The way itâs gone now the order in which you get the 2nd teams is vital. It would be a lot tougher for Askeaton if they had to play Ballybrown, Mungret and Doon in the first three games than if you play them later, which I think damages the integrity of the competition a bit. Especially this year with 5 senior group games.
Mungret looked untouchable in the opening rounds last year before falling apart once they lost a few players.
Thatâs true. Even the scheduling of the competition, as in what dates they are on makes a difference. I presume it will run concurrently with the top 3 grades?
There could be a strong argument made that the championship be for clubâs first teams only, but youâd them have to find a competition for those with enough numbers to field second and third teams or participation would fall off a cliff
It would be one way of dealing with the numbers. Have the Junior Championship for 1st teams only and a seperate Championship for clubâs second teams. Run them concurrently and the winner of the Second Teamâs section joins the County Junior Championship at Quarter Final stage?
The exact same situation pertains at intermediate level.
Kilmallock and Na Piarsaigh will probably burn a few as the year kicks on but if you get them early on theyâll potentially be much stronger.
A rising tide lifts all boats and all that, the standard of club hurling in the county is way up on even a decade ago. Facilities are generally much improved too. I see Askeaton have a new development about to commence.
I would always prefer that a first team beats a second team in Championship (I thought it was great last year in the Junior with 4 first teams in the semis).
But, if fellas arenât good enough to play for their first team, then I donât have any issue with them playing at a lower grade.
The issue is where clubs are playing stronger fellas, who they know will go on to play senior that season, in the early rounds. Which is unfair on the teams that play them first. Maybe thereâs an argument that you have to register 20 players rather than 15? But then that hurts smaller clubs who are just about fielding two teams.
I think the advantage should always lie with a clubâs first team. We should be looking at improving their lot. Instead, the advantage currently lies with the bigger club who are able to field very competitive second teams.
In my opinion, thatâs wrong.
Like, for example, say you have Rathkeale there meeting Patrickswell in Rd 1âŚonly 1 side has the advantage there when we should be doing everything to improve the RathkealeâS of the County and not giving advantages to Patrickswell seconds
Absolutely, you have to have a championship for players outside a clubâs first team. It is certainly exploited in the earlier rounds, though, and itâs patently unfair. Quite a few of those teams fell away dramatically last year after strong starts.
Maybe thereâs something to be said for putting them together in a single group of the championship with the top two qualifying for the quarters. As of now youâd have Doon, Mungret, Patrickswell, Ballybrown, Garryspillane, Blackrock and Ahane if Iâm correct. Might be a few too many, though.
In Ulster Iâm pretty sure most counties have separate Junior Championships for Clubs â1stâ teams and then separate âReserveâ Championships for clubs second teams.
Would it be safe to say @peddlerscross has handled the new world order in hurling the worst? The Cork boys seem to manage to keep a tighter lid on the seethe, perhaps its experience and the faith that in due course theyâll be the ones to put manners on the Limericks?
Thatâs what happens in Kilkenny.
Thereâs a junior only draw which brings 3 semi finalists. The final semi finalist comes from the second sides.
OâLoughlin Gaels actually won it a couple of years back and have retained their senior status since which is some achievement in Kilkenny.
What would you do with the likes of Na Piarsaigh & Kilmallock who have already been promoted?
Realistically, if there was a second team competition, Na Piarsaigh would currently hammer everyone every year.
Tipp lads are far and away the worst hit. They canât deal with it at all. The 2 in a row stuff really hurts. For all their All Irelands, 1 great Limerick team eclipses them all. It kills them.
Cork lads are bewildered and bitter but manage to seethe in silence most of the time.
Galway ladeens surprisingly bad too but thatâs probably down to the fact that they thought theyâd win a nice few after 2017. They never saw us coming and itâs sickened them that we have the bag of All Irelands and not them.
Kilkenny lads know the score.
Oooh matron. Thatâs a bit harsh
Yeah, tricky one. You couldnât regrade them to Junior A.
Maybe seed them to ensure that both arenât in the same group and enforce that rule of having to name 20 players instead of 15 for a second team at Inter level?
Like, as regards what it does for Limerick Hurling, itâs of little or no benefit to the County as a whole to have Na Piarsaighâs second string getting to semi finals and finals of Intermediate competitions and theyâre too strong for Junior then. Itâs a catch 22
As beautifully succinct as Iâd expect from a man of your stature on the INTERNET. Kudos.
But butâŚone was a blitz in the winter and both were played mainly in front of a few journos and big Rob Ryanđ¤Ł
Its funny because its true.
Did ye enter those competitions?