Presumably they’ll restructure the league again next year when they realise that either Dublin or Galway won’t be in Division one.
How do you put articles on the front page now? I want to post a preview to this weekend’s shootout.
…isn’t their some clause in the newest format that says an ‘established’ hurling county can’t get relegated? If Galway lose I can see them tinkering the format to keep then in the top league.
I’d doubt it and would say that Dublin would have a better chance of getting it restructured, Galway wouldn’t have next to near the pull that the “Big Three” would have
The continuing and massive cash investment in Dublin hurling puts a lot of pressure on as well.
Daly’s last year with Dublin you’d imagine?
Yes, that is why I would give them a far better chance of having the league restructured than Galway. While there is a gap between 1A and 1B it certainly isn’t as wide as the gap between divisions 1 and 2 that we saw from the previous 3 years. There is no doubting that hurling 1A is far better for a teams development and it is often overlooked that only for Limerick putting out a third team in the 2010 NHL Dublin would have ended up in Division 2 last year as opposed to winning Division 1. It would be very interesting to see what kind of year Dublin would have had last season if they spent the Spring in Division 2.
I agree. The penalty is nowhere near as severe as it was in previous years. Now you’re playing second tier sides for the most part, whereas before it was primarily third tier teams with one exception. It’s a very significant difference. You’ll still need 1A competition to win something though. You won’t find any favourites for provincial titles in 1B.
Getting close alright you’d think but it depends how close they come. On last year’s form they’re well capable of making an All Ireland final, and had Keaney not got hurt they might have done it last year. If they frightened Kilkenny in a final you’d expect him to agree to one more year eventually.
Agreed, i think come the end of 2013 we will see the return of the 12 team Division 1 with an open/seeded draw again with knock out stages. While I have no major issue with the current set up I can see teams wanting more games and county boards wanting more gate receipts if possible. Very hard to keep everyone pleased and with some of the counties whp have been off the pace for the past few seasons improving and getting their houses in order it would probably make sense.
Unless he wants to go I doubt it. He has done a huge job with them, who would they replace him with? Donal O’Grady maybe.
Surely the entire purpose of the current format is about money? i.e. less games, so less travel expenses etc but more higher attendances because there is less games?
But attendances are linked to the calibre of the teams you are playing. Galway had two home games this year v Dublin and Waterford where they got around 3500 at each. If they were relegated next year and ended up with home games against Antrim and Wexford you can be guarenteed that the attendances would be half of that, at €13 a pop it makes a big difference to the balance sheet at the end of the year, especially given the hole Galway are in financially at this point in time. The difference between having three home games in 1A and two home games in 1B next year depending on opponents could well be the bones of 100K
Attendances and thus gate receipts from Dublin’s matches this year were considerably below what they were for last year’s league.
Gate receipts all end up in croke park funds and are divided up among participants based on performance. Always don’t have any supporters anyway.
Fair enough, but I suppose I was trying to make a point about efficiency. Anyway I assumed the new structure was basically just a way to reduce county board overheads regarding panel expenses, and as such I’m not sure they’ll expand the league again. The GAA are money grubbers above all else.
How are the gaa money “grubbers”?
What you do with the league depends on what you see its primary purpose as being. Is it about preparation and development for both players and teams, or is it a product in its own right? The conflict between those two very different functions is the reason for the extensive chopping and changing over the years. You can’t really have it both ways.
Did they double up with the footballers for all home games last year?
