the biggest club game in the country played in December either. But sure the biggest club game in the country is down for December every year. 2.30 this Sunday in Moyvane.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2018 18:08:51 GMT
Big upset today with Kilmacud being knocked out. Classic winter football.
Dr Crokes must be secretly thrilled now, serious favourites to reach the final.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2018 21:24:06 GMT
I’m sure they were expecting Kilmacud but they won’t underestimate them either. Kilmacud are a decent side. I’m sure Pat O’Shea will have them as prepared as he can get them and then it’s on the day.
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Post by Mickmack on Dec 9, 2018 21:53:00 GMT
Half parish, total pride: The story behind Mullinalaghta's meteoric rise
MULLINALAGHTA, A HALF PARISH OF 440 INHABITANTS, WON THE LONGFORD INTERMEDIATE TITLE IN 2007, AND THEY ARE NOW SIXTY MINUTES AWAY FROM AIB LEINSTER CLUB SFC GLORY
While the rain cascaded down on The Laurels on a dreary Sunday afternoon it failed to dampen the infectious enthusiasm of the close-knit Mullinalaghta St Columba’s community as they came together for a pre-Leinster Final 5km fun walk/run fundraiser.
“We know it will be an uphill task but we’re confident that we can upset the odds,” revealed upbeat club chairperson John Keegan Snr.
Mullinalaghta, of course, will create a major piece of history when they sprint out onto Bord na Móna O’Connor Park next Sunday as they become the first Longford club to ever contest an AIB Leinster senior decider.
It is a significant milestone for the ‘half parish’ which boasts 440 inhabitants.
The three-in-a-row Longford kingpins face a proverbial Everest challenge in the guise of Dublin giants Kilmacud Crokes however they are undaunted.
“We’re underdogs. We’ll give it 100% and we wouldn’t be afraid. We have got them outside ‘the pale’ so who knows what will happen,” pointed out club PRO Thomas McNerney as the rainfall intensified.
Mullinalaghta, arguably the smallest club in the province, are sixty minutes away from Leinster glory. It is the stuff that feeds dreams.
Incredibly, eleven years ago, they were plying their trade in the Longford intermediate ranks. They drew with Kenagh, 1-11 apiece, in the Gerry Hennessy Cup showdown and won a fiercely contested replay by the minimum margin, 1-10 to 2-6.
Mullinalaghta have remained senior ever since and their manager for that 2007 triumph was none other than Dan McElligott. He once admitted, “I have been ‘addicted’ to this great game of ours since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.”
And Mullinalaghta certainly struck gold when the Kerry native arrived in their midst and began spreading his football gospel.
Hailing from Ballymacelligott - “not everyone has a parish named after them”, Dan jokes - he previously lined out with Kerry minors at midfield and also with Monaghan seniors at full forward (not a role he enjoyed!) after his work brought him to the Farney County.
Marriage to Bernie saw him make Mullinalaghta his ‘new home’ and in 1990 he played for the club as they won their second Longford intermediate title - the first was 59 years earlier in 1931.
Powered by legendary figures like Packie, Harry, Johnny and Petie Rogers, the Reillys - Jimmy, Paddy ‘County’ and Frank, alongside Matty, Mick and Jim Matthews, Mullinalaghta were a serious force to be reckoned with during the 1940s. They won the Leader Cup on six occasions between 1945 and '51, and they were county championship winners in 1948 and ‘50.
2016 saw Mullinalaghta end a 66-year sojourn in the senior championship wilderness and with 14 direct descendants of the 40s/50s team among their ranks, there was a poignant moment when captain Shane Mulligan and his team mates visited the local graveyard with the Sean Connolly Cup in his possession.
“The great, late Jimmy Reilly was a grand uncle of Shane’s. The current players grew up hearing the stories about the heroes of six decades earlier. Winning the Leader Cup in 2014 lifted a monkey off their backs and now having won three championships in-a-row they’ve created their own legacy and have given the youngsters of today heroes they can identify with.”
