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Joe McDonagh Cup 2025

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The fixtures have been announced for 2025. Kerry have Kildare (A), Carlow (H), Laois (A), Down (A) and Westmeath (H).
Carlow, Laois and Westmeath will be expected to battle it out for a place in the final.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8638 - 05/12/2024 22:23:07    2582565

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Replying To legendzxix:  "The fixtures have been announced for 2025. Kerry have Kildare (A), Carlow (H), Laois (A), Down (A) and Westmeath (H).
Carlow, Laois and Westmeath will be expected to battle it out for a place in the final."
Down written off as usual ;)

BaileCrann (Down) - Posts: 66 - 05/12/2024 23:38:33    2582572

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Replying To legendzxix:  "The fixtures have been announced for 2025. Kerry have Kildare (A), Carlow (H), Laois (A), Down (A) and Westmeath (H).
Carlow, Laois and Westmeath will be expected to battle it out for a place in the final."
Can't rule out 1 of the other counties going on a good run either though.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15252 - 06/12/2024 06:00:30    2582576

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Replying To BaileCrann:  "Down written off as usual ;)"
Down have yet to finish above 5th. Just not the form that would have Down as favourites nationally.
Kildare will look to threaten Kerry and Down's McDonagh status.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8638 - 06/12/2024 09:02:29    2582589

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Down have yet to finish above 5th. Just not the form that would have Down as favourites nationally.
Kildare will look to threaten Kerry and Down's McDonagh status."
Kildare will finish strong of that I'm sure.

Cuhullain (Kildare) - Posts: 299 - 06/12/2024 14:47:56    2582640

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Replying To Cuhullain:  "Kildare will finish strong of that I'm sure."
Agreed

farneygael3 (Monaghan) - Posts: 162 - 06/12/2024 15:49:21    2582646

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Replying To legendzxix:  "The fixtures have been announced for 2025. Kerry have Kildare (A), Carlow (H), Laois (A), Down (A) and Westmeath (H).
Carlow, Laois and Westmeath will be expected to battle it out for a place in the final."
Would you go away with your cute hoor Kerry codswallop.You went on with that speel last year and a hugely fired up Kerry beat a dozy Westmeath in Mullingar.Any of the six are capable of winning it.
We have 3 away games in Laois,Kildare and Kerry and if we start as badly as last year will be out after two rounds.
Laois favourites and then Carlow,Kerry, and Westmeath to fight out a place in the final.Anybody who disrespects Down and Kildare will get a bloody nose.
A great competition getting better quality wise every year.

jobber (Westmeath) - Posts: 1667 - 07/12/2024 10:03:47    2582699

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Replying To jobber:  "Would you go away with your cute hoor Kerry codswallop.You went on with that speel last year and a hugely fired up Kerry beat a dozy Westmeath in Mullingar.Any of the six are capable of winning it.
We have 3 away games in Laois,Kildare and Kerry and if we start as badly as last year will be out after two rounds.
Laois favourites and then Carlow,Kerry, and Westmeath to fight out a place in the final.Anybody who disrespects Down and Kildare will get a bloody nose.
A great competition getting better quality wise every year."
It's one of the best competitions the GAA has. In Football or Hurling.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15252 - 07/12/2024 10:27:33    2582700

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Replying To jobber:  "Would you go away with your cute hoor Kerry codswallop.You went on with that speel last year and a hugely fired up Kerry beat a dozy Westmeath in Mullingar.Any of the six are capable of winning it.
We have 3 away games in Laois,Kildare and Kerry and if we start as badly as last year will be out after two rounds.
Laois favourites and then Carlow,Kerry, and Westmeath to fight out a place in the final.Anybody who disrespects Down and Kildare will get a bloody nose.
A great competition getting better quality wise every year."
Kerry v Westmeath was the perfect storm in Kerry's favour. We were fortunate against Down. Offaly and Laois had a comfortable margin against Kerry. Beating Westmeath in Round 1 is not clouding my judgement.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8638 - 07/12/2024 10:47:44    2582707

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League form has to be taken with a pinch of salt. With that in mind, Carlow are the early favourites. Laois and Westmeath to challenge. Down and Kildare could be challenging for a best placed finish in a full group. (Down finished 2nd in their 3 team group in 2021.) Down have finished 5th of 6 for the last three years. Kildare have always been automatically relegated. Kerry, the only ever present in the Joe Mc, are under serious threat of relegation.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8638 - 04/02/2025 05:58:15    2589329

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Replying To legendzxix:  "League form has to be taken with a pinch of salt. With that in mind, Carlow are the early favourites. Laois and Westmeath to challenge. Down and Kildare could be challenging for a best placed finish in a full group. (Down finished 2nd in their 3 team group in 2021.) Down have finished 5th of 6 for the last three years. Kildare have always been automatically relegated. Kerry, the only ever present in the Joe Mc, are under serious threat of relegation."
If league form is to be taken with a pinch of salt then Kildare are back in the mix along with your Kerry

