Remax leinster League

raw deal · Post by **raw deal** » September 6th, 2006, 9:51 am

Div 1 NAAS?Monkstown

Rel Garda/Dundalk

Div 2 Newbridge/North Kildare

Rel Athy/Asbourne/railway

Div 3 Tullow/Swords

jimmy the bone · Post by **jimmy the bone** » September 6th, 2006, 5:32 pm

Can't see Naas being contenders they don't have enough fire in their bellys. Team in transition.

Barney Gumble · Post by **Barney Gumble** » September 7th, 2006, 12:51 pm

Think this years league is gonna be to tough to call, too many quality clubs all stuck in together beatin lumps out of each other, does make for great watchin though.
Naas, Seapoint, Skerries, Navan, Tullamore, Monkstown, Killkenny, Boyne how can you choose winners from that when they are all able to perform well and will prob only ever beat one another by a minimal margin 1 - 10 points max prob! Too many big fish in a small pond who can't go the extra mile and succeed on the senior platform and others who choke on the final hurdle loosing a round robin game.
With such a strong league this year i can see one of two things happening, a leinster leagure side goin into the round robin stages a lot stronger having come through such competitive league, or just bein absolutly bo****ed from the bruisers they had. Hopefully it would be the first of the two seein as there would be plenty of time to recover from league and cup action it would also be good to see a leinster league side get promoted to senior ranks and raise the flag for the standard.

So any way ill take a stab at it. Div 1 Naas
Rel Garda/ Cill Dara

Div 2 North Kildare
Rel Railway

Div3????

groundhog · Post by **groundhog** » September 7th, 2006, 1:12 pm

Kilkenny were brutal last season and I can't see them getting much this year, have very few players coming through, would actually tip them for relegation. Tullamore lack the quality to really push on from their TC win. Naas suffer from poor coaching structures and unless have recruited wisely mighten make the top 6, again this season they're playing in the Leinster Senior Cup, winning is a habit and they won't win many in that competition. Boyne and Navan blow hot and cold too much leaving I think a dog fight between Seapoint, Monkstown and Skerries.

Relegation is too hard to call.

As for division 2 think Derry will be one to watch. I see Newbridge got ripped a new one by Clontarf's J1's at the weekend so hard to say where they'll end up, good coach, great belief but probably lack that quality to step up. North Kildare will finish mid-table, the step up from 3 to 2 is massive and they will struggle to bridge that gap.

Barney Gumble · Post by **Barney Gumble** » September 7th, 2006, 2:13 pm

Agree with ya about kk however they like to get in amongst opposition and upset them forcin them to make errors while they take the spoils. Tullamore lack the quality alright but are ballsie and posses a rare never say die attitude that carried them through the whole of last season. would agree that Naas entering the senior cup is a fairly pointless excersize which will produce at least one demorilising defeat and can result in early injuries, tullamore are in the same boat there! As for their club structures it is encouraging for their future to have the largest underage system in leinster if not the country and the majority of their first team is mostly home grown other than the obvious and oversees players. I do reckon monkstown are capable but havin spoken to their hooker recently said that he wasn't lookin forward to the new season and felt last season dragged on too long for nothing, they do have a new coach and that can get the best out of players who want to impress making the job a little easier. Boyne do blow hot and cold as do navan, however they are always difficult opposition for anyone boyne are tough navan are organised and play intelligent football.

groundhog · Post by **groundhog** » September 7th, 2006, 3:06 pm

BG, agree Naas have tremendous under-age structures, I was trying to imply that they are let down at the top, their coach was an excellent player and could be an excellent coach some day but he is too inexperienced and I believe Naas will suffer as a consequence. With so much talent available they should be cleaning up at all levels.

Barney Gumble · Post by **Barney Gumble** » September 7th, 2006, 3:46 pm

Your right dog he is inexperienced and has had one up season and one downish season with them so i would imagine if he doesn't produce the goods this year he will be handed the old P45, naas will be payin good money for his services and in turn he would be made to work for it and i dont think most of their first string guys have anything to answer about their commitment as with most other teams in the league, thats why id be tippin them
But like i said earlier its a real tough one to call and its going to come down to the narrowist of margins, bonus points will be a valuable commodoties

jimmy the bone · Post by **jimmy the bone** » September 7th, 2006, 7:51 pm

This time last year Dundalk played Clontarf j1s and were beaten 80 nil. Any side that contained players of the calibre of Dara O Shea, Fiachra O Loughlin, Max Rantz McDonald, Simon Crawford to mention but a few infact seven of the Tarf team that played against Shannon last May in the AIL is no J1 side. So I wouldn't read too much into the result last Friday however it was a reality check for alot of the Newbridge players who had illusions of grandeur. I think what it really does highlight is the massive difference there is between the best Senior clubs and good junior clubs. The difference in pace, power and speed of thought is hugely significant. Clontarf have assembled a fantastic squad of players with four or five quality players for each position. last August I saw their under twenties front row destroy the leinster junior front row men and boys?? For a junior club to seriously consider going senior should take alot of careful consideration. Both Carlow and Barnhall are on the slide not to mention Monkstown, Skerries and Naas have all been relegated with Naas having its tail well and truly between its legs. Make no mistake the difference between senior and junior rugby is immence. However the possibiltiy of clubs dropping down will make the remax league all the stronger and more competitive.

raw deal · Post by **raw deal** » September 8th, 2006, 9:13 am

I believe Naas have spent 100,000 on there first team this year, if that is not a seroius marker, i dont know what is, they have a western somoa 10s player(colured guy) seroius player at centre who shold set Div 1 alight.

