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Donegal GAA thread

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "Would you want a player playing for you that doesn't want to be there? don't think it would sit well with the rest of the squad, he has a big connection with Kilcar, not like some of the players we have seen being drafted in by the big club(s) down the years.
Somebody mentioned amalgamations of clubs in years to come, in my opinion the intense local rivalry between these clubs makes that very unlikely."
If all a player has to do is not want to play for his club then you're opening up Pandora's Box. Every single application for a transfer would go through. That's all they'd have to say.

ThroughTheGap (Donegal) - Posts: 55 - 21/08/2024 18:56:40    2566224

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Replying To HB245:  "I believe Boyle was commuting from Letterkenny to play for Clontibret for the guts of 6 or 7 years. He was one of the premier club footballers in Monaghan for the last 10+ years and captained Clontibret to a senior championship final success in 2019. I feel as though it's slightly unfair to group his transfer in the same bracket as a man transferring from a Junior club to one of the premier senior clubs in the same county."
Hello HB245,
I think you miss the point of my previous post completely. Let me explain. Currently, in order to transfer to another club you have to prove that you work or live in the new club's catchment area. Boyle now lives and works in Letterkenny and so was able to transfer legally to St Eunans.
My point was that this transfer rule only serves to make clubs in the hub towns and centres of population even stronger as this is where the jobs are at. Succesive government policy centrailises jobs and services in these hubs thus running down the rural areas. The younger generation are not living or working in these rural areas as they are being forced into the hub towns.
We are seeing the results of this policy very clearly in Donegal now where a lot of clubs are dying on their feet while the big population areas have far more players than they need both at under age and senior level. A lot of players in the towns walk away because they are just not getting a chance.
The GAA are going to have to have a look at their tranasfer policy as it is only exacerbating the divide. If you have only lets say 10 players for an U12 side then you will be forced to amalgamate with your neighbouring club, a club that you will have enjoyed fierce rivalry with over the years. Does that enhance either club?
To be a 'premier senior club' as you put it, you need players both at underage and senior to make it work. Kilcar, like a lot of other rural clubs in the county, are no longer a premier club through no fault to themselves.

fionmaccumhaill (Donegal) - Posts: 45 - 22/08/2024 10:06:48    2566263

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Replying To fionmaccumhaill:  "Hello HB245,
I think you miss the point of my previous post completely. Let me explain. Currently, in order to transfer to another club you have to prove that you work or live in the new club's catchment area. Boyle now lives and works in Letterkenny and so was able to transfer legally to St Eunans.
My point was that this transfer rule only serves to make clubs in the hub towns and centres of population even stronger as this is where the jobs are at. Succesive government policy centrailises jobs and services in these hubs thus running down the rural areas. The younger generation are not living or working in these rural areas as they are being forced into the hub towns.
We are seeing the results of this policy very clearly in Donegal now where a lot of clubs are dying on their feet while the big population areas have far more players than they need both at under age and senior level. A lot of players in the towns walk away because they are just not getting a chance.
The GAA are going to have to have a look at their tranasfer policy as it is only exacerbating the divide. If you have only lets say 10 players for an U12 side then you will be forced to amalgamate with your neighbouring club, a club that you will have enjoyed fierce rivalry with over the years. Does that enhance either club?
To be a 'premier senior club' as you put it, you need players both at underage and senior to make it work. Kilcar, like a lot of other rural clubs in the county, are no longer a premier club through no fault to themselves."
So are you hinting that transfers of players from clubs outside of Donegal to Donegal clubs should be based on the size and success of the club and number of senior players registered in that club and conditions such as ;

Any club that won a senior championship in the last 5 years should be ruled out ?

Any club that is currently fielding a third team is ruled out ?

As for the Hearty transfer saga, I think he should earn his transfer, i.e. win a junior championship for Naomh Ultan first then ask for a transfer to his father's club.

Tirchonailabu56 (Donegal) - Posts: 23 - 22/08/2024 19:46:04    2566342

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Players should play for the club they were brought up in. Players living outside the county and have long distances to travel home to play for there club I do not mind them transferring. If we keep allowing transfers within the county it's going to be the death of a lot of small clubs. There's this notion out there that if you're not playing with a senior club that you'll be ignored for county teams. Rubbish if you're good enough it won't hinder you. Martin shovlin . Declan bonner, Matt Gallagher, David Walsh, all won all Irelands playing for junior clubs. Conor o Donnell. Caolan mc Colgan. Are playing junior football this year and are playing regularly for Donegal. The gaa was brought up with the parish ethos and that's the way it should remain…

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2569 - 23/08/2024 09:38:29    2566394

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Replying To peiledoir20:  "Howley was a bar man in the Bay View in Killybegs. McManus worked in the windmill sector. Not too many of them in Kilcar AFAIK."
he worked in both, the same fella owned both places, he lived in a house in a townland called Bavin which is very much in the parish of Kilcar, and there's 2 windmill farms in Kilcar also

ModernMaharaja (Donegal) - Posts: 80 - 23/08/2024 10:24:28    2566399

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Did there not come players into Na Rossa that weren't from the clubs catchment area?