Dan and Bernie have five sons - Ruairi, Conor, Donal, Aidan and Cian, all part of the senior squad, demonstrating that club truly is family.
John Keegan explained, “There is great community spirit here. Everyone rows in. The mothers of the players prepare tea and sandwiches after training every Wednesday evening and our players come back for training from places like Dublin, Limerick, Galway and Dundalk, and claim no mileage. To be honest, we couldn’t afford the expense.”
Prior to the ‘07 intermediate win, Dan felt Mullinalaghta were bringing their preparation to a new level.
“In 2006, the same day Longford travelled to Kerry for an All-Ireland senior qualifier, we brought the intermediates to Ballymacelligott for a challenge game. You might call it a bonding session. We were doing strength and conditioning work in Cornafean and did pre-season gym training in the Breffni Arms Hotel and also did swimming pool sessions there. It was a novelty at that time and not many club teams were going to those lengths. In ‘07 we played Breaffy, club of the Mayo O’Shea brothers and that commitment and work, thankfully paid off.”
Thomas McNerney suggested that the successful Mullinalaghta/Abbeylara amalgamation of Northern Gaels was crucial to the development of the current senior side.
The Northern Gaels roll of honour certainly backs this assertion up - U-14 ‘A’ champions in 2003, ‘05, ‘07 & 2010; U-16 ‘A’ champions in ‘2005, ‘09 & 2012; and Minor ‘A’ champions in ‘2008, 2011, ‘13, ‘14 & 2015.
Two Irish proverbs immediately spring to mind - Ní neart go cur le chéile (There’s no strength without unity) and Mol an Óige agus Tiocfaidh sí (Praise the Youth and they will Flourish).
John Keegan remarked, “The amalgamation kept lads playing and gave them a taste of success. Too many GAA clubs lose players that are aged 17 or 18 and we are very lucky that this group came together.”
Northern Gaels began in 1984. John Reilly, Dan McElligott, John Fay and the late Peter Sheridan were key figures in ensuring the amalgamation became a reality. Dan also spoke highly of the contribution made by people like John Buckley, Harry Rogers, Thomas McNerney, Finbarr Meehan, Michael Cunningham and Shamie Columb, along with some current senior players, with the coaching of underage players. He says teacher Anne McCabe does fabulous work in the local national school and recalled how he’d a drop a handwritten note into principal Nuala Fox for her to read out in relation to informing pupils about training times. “The co-operation and support was incredible.”
Dan smiles when he remembers a young Brian Buckley saying, “If we could only win one bloody match.” They persevered and look at the massive strides that Mullinalaghta have made.
A firm believer in working with the ball and encouraging players to have fun at training - ‘after all it is their hobby’ - Dan oozes passion and positivity. “The players are all sons to me. If you don’t have fun, you have nothing. And a great characteristic of this Mullinalaghta group is that they possess a willingness to learn from their mistakes.”
In addition to the Northern Gaels victories, Dan feels an All-Ireland win from five years ago is just as significant in the evolution of the Mullinalaghta story.
In 2013, three Mullinalaghta players - David McGivney (0-5), Aidan McElligott (1-0) and Rian Brady (0-5) racked up 1-10 between them at Croke Park, as Cnoc Mhuire, Granard were crowned All-Ireland Vocational Schools Senior ‘A’ Football Champions, defeating Peter Canavan’s Holy Trinity College, Cookstown by 2-13 to 2-12. A fourth Mullinalaghta man, Luke Meehan, guarded the net during that memorable win.
Whenever this club odyssey ends, Mullinalaghta will bid farewell to their charismatic manager Mickey Graham as he takes over the reins as manager of his native county Cavan.
John Keegan said, “Mickey was a great steadying influence and he instilled belief in the players. He will be a big loss, not only to us, but also to Longford football in general.”
Dan McElligott is a wealth of information and here is a fascinating statistic he unearthed from his vast archive.
