Oh I agree.
The format and scheduling is horrendous.
If Limerick beat Clare in the second weekend both the Munster and Leinster championships were a complete right off.
All the format does is lead to a load of players getting injured.
They should bin off the league and keep two weeks between the round robin games.
Run Munster one week and Leinster the other week so at least you’ve hurling every weekend for 12 or so weeks.
Clare are the minor all Ireland winners. They’ve been a whisker away from winning Munster twice. They’re the only team that’s beaten Limerick since 2019. Clare are fine and certainly a long, long way off being so uncompetitive that the championship structure needs changing
I really dont get the split season zealots refusal to allow a 4-5 week club window from mid April to mid May incorporating the May Bank Holiday weekend for some club activity instead of going through with these ridiculous Inter County Round Robins that go on forever.
Counties with convoluted Club Championships consisting groups of 6-8 teams will need to play a couple of championship rounds in this period but the remainder can use it for Club League games with the use of Intercounty players.
The only issue with the April Club month was that it became a club fortnight with no enforcement and it started way too early around March 31st. There used to be a real energy around rural Ireland when Club games were played in late April/early May coinciding with the World Snooker Championship. It did County players the world of good too.
There is absolutely no need to be starting the Intercounty Championships until the June Bank Holiday weekend using a proper structure like the 2002-2017 format.
So how and why did the CPA come into.existence?
TNH
He’s dead right. The opening rounds of the club championship used to be absolutely electric.
The CPA started because Club teams were having games called off at a few days notice on the whim of an Intercounty manager and then being hastily refixed maybe for a midweek or something.
Yes it did.
My own club played championship on the May Bank Holiday weekend nearly every year up until 2017.
In April? You are obviously having a laugh. Club championships were dead in April.
To be clear I’m not advocating Club Championship but there should be club activity involving County players in the April/May period instead of these ridiculous round robins.
However some counties who want it every way with 6 or 8 team groups in both codes would have to play a few championship rounds in April/May to complete their bloated competitions.
The 2021/22 season template is what needs to be followed.
No, Limerick; was just living down there for a time so ending up taking in a good few Cork matches
Any original thoughts or opinions?
A system which would breathe new life into Waterford. There’s a fair bit of inequality in the current system. We all know Waterford would qualify from Leinster virtually every year if they swapped provinces with say Wexford. However in the bearpit of Munster their current potential is going untapped. That situation will only become more acute as their underage talent is drying up considerably compared to 10 years ago.
I still think there’d be dead rubbers with that system. I could envisage a scenario where Limerick have qualified as group winners with 2 games to go or where Dublin are consigned to a relegation final after round 6. 40 games seems like a bit of overkill to eliminate 4 teams from the championship as well. Reminiscent of the situation with the groups in this years Sam Maguire.
Edit: I assumed that 4th place were eliminated. Didn’t realise there would be 8 quarter-finalists. 40 games to eliminate 2 teams so.
Waterford are struggling for traction at minor and U20 but nobody will be pulling away from Clare anytime soon. Clare are the minor All-Ireland champions and pushed a fine Cork team very close in the Munster U20 final. Clare will be strong for the next 10-12 years at least.
They will in their eye.
It could all go to pot for Clare very quickly.
After 2013 they imploded.
Struggling for money already I hear too.
Clare beat what was regarded as a very strong Galway minor team with a star like Aaron Niland. They’ll be very strong at U20 for the next few years. Tulla winning a Harty Cup last year showcases a nice bit of strength and depth. Very few guarantees in sports but they have the foundations to be a strong outfit at senior for the next 10-12 years.
Makes little difference.
You’ve to run a professional team essentially at senior level.
Trying to find a manager and competent coaching team is beyond most counties.
Wouldn’t surprise me if they tank next year.
Agree with you there. 6 to 8 team groups are too many
It’s the biggest predictor of future success. Of course there are exceptions but it’s no coincidence that Limericks current era is built around the brilliant U21 teams from 2015 and 2017.
2023:
Clare have the best minor team in the country and the second strongest U20 team.
2022:
A Clare school with less than 400 boys without the pick of most strong senior clubs won a Harty Cup.
I’d say they’ll be fine for the foreseeable future. By all accounts they’ve sorted a lot of the issues with their underage teams again and the Fitzgerald stranglehold has been loosened.