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3057 - 23/08/2024 10:58:58    2566405

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Replying To ModernMaharaja:  "he worked in both, the same fella owned both places, he lived in a house in a townland called Bavin which is very much in the parish of Kilcar, and there's 2 windmill farms in Kilcar also"
He only started working the odd night in the Blue Haven when they realised he could play a bit of ball.

Like I said previously, they've pulled a few fly ones before. They tried it again. It's a case of third time unlucky for them this time.

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1066 - 23/08/2024 11:34:22    2566412

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Replying To peiledoir20:  "He only started working the odd night in the Blue Haven when they realised he could play a bit of ball.

Like I said previously, they've pulled a few fly ones before. They tried it again. It's a case of third time unlucky for them this time."
they've done it more than 3 times in fairness, I'd say at least 7 or 8

ModernMaharaja (Donegal) - Posts: 80 - 23/08/2024 12:48:50    2566435

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Replying To rorysboys:  "Players should play for the club they were brought up in. Players living outside the county and have long distances to travel home to play for there club I do not mind them transferring. If we keep allowing transfers within the county it's going to be the death of a lot of small clubs. There's this notion out there that if you're not playing with a senior club that you'll be ignored for county teams. Rubbish if you're good enough it won't hinder you. Martin shovlin . Declan bonner, Matt Gallagher, David Walsh, all won all Irelands playing for junior clubs. Conor o Donnell. Caolan mc Colgan. Are playing junior football this year and are playing regularly for Donegal. The gaa was brought up with the parish ethos and that's the way it should remain…"
I think Matt Gallagher played all his early football with Aodh Ruadh winning minor and U21 medals. He might have played for Bundoran too. His two brothers Padraig & Declan also played in Ballyshannon.

Ulsterchamps72 (Donegal) - Posts: 100 - 23/08/2024 14:10:27    2566449

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Replying To Tirchonailabu56:  "So are you hinting that transfers of players from clubs outside of Donegal to Donegal clubs should be based on the size and success of the club and number of senior players registered in that club and conditions such as ;

Any club that won a senior championship in the last 5 years should be ruled out ?

Any club that is currently fielding a third team is ruled out ?

As for the Hearty transfer saga, I think he should earn his transfer, i.e. win a junior championship for Naomh Ultan first then ask for a transfer to his father's club."
Hello Tirchonailabu56,
I am 'hinting' at nothing of the kind! How you were able to take that from my post is just "weird" as they would say in the USA!
What I said was that in order to transfer from one club to another you have to be either resident in or working in the area which you wish to transfer to. Because most of the jobs and services are located in the hub towns then many from the rural areas are moving to these centres of population to work and live. All the while the player numbers in the rural clubs are ever decreasing while in the hub towns they have far more players than they actually need. You can see this clearly playing out in our county. The transfer rules are something which the GAA is going to have to have a look at because soon you will have no more than four proper senior clubs at best in the county and this is no good for any club or indeed the county team.

fionmaccumhaill (Donegal) - Posts: 45 - 23/08/2024 18:47:51    2566495

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Naomh Conaill have at least 4 players who arent originally from the area but play for the club, The Doherty brothers and Jack McKelvey.
For the Dohertys, they moved up to the Fintown area when the eldest son was maybe 15, and the others were all well younger.
I have no issue with that, they all have been key parts in the clubs recent success over the last 7 or 8 years at Senior Level.
Jack plays for them because his father is from the area, not sure how they swung that...but sure arent the O'Donnell brothers from Eunans originally from Glenties?
Wasnt Deveney from Newton and somehow played for Eunans?

eddieSize5Balls (Donegal) - Posts: 87 - 23/08/2024 20:54:20    2566496

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Perhaps the answer in the future will be the Kerry model, where you play Junior or Intermediate Championship with your home club, and play Senior Championship for your Divisional side. Apart of course for the very strong club sides who will still manage to play Senior Championship on their own. This would retain an interest for struggling rural clubs who could still enjoy local rivalries, and yet also provide top level football for their elite players.