On April 18, 2010, Northern Gaels hosted Kilmacud Crokes in an U-14 challenge game at The Laurels and they won by 3-18 to 1-13.
Current Mullinalaghta senior players Luke Meehan, Aaron Earley, Rian Brady, Michael Cunningham, Aidan McElligott, James Mooney and David McGivney all featured in that victory over Kilmacud eight years ago and wouldn’t it be a truly amazing story if they could perform an encore in Tullamore next Sunday?
Dan thinks they can. “We need to win more of the individual battles than Kilmacud do.” John Keegan is also quietly confident. “I think we can do it.”
The buzz and atmosphere around the ‘half parish’ is amazing ahead of the final and everyone is bursting with pride at the manner in which their players have acquitted themselves.
“There will be nobody at home on Sunday. It will be a case of last man out, lock the door,” laughed Thomas McNerney.
And here’s hoping that mighty Mullinalaghta can execute a giant killing act of seismic proportions. Best of luck to them!
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Post by Mickmack on Dec 9, 2018 21:55:09 GMT
Mullinalaghta St Columba's 1-08 Kilmacud Crokes 1-06
Tiny Mullinalaghta from a half-parish of just 447 in north-east Longford have made history by becoming the first Longford side to collect the AIB Leinster club SFC title.
Mickey Graham's men came into the contest as massive underdogs as the first Longford side ever to contest a final at this level.
And they predictably trailed by three points with four minutes of normal time remaining before pulling off a famous smash and grab raid.
David McGivney reduced the deficit to two before Gary Rogers fired home a 59th minute penalty that put the St Columba's club ahead and Aidan McElligott added an insurance point.
Dublin star Cian O'Sullivan conceded the penalty and picked up his second yellow card four minutes into stoppage time to cap a terrible day for Crokes but an incredible one for the Longford champions.
Rian Brady top scored for Mullinalaghta in front of 3,510 at Bord na Mona O'Connor Park though it was Rogers' goal that will live long in the memory.
Their reward is an AIB All-Ireland club semi-final clash with Munster champions Dr Crokes on February 16.
It means that Graham, the new Cavan manager, will have to remain on as Mullinalaghta boss for several more months and balance both positions.
Mullinalaghta's brave bid for history began as well as they could have hoped with the sides still level at half-time.
In a low scoring game, dominated by a high wind in the underdogs' favour, they were tied at 0-05 to 1-02 at that stage.
It was Kilmacud that grabbed the goal after just five minutes when ex-Dublin and Clare forward Burke finished from close range after a neat passing move.
In-form Pearson added a Crokes point in the 12th minute and they led 1-02 to 0-02.
But the red hot favourites, All-Ireland winners as recently as 2009, didn't score from open play again until the 39th minute.
Mullinalaghta responded to the Pearson point with three of their own, from Brady, Donal McElligott and David McGivney.
That McGivney score put them ahead at 0-04 to 1-01 between the 20th and 31st minutes until Mannion tied it up again from a free just before the break.
Paul Mannion came into contest under pressure to perform after returning 1-06 and 2-06 tallies in the county final and the provincial win over Dunboyne.
He was quieter against Portlaoise in the semi-finals but still hit 0-05 in that game though blasted two early wides here.
He started at centre-forward but moved in to the full-forward line soon after and was carefully tracked throughout by Patrick Fox.
Mannion hit his third wide of the game early in the second-half but Craig Dias was more accurate and moved Crokes ahead again.
The big wind favoured Crokes now and they extended their lead when Pearson blasted one over from long range.
Crokes got the margin out to three points after 48 minutes before Mullinalaghta broke a 30-minute barren streak with a point from Brady.
Moorefield memorably came from behind late on in last year's provincial final to snatch the win and Mullinalaghta did exactly the same here.
They closed the gap to two before O'Sullivan fouled Aidan McElligott for a penalty and Rogers fired home. Moments later, McElligott got on the end of a neat move to hit the insurance point from close range, securing a remarkable two-point win.