Cuhullain (Kildare) - Posts: 299 - 04/02/2025 09:14:24    2589347

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I normally hate the pile on that occurs come summertime about TV/ GAAGO etc, but surely a trick is being missed in having a seperate broadcast agreemetn for the Joe MC, You'd imagine TG$ would happily put on 2 games per round? Or if not give it it's own streaming package for a decent price (Let the big Munster games 'pay for GAAGO' as they say) Spoken as someone who tries to make a few Joe Mac games every year, it's a brilliant competition. Second only to the MUsnter Championship for entertainment in the entire GAA imo

Overdahill (Galway) - Posts: 27 - 04/02/2025 10:30:46    2589370

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Replying To Overdahill:  "I normally hate the pile on that occurs come summertime about TV/ GAAGO etc, but surely a trick is being missed in having a seperate broadcast agreemetn for the Joe MC, You'd imagine TG$ would happily put on 2 games per round? Or if not give it it's own streaming package for a decent price (Let the big Munster games 'pay for GAAGO' as they say) Spoken as someone who tries to make a few Joe Mac games every year, it's a brilliant competition. Second only to the MUsnter Championship for entertainment in the entire GAA imo"
Alot of the Joe Mac games were on clubber last year. Excellent value package, with underage intercounty games, schools games, and club games from around the country on it. I don't work for them BTW :-D

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15252 - 04/02/2025 10:39:32    2589372

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Replying To Overdahill:  "I normally hate the pile on that occurs come summertime about TV/ GAAGO etc, but surely a trick is being missed in having a seperate broadcast agreemetn for the Joe MC, You'd imagine TG$ would happily put on 2 games per round? Or if not give it it's own streaming package for a decent price (Let the big Munster games 'pay for GAAGO' as they say) Spoken as someone who tries to make a few Joe Mac games every year, it's a brilliant competition. Second only to the MUsnter Championship for entertainment in the entire GAA imo"
In all honesty I think the viewing figures are low, just as are the attendances. I think a few games were streamed in 2018. Can't recall on what platform. Clubber usually cover the games these days. The Joe Mc is a great competition but being a tournament out of the limelight, the support isn't there in big numbers.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8638 - 04/02/2025 10:45:57    2589374

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Replying To legendzxix:  "In all honesty I think the viewing figures are low, just as are the attendances. I think a few games were streamed in 2018. Can't recall on what platform. Clubber usually cover the games these days. The Joe Mc is a great competition but being a tournament out of the limelight, the support isn't there in big numbers."
The other problem with it is Football is more popular in most of the counties in the Joe Mac, probably all of them.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15252 - 04/02/2025 10:57:55    2589377

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Carlow look to be the favourites to win the McD this year. Laois and Westmeath to battle for a place in the final. Down and Kildare current favourites to retain McD status. Concerning league campaign by Kerry. The only county to have competed in all McDonagh Cup campaigns to date. League form as always has to be taken with a pinch of salt.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8638 - 10/03/2025 10:35:01    2595687

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Fair synopsis. Carlow should have too much for the others based on current form.

Westmeath is an awful state and have regressed dramatically. Questions were asked when the manager was appointed and rightly so. We are way off the level an inter county team should be regarding fitness, first touch, decision making and basic skills really. Would love to see a local management team appointed asap to try and salvage the year.

Down look to be a dark horse with promotion obtained and some impressive performances. Kerry look very poor (granted I've only seen their loss to Kildare) with key players Conway and co not really firing at all. In that same match Kildare looked good. Very direct with forwards eager to run at defences.

I'd go for a Carlow Laois final. Carlow to win.

dakid (Australia) - Posts: 291 - 10/03/2025 11:51:49    2595717

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Kerry looked a lot better v Down yesterday than in other rounds.

They are starting to get first team players back.

They still have Shane Conway, Daniel Collins and Colin Walsh to come into the starting team for JMcD Cup.

Past hurler (None) - Posts: 883 - 10/03/2025 14:00:01    2595766

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if carlow don't win it. it will be a big step backwards for carlow hurling. as a dark horse kildare won't be to bad. the arse has falling out of laois hurling things not right in the camp. your best player and top goalkeeper doesn't walk away mid season for nothing.

oneshot (Tyrone) - Posts: 14 - 10/03/2025 21:59:04    2595870

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These would be my rankings of the teams in Joe mcdonagh cup based on performances so far this year
1 carlow 2 Kildare 3 laois 4 down 5 Kerry 6 westmeath..at moment would be v little between Kildare, laois and down... carlow comfortably in front...Kerry on a downward trend and westmeath having a nightmarish start to 2025

preddan (Kildare) - Posts: 786 - 12/03/2025 19:21:29    2596137

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