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Replying To wicklowsupport: "Maybe i was dreaming but i could have sworn that wicklow was the county who proposed a second tier competition be introduced. And that the idea originated or if not, was put forward with the approval of the wicklow players. Now if this is the case, how are we struggling to field a team. I'm not a fan of this competition but it is difficult to put forward arguments for wicklow not being in a secondary competition based upon our history. I might be able to see us not taking this competition seriously if we had remained in division 3 and were in a place to push for division 2 but this is not the case so we should aim to win this competition so that we can play better teams in the championship next year as we won't be playing quality opposition in division 4." I hope that report is wrong. That's all we need at this stage. To have to field an under strength side. It gets better and better, doesn't it ?? Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1610 - 19/05/2022 18:48:51 2418803 Link
Replying To Freethinker: "I hope that report is wrong. That's all we need at this stage. To have to field an under strength side. It gets better and better, doesn't it ??" I assume Wicklow GAA have a PRO person. I see regular updates on twitter, in the local and national media concerning alot of counties. Yet it is always a struggle to find out about Wicklow GAA. My understanding is that a lot of the twitter feeds, fscebook pages etc are contributions outside the county board. Rumours will always fill a vacuum which is why the county board PRO should do their job and communicate properly with people interested in Wicklow GAA. wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2096 - 20/05/2022 11:48:37 2418901 Link
Speaking to a selector the other night and no doubt at all the team will field tomorrow down a few numbers and some gone trevelling and one lad has a soccer final sunday so not the strongest but we will field. I beleived tinahely players are going helping out in fairness. Pat Mustard (None) - Posts: 409 - 20/05/2022 13:57:09 2418964 Link
Replying To Pat Mustard: "Speaking to a selector the other night and no doubt at all the team will field tomorrow down a few numbers and some gone trevelling and one lad has a soccer final sunday so not the strongest but we will field. I beleived tinahely players are going helping out in fairness." Lads going travelling in the summer to earn some extra money for college and experience some different cultures is fine with me. Especially when you are in a second tier competition based upon where you are born. Is there some sort of an internal joke in relation to Tinahely: is there a suggestion that the manager is picking Tinahely unduly due to being their manager a couple of years ago? Just interested to know. wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2096 - 20/05/2022 15:31:44 2419016 Link
Replying To wicklowsupport: "Lads going travelling in the summer to earn some extra money for college and experience some different cultures is fine with me. Especially when you are in a second tier competition based upon where you are born. Is there some sort of an internal joke in relation to Tinahely: is there a suggestion that the manager is picking Tinahely unduly due to being their manager a couple of years ago? Just interested to know." Wicklowsupport - its not just because of where the lads were born, its also because we have no business being in the main championship. sponger (Wicklow) - Posts: 2928 - 20/05/2022 16:37:14 2419035 Link
Replying To wicklowsupport: "Lads going travelling in the summer to earn some extra money for college and experience some different cultures is fine with me. Especially when you are in a second tier competition based upon where you are born. Is there some sort of an internal joke in relation to Tinahely: is there a suggestion that the manager is picking Tinahely unduly due to being their manager a couple of years ago? Just interested to know." I'd imagine this one will spark a few replies, Wicklowsupport. Mind you, I had heard similar comments recently after the u20 game. I don't think it referenced the u20 game in particular, just a preference by management for players from that part of the world. I dismissed it as sour grapes. Like I said, it will be interesting to see if it doesn't bring a few comments out of the woodwork. Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1610 - 20/05/2022 16:59:53 2419045 Link
All this news is very disheartening to say the least. I hear only 16 training and I don't see any team news at this late stage. If the commitment is as poor as we are led to believe then we should have withdrawn from the competition. Players should take example from what I read about Dean Healy, a true leader. The GAA have probably shot themselves in the foot by having such a condensed season so many players will not committ to a secondary competition especially when the teams were not organised into groups thus guaranteeing each team a minimum of 3 games. The prospect of maybe one extra game is not going to entice players to train and stay around. It is hard to expect supporters to pay to see what appears to be a shambles. I thought that this competition would be embraced by the players to add more experience to a young team but it seems not. I hope I'm wrong. Optimisticobserver (Wicklow) - Posts: 136 - 20/05/2022 19:19:23 2419066 Link