SouthOfTheGap (Donegal) - Posts: 716 - 23/08/2024 23:52:18    2566511

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Replying To SouthOfTheGap:  "Perhaps the answer in the future will be the Kerry model, where you play Junior or Intermediate Championship with your home club, and play Senior Championship for your Divisional side. Apart of course for the very strong club sides who will still manage to play Senior Championship on their own. This would retain an interest for struggling rural clubs who could still enjoy local rivalries, and yet also provide top level football for their elite players."
I feel the divisional sides would work well for Inishowen or South Donegal, I think a combined team would be well able to compete. I'm not sure about the likes of East Donegal would be able to have a strong enough panel to compete at senior level however.

NPadraigAbu (Donegal) - Posts: 85 - 24/08/2024 17:42:05    2566593

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Big wins for Glenswilly & Gaoth Dobhair.
Could Glenswilly take out a big gun in a one off knockout game?

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9527 - 24/08/2024 18:19:14    2566596

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Big wins for Glenswilly & Gaoth Dobhair.
Could Glenswilly take out a big gun in a one off knockout game?"
Definitely could , with Murphy pulling the strings. Still the best player in the county.

greenfan (Donegal) - Posts: 584 - 24/08/2024 20:39:14    2566610

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Big wins for Glenswilly & Gaoth Dobhair.
Could Glenswilly take out a big gun in a one off knockout game?"
I said it a while back on here but I do feel like this could be a year for an outsider to win. Glenswilly,FM, MacCumhallls all capable of beating the top 2, along with Kilcar and GD.

If any of those teams get a nice route to the final what's stopping them from winning a one of game, maybe Eunans or NC may get a bit complacent also.

FootballGuy (Donegal) - Posts: 260 - 24/08/2024 21:15:50    2566614

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Replying To FootballGuy:  "I said it a while back on here but I do feel like this could be a year for an outsider to win. Glenswilly,FM, MacCumhallls all capable of beating the top 2, along with Kilcar and GD.

If any of those teams get a nice route to the final what's stopping them from winning a one of game, maybe Eunans or NC may get a bit complacent also."
Couldn't see it happening in a final to be honest.
I think if, and its a big IF, there was to be a shock, it might be a QF, where maybe one of the big guns isn't quite at full tilt, and for example, a Michael Murphy colossal performance toppled them.

It would be great to see an outsider shake things up. I just feel though that both NC & Eunans have gotten their wee blips out of the way now. Be hard seeing them caught out again. Who knows though in a one off game.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9527 - 24/08/2024 22:04:55    2566622

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Replying To eddieSize5Balls:  "Naomh Conaill have at least 4 players who arent originally from the area but play for the club, The Doherty brothers and Jack McKelvey.
For the Dohertys, they moved up to the Fintown area when the eldest son was maybe 15, and the others were all well younger.
I have no issue with that, they all have been key parts in the clubs recent success over the last 7 or 8 years at Senior Level.
Jack plays for them because his father is from the area, not sure how they swung that...but sure arent the O'Donnell brothers from Eunans originally from Glenties?
Wasnt Deveney from Newton and somehow played for Eunans?"
Jack played all underage with Naomh Conaill and his father managed him in a lot of those underage teams.
The Doherty's and jack's family are all originally from fintown. So I don't believe there is any issue. As long as they moved to the area or played all underage in that area.
As regards the O'Donnell's from St Eunans, yes there father is from Glenties, however they never lived in Glenties and played all underage with St Eunans.
I know of an underage player who was approached by three different clubs, because the young player was from an area that had no club. And the area he was from, there was an equal distance to all three from where he was living.
At the end of the day, I know smaller clubs have to survive and try and keep players, however sometimes you have to be the bigger man and wish the player the best of luck and let him go. There is no winners when it comes to the player and the club objecting.
And I know what people will say, it's easy coming from a Naomh Conaill man, however I remember the days when we were competing in intermediate championships and it was hard work at underage that put us where we are today.
And we lost plenty of players along the way with injury, travel, and numerous other reasons.
Can't be good for a young player to be in that situation, and we as adults should think about that.

The keeper (Donegal) - Posts: 711 - 25/08/2024 14:16:31    2566675

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Was in Tir Conaill yesterday and Murphy is still the man. He was at the centre of everything Glenswilly did. Four Masters will be disappointed but they've a young team and Glenswilly upped the physical stakes, played on the edge in the second half and were deserving off the win. Four Masters are only starting to bring talent through and will be a force in coming years.

Can't see anyone getting even close to Naomh Conaill. When it's a knock out game they will ease past most teams. Everyone else is still trying to catch them.

Tir Conaill Abu (Donegal) - Posts: 1675 - 25/08/2024 15:14:15    2566680

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Ordhan McFadden Ferry is back folks..that a great addition as a tight man marker..I look forward to see how he goes..

RoryGall35 (Donegal) - Posts: 187 - 25/08/2024 15:27:51    2566684

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