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Club Football Championships - General Discussion

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Replying To WanPintWin:  "After the epics last weekend, this Intermediate final is one of the worst games I've ever seen. The Derry team's complete unwillingness to push out and pressure the man in possession is mind-boggling.
Happy to sit back and watch An Ghaeltacht pass the ball around under no pressure for minutes at a time, before eventually working a scoring chance.
Death by a thousand cuts doesn't even do it justice."
New or old rules we still have issues. It was one of the worst All-Ireland finals I've ever seen also. An Ghaeltacht Passing It around and doing nothing with it for large periods while the Derry chaps sat back admiring it with just a point scored with 43 minutes played.

Kerry teams has won enough hopefully Brigids can do the business next weekend.

Drax_the_destroyer (UK) - Posts: 658 - 11/01/2026 23:11:12    2650733

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Replying To Drax_the_destroyer:  "New or old rules we still have issues. It was one of the worst All-Ireland finals I've ever seen also. An Ghaeltacht Passing It around and doing nothing with it for large periods while the Derry chaps sat back admiring it with just a point scored with 43 minutes played.

Kerry teams has won enough hopefully Brigids can do the business next weekend."
They were talking to one of the Gaeltacht selectors afterwards and he was pretty blunt about it. If other team immediately retreats on change of possession the team in possession has either to hold ball up and look for opportunities or aimlessly kick it back to them.

It was not An Gaeltacht's fault that it was a dreadful spectacle, Derry lads only attempted to engage when the match was already lost,

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3902 - 12/01/2026 09:22:26    2650741

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Replying To Gaaforlife2023:  "Tyrone moaning about kerry what's new"
Where was I moaning about Kerry?

tireoghainabu (Tyrone) - Posts: 448 - 12/01/2026 09:38:22    2650746

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Replying To BarneyGrant:  "They were talking to one of the Gaeltacht selectors afterwards and he was pretty blunt about it. If other team immediately retreats on change of possession the team in possession has either to hold ball up and look for opportunities or aimlessly kick it back to them.

It was not An Gaeltacht's fault that it was a dreadful spectacle, Derry lads only attempted to engage when the match was already lost,"
It wasn't An Ghaeltacht's issue at all. The onus is on the team out of possession to try to win it back. They refused to, and just let An Ghaeltacht throw it around, hold on to the ball for ages, before eventually finding a gap and kicking a score. I can understand a team being cagey early on, but they just kept doing the same thing right through the first half until the game was gone.
What's been so good about the new rules is that most teams and pressuring the ball carrier further up the pitch. It has led to more contests for possession, Less structured play and more opportunities for scores.
Yesterday unfortunately was a reminder of the grim stuff we'd seen in recent past.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 2693 - 12/01/2026 10:00:58    2650752

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Replying To CTGAA10:  "The juinor game was some way competitive but the inter final was as a complete bore fest.
Surely glenullinn should have given it a proper go,it was like they just decided we can't win this..an Gaeltacht win by scoring only 3 points in 39 second half minutes..
I'm sure when the Derry boys look back they'll question what could have been..people can give our about how unfair the Kerry system is but both their inter and senior clubs could have been beaten in earlier games..this happened due to opponents having a go..I'm pretty sure bridgids will give dingle a game next weekend and even though I think dingle will get the win,they'll be made work for it.."
The Kerry system of having very few senior clubs gives their teams an advantage at intermediate and junior level, but at senior it's every county's number 1 team against each other, so no issues there. Kerry's record over the past 20 years at that level is much more ordinary at that level. Brigid's vs An Daingean should be a great game. Really looking forward to it, and a strong case could be made for either team.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 2693 - 12/01/2026 11:22:43    2650763

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Replying To BarneyGrant:  "They were talking to one of the Gaeltacht selectors afterwards and he was pretty blunt about it. If other team immediately retreats on change of possession the team in possession has either to hold ball up and look for opportunities or aimlessly kick it back to them.