Replying To Optimisticobserver: "All this news is very disheartening to say the least. I hear only 16 training and I don't see any team news at this late stage. If the commitment is as poor as we are led to believe then we should have withdrawn from the competition. Players should take example from what I read about Dean Healy, a true leader. The GAA have probably shot themselves in the foot by having such a condensed season so many players will not committ to a secondary competition especially when the teams were not organised into groups thus guaranteeing each team a minimum of 3 games. The prospect of maybe one extra game is not going to entice players to train and stay around. It is hard to expect supporters to pay to see what appears to be a shambles. I thought that this competition would be embraced by the players to add more experience to a young team but it seems not. I hope I'm wrong." There are two things at play here. I have stated regularly on the national forums that this secondary competition is badly thought out and that it won't have the outcome that the GAA believe it will. It is another Tommy Murphy cup and we all know what happened to it. Having said that i don't think it matters what the GAA introduce, we as a county seem to be a bit of a mess at senior level in both hurling and football. We have had three different management in the football in 24 months. We seem to have some players coming through at underage but with what is going on at senior level and our distinct lack of ambition, i can't see these players committing. Times are changing, young guys are not going to commit to a half hearted, penny pinching setup like may have been the case in the past. There fundamentally needs to be a structural and the way we do business change in the county to stop us continously taking one step forward and two steps back. The problem is that alot of football that i know in the county have given up as nobody believes it will ever happen. Sad but probably true. wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2096 - 21/05/2022 10:21:54 2419100 Link
Very well done to the Wicklow footballers. Despite all the negative reports this was an impressive display by Wicklow. There was a huge gulf in class between the teams. Wicklow's full forward line are top class given the right balls. Padraig O'Toole and Dean Healy are very good around midfield. Mark Jackson is becoming a reliable free taker. Defense is shaky when any sort of the pressure is applied. Management seem to be trying to play a sweeper using either Malachay Stones or Tom Moran. If we can get the defense right we can win this Tailteann Cup but defense remains our weakness andcacwork in progress. wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2096 - 21/05/2022 16:49:49 2419206 Link
Firstly well done to the team and management on a comfortable win today. Not sure what to make of the game. Poor crowd but having said that Waterford were as bad a team as I have seen in a while at intercounty level and some of our play in the first half was ponderous to say the least. I as assuming that Offaly will win tomorrow...if we play like that against them we might be in trouble. But a win is a win so well done all. stringfellohawk (Wicklow) - Posts: 129 - 21/05/2022 18:18:10 2419232 Link
Replying To stringfellohawk: "Firstly well done to the team and management on a comfortable win today. Not sure what to make of the game. Poor crowd but having said that Waterford were as bad a team as I have seen in a while at intercounty level and some of our play in the first half was ponderous to say the least. I as assuming that Offaly will win tomorrow...if we play like that against them we might be in trouble. But a win is a win so well done all." I agree with you that waterford were very poor and that our play was ponderous at times but i was impressed with our burst of scoring which put waterford away in a short period of time. This is one of the thing that good team do; they dispatch an inferior team with burst of scoring. Wexford beat Offaly in the championship so it will be interesting to see if offaly have learnt from that defeat. wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2096 - 21/05/2022 21:07:39 2419286 Link
Well done to the team and management today on their win. The rumours before the game were spread by the usual knockers of the team and I'm glad they were untrue. This is a very young team with plenty to learn but it is only by playing plenty of games that this will improve. If you look at the post primary schools team of 2019 there are at least 5 or six from that team. I can see a big improvement in recent games. They are driving forward looking for scores instead of playing defensively and inviting the other team onto us, something which previous managers encouraged. Our scoring rates have vastly improved in the last 4 games and the forwards are getting a chance to show their skills while their confidence is growing and they are supporting each other. The overall height of our team is also a factor as I feel this is an important aspect at county level. When these young fellows fill out and mature they will be better able to break tackles and carry the ball without many turnovers. I know people will point out how weak Waterford were but every win will benefit this group and I feel if this type of football had been played earlier in the year we would not have been relegated Optimisticobserver (Wicklow) - Posts: 136 - 21/05/2022 21:27:42 2419292 Link
Replying To Optimisticobserver: "Well done to the team and management today on their win. The rumours before the game were spread by the usual knockers of the team and I'm glad they were untrue. This is a very young team with plenty to learn but it is only by playing plenty of games that this will improve. If you look at the post primary schools team of 2019 there are at least 5 or six from that team. I can see a big improvement in recent games. They are driving forward looking for scores instead of playing defensively and inviting the other team onto us, something which previous managers encouraged. Our scoring rates have vastly improved in the last 4 games and the forwards are getting a chance to show their skills while their confidence is growing and they are supporting each other. The overall height of our team is also a factor as I feel this is an important aspect at county level. When these young