I think they can win it but will not get out of the roind robin or any div 1 winner, seriously competitive all season, then to up your game against inter pro winners.

I thing the league should have been reorganised, to few teams in DIv 2 to any in DIv 1 and 3, cannot be done this year but games commitee should lay down marker NOW 3 up div 3 3 Down Div 1.

jimmy the bone · Post by **jimmy the bone** » September 8th, 2006, 10:22 am

Naas can have all the Samoans they want apart from the fact that they are well renowned for having seriously dodgy temperments. If their forward pack can't dominate or atleast win some decent go forward ball they are destined to mid table obscurity. I don't think our Samoan friend will enjoy too much the Irish winters which will probably leave him a little bewildered. 100 K badly spent that will be the story of the Naas season.

Barney Gumble · Post by **Barney Gumble** » September 8th, 2006, 11:33 am

100 k, think thats a bit out of any junior clubs resources and the majority of senior cllubs. This samoan chap is gonna find it fairly hard, despite the climate i doubt if he will be used to the standard of playin surface, could find it hard to reach his potential. ope hes not of the tempremental sort for naas's sake cos they wont be payin him to sit on the sidelines

raw deal · Post by **raw deal** » September 8th, 2006, 1:37 pm

Believe it or not he is some sort of babtist type doesnt drink or smoke so not of the NAAS ilke,seems as if a lot of that bunch are now seconds.

Melville still has the large belly and waddles from ruck to ruck,a heart attack sandwich.

jimmy the bone · Post by **jimmy the bone** » September 10th, 2006, 5:54 pm

Was at the Cill Dara match this sfternoon against Portlaoise the 18 6 tp CD. Cill Dara pack were awesome don't know if their pack alone will be enough to keep them up this year apart from Sheldon Waetford in the centre backs collectively very average. But serious front row..

groundhog · Post by **groundhog** » September 11th, 2006, 9:59 am

Thankfully in Junior Rugby if you can dominate up in front you'll win most of your games, Cill Dara are still lacking in strength in dept but with the football coming to a halt soon that will be alleviated some what. After the performance yesteerday I'm a little bit more optimistic about this season.

raw deal · Post by **raw deal** » September 11th, 2006, 1:31 pm

Anyone any results from Hosie & lalor Cups, and the other Area Leagues??

groundhog · Post by **groundhog** » September 11th, 2006, 2:20 pm

Leinster Senior Cup

Naas 17 DLSP 20
Carlow 34 Tullamore 0

North Midlands Hosie

Cill Dara 18 Portlaoise 6
North Kildare 8 Naas 31
Clondalkin 20 Clane 32

J1 Midlands League

Edenderry 23 Longford 14

J1 SE League

Arklow 10 Wexford 5
Kilkenny 31 Carlow 3
Rathdrum 9 Enniscorthy 14
Tullow 0 Wicklow 46

North East Jenkinson Cup

Balbriggan 16 Swords 10
Boyne 7 Dundalk 13

jimmy the bone · Post by **jimmy the bone** » September 17th, 2006, 6:17 pm

It gives me great pleasure to post the results from the Cill Dara Newbridge games at the weekend; Newbridge 31 CD 30 2nds Newbridge 49 CD 5. Other results; Clane 7 North Kildare 11, Athy 32 Clondalkin 5

TrueBlue · Post by **TrueBlue** » September 18th, 2006, 3:06 pm

Tullamore wont push on from last years TC win-lost their OH (scored two tries in the TC last year) and no.6 to Bucs, and they lost their OC (class player) who is gone to Wales....

jimmy the bone · September 21st, 2006, 10:16 pm

Have to agree the age profile of the Tullamore team is not on the right side of twenty five. there are no outstanding candidates for promotion from div 1. I believe Monkstown have lost alot of players Tullamore had their year last year Naas have no front row. The only candidate for promotion is probably Seapoint good solid pack and a very tasty set of backs. Enniscorthy and the Gaurds are cast iron certainties for relegation. The news from the branch about only one team definitly up from div 2 and the second with only the possibillity of a play off with third from bottom of div one. This is really going to make life interesting. Imagine this Newbridge v Cill Dara in a relegation promotion match now that would be serious.

groundhog · Post by **groundhog** » September 25th, 2006, 12:56 pm

JTB,

saw enough of Newbridge in their last two games and just can't see them getting promoted, Portlaoise won comfortably yesterday without getting out of 3rd gear. Your back-row were destroyed, their inabilty to slow down any Portlaoise ball was tantamount to your heavy defeat, granted you were missing a couple from the previous week but rugby is not about 15 men anymore, you need about 25 lads to mount a serious attempt on promotion. There is no point in raising your game and playing out of your skins one week if the following week you fold over. If you analysed you victory over Cill Dara your 3 tries all came from Cill Dara mistakes, your pack are giving you no go forward ball and the lack of ball carriers will cost you, your scrummie has a fine pass and that's it, he's constant crabbing across the pitch is a liability and again the lack of leadership on the pitch is apparent.