I was at the Cuman na mbunscoil in Laois a few weeks ago watching the D final, there were dingers. Watched the same grade 5 years ago and twas a different story. I think hopefully there’s some lads going to restore a tradition.
Re the young foreign kids, the GAA treats people very well, and I think there are a lot of families coming around to that.
The amusements are still on the go in Tramore every summer. Amusements and slot machines attract large crowds. It wouldn’t really be my scene though.
In fairness the link to the McCarthy Cup was introduced to get the tiered championships over the line at Congress. At the time there was a lot of concern about cutting counties off from the top table.
The same media outlets that are now writing about it being entirely wrong were probably screeching about the top hurling counties looking after themselves back then.
At this point I think most reasonable people would agree that the Joe McDonagh has established itself, winning it is enough of a prize and the preliminary quarter finals are pointless.
You could have a savage team sweeping it then though and we’d all be clamouring for the game against a big gun. I think this year was progress
To what end? There isn’t a hope of any team winning the Joe McDonagh, celebrating, and then winning four knock out games.
Winning their championship should be seen as a serious reward. Taking a scalp can come the following year.
They will in their hole.
@Cheasty neatly summed up the essence of it all earlier. There is hope there for Offaly as there’s a tradition there of winning Leinster and All Irelands and in winning those at underage level too.
There’s a ceiling though to what Carlow, Laois or Westmeath can ever achieve. They’re all pretty much in a cycle of immediate relegation after just one year. Westmeath had a famous scalp last year beating Wexford but were still relegated.
Aside from the one hammering for Carlow this year from Wexford, they were competitive in all their other games, drawing with Kilkenny the headline result but pushing Galway and Dublin as well and then losing narrowly to Antrim in what was a de facto last day relegation final in a match which turned on a controversial Chris Nolan sending off.
Maybe they should be looking at a mechanism that the Joe McDonagh winners get at least 2-3 years without the threat of looming relegation. You only improve by playing the better standard counties.
Tipperary, the modern day whipping boys of Munster have finished winless in 3 out of their 5 Munster round robin campaigns, had an identical record to Carlow this year, drew 1 and lost every other match by an average of 12 points but are ring fenced against relegation.
You could see a more mature Offaly sweep it at some point and then people and players want to do that tonight.
The third goal Cork got (Horgan) had two slow motion replays that revealed utterly blatant throws from both Horgan and Connolly in the build up. Unmissable. Neither commentator even bothered to mention it. Has reached absurd levels this year and we’re only just starting the serious stuff.
Are the current Offaly underage lads not blue chippers?
My memory of the 2011 Clare minor team was that they were gifted but lost out ultimately because they were too light physically and couldn’t sustain things in the extra-time against a physically superior but not as talented Galway team.
People say Screeney won’t make it at senior, he’s too light. But that’s what the training is for. Give me a gifted whippet of a minor like Tony Kelly in 2011 or Screeney now over a big lad any day. The aim with Screeney is to make him strong enough for senior while maintaining his nimbleness. If you can do that, you can do the devil and all.
I mean people have seen Lionel Messi, right? Give me a great small one over a good big one any day.
Carlow are absolutely fucked when this generation move on. Their underage teams have been Lory Meagher standard for 10 years and thats where their senior team are heading.
Not to the degree those Clare 21 teams were, they vere inevitable, unbelievable depth of talent. There were reems of them. They went down to Cork and beat them up and down the road.
You don’t think if Offaly play Kilkenny or Wexford or even Galway they won’t pack Tullamore? Why wouldn’t they? It’ll be their first back in Leinster. People crave the new and the novel and counties are never more passionate than when they sniff hope.
How would that work in practice without expanding the size of the group?
It’s funny, I don’t think Messi would’ve been what he was without the support of the pro environment
Offaly need more underage teams, but these lads were the best under17s in the country two years ago, are the best under 19s and best under 20s now, and should be the best under 20s next year. Remember the Limerick minor teams that are the basis for the current seniors did not win an All-Ireland at that grade when it was under 18.
Shorten the league some way I’d say.
Therre was about 4k Offaly in Croke Park last Saturday at a national final. They will not fill Tullamore next year.
I remember Limerick going off 1/7 against Galway at under 21 and I think they fell in by a point, but people knew what they were. Clare 21s won multiple All Irelands. I think both were significantly superior crops to what Offaly have. @peddlerscross would probably say that wasn’t an especially heralded Tipp team.
There are probably 7 or 8 generational players on those Limerick and Clare teams in retrospect. Offaly won’t have that.
I could see them doing big crowds with the right dance partner, very charismatic team.