fellows fill out and mature they will be better able to break tackles and carry the ball without many turnovers. I know people will point out how weak Waterford were but every win will benefit this group and I feel if this type of football had been played earlier in the year we would not have been relegated" I have to agree with all that, Optimistisobserver. I must say I was shocked on Friday night to hear those rumours and thankfully they weren't accurate. A good run will bring these players on in leaps and bounds and let's all hope that they get us back to Div 3 next year, ( where they have shown they should still be). A year or two in 4 would do nothing for these young lads. Back to 3 and then the real work would start. If you look at many of the teams doing well in Div 2 and even some in Div 1 and realise that they were in the basement a few short years ago, you can see what can be done with vision, drive and dynamism from the people in charge. Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1610 - 22/05/2022 09:33:13 2419324 Link
Talk of "small crowd" and "a few hundred spectators" at yesterday's game. If it was a 1st Round Qualifier v Waterford would (m)any more have attended? Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2292 - 22/05/2022 11:55:12 2419346 Link
Replying To Seanfanbocht: "Talk of "small crowd" and "a few hundred spectators" at yesterday's game. If it was a 1st Round Qualifier v Waterford would (m)any more have attended?" In a word - no, Seanfanbochtbocht. Waterford and Wicklow have played so many times in Div 4 over the years that this tie generates little excitement or interest and that's no disrespect to Waterford. We have been so lacklustre in recent seasons that attendances are dropping. As in all counties, the pandemic hasn't helped. I have no doubt that if we keep winning or get a "big" name County in this competition, particularly at home, it will be a different story. Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1610 - 22/05/2022 12:25:35 2419360 Link
Replying To Freethinker: "In a word - no, Seanfanbochtbocht. Waterford and Wicklow have played so many times in Div 4 over the years that this tie generates little excitement or interest and that's no disrespect to Waterford. We have been so lacklustre in recent seasons that attendances are dropping. As in all counties, the pandemic hasn't helped. I have no doubt that if we keep winning or get a "big" name County in this competition, particularly at home, it will be a different story." So, it's Offaly next. To me, Offaly have regressed a little on recent years and are beatable. But, they scored 3 goals today so our defence which has been leaky this year could be in for a torrid time. Still, best of luck to the lads next weekend. Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1610 - 22/05/2022 20:22:35 2419515 Link
Replying To Freethinker: "So, it's Offaly next. To me, Offaly have regressed a little on recent years and are beatable. But, they scored 3 goals today so our defence which has been leaky this year could be in for a torrid time. Still, best of luck to the lads next weekend." I think the outcome against Offaly hinges on our defense. Offaly scrapped over wexford yesterday; this suggests that they aren't to be feared, however they were unlucky to be relegated from division 2. Our midfield and attack are where our strength lies. Does anyone know where the match is being played? The coverage of the tailteann cup is awful; it is hard to find out what date, time, location for matches. wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2096 - 23/05/2022 13:21:30 2419695 Link
Replying To Freethinker: "In a word - no, Seanfanbochtbocht. Waterford and Wicklow have played so many times in Div 4 over the years that this tie generates little excitement or interest and that's no disrespect to Waterford. We have been so lacklustre in recent seasons that attendances are dropping. As in all counties, the pandemic hasn't helped. I have no doubt that if we keep winning or get a "big" name County in this competition, particularly at home, it will be a different story." Has this got to do with online/prepaid tickets? I always liked the idea of deciding a few hours before and if i had time, popping down to a game and paying at the gate. Now if i buy this ticket a few days in advance, i may no go but something may come up and i may not go. I say there is a lot more people in the same boat that dont go to games because of this. StrandedinWW (Wicklow) - Posts: 44 - 23/05/2022 14:43:36 2419749 Link
Replying To StrandedinWW: "Has this got to do with online/prepaid tickets? I always liked the idea of deciding a few hours before and if i had time, popping down to a game and paying at the gate. Now if i buy this ticket a few days in advance, i may no go but something may come up and i may not go. I say there is a lot more people in the same boat that dont go to games because of this." I think that this prepaid nonsense is about the only area where we are possibly ahead of the curve. I totally agree that going to a match can be a spur of the moment thing. At least you have the comfort of knowing that you have a choice to go or not, particularly if the weather isn't too friendly. Is this a widespread practise in other counties ? Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1610 - 23/05/2022 15:30:44 2419775 Link
Replying To Freethinker: "I think that this prepaid nonsense is about the only area where we are possibly ahead of the curve. I totally agree that going to a match can be a spur of the moment thing. At least you have the comfort of knowing that you have a choice to go or not, particularly if the weather isn't too friendly. Is this a widespread practise in other counties ?" It's happening in every county in Ireland. All ticket sales have gone online now or in selected shops. It's a Croke Park decision. Victorious87 (Wicklow) - Posts: 601 - 24/05/2022 11:15:54 2419918 Link