Like, Ballybrown are giving a walkover because it’s a dead rubber and their Junior Bs have a chance of winning a county. So you can see it from the point-of-view of the players, fair enough.
But this has been happening all season where certain players refused to play Junior A and maybe their Junior As wouldn’t have got the shit bate out of them every week had they been available.
Maybe the gap is too much between the top junior sides and the bottom second teams, in particular. But I find those teams start to lose interest faster than a first team would.
I’m pretty sure that it was said at a Co Board meeting at the beginning of the year that as per Croke Park guidelines the Co Junior A Hurling Championship was being split from next season on?
I’d therefore presume that the top 3 in each group would go into a County Premier Junior Championship next year?
That is what we expect. We have finished 4th, but not for the want of trying. Would be in 1/4s if we could get the forwards out consistently. Used 15 over 5 matches
Kilkenny run a system whereby their 13 junior clubs play in one side being whittled down to 3 and are joined by the best Second team at semi final stage.
O Loughlins ended up winning the junior A a few years back and have more than held their own at Intermediate level.
There isn’t really an issue with the ones who are competing at the upper levels, your Doons & Patrickswells. NaP & Kilmallock have obviously gone intermediate.
It’s once you go past that; Blackrock got promoted last year but a lot of those Junior B players played Senior this year (obviously only 2/3 senior games last year, shortened season). Adare used give a lot of walkovers when they were Junior A, Ahane this year.
Ballybrown were quarter-finalists last year but a joke this year. Mungret were very strong last year but average enough this year. It’s too variable.
Gerry Phillips made no mention it in his speech, other than to thank Billy Lee for his service and that the selection committee would be announced in due course.
