Why shouldn’t they win them? If teams are good enough they win it, end of.
Junior Championship 2021
- Thread starter ShiftYa
- Start date
Why shouldn’t they win them? If teams are good enough they win it, end of.
ragingbull
Well-Known Member
what have i started again 
How do they operate as a second club? They are very much a part of the same club.
Well this isn't strictly true. They have 2 players playing that played senior football last year. This was highlighted by another club (Not ourselves) to the County board who told Cross they weren't allowed to play championship. Cross took it to Ulster council who threw it out and sided with Armagh and then after another appeal (Maybe Croke park but not 100% sure on this) they were passed to play. Loop hole with a blood sub appearance I believe so let's not kid ourselves that there are players playing who shouldn't be.
This isn't sour grapes because they beat us and fairly at that but we need to be clear that the 2nd team is offering a platform to players who could and should still be playing senior football, for example Rico, to play at a lower level. It is a testimony to Cross that they able to do this but don't kid ourselves they are anywhere close to being compared to a Junior club.
PatMustard
Well-Known Member
Well I suppose if Cross II win the junior, they’ll then become an intermediate team, would they not?
Armaghball
Well-Known Member
They’ll be intermediate anyway having won the league. They were up a couple of years back and were relegated i think.
correct but can’t go to senior, not that this would be likely
Who were the two players? Tbf if they’re going to take the piss then throw the book at them.. a number of clubs have fielded junior teams and when it wasn’t working withdrew… are cross really that desperate for silverware?
PatMustard
Well-Known Member
What would happen if Cross II got promoted to intermediate, and proceeded to dominate the intermediate league/championship?
Can’t go up to senior, but too good for intermediate.
JoeH
Well-Known Member
Won't happen as they tend to do a junior burst, stay intermediate a few year and then drop to junior, then after a while give it a burst and cycle starts all over again
PatMustard
Well-Known Member
I know, but I meant hypothetically
I still say that it is unfair on the smaller junior clubs that a large club, with all of the resources available to them, can deny that small club the chance of glory in the junior championship.
When i say resources I'm referring to personnel, "experience", playing facilities, money, coaches etc.
Would a junior championship win mean as much in Cross as it would in Belleek?
Why wouldn’t it mean as much? I can tell you here and now it will to the players involved and the notion that it wouldn’t is actually disrespectful to them. There’s players on the Cross junior team will never play senior and that’s a simple fact. They know that and this is their only chance of a championship medal. Of course there are boys who have played at a high level but show me any seconds/reserve team that hasn’t a few ex seniors playing, some even into their mid 40’s in some cases…. but they still deserve the medal no matter what. I know for instance of one of the older lads who wanted to keep playing so that he could play with his much younger brother at senior level. Why should he be denied that?
JoeH
Well-Known Member
This is an age old argument
Fact is second teams are permitted to take part under rule.
And for anyone to say that winning a junior championship may not mean as much clearly hasn't a clue.
If two flies were crawling up the wall I'd want to pick the winner.
Winning matters no matter what it is
Fact is second teams are permitted to take part under rule.
And for anyone to say that winning a junior championship may not mean as much clearly hasn't a clue.
If two flies were crawling up the wall I'd want to pick the winner.
Winning matters no matter what it is
BCB - you are coming from the perspective of a big club (where there are so many players and some cannot make the senior team). Players who have strived unsuccessfully for years for a small junior club have a different perspective.
Different perspective perhaps but no less of a desire or right to win at whatever level they play. I was lucky but I’ll tell you something, I’m as proud of the B Championship medals I won before any AIs as I am of the AIs. I played those earlier ones as a teenager with my brother and that was the only chance we ever had to play together. They mean an awful lot to me.
Personally I 100% agree with the point and sentiment and to an extent the opportunity to play with family etc is aligned with the core values of the GAA itself.
My issue is that Cross unfortunately have the opportunity to ramp up or down their level at Junior depending on who wants to play. Other clubs who are out and out Junior clubs don't have this opportunity. Should they or could they work harder? Arguably so but the issue is still there. Should Cross want to win a Junior they can, simple as that.
So any year they didn’t win the junior is because they didn’t want to? Isn’t that being very disrespectful to the actual winners in those years
His issue is we beat them. The players were passed to play by the relevant authorities. Rico Kelly, Paul McKeown and Johnny Hanratty gave over a decade to senior football in Cross. It’s not like they’re popping up and down between the 2 teams. They will never play senior again, end of story, and they should be allowed to play at the level they are fit to play at now. They are now junior players and will finish their careers as junior players.
Those 3 players named have numerous medals at senior level - so do not pretend that a junior championship medal will mean as much to them.
Take those 3 out and you might have a slightly better argument (but I stand by my general point thart big clubs' 2nds teams should not be allowed to play in the junior championship - end of.)
If your club is a senior club then that should be the only grade in which you are allowed to compete for a championship medal.