It was not An Gaeltacht's fault that it was a dreadful spectacle, Derry lads only attempted to engage when the match was already lost,"
It was interesting tactics by Gaeltacht as they most certainly didn't play that way in the All-Ireland semi-final or Munster final I watched.

I feel they played the way they did yesterday with a strong focus in stopping the Derry/Ulster scoring and they had scored 30 goals in ten games coming into that game and probably felt if they played the traditional Kerry way of kicking the ball the Derry outfit would certainly add to that goal tally.

Retaining possession with passing backwards and sideways isn't easy to stop as even your own Dublin found out in a match you were expected to win comfortably against Roscommon three years. That game was used as one of many examples as to why the rules needed change yet it was back in force yesterday and allowed a team to comfortably win the All Ireland final.

Gaa_lover (USA) - Posts: 3813 - 12/01/2026 13:18:17    2650797

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Replying To CTGAA10:  "The juinor game was some way competitive but the inter final was as a complete bore fest.
Surely glenullinn should have given it a proper go,it was like they just decided we can't win this..an Gaeltacht win by scoring only 3 points in 39 second half minutes..
I'm sure when the Derry boys look back they'll question what could have been..people can give our about how unfair the Kerry system is but both their inter and senior clubs could have been beaten in earlier games..this happened due to opponents having a go..I'm pretty sure bridgids will give dingle a game next weekend and even though I think dingle will get the win,they'll be made work for it.."
It doesn't really matter if An Gaeltacht "could" have been beaten in earlier rounds. The fact is if An Gaeltacht was in Derry or any other reasonably strong football county they would be playing Senior and on the other hand if Glenullin was in Kerry they would be Junior.

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 1038 - 12/01/2026 13:19:01    2650798

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Replying To sligo joe:  "It doesn't really matter if An Gaeltacht "could" have been beaten in earlier rounds. The fact is if An Gaeltacht was in Derry or any other reasonably strong football county they would be playing Senior and on the other hand if Glenullin was in Kerry they would be Junior."
That's to the credit of Kerry in how they organise their championship. Clubs can slip very quickly down the ladder if they don't maintain certain standard. Happened to An Gaeltacht themselves after the end of Ó Sé dynasty.

An Gaeltacht beat Daingean recently - albeit a not full strength Daingean - and will be competitive in senior. Teams very rarely do well in Dublin after being promoted and the SFC carries way too much dead weight. Ten years ago there were 64 teams in it!

Dublin inter and junior champions have appalling record in Leinster - not sure any club has won it? Mostly due to mediocre teams being senior rather than inter and even junior.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3902 - 12/01/2026 14:09:51    2650806

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It isn't Kerry's place to be directing to other counties that they have too many clubs at senior level. Up to each county to get their own houses in order. The directive from Croke Park is that championships must be limited to 16.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9337 - 12/01/2026 14:16:24    2650807

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Replying To legendzxix:  "It isn't Kerry's place to be directing to other counties that they have too many clubs at senior level. Up to each county to get their own houses in order. The directive from Croke Park is that championships must be limited to 16."
Really poor argument, it's not about other counties not having their house in order, it''s the fact that Kerry sides are able to exploit an imbalance in structure.

I'm not saying it's Kerry's fault, they are perfectly entitled to have 2 senior teams if they rules allow it - but you are naive at best if you can't see the imbalance it causes at provincial/all Ireland level - and it's about much more than blaming other counties for not having their house in order. Kerry have 8 senior teams, most counites have 12/16

Kerry teams have won 5 of the last 10 All Ireland Intermediate Football Club Championships, 7 of the last 10 All Ireland Junior club championships and were runners up in 2 more. So they've been in 9/10 junior finals, and 5/10 intermediate.

How about Senior over the same period? 1 winner. So the imbalance is there for all to see.

Croke Park really need to set some kind of rule where all counties follow a similar template and structure because Junior and Intermediate is becoming a farce really.

Cabbagepatch1667 (Meath) - Posts: 108 - 12/01/2026 15:26:22    2650816

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Replying To Cabbagepatch1667:  "Really poor argument, it's not about other counties not having their house in order, it''s the fact that Kerry sides are able to exploit an imbalance in structure.