Threw these up on RebelGAA, might as well put them up here as well…
1. Kilkenny[font=Verdana][size=3] - Obviously not in question that KK are tops, and comfortable favourites to win the AI. Have the best management, the most experience, the most depth, the best players, have the best midfield, the best ballwinners etc and one of the best underage systems in the country. Don’t have to worry about losing players to other codes. League form this year not as good as in the past, but they rarely care about the league anyway and still have Shefflin, Tyrell, Dalton etc to come back in. [/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=3]In saying that, they are probably at their weakest now then they have been for a good while. Don’t have close to the depth they had 3-4 years ago, have lost a number of veterans (not first teamers), aren’t strong in goals and arguably are weak at full-back. Some of the players that have come in like Colin Fennelly, Richie Hogan etc aren’t quite as good as the players they are replacing. Aren’t as dominant underage as they were. Increased ‘fussiness’ by referees may hurt them. On the other hand, Tipp, Galway and Waterford aren’t as strong as they once were either so its doesn’t effect their chances. [/size][/font]
2. Tipperary[font=Verdana][size=3] - Hardly needs to be said they are the most likely to challenge KK, even if they aren’t as good as they were under Sheedy. Have exceptional hurlers that have the pace and movement to hurt KK’s defence, but don’t have the ballwinners KK have, and are weaker in midfield. Have used the league effectively to build squad depth. New puck-out strategy needs to be fine-tuned, and the loss of Corbett will presumably hurt their ability to get goals considerably. Seem short a half-back. [/size][/font]
3. Dublin[font=Verdana][size=3] - Are the only team that seem capable of physically dominating KK, have some serious ballwinners (Rushe, Sutcliffe, Keaney) and an excellent manager in Daly. However, they are short at the back and seem completely incapable of keeping their players injury free for whatever reason. If they get their players back fit and keep them fit then they can over-turn Tipp or KK in Croker, but that is a big if. Are also inclined to lose to teams they shouldn’t because they lack tradition. [/size][/font]
4. Galway[font=Verdana][size=3] - I’d have them slightly ahead of Cork, even though they have a rookie manager, have no idea as to their best 15 and their league form has been mediocre, they have more depth, still have Canning to return and maybe also Hayes, Farragher and Kavanagh. Have also added Burke to their armoury. The team most likely to shock one of the top three, but because its Galway they won’t win an AI. [/size][/font]
5. Cork[font=Verdana][size=3] - Although we now have an excellent backroom team in place that knows how it wants its team to play and what its best 15 is, we are one bad injury to McDonnell or Cronin or Cadogan or Lehane away from being f**ked. Short on physicality in the full-forward line and generally have little to no depth all over the pitch. May be able to compete with Tipp or KK come championship if we keep our best 15 together. Will need a couple of years to really ‘come back’. [/size][/font]
6. Waterford[font=Verdana][size=3] - Despite having an apparently incompetent manager, they should have a strong first 15. Have some excellent young players, particularly up front, plus Mullane and Kelly. Completely short in depth at the back and Connors injury arguably means their year is over before it began, but will still reach a Munster final because of their draw. [/size][/font]
7. Clare[font=Verdana][size=3] - Have an annoying but quality manager, and also have the best young talent in the country in McGrath. Lacking physicality and ball-winners, they do have decent hurlers all over the pitch, are relatively young and one would assume a decent manager would have them fit and flying in the summer. Need Honan back, although that seems unlikely. Couple of years short to be really competing with the big boys though. [/size][/font]
8. Limerick[font=Verdana][size=3] - Have no spine, a mediocre full-back and poor league form. Have some serious hurlers like Condon, O’Mahony, Hickey, Hannon etc but also a fair few mollockers. Reports of training going poorly. Generally from 1-15 aren’t as strong as the other Munster teams, but will probably give someone decent a fright down the line. [/size][/font]
9. Offaly[font=Verdana][size=3] - Last year’s performance in the pairc against a rubbish Cork team probably gave them false hope, as they are a big team with a lot of average hurlers. Rookie management, average league form and a wasteland at underage level, have a couple of nice hurlers but recently lost to Clare’s reserves who were a man down for most of the game. Going nowhere fast. [/size][/font]
10. Wexford[font=Verdana][size=3] - Squeaking in to the top ten, have horrible league form, are only marginally better then Offaly underage, have no physicality or ballwinners and are losing players to their footballers. Would probably still beat Antrim in championship though, if only out of pride. [/size][/font]
11. Antrim[font=Verdana][size=3] - Seemed to be improving quickly under Wallis, and with Loughgiel doing well, but got hammered at home only recently in a important match. Fickle mentally, very weak underage and typically play above themselves in the league anyway, hard to say if they are really improving, even if they have Watson and Wallis. [/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=3]Stopped caring at this stage, as Carlow, Laois and Westmeath are all around the same level. Laois seem to be going backwards under Teddy Mac and Carlow look they are over-taking them but then again Laois were playing better opponents in the league. Neither are much good underage which matters big time for the inferior counties. Westmeath at least have a very good Minor team to build on in the future. [/size][/font]