MBB, would ye ever go away and do something with that pitch?
Fine player alright. Definitely the stand out from this bunch I think. Galway lads look a bit lighter overall. Should tell in heavy conditions like today.
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We are as usual finding a way to lose.
The most Galway hurling goal ever conceded there. Weāll be up to even less nothing than we are now in 5+ years fair dues.
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Agreed. Atrocious goals to concede. Fucking around with the ball at the back like weāre limerick four in row ffs. Easy for KK.
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That Kilkenny team were huge. Even allowing for that thereās something seriously wrong with the way our underage are being developed in S&C. Shows at senior too.
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Galway defenders getting swallowed up as they tried to solo out of defence and their forwards driving wides from the most ridiculous of angles and situations shows that they at least have a consistent approach across all age groups. Now they just need to find an approach that could actually feasibly deliver success.
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Iām afraid I couldnāt agree more. The county set ups need it to finally finally dawn on them that you canāt compete with string beans. They need to go for size, strength and application and worry about the hurling later.
We are absolutely shambolic from top to bottom, but sure lets appoint shkehill and Lynskey again.
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Did the Co. Board get swallowed up with the success at minot achieved just prior and initially during Covid?
And what is going on from 17-20? Are they totally abandoned?
Footballers look to be polar opposite?
What are the next round of fixtures for the Minor?
As I understand it, youngsters are filtered into a county set up really quite early. Once in, itās hard to get out (fair enough), but more worryingly, once out, itās hard to get in. Iām unsure what the selection processes are, but it must be a bit disheartening if you arenāt identified early, and there are plenty of other distractions in Galway. An academy system is well and good, but it seems to slam the door on a lot of lads. It also seems to act as a barrier to people (both individuals and families) who donāt want to commit at such an early age. You also need to take into account that soccer, football and rugby are also big, and soccer and rugby have their houses in order. Hurling isnāt really on the radar in the city as yet. The fior Gael gaelscoil set love the thought of the kids playing hurling, but not really the nitty gritty. That may or may not change, but there isnāt really a home for Galway hurling. Pearse Stadium is a windswept piece of 1960s eastern European architecture as far from the hurling heartlands as it could be just about. The main hurling area are really small villages, if you could even call them that, in the bsloe-loughrea-athenry triangle, which is where the county ground should be along with the facilities. (There are exceptions like clarenbridge, but in general)
And folk are still wound up in the club scene. I was at a nondescript league match recently, and the mentors looked like they were about to pass out. The ref took dogs abuse from both sets and from supporters, culminating in one banaisteoir marching into the centre circle to remonstrate in the middle of the game because he had decided that a point given by an umpire was wide. It is odd. You wouldnāt see it at county level. There seems to be a surplus of passion and a deficit of objective thinking.
I actually like the new chairman. He speaks well and seems to think well (in my opinion anyway), and I hope it will improve with him at the helm, but we seem to just be years behind Clare, Cork, Limerick etc, and we have good set ups in all the competing sports.
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Word on the ground mirrors your thoughts. Coaching gone to shit in some schools.
I do think that if you listed the 20-30, clubs whoāve backboned Galway underage teams whoāve won titles or been close a number appear to be struggling from afar. That may be cyclical now.
But I feel Galway, like Clare, need all ships floating from Kinvara to the city. Id still suggest Galway (given tradition) could win a QF and shock someone in a semi final. But when you have lads like Niland and Rabbitte (who looked to be classy minors) struggling to progress (notwithstanding injury to the former) something looks off. I think Harte was right in what he said re Lynskey, etc.
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Galway really needs to tap into the city when it comes to hurling. Its the worst city for hurling in the country when you compare it to Cork, Kilkenny, Waterford, Dublin, Limerick and Id say even Belfast. Its stronger than Derry alright which I suppose is a soccer stronghold.
The city is lost to crusties and macnas parades.
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That pitch is perfect
Wouldnāt say there are many macnas parades in Castlepark
This is going to sound bad, but thereās truth in it. The poorer areas of the city lean towards soccer (there are no poor areas by English standards, but relatively), and the richer areas towards rugby, with Salthill really being a football town. Thereās rahoon is hurling only, Liam mellows, cashel and oranmore (which isnāt really city) and truthfully, mellows are not really a city club, nor are cashel, and rahoon is more country than city. Hurling just isnāt in the city. The schools arenāt there.
Do ye use it for American Football?
Youāre on thin ice
All-Time Hurling Underage Roll-of-Honour (minor & u20/21)
Tipperary 33 (22 & 11)
Kilkenny 33 (21 & 12)
Cork 33 (19* & 14)
The āBig 3ā Best-of-100 Underage All Ireland Series comes down to a one off game between Tipperary & Kilkenny next Saturday in Nowlan Parkā¦
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