Hell's Garden

Wicklow football has always had the reputation of having a particularly physical breed of the club game, but this weekend it decided to take the biscuit once and for all.

Six players were sent off after what the Irish Independent describes as a "vicious brawl" (and also - with gross understatement - as an "unseemly fracas"!) between Rathnew and Stratford, ten minutes from the end of a Senior league game. A Stratford player ended up hospitalised after being knocked out, while a Rathnew player lost two teeth. A 'witness' speaks:

"It was one of the worst incidents I have seen at a match in a long time, with punches flying in from all sides and angles. Blood was spilled as the fighting spread from the '45 to the 14-metre line and it lasted for several minutes."

When the fighting finally ground to a halt, three players from Stratford and two more from Rathnew were lying prostrate on the ground. The game took 25 minutes to restart after two ambulances had been and gone, and three players from each side were sent off.

How or why the referee didn't abandon this game is beyond me!

The Wicklow County Board will launch an investigation into the brawl after they receive the referee's match report. He's probably still writing it.

Incidentally, Stratford ended up winning the game by seven points against the eleven-men of Rathnew, who had a player sent off earlier in the game.

Shock Absorbers

They may have suffered defeats in the first round of the Derry SFC, but last year's finalists Ballinderry and Slaughtneil will still have a major say in the outcome of this year's competition.

And it's all thanks to the new back-door system. There was some opposition across Derry to the new championship format, but it's bound to have found a few new friends after the weekend's results.

Lavey caused the biggest surprise by securing a 1-09 to 0-10 victory over current holders and pre-championship favourites Ballinderry, while Swatragh also had two points to spare in their 2-05 to 0-09 win over local rivals Slaughtneil.

Coleraine came close to causing a third major upset, but they lost out by a single point to Bellaghy (0-10 to 1-06). Ballinascreen were impressive in their demolition of Castledawson (2-13 to 0-07), while Newbridge, Dungiven, Kilrea and Glenullin also registered victories.

The eight clubs who lost their first round games, must win two successive games to reach the last eight. The first round winners hold the advantage of getting two bites at the quarter-final cherry.

But the Shamrocks and Slaughtneil will still fancy their chances. The back-door draw has pitted them against Banagher and Coleraine respectively; games that should help them get their championship aspirations back on track. In fact, Ballinderry still assume favouritism (6/4) for the Derry SFC. This alone provides a clear indication of how little the first round defeat is likely to affect them.

Meanwhile, in the secound round 'winners' draw, Lavey have been rewarded with a game against Bellaghy while Swatragh will meet Glenullin.

Round Found

Call off the search. It appears that the CCC have recovered the Round of championship football that was missing when they first informed us of the new Derry club championship format for 2009. Along with a few others, I expressed my concerns about this at the time; but after an announcement last week, it now appears that the CCC have rectified the issue.

From Friday's Irish News:

DERRY CCC have tweaked the championship format to iron out an anomaly where a team that wins a game and then loses at the second stage is out of the competition, whereas a team that loses a game and then wins a game at the second stage is through to the quarter-final. There will now be a final qualifier after round two, with these teams meeting to determine who will meet the four teams that qualified with two victories.

There was some debate about the original format throughout the county, especially on the Derry thread of GAABoard. Perhaps the CCC have updated the format based on their recommendations! There will now be an extra "back-door" game after the second round, allowing first round winners to get a second chance.

Despite all this, I still think we should go back to a straight knock-out system. The group format was binned as it contained too many games, but the back-door system doesn't eliminate this problem. There is now the possibility of a club winning the title after having played in six different rounds. Once again, it looks like the 'real' Championship will begin at the quarter-final stage.

Whose Round Is It Anyway?

For the second time in three seasons, the Derry Competitions Control Committee presents us with a new format for the Club football Championships. And it goes a little something like this: Win your first round game and you're in Round 2; lose your first round game and you're in, erm... Round 2. Well, in as many words. On completion of the eight first round games, the eight winners will play off against each other for a place in the quarter-finals, while the eight losers will do likewise! The question must be asked: what is the point in having a first round at all?

From Friday's Irish News:

"There will be 16 teams in the first round, with eight winners and eight losers. In the second round, the eight winners from the first round will meet each other, with the four winners going into bowl A for the quarter-finals.
The eight first round losers will also play each other, with the four winners going into bowl B for the quarter-finals. In the last eight, the four teams from bowl A will meet the four teams from bowl B. Thereafter, an open draw will decide the semi-final pairings."

For the past two years the four-team group format has been in place. While its inception was welcome, there was a groundswell of support for its removal. It was argued that it contained too many games (to the detriment of the Derry senior football team); that some games were left totally meaningless; and also that it negated the possibility of a 'smaller' club claiming a big scalp (as the stronger sides could more easily negotiate a safe passage out of the group stage).

Amid these criticisms, County officials have elected to change things. And change was required. However, while trying to strike the ever-elusive happy-medium, the CCC have fallen short of the mark. It is logical to assume that the stronger teams should make it out of the first round. But by playing off against each-other in Round 2, half of these teams will be out of the competition by the quarter-final, whilst the perceived weaker sides will still be in it. Plus, only first round losers will get a second bite. The reward for winning your first game is totally intangible.

So let's get this inside a little nutshell. We didn't quite like the straight knockout; didn't fancy the group format either; and now we're turning up our noses at the back-door system. I can hear them grumbling in Owenbeg as I type: "is there no pleasin' yous?!"

Probably not. In two years time, we'll quite possibly be commenting on the CCC wheeling the straight knockout out of retirement. Can't wait!

Shamrocks Signal Intent

The appointment of James McCartan as the new manager of Ballinderry Shamrocks will certainly raise one or two eyebrows around the county, not to mention on the Loughshore itself. The current Derry Senior champions are not renowned for looking to an 'outside man' to take charge of their footballers, so McCartan's arrival smacks of a Club that means business for the season ahead. And when I say business I specifically refer to the Ulster Club Championship.

Ballinderry claimed county honours in 2006 and 2008, but on both occasions they fell to Crossmaglen at the Ulster Final stage. In December they were beaten by the Armagh Kingpins in an Ulster Final replay at Brewster Park, and there is no doubt they will hope the former Down All-Ireland winner can help take them that extra step back to the All-Ireland stage (where they were so successful back in 2002).

McCartan managed Queen's University to Sigerson Cup glory in 2007, and last year guided St. Gall's to an Antrim title (however they went on to lose to Cavan Gaels in the Ulster Championship). With Bellaghy, Slaughtneil, Glenullin, Loup, Ballinascreen and Kilrea also under new management, it looks like we could have an interesting Club campaign in 2009. Ballinderry have taken a risk bringing in McCartan, but it will add a fresh impetus to their setup. Soon enough though he'll realise how tough the Derry Club scene is; Ulster will be the last thing on his mind!