I'm not saying it's Kerry's fault, they are perfectly entitled to have 2 senior teams if they rules allow it - but you are naive at best if you can't see the imbalance it causes at provincial/all Ireland level - and it's about much more than blaming other counties for not having their house in order. Kerry have 8 senior teams, most counites have 12/16

Kerry teams have won 5 of the last 10 All Ireland Intermediate Football Club Championships, 7 of the last 10 All Ireland Junior club championships and were runners up in 2 more. So they've been in 9/10 junior finals, and 5/10 intermediate.

How about Senior over the same period? 1 winner. So the imbalance is there for all to see.

Croke Park really need to set some kind of rule where all counties follow a similar template and structure because Junior and Intermediate is becoming a farce really."
It wasn't an argument. It was a matter of fact. The format of county championships is a matter for each county. Kerry prioritise a competitive county championship.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9337 - 12/01/2026 16:10:07    2650822

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I dont know how others view this but I feel that playing the club finals in Croke Park (the biggest in the country as far as I know) can really alienate teams especially at junior level. You need an incredible level of fitness to play in Croker and we have to be realistic in that this is club football and not county. I know the prestige of playing in Croker is huge but look at the some the low scoring yesterday I think Glenullin had 1 point after 45 mins and you could see some lads on the Clogher team really struggling also. None of the 4 teams yesterday brought anything like the performances they produced up to now, to Croke Park yesterday and I feel we would have much better performances in a county ground where the supporters can be seen and heard and not lost in an 82,000 capacity stadium.

Dothesimplethingswell (Sligo) - Posts: 42 - 12/01/2026 17:10:25    2650829

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Replying To Cabbagepatch1667:  "Really poor argument, it's not about other counties not having their house in order, it''s the fact that Kerry sides are able to exploit an imbalance in structure.

I'm not saying it's Kerry's fault, they are perfectly entitled to have 2 senior teams if they rules allow it - but you are naive at best if you can't see the imbalance it causes at provincial/all Ireland level - and it's about much more than blaming other counties for not having their house in order. Kerry have 8 senior teams, most counites have 12/16

Kerry teams have won 5 of the last 10 All Ireland Intermediate Football Club Championships, 7 of the last 10 All Ireland Junior club championships and were runners up in 2 more. So they've been in 9/10 junior finals, and 5/10 intermediate.

How about Senior over the same period? 1 winner. So the imbalance is there for all to see.

Croke Park really need to set some kind of rule where all counties follow a similar template and structure because Junior and Intermediate is becoming a farce really."
Talk about contradiction

Gaaforlife2023 (Longford) - Posts: 1144 - 12/01/2026 17:22:21    2650833

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Replying To legendzxix:  "It wasn't an argument. It was a matter of fact. The format of county championships is a matter for each county. Kerry prioritise a competitive county championship."
Of course its up to Kerry how many of their clubs they feel are Senior standard. Think Kilkenny have a similar number of Football clubs in their Senior Football Championship. Carlow have less Senior hurling clubs. Counties like Leitrim, Longford and Louth likewise.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17963 - 12/01/2026 17:28:03    2650836

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Replying To Dothesimplethingswell:  "I dont know how others view this but I feel that playing the club finals in Croke Park (the biggest in the country as far as I know) can really alienate teams especially at junior level. You need an incredible level of fitness to play in Croker and we have to be realistic in that this is club football and not county. I know the prestige of playing in Croker is huge but look at the some the low scoring yesterday I think Glenullin had 1 point after 45 mins and you could see some lads on the Clogher team really struggling also. None of the 4 teams yesterday brought anything like the performances they produced up to now, to Croke Park yesterday and I feel we would have much better performances in a county ground where the supporters can be seen and heard and not lost in an 82,000 capacity stadium."
Sorry but your comment is completely out of touch. All clubs want to be in Croke Park. Not much else to be said. It has to be said.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9337 - 12/01/2026 19:06:33    2650845

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