Will Davy abandon the sweeper?
No mate.
Letting Tipp use Paudie as the spare man is exactly what they want - How do you see Davy negating this ?
Liam Chin will have to be very accurate on frees again for this game.
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I’d imagine davy will have looked at Barry’s distribution and leave him as the spare man. Personally I’d push up like kk did to Cark in the second half, causing Anthony Nash to have a mental breakdown
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Can’t wait!
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Below is a stream of consciousness but it is a structure than may well work. It gives the sides outside the top eight plenty of games against sides of the same standard and a handful of games against the top eight. The best of the teams outside the top eight will get more games against the top sides and it gives the sides ranked 10 to 14 something to aim for and opportunities to build and also some silverware and games in Croke Park.
Feel free to pick it to pieces
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I would be in favour of a 14 team league and Liam McCarthy championship.
League
6 teams in division 1- top four into league semi finals, bottom 2 go to division 2 the following year. Very similar to the league of the past few years
Division 2 made up of 8 teams - two groups of four - top two in each group go into a further round robin. Top two of this round robin meet in division 2 final as curtain raiser to Division 1 final. Bottom two in each group also go into round robin for relegation and get more games against similar standard sides.
Rational:
Brings back the cut throat nature of Division one hurling where relegation is a live possibility for all teams and ensures competitive games. Two relegated each year to ensure sides don’t get stuck down in division 2 for years on end and stunt their development.
Division 2 guarantees sides games against teams of a similar standard in the second round robin and lessens the opportunities for lower ranked teams to run out of steam as the league goes on and ship big beatings from the top sides. Gives the fourth team in Division 2 a serious carrot of making the top 4 and getting 3 games against better opposition and removes relegation for the year for them while the remaining four sides get 3 very competitive games.
Championship
6 teams in Munster, 8 in Leinster.
6th team in Munster to be the side promoted from the championship below the previous year, they get 5 home games against the munster sides and cannot be relegated. They would then take part in Leinster championship the following year. Points difference from these games does not count to overall positions.
Leinster - 2 groups of 4 - top two into Leinster semi finals. 3rd placed teams along with 6th in Munster and championship below winners play off for Joe McDonagh cup. Bottom two play off in relegation playoff.
Top two in Leinster play in semi finals, losers play off for third spot/place in all ireland series with Leinster finalists and top three in Munster as per current set up.
Rational
If we are serious about growing the game in lesser counties then it would be massive for a side recently promoted to have Tipp, Cork et al coming to the likes of Kerry, Antrim, Meath or Kildare for a championship match. They may well be complete mismatches but at least it is a significantly tangible reward for the players and those involved in grassroots hurling in their county for to get 5 homes games against established sides and no relegation for winning the second tier championship. You would think it would give them a decent platform to build off for the following year as well. Would give the established sides an opprtunity to give lads championship game time and rest some players
Leinster would still be competitive and the likes of the four established sides in it would still need to play 5 games to win the province or makes the All Ireland series. At least three of games would be against the other established sides too, the same as now. This would give the likes of Laois, Carlow, Westmeath something to build on as well, win one game and there is a good chance you are safe and the opportunity to potentially catch one of the bigger sides and make it out of the group. The Joe McDonagh would also guarantee a few more games against teams of a similar standard.
Dates/Timings etc
Get the Fitz and club championships finished in the calendar year. Start the league the third week of January - Division one needs 7 rounds to complete, division 2 the same. Have 2 weeks set aside for rest and can act as contingency for bad weather. Paddy’s day would be nine weeks later from the start and the finals could be played that day/weekend.
Munster championship starts the May weekend, no longer byes as there are six teams. A weeks break after first three rounds and another weeks break before Munster final the last week of June.
Leinster could start a week later and also finish up the last week of June, or start the same day and have the final a week earlier so it is a standalone weekend.
All Ireland Quarter finals at a neutral venues two weeks later, Joe McDonagh semi finals to be a curtain raiser. Semi Finals two weeks later at the end of July, Joe Mc and maybe the relegation play off to also be played as curtain raisers to give lads games in Croke Park.
All Ireland final second week of August with the minor final as the curtain raiser.
Going off this years league final placings for example
Division 1:
Limerick, Wexford, Clare, Tipp, Dublin Waterford - top 4 into semis, bottom two relegated
Division 2:
Group 1: Kilkenny, Laois, Kerry, Carlow
Group 2: Cork, Galway, Westmeath, Antrim
For argument sake - Kilkenny, Cork, Galway, Laois progress to next round robin - top 2 into final and promoted. While Kerry, Carlow, Westmeath and Antrim compete in relegation round robin
Championship (placings decided by this years championship)
5 teams in Munster plus Kerry for arguments sake. Kerry cannot be relegated and would revert to Leinster championship the following year. As current set up, top three go through.
Leinster:
Group 1 - Wexford, Galway, Laois, Antrim
Group 2 - Kilkenny, Dublin, Carlow, Westmeath
For arguments sake - Wexford v Dublin and Galway v Kilkenny in Leinster semi finals. Losers play off to decide who gets third spot in Leinster. Third placed teams in Leinster join Kerry and second tier winner in Joe McDonagh cup. Bottom two in Leinster play off, loser is relegated, their spot in Leinster is taken by Kerry the following year and the winners of the second tier goes into Munster.
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He was no more a coach than the man in the moon
I was hanging out with him, Donners and Mas O’Leary a few weeks back.
8 teams in Leinster? Sure they’d be loads of hammerings. 6 would be ideal.
He’s saying the bottom 2 in Leinster would be relegated into Munster to make it more competitve
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Ha ha.
Rationale
Spoiler Alert
Limerick will beat Kilkenny, not before a serious battle where KK will stay within striking distance for most of the game before Limerick pull away beating them relatively comfortably for a finish. KK’s full back line will prove to be the weak link as Limerick run up big scores in the last ten of both halves which ultimately is the difference. Talk will be of the end of Cody’s era and his reluctance to adapt to suit his team.
Wexford will beat Tipp after a very hard fought turgid affair possibly requiring a replay. It will be cited that Tipp are broken mentally after the Munster final and that this is the end of the road for an old Tipp team and they require a full overhaul.
Wexford will get carried away on a tide of emotion there will be lots of talk of 96,and how Wexford beat a fancied limerick team etc. Davy Fitz will be hailed as the greatest hurling mind of all time. The dancing at the crossroads song will be updated and re-released. AI tickets will be like hens teeth and trade at a savage premium.
Limerick will then absolutely stuff them in the AIF and the game will be over before the first half is.
Spoiler Alert
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Almost like being there
Fuckit you must be sickened you got nearly all the way to the end and then fucked it up
Wexford Wexford Wexford
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Fair play to you for doing so much considered work. A worthwhile read, for sure.
But just thought you would want to know the word in question is ‘rationale’…
Indeed
No big deal. But a lot of admirable work went into the piece.
Kilkenny should narrowly overcome Limerick in the AISF, as Kilkenny are on an upward trajectory, have key players back that were missing last year, and Limerick peaked for the MF. Tipp have been playing rope a dope and will easily dispose of Wexford, setting up the decider for team of the decade.
I would expect Kilkenny to win the final as they have better battling qualities than Tipp who tend to fold under pressure.