Fair play. That’s it. It’s going to suit people but it’s about what is best for the greater good and the long term future in association.
Does anybody think hurling will be in a better place now than in twenty years time? If not why aren’t we doing something about it?
There was nothing wrong with the previous structure. They should have trimmed it being honest. Get rid of that early season comp and trim the league too to create extra space for the clubs. Loads of other sports have seasons that dovetail excellently.
Instead they let the inter county stuff completely dominate.
These were huge occasions in and of themselves. Clare hurling had fallen into a serious rut by 2009 and that under-21 All-Ireland sustained it.
Same with Limerick hurling. It was sustained by nights like the 2011 and 2015 Munster under-21 finals.
The modern era of Waterford hurling and the senior support they had from 1998 on was built on those under-21 finals against Offaly in 1992. Everything flowed from there, it took a while, but that was the source.
Offaly had a bit of that last year in the minor the way it worked out but really it was an absolute farce that that minor final finished up about 10 minutes before the throw in of an All-Ireland senior semi-final talking place 70 miles up the road.
The minor football final between Galway and Mayo was a non-event.
I have no idea when the under-20 competitions are on this year or if they are already over.
The Leinster U20 hurling semi finals are on this coming midweek. Anybody that plays senior this weekend will be ineligible. FOTF Paddy Doyle from Naomh Barrog likely to miss out. Possibly Conor Foley from Wexford. Kilkenny might get away with leaving Drennan & a couple of others out in Belfast tomorrow.
Carlow, Kerry and Waterford as well for starters. The Carlow and Kerry Hurling Championships were played off by the end of July last year. Waterford hurling championship in similar mini blitz format to Wexford across 7 weeks starting on August Bank Holiday weekend up to finals weekend on 10/11 September.
Something like you can’t play one if you’ve played the other within a certain timeframe. So you could be eligible for a particular round but not the next one etc etc.
This Robert Daly chap complaining about RTE televising rugby. Early May has always been the business end of the Irish and Northern Hemisphere rugby season. If the GAA with their Split Season mini blitz Spring Championship go head to head with that, there can be no grumblings of RTE don’t televise it.
