So we know it's Fermanagh away next championship season and it looks like we'll be the first Quarter-Final. That's bound to be a good thing, not having to worry about, "if we win this we face.................." We can assume, but we can also look forward to this one.
Armagh v Fermanagh (A) USFC 2018
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Buckfast
Member
From Gaelic Life
ARMAGH have suffered a double blow with the news that James Morgan and Ciaron O’Hanlon are heading to Australia.
O’Hanlon left the country a day after helping Killeavy to the Armagh Intermediate title on Sunday.
It is hoped that Morgan will be back for the start of the Championship next season while the time O’Hanlon intends to stay away is more uncertain.
ARMAGH have suffered a double blow with the news that James Morgan and Ciaron O’Hanlon are heading to Australia.
O’Hanlon left the country a day after helping Killeavy to the Armagh Intermediate title on Sunday.
It is hoped that Morgan will be back for the start of the Championship next season while the time O’Hanlon intends to stay away is more uncertain.
Surely if that was the case they would wait until after the case was heard. As far as I am aware that hasn't happened yet.
Ogs lad
Active Member
Hope so.
Heard something similar, also heard one player said he won’t play for Armagh under geezer
I’ve told Og’s Lad the crack. James Morgan is travelling. Paul Hughes is building a house and cannot commit the time. Jamie is gone. Not sure about Aidan Rushe. I don’t think Oisin O’Neill is going back and that is for personal reasons.
So no Cross players on the panel next year? Lots of reasons or are they excuses? Whatever way you view it, it's a bad situation. There's always a few players each year across the county who can't commit for whatever reason but when it's 5 or 6 lads from the one club all young or in their prime years there's something not right.
The county chairman's words before presenting cup that it was good to see 2 teams playing who support the county team reads a bit deeper now. With Cullyhanna not having too many representatives on the squad last year it is possible that 2 of the top clubs in the county will not have representatives on the county squad. A county divided will do nothing. It is about time sensible people stood up and tried to sort things out. There are no winners here. We don't need another wasted generation of players.
Why does there have to be a conspiracy? We have given more players to the county than any club over the years. We have backed armagh county teams to the hilt and provided some of the finest, if not the best, players to the county set up. There are problems but they do not lie at our door
ragingbull
Well-Known Member
the county team isn't all about crossmaglen,there's players out there that would be happy to take their place.
No one said there was but to push a conspiracy that there’s a split because there’s no Cross players on the squad is wrong too.
I am not pushing any conspiracy theory but something is not right if next year 2 of the top clubs in the county have no representatives. I am not going to place blame on anyone but it is better to see if there is a problem and none appear that do nothing and leave a problem to fester.
The problem is, the list of players who actually want to play for Armagh seems to be getting shorter! Throwball's point is a fair one. If there's a batch of players from one club not wanting to be selected then it's fair to ask is there a problem between that club and the county set up? If there's no issue, fine. If there is, then it needs resolved sooner rather than later. Sensible people can be hard found at times though.
Here is the thing though, there’s not a batch of Cross players saying they won’t play for Armagh. 2 have left as one is currently out of the country and the second will be out of the country. I’d venture a guess that James Morgan would play if he was here. Paul Hughes is self employed and building a new house. Work is more important than anything to do with what club or county he plays for so he can’t commit the time. Aidan Rushe was a peripheral player and is not being considered. That simply leaves the two O Neill’s. They are not making themselves available for personal reasons from what I understand and nothing to do with the fact that they are from Cross. There is no club decision and never has been for players to withdraw from the county. We have consistently played under management over the years that made things difficult for us at times when we were very successful. I know from my own playing days that certain players were warned that if they didn’t tog out for the county in a national league game when we were going for an AI semi that they would be suspended from playing full stop. That is a fact. There is no issue other than a personal one and is nothing to do with the club or the fight or anything like that. And for what it is worth I knew about James Morgan and Paul Hughes before the game against Maghery so I know that the fight had no bearing on it.
I understand what you are saying BCB but for me a similar thing goes if a number of players are not committing for similar reasons. Armagh is not a big enough county to do without their best players. If there are issues someone should try and sort them. For what it is worth I have heard of other players outside of Cross who have not committed to the county for what I would see as 'sortable' reasons.
But what are ‘sortable’ reasons? I know one man who has been touted over the years as a mainstay in the team but refused to play as the CB owed him the guts of €1000 for expenses, Physio bills and lost earnings that he was promised. Is that ‘sortable’? The sacrifices that are made do not warrant the return in my opinion. There is too much expectation placed on ALL inter county players not just by the people running the teams but also by joe public fans who expect so much but when things don’t go as expected demand more. In 2013 James Morgan was in a wheelchair and lucky to be alive. He fought his way back and took no backwards step to rebuild himself and regain his place. In an interview in December 2013, 4 months after the horrific accident he had, he said how he hoped to be back playing in the National League in spring 2014. Is that the mindset of someone who doesn’t want to play for Armagh. I spoke to him the night before the Tyrone game and he was buzzing ..... couldn’t wait. The simple fact is, like in every county, there are people who will and people who won’t. I actually don’t think there is the issue that some think there is. A few isolated situations but no major problems.
And let’s face it do you honestly think that a club with Joe Kernan as chairman would ever countenance not sending players to the county set up as an official stand point? Give me a break.
Sometimes on a forum it is difficult to express what you really want to say!
I had a client in work who said to me he had heard of a Crossmaglen boycott of the county team and I said exactly as you did about Joe Kernan!
As you say there are those who will do anything to play for their county and those who couldn't care less - but so is life. My issue is probably a man management issue as i feel there are those who would play for Armagh but have issues about how things are run. These are things i think can be sorted. (And these issues can be on both sides!)
The reason I highlighted 2 clubs is that sometimes one player opting out can influence others - even unintentionally - to do the same.