Off Topic Thread too point uh

CatFromHue

No update from PJ so he must still be running....walking......crawling!

Pink Fairy

CatFromHue wrote: »

No update from PJ so he must still be running....walking......crawling!

I'd say he's in the brogue getting ossafied

Pink Fairy

Pink Fairy wrote: »

Was this the one in Tralee?

Yep.

I only did two 5km runs in advance of it... I play football once a week so have a reasonable base line fitness. Did it in roughly 2:05. Pretty happy with that! Most I've ever done before is 10k.

Pink Fairy

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Yep.

I only did two 5km runs in advance of it... I play football once a week so have a reasonable base line fitness. Did it in roughly 2:05. Pretty happy with that! Most I've ever done before is 10k.

Well done indeed......on another note, my cousin who is today 6 months pregnant did it in 1.48......i hate her

Podge_irl

Deleted User wrote: »

Yep.

I only did two 5km runs in advance of it... I play football once a week so have a reasonable base line fitness. Did it in roughly 2:05. Pretty happy with that! Most I've ever done before is 10k.

Jesus, for that level or training that's very good.

I have my first full coming up in May. The training sucks.

Stheno

The NFL have confirmed a linked between AF and CTE (the brain injury/disease))

http://www.bbc.com/sport/american-football/35809485

Pink Fairy

Beers in Hong Kong?


http://m.momondo.ie/results?cur=EUR&o=DUB&d=HKG&dd=2016-04-25&rd=2016-05-03&a=1&ti=ECO&stops=any

swiwi_

The 33rd county

awec

Is there anything decent to do in Dublin today?

Pink Fairy

awec wrote: »

Is there anything decent to do in Dublin today?

Drink copious amounts of harp


Hang on...you said decent... Soz, no clue

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

awec wrote: »

Is there anything decent to do in Dublin today?

All Ireland Club finals in Croke Park.

mfceiling

awec wrote: »

Is there anything decent to do in Dublin today?

Take my kids while I go for a pint.

Can I go to the toilet? Can I go to the shop? Can I get a flag? I can't see. She's in my way. It's too loud. There's too many people. Can we get something to eat. Where's the bin. Who's that man in the suit. When does it start. Where's the GPO? Can I have your phone? How many people are here?

I say it every year but here goes again....next year I'm staying at home and watching it on the tele.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I say it every year but here goes again....next year I'm staying at home and watching it on the tele.

Much better on TV anyway plus you don't have to worry about wandering more than 10 ft from the parade and getting lost in a wasteland of drunk teens and vomit.

mfceiling

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Much better on TV anyway plus you don't have to worry about wandering more than 10 ft from the parade and getting lost in a wasteland of drunk teens and vomit.

Really only here cause the young one was in the parade doing something....but next year.....

awec

Think we're just going to head into town so for a wee dander.

mfceiling

awec wrote: »

Think we're just going to head into town so for a wee dander.

Don't....for the love of jesus don't!!

Podge_irl

mfceiling wrote: »

Don't....for the love of jesus don't!!

I've not once gone into town on Paddy's day while in Ireland (didn't bother even leaving Trinity when I lived there).

One of the few nights of the year you're guaranteed a good crowd in the pubs in Geneva though so I can't wait.

awec

mfceiling wrote: »

Don't....for the love of jesus don't!!

Found a bar to sit and have a pint in town. Pretty quiet too!

errlloyd

Im basically just lying at home nursing a hangover. Im devastated there is no Rugby on.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

errlloyd wrote: »

Im basically just lying at home nursing a hangover. Im devastated there is no Rugby on.

Ulster Schools Cup final is in BBC NI.

errlloyd

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Ulster Schools Cup final is in BBC NI.

Youre a Saint.

Pink Fairy

errlloyd wrote: »

Youre a Saint.

Feck sake, he helped you out and gave you a televised game and you call him a Northampton fan! Some people!

Synode

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

All Ireland Club finals in Croke Park.

Was in at this with my 5 year old son. Great win for Ballyboden. I'd a good laugh when we met back up with my wife and he explained how Ballyboden had hammered Castlebar Midgets :pac:

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Speaking of All Ireland Club finals. ... did anyone watch The Toughest Trade on RTÉ the last two weeks?

