Neil Loughran - IRISH NEWS
05 January, 2021 01:00
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Wednesday 6th January 2021
Maginn calls time on county career6 January 2021, 12:30 pm
Neil Loughran - IRISH NEWS
FORMER Down forward Conor Maginn has backed the Mournemen to kick on in 2021, despite the disappointment of that Ulster Championship exit to comeback kings Cavan.
Paddy Tally’s side were 10 points up at one stage back on November 15 before crumbling as the Breffnimen piled on the pressure after half-time – Mickey Graham’s side going on to win by a point before stunning Donegal in the provincial decider to end a 23-year wait for the Anglo-Celt Cup.
However, 2020 also saw Down secure promotion back up to Division Two, while there were plenty of other positives to build on as Tally’s young side look into this year.
They will do so without Maginn, who has brought the curtain down on his 11-year county career, but the Bryansford stalwart hopes to see further progress from the Mournemen.
“We can’t be that far away,” said the 32-year-old, who made his Championship debut back in 2009.
“Look at the first half [against Cavan], Down could have been out of sight. If they’d taken one of the other goal chances they might’ve cruised home in that game then went in against Donegal.
There’s loads of potential, there really is… I’m actually looking forward to being a fan this year and going to watch them, if we’re allowed.
“They’ve a very exciting forward line and Paddy will always have them well organised defensively. Getting back up to Division Two is big as well, going up to that level will help bring the squad on and hopefully see us being competitive at Ulster Championship level.
“Seeing what Cavan did will have given all the other counties a boost, and should be something that spurs Down on to try and do something similar.”
Maginn had been one of the county’s main creative forces over the past decade as they battled to make a mark on the Championship scene, and his departure from the panel leaves captain Darren O’Hagan, Kevin McKernan and Benny McArdle as the only survivors from the run to the 2010 All-Ireland final.
Named Down supporters’ club player of the year in 2014, classy playmaker Maginn was also a pivotal figure as the Mournemen saw off Armagh and Monaghan en route to an unexpected Ulster decider appearance in 2017, falling to Tyrone at the final hurdle.
Under Tally though Down have favoured the raw pace of men like Liam Kerr, Barry O’Hagan and Ceilum Doherty in the half-forward line, and Maginn felt the time was right to bring his county career to an end.
“I pretty much knew towards the end of last season.
“Obviously I’d only really played a fairly minor role towards the end of last season, I wasn’t really featuring in the Championship run so I had a conversation with Paddy and it was mutual probably.
“They’ve a great forward line, a lot of pace, so my time has come to an end. It’s the way the game has evolved - you look at the current Down team, it’s full of pace. There’s still a place for all sorts of roles but maybe just the way Down play, the running game requires boys to have a lot of pace
“It was a tough call to make of course, it plays on your head because you always want that big day in the Championship, and we never got that bit of silverware we’d all have craved.
“For me though, it’s just time to move on. I’m looking forward to the next stage now, concentrating fully on Bryansford.”
Given the current exceptional rise in infection rates of Cov Read More
Tuesday 5th January 2021
Covid 19 Update from GAA - 5th Jan 20215 January 2021, 4:45 pm
Given the current exceptional rise in infection rates of Covid 19 and the increased risk of community transmission, the GAA has taken the decision that there will be no collective training permitted for inter-county teams for at least the remainder of the month of January.
In addition, Club and County gyms must stay closed until further notice.
As previously advised, and under the current Government Regulations in both jurisdictions, neither training nor games are permitted at club level currently.
Breaches of any of the above provisions will be dealt with under Rule 7.2 (e) “Misconduct considered to have discredited the Association”. The full wording of this Rule and potential penalties are included as an Appendix 1 below.
As you are aware, the current Level 5 restrictions in the South will run until January 31st at which point the GAA will review the current situation and further advice in this context will be provided.
Finally, it is important to note that outdoor gatherings on GAA property are not permitted – the only current exception to this is for walkways (which may stay open for use by the community with social distancing in place) and for clubs registered under the “Ireland Lights Up” walking initiative (see Appendix 2).
I fully appreciate the frustrations these additional restrictions may place on our inter county players and management teams. However, the safety of everyone in the game and indeed in the broader community has to be our primary focus. It has never been more important for our players, coaches and officials to follow both the Government guidelines and our own provisions around training.
I thank you for all you have done in this context to date and ask again for your cooperation and understanding as we battle to defeat the virus and finally return to normality.
This year there will be a grant available to support the cos Read More
Sunday 20th December 2020
Club grant for Ireland Lights Up walking initiative20 December 2020, 11:04 am
This year there will be a grant available to support the costs associated with delivering the GAA’s annual Ireland Lights Up walking initiative (run in conjunction each year with RTE’s Operation Transformation).
This funding has been made available through Sport Ireland & the Healthy Ireland Keep Well Campaign and includes a potential maximum grant of €1,000 per club (on a scaled basis depending on criteria laid out by Sport Ireland). All clubs that register to participate in Ireland Lights Up will be considered for a grant. Clubs that don’t have a floodlit walking track but wish to organise a walking group in their local town/village/community may also be eligible for a grant to encourage this type of activity at a time when safe physical activity is so important.
All walking activities must be compliant with public health guidelines at the time of delivery.
In 2020 almost 400 GAA clubs participated in Ireland Lights Up across the 32 counties. 40 of these did not have walking tracks or facilities on their premises. This year we hope to reach 500 clubs participating.
During these times of social distancing, to ease the volume of people gathering at their local GAA clubs to walk, and to ensure that Every Step Counts, the GAA Community & Health department has once again partnered with Irish Life to run a ‘Steps Challenge’ through their MyLife App to coincide with Ireland Lights Up. A prize fund of €20,000 is available, with clubs in each province able in with a chance to win O'Neill’s vouchers worth €2,500, €1,500 & €1,000 (T&Cs apply).