Mullinalaghta St Columba's: Patrick Rogers; Simon Cadam, Patrick Fox, Conan Brady; Donal McElligott (0-01), Shane Mulligan, Francis Mulligan; Aidan McElligott (0-01), John Keegan; Gary Rogers (1-00), James McGivney, Brendan Fox; David McGivney (0-02, 0-01f), Rian Brady (0-04, 0-01f), Jayson Matthews.
Subs: Michael Cunningham for Francis Mulligan (48).
Kilmacud Crokes: David Nestor; Liam Flatman, Ross McGowan, Andrew McGowan; Cian O'Connor, Cillian O'Shea, Cian O'Sullivan; Craig Dias (0-01), Conor Casey; Shane Horan, Stephen Williams, Shane Cunningham; Pat Burke (1-01), Paul Mannion (0-02, 0-02f), Callum Pearson (0-02).
Subs: Aidan Jones for Flatman (18, black card), Kevin Dyas for Williams (48), Mark Vaughan for Pearson (56), Nathan Nolan for Ross McGowan (66).
Referee: David Gough (Meath).
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Post by hurlingman on Dec 10, 2018 11:15:09 GMT
Kilgarvan won the Munster Junior B title yesterday to make it a clean sweep for Kerry clubs in Munster this year. Is this the first time it's happened? Also are Kilgarvan the first Kerry club to play in Munster in both football and hurling? I'm pretty sure they're the only ones to make a Munster final in both codes.
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Post by Ard Mhacha on Dec 14, 2018 14:59:22 GMT
I only caught the extra time as I was out and about, sending off had a big impact on Scotstown. Neither team would be a match for either of the Crokes in my opinion. Are Mullinalaghta named Crokes as well?
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Post by jackiel on Dec 14, 2018 18:19:07 GMT
I don't think I was the only one who didn't see that coming in fairness!
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Post by Ard Mhacha on Dec 15, 2018 0:39:54 GMT
I don't think I was the only one who didn't see that coming in fairness! Ah, it had to be done!
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Post by OnTheForty on Jan 17, 2019 15:51:06 GMT
All Ireland IFC and Junior semi finals on this Sunday Jan 20th: Kilcummin v TwoMileHouse (Kildare) in Gaelic Grounds Limerick, 2pm. Beaufort v Dundalk Young Ireland in O’Moore Park, Portloaise, 2pm. Best of luck to both teams. Crokes v Mulllnalaghta is on Feb 16th.
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diego
Fanatical Member
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Post by diego on Jan 20, 2019 15:39:43 GMT
Results from today.
All-Ireland Junior Club Championship Semi-Finals:
Beaufort.....0-12 Dundalk Young Irelands (Louth).....0-10
Easkey (Sligo) 1-8 Red Hughs (Donegal).....0-9
All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship Semi-Finals:
Kilcummin 0-11 Two Mile House (Kildare).....0-10
Naomh Éanna (Antrim).....3-9 An Spidéal (Galway).....0-11
Well done to both Kerry clubs.
Finals on Saturday, February 9th.
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Post by southward on Jan 20, 2019 16:40:53 GMT
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Post by Mickmack on Feb 9, 2019 11:55:05 GMT
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Post by southward on Feb 9, 2019 17:22:56 GMT
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Post by oldschool on Feb 9, 2019 18:09:38 GMT
Brendan Kealy saved Kilcummin on a few occasions. Great saves and great kickouts. WELL DONE BEAUFORT AND KILCUMMIN
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Post by Whosinmidfield on Feb 9, 2019 23:33:32 GMT
Incredible scoring from Kevin Mccharty. 3-7!!
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Post by dc84 on Feb 10, 2019 10:06:34 GMT
Great wins by both Kerry clubs yesterday congrats to all involved!