They sent Brendan Maher down to Australia to try his hand at cricket while Steve Harmison went to Tipp to play hurling. The second one Aiden O'Shea went to the US to take part in the NFL combine and former NFL player Roberto Wallace went to Mayo to play football.

They're both up on YouTube if anyone wants to check them out.

thomond2006

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0u4M6vppCI

Phenomenal

Pink Fairy

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Speaking of All Ireland Club finals. ... did anyone watch The Toughest Trade on RTÉ the last two weeks?

They sent Brendan Maher down to Australia to try his hand at cricket while Steve Harmison went to Tipp to play hurling. The second one Aiden O'Shea went to the US to take part in the NFL combine and former NFL player Roberto Wallace went to Mayo to play football.

They're both up on YouTube if anyone wants to check them out.

On a different note, I remember a kicking competition held in Australia approx 27-30 years ago (with a prize of 10k) where an NFL kicker, a top Aussie rules player, West Hams Ray Stewart and Kerry's Maurice Fitzgerald were all invited to kick.
The competition was set up in such a way that it was heavily stacked in the Aussie rules players favour, kicking for distance and kicking a ball to land inside a circle half way down the pitch. Anyway, long and short of it was the last 2 kickers in every event were the Aussie and NFL lad as it was supposed to be a straight shootout... But Fitzgerald had an unassailable lead before either got to take their last kicks and he came home with 10k....which he didn't get to keep

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

^NFL kickers have to kick very fast in order to get a clear shot, 1.5 seconds or something, but other than that it's straight on front of the goal all the time. Kick off don't seem to require a lot of thinking either, hoof it as far as you can. Maybe I'm wrong on that.

thomond2006

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

^NFL kickers have to kick very fast in order to get a clear shot, 1.5 seconds or something, but other than that it's straight on front of the goal all the time. Kick off don't seem to require a lot of thinking either, hoof it as far as you can. Maybe I'm wrong on that.

Yeah you basically hoof it in the hope it goes for a touchback. You don't want to get the receiving team a chance to run it back.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

The highest paid kicker on the NFL last season was on $4.5 million. Even in a very high scoring game they're only on the field for a few minutes, if even, and they very rarely take any physical contact. You'd wonder why the likes of ROG and Johnny Wilkinson aren't over there now raking it in.

Journeyman_1

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

The highest paid kicker on the NFL last season was on $4.5 million. Even in a very high scoring game they're only on the field for a few minutes, if even, and they very rarely take any physical contact. You'd wonder why the likes of ROG and Johnny Wilkinson aren't over there now raking it in.

Dan Carter apparently went over to a team who thought he was there to try-out! On the radio the other week he didn't rule out going over for a couple of years to give it a go.

Podge_irl

As mentioned above an NFL kicker has very limited time and is under a lot of pressure while making a kick. It wouldn't be a million miles away from the scenario of a drop goal and the success rate of those isn't exactly phenomenal. This idea that ROG, Carter etc could just waltz over there and be good kickers is fantasy stuff. It's an entirely different type of skill.

b.gud

Pink Fairy wrote: »

On a different note, I remember a kicking competition held in Australia approx 27-30 years ago (with a prize of 10k) where an NFL kicker, a top Aussie rules player, West Hams Ray Stewart and Kerry's Maurice Fitzgerald were all invited to kick.
The competition was set up in such a way that it was heavily stacked in the Aussie rules players favour, kicking for distance and kicking a ball to land inside a circle half way down the pitch. Anyway, long and short of it was the last 2 kickers in every event were the Aussie and NFL lad as it was supposed to be a straight shootout... But Fitzgerald had an unassailable lead before either got to take their last kicks and he came home with 10k....which he didn't get to keep

Why didn't he get to keep it?

Pink Fairy

b.gud wrote: »

Why didn't he get to keep it?

