I may be proved wrong but I think that top 4/5 will be broken up in the next year or so. Off the Limerick team in the last 6/7 years, Doon have had 4-5 starters or prominent panel members, Na P and Kilmallock with a glut of them and the Well with 3 HOTY in a row with a strong enough supporting cast. Doon and Na P i think will stay strong but the other two arent pulling up any trees underage wise, main players getting older and supporting cast not as strong.
It comes down to whether or not the few that are positioned to do so can take the next step. I think by the weight of numbers in some areas it will happen.
NAP are obviously exceptional and the rest are very good but Iâd doubt theyâd coast to county titles in the likes of Clare/Tipp/Cork.
I personally think that format promotes elitism, youâd be better off with 12 senior teams and 2 groups of 6. The likes of Ballybrown/Mungret/Monaleen would improve steadily and probably get an odd scalp in that format.
Why dont they mix it up and play 4x even Groups of 4 and give teams a chance?
It reminds me of the @Cheasty analogy about the âdiet of Division 1 Footballâ just making the likes of Dublin, Kerry, Mayo, Tyrone etc stronger and the gap grows to the rest.
Agreed 1000%. A senior A/B system like now isnât in any way helping balance the scales. Everyone in PIHC plays each other and itâs the best competition in Limerick hurling.
The 4 groups of 4 had to be done away with really. Thereâs just too much of a gap between the top 4 and at least the teams at 12-16.
Iâd probably be in agreement with @endakenny above in that 2 groups of 6 is the way to go. Youâd still get a couple of hammerings in there but more chance of a scalp iâd feel and good games between the rest.
The difficulty is that the Senior B and the PIHC are probably the two best divisions atm. But what are you realistically playing for in Senior B? Promotion to a grade you are hoping to win one game in?
Disagree 100% on it not working. It might be time to change but only because it has worked.
Iâve been very critical of the county board at times but the splitting of the groups was needed at the time and has definitely worked to a degree. It might be time to change it back to the old system but the fact that we are even considering that shows that it has worked.
We had the old system that you are suggesting before and teams were just completely disillusioned because they were just getting absolutely destroyed by the top teams. Now teams have something to play for and a realistic target to cause an upset.
It was a weird quirk tbf that 4 teams ended up being so much stronger than the rest and we probably had a few extremely weak senior teams that it took a while to replace with stronger teams.
But the gap has definitely closed; the fact that teams can even run them close and itâs a competitive game is a seismic change from where we were before. Ideally, you wouldnât change back to the old system until one of those teams beat the big 4 but now thatâs it competitive again, maybe you could look at it.
I think 16 teams would set it back in a big way tbh. The Senior A isnât great. But the structure change has raised the standards at every other level. It just might be time for another slight tweak at the top I feel.
I just think the more grades you create the worse the gap becomes between the haves and the have nots.
Down in Cork if you are a Club at the bottom of the barrel and come upon a golden generation you probably have to win about 6 or 7 County Championships before you can reach the Holy Grail.
The 16 teams only really worked when the standard of club hurling in Limerick was, across the board, way poorer. The gap between top and bottom was less but, in reality, it was fairly poor in general.
Weâre in an odd position where 4 teams have been so dominant for so long but I think youâre right when you say that that time is coming to an end. Theyâll always be decent but the gap is closing and will close quicker as some generational talents come to an end.
The Championships in general are so much higher in quality than 10 years ago (mainly because of the quality of young players coming through but the formats also make a difference). I think we have it pretty much down⌠the Senior A group format isnât the most entertaining but itâs a necessary evil for the moment and Iâd argue it hurts teams 2-4 more than anyone else. Shadow boxing, you donât know where youâre at really. At least teams 5 & 6 have very clear targets and that has led to some excellent contests.
And then the knock-on effect, the Senior B is unbelievably competitive. The Premier Intermediate is top class. The Intermediate has been fairly decent the past few years too (although there are probably a couple of teams there worse than a few of the best junior teams).
I donât know if I agree entirely there. Maybe so in the case of a club with a golden generation, then you are right. But I think that the way the structure is in Limerick atm it allows clubs to build teams steadily and rise up through the grades that way with a bit of a foundation. Find your feet at one level, add a player or two every couple of years and build on it.
A few examples in that sense with Dromin Athlacca, KP, NCW, Effin. Mungret and Monaleen could possibly qualify in that sense but inflated numbers might skew that a bit.
A golden generation is a backbone and a fairytale story, but youâll always lose a few. Especially in rural clubs. Competing at your own level to bed in young lads softens the blow a bit.
Based on this seasonâs results, youâre probably looking at Croagh/Kilfinny, Murroe/Boher and then maybe Knockainey & Feohanagh. Bruree seemed closer last year but struggling a bit this year.
But then, Feohanagh were only a puck of a ball away from being relegated last year and already in a semi-final with a game to play this year.
Definitely think the gap between the top & bottom in that grade seems like a bigger gap than most of the other grades (bar maybe senior). But, again, that could even itself out over the next couple of years.