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Post by clarinman on Feb 10, 2019 12:43:29 GMT
It was fitting to see Kilcummin lift the cup yesterday given that it was a Kilcummin clubman Sean Kelly who started the intermediate and junior all Ireland club championships during his presidency.
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Post by kerrygold on Feb 10, 2019 14:07:38 GMT
3-07 from play from Kevin McCarthy last night. Phenomenal performance.............
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Post by Seoirse Ui Duic on Feb 10, 2019 15:43:23 GMT
Kevin Mac was immense. Kealy too though. It will be interesting to see how much Ryan can learn from his coaching. A triple for Kerry is still very much on the cards with Crokes in the semi. A lot of people complaining Beaufort and Kilcummin should be senior teams instead of junior and intermediate, but I suppose it goes to show just how good they are if people think that. Kerry are absolutely dominant at junior and intermediate levels and I think the divisional structure and the league/championship structure in Kerry are much more valuable than people realise. I tried explaining to some American guests just how important the GAA is, but they just couldn't believe how a small community like Beaufort or Kilcummin can create such a professional team winning games at the biggest stage in Ireland. Had to explain about 5 times that these are amateurs and they all have a full time job next to their sporting careers. Given the state Kilcummin were in last year it makes it all the more remarkable.
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Post by Mickmack on Feb 10, 2019 17:00:32 GMT
I watched Oran-Maree v Charleville in the intermediate club final. Charleville got two red cards for digs with the hurley after a bit of holding. Oranmore-Maree won it. Niall McInerney and Niall Burke stood out.
The performance of the weekend surely must be by the Monaghan club in running the KK club Dunamaggin to 3 points in the junior final.
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Post by glengael on Feb 15, 2019 11:32:07 GMT
All quiet on the Club Championship front. Crokes v Corofin for the final then?
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Post by buck02 on Feb 15, 2019 13:38:36 GMT
Semple Stadium will massively suit Crokes style of play and they will surely be guarded against any complacency following Kilmacud being beaten by Mullinalaghta. I think this could end up fairly one-sided.
I will go for a surprise in the other game. Corofin struggled in the drawn Galway final against a very defensive team, being restricted to 7 points, and they will meet a similar team tomorrow. I'll go for Gweedore by a point or two in a fairly low scoring game.
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Post by Seoirse Ui Duic on Feb 15, 2019 14:01:37 GMT
Semple Stadium will massively suit Crokes style of play and they will surely be guarded against any complacency following Kilmacud being beaten by Mullinalaghta. I think this could end up fairly one-sided. I will go for a surprise in the other game. Corofin struggled in the drawn Galway final against a very defensive team, being restricted to 7 points, and they will meet a similar team tomorrow. I'll go for Gweedore by a point or two in a fairly low scoring game. I expect two close games with Crokes scrambling passed Mullinalaghta. Mullinalaghta will throw everything at the Crokes, the kitchen sink and the rest fo the house. They are already in bonus territory and getting another big scalp would be huge for them. Unlike Crokes they won't be thinking of St. Patrick's Day, but dreaming about beating the Crokes. Corofin v Gweedore will be a tough one to watch I think. Corofin have obvious talent, but Gweedore are a battle hardened team that won't mind packing their defence and scoring 1 point from play in the entire game as long as they win in the end. They are also motivated by the tragic deaths in Donegal of four young men and their intercounty players can defend as well as they can score. I would expect them to defend like possessed and break out at speed on the counter. Gweedore by one for me and Crokes by two.
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tpo
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Post by tpo on Feb 15, 2019 18:49:25 GMT
Anyone guess Dr Crokes starting 15? Am I wrong thinking Michael Potts on Kerry senior panel hast started a championship match for Dr Crokes
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Post by Whosinmidfield on Feb 15, 2019 22:55:55 GMT
Anyone guess Dr Crokes starting 15? Am I wrong thinking Michael Potts on Kerry senior panel hast started a championship match for Dr Crokes You would be right. It will be interesting to see if he starts tomorrow.
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