Amateur sport, gaa kept the money, but he got a nice holiday out if it

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Podge_irl wrote: »

As mentioned above an NFL kicker has very limited time and is under a lot of pressure while making a kick. It wouldn't be a million miles away from the scenario of a drop goal and the success rate of those isn't exactly phenomenal. This idea that ROG, Carter etc could just waltz over there and be good kickers is fantasy stuff. It's an entirely different type of skill.

It's only like kicking a drop goal if all your drop goals are from directly in front of the posts, your team mate can hold the ball for you to kick and the rest of your team are allowed physically block the opposing team when they try to charge you down.

Neil3030

Just to put the type of accuracy required for an NFL kicker into perspective, Dan Bailey was the most accurate kicker in the NFL last season, missing 2 kicks all year. He made:

Field goals:

20-29 yards: 100% (9/9)
30-39 yards: 100% (10/10)
40-49 yards: 86% (6/7)
50+ yards: 83% (5/6)

Overall: 94% (30/32)

Point-after-touchdown (approx 32 yards distance):

100% (25/25)

2 kicks missed out of 57, with a second and a bit from the snap to the kick, with the very real threat of being mangled by a 300lb lineman if there's even the slightest delay or mistake....

An American Football is also far more difficult to kick; it's smaller and pointier.

Oh and you're pretty much fired instantly once your form dips. Not dropped, fired.

All in all, it must rank up there with one of the highest pressure sporting jobs there is.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I wonder what rugby players kicking stats would be like if they were all taken from directly in front of the goal and the majority of them from within 40 yards, which is about 36 metres, if Google is correct.

I'm not saying the rugby guys could just walk straight into the top teams and be amazing but at the same time I don't see why they couldn't. A few weeks of getting your timing as quick as you can and a few weeks practicing with people running at you and you're away.

It would be an interesting thing to take someone like Carter and this Bailey guy and have them try kicking the way the other has to. Put Bailey on a rugby pitch and make him kick from a few different angles, have Carter kick from right in front with professional defense running at him. Just for ****s and giggles like.

irishbucsfan

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I wonder what rugby players kicking stats would be like if they were all taken from directly in front of the goal and the majority of them from within 40 yards, which is about 36 metres, if Google is correct.

I'm not saying the rugby guys could just walk straight into the top teams and be amazing but at the same time I don't see why they couldn't. A few weeks of getting your timing as quick as you can and a few weeks practicing with people running at you and you're away.

It would be an interesting thing to take someone like Carter and this Bailey guy and have them try kicking the way the other has to. Put Bailey on a rugby pitch and make him kick from a few different angles, have Carter kick from right in front with professional defense running at him. Just for ****s and giggles like.

I think you might need to consider you're severely underestimating the task at hand. Think about how many young kickers go through their college system spending years doing nothing but kicking or punting, and then never get near a professional contract. The standard is on a different level, but it's hugely specialised.

thomond2006

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I wonder what rugby players kicking stats would be like if they were all taken from directly in front of the goal and the majority of them from within 40 yards, which is about 36 metres, if Google is correct.

I'm not saying the rugby guys could just walk straight into the top teams and be amazing but at the same time I don't see why they couldn't. A few weeks of getting your timing as quick as you can and a few weeks practicing with people running at you and you're away.

It would be an interesting thing to take someone like Carter and this Bailey guy and have them try kicking the way the other has to. Put Bailey on a rugby pitch and make him kick from a few different angles, have Carter kick from right in front with professional defense running at him. Just for ****s and giggles like.

I don't see them as too similar. The consequence of a missed kick in NFL is much more serious than in rugby. A missed extra point can lose you the game (a la Patriots @ Broncos) and a missed field goal results in a turnover on the spot of the snap. Rugby players are also in total control of the kick. In NFL the kicker is at the mercy of the long snapper or holder botching the snap.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I think you might need to consider you're severely underestimating the task at hand. Think about how many young kickers go through their college system spending years doing nothing but kicking or punting, and then never get near a professional contract. The standard is on a different level, but it's hugely specialised.

Yeah but think of how many teams there are in the NCAA compared to how many NFL teams there are.

There's 128 in NCAA Division 1 alone.

There are 32 in the NFL.

That alone would account for why you could get very very talented kickers not getting a sniff at the NFL after college.

As I said, I'm not saying guys like ROG or Carter would just walk onto a team but I'd say with a little bit of practice they'd have a decent chance at it.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

thomond2006 wrote: »

I don't see them as too similar. The consequence of a missed kick in NFL is much more serious than in rugby. A missed extra point can lose you the game (a la Patriots @ Broncos) and a missed field goal results in a turnover on the spot of the snap. Rugby players are also in total control of the kick. In NFL the kicker is at the mercy of the long snapper or holder botching the snap.

Has a missed kick never cost a rugby team a game? I'm sure it has.

In terms of it's importance to the overall game I think the kicks are about the same importance.

astonaidan

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I think you might need to consider you're severely underestimating the task at hand. Think about how many young kickers go through their college system spending years doing nothing but kicking or punting, and then never get near a professional contract. The standard is on a different level, but it's hugely specialised.

My friends cousin came over from the states and was in college on a scholarship for kicking and we took him out to the pitch with the rugby ball and his kick was terrible on the rugby ball, but with the american football he was lethal. The run up was short and he kept airing the rugby ball, we kicked for about a hour and he never could kick it over the bar past 25metres but handily enough got the american ball over from 40. I thought it would be similar but as you said these guys are kicking that ball from about 11 its only notably different when you try it

stephen_n

Didn't one of the Welsh fullbacks in the late 80's early 90's end up kicking for one of the NFL teams?

Bazzo

stephen_n wrote: »

Didn't one of the Welsh fullbacks in the late 80's early 90's end up kicking for one of the NFL teams?

Terry Price in the 60s/70s?

There's a list of converts on wikipedia here

thomond2006

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Has a missed kick never cost a rugby team a game? I'm sure it has.
Fair point!

In terms of it's importance to the overall game I think the kicks are about the same importance.

My point is a missed penalty kick carries a lesser 'punishment' than a missed field goal. In some cases a missed penalty kick is a 'kick to nothing' where the team will recover possession in or around the same spot as the kick from the restart. A turnover from a missed field goal is a lot more serious. A lot of teams on 4th down will decide to punt when they are at the limit of the kicker's range.

.

Pink Fairy

Got €300 back through the travel agents for our Disneyland Paris mishap last November....it goes towards my next trip there :rolleyes:

mfceiling

Pink Fairy wrote: »

Got €300 back through the travel agents for our Disneyland Paris mishap last November....it goes towards my next trip there :rolleyes:

Going in a fortnight. I presume it's like the best holiday an adult could ever wish for...

irishbucsfan

Pink Fairy wrote: »

Got €300 back through the travel agents for our Disneyland Paris mishap last November....it goes towards my next trip there :rolleyes:

Seems a little on the small side but at the least I hope the next one is a little less dramatic for you and the kids that I'd hope you're accompanying.

Pink Fairy

mfceiling wrote: »

Going in a fortnight. I presume it's like the best holiday an adult could ever wish for...

I had 2 broken ribs from 3 days before and I was 1km from the action in the 13th....so in a word, yes!
Are you staying on-site or commuting each day?

mfceiling

Pink Fairy wrote: »

I had 2 broken ribs from 3 days before and I was 1km from the action in the 13th....so in a word, yes!
Are you staying on-site or commuting each day?

One train stop away at the Marriott. They have their own shuttle bus that goes every 30 mins. 2 days in Paris also...not sure of the area...5th?

Pink Fairy

mfceiling wrote: »

One train stop away at the Marriott. They have their own shuttle bus that goes every 30 mins. 2 days in Paris also...not sure of the area...5th?

Not surprisingly I stayed away from the city after that.
All i will say is bring supplies. Water and food stuffs. No real shops on site, and bottles of 500ml water are about €4..
If you queue for a ride, prepare to be there for an hour. Look for fastpass rides... There is a sign up telling you to queue for a ticket and the time you can then use it. So if you have a fastpass ticket you bypass 95% of the queue, 10 mins normally, not all rides offer fastpass. ..
Do the parade of princesses on the first night, it's wonderful and gets it out of the way, yiud need 4 days in the park to do everything, so pick and chose what you need to do between the 2 parks