U18 and u21 will return in most counties.
Id say so too.
Top division. First time we ever played in it
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A great crew coming in a few years time so. They’ll reawaken a footballing giant from the 1960’s/70’s.
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Uh oh.
U17 it is so. Working the finest.
Wh the complete ban? Surely it should be either or for second year minors/those on the age. If you play for the adult first team then you are ineligible to play for the minors.
I’d fully endorse that.
GAA can’t say the 18 year olds aren’t up to it as u18s have been forced into adult in last few years.
Clubs that haven’t retained players in current system haven’t bothered looking after them. As if keeping them till u18 will make any difference. If they’re not good enough no one will give a fuck and they’ll be let drift anyway.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a lad playing a minor match on a Wednesday and an Adult game on a Saturday/Sunday.
I cant get my head around this mindset that its one or the other.
There’ll be 16 year olds playing Under 16 on a Monday night and Minor on a Wednesday night and no issues.
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The u18 zealots are worse than the split season lads.
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I don’t understand why the GAA interfere in stuff like telling counties how to run their championships and whether there should be odd or even grades in counties
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I agree. But when the evenings get shorter mid week matches arent really viable. Then they are playing 2 matches a weekend over a period of a few months. Throw in training and a few school games and 18 year olds are being flogged.
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All minor championships should be wrapped up by end of September before Schools action really kicks into gear in October.
A lot of Adult teams now find themselves finished by early to mid September thanks to the split season zealots so there will rarely if ever be a three way cross between Minor/Adult/School.
I suppose every county is different but our minor and adult run more or less side by side from Aug to November
Lads won’t play their first adult game with the clubs second team until they’re 19 or in their 19th year now I take it? That’s madness. Fair enough for a smaller, slighter lad who needs the extra couple of years before transitioning into mens GAA but terrible news for rural clubs overall. Realistically a decent underage prospect will be pushing 21 before he breaks into the club senior/intermediate team at this rate. 21 was nearly veteran status on the Clare team that won the All-Ireland in 2013.
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Come here, most teams were out by mid September if not earlier under the old system apart from teams with counties in All Ireland finals.
Yeah but.
It only takes one club to fuck the whole thing up.
Many minor championships in Wexford were finalised in December because of one club getting a run and games being put back.
The alternative is flogging the players.
But the u18 zealots don’t get it. Aren’t involved. Can’t remember or just don’t care about the players.
The clubs being unable to or unimaginative enough to cater for the 18 years olds is the issue.
How about getting the second team properly organised maybe. Or even putting in a third team.
The marginalised players are being lost whether it’s u-17 or u-18.
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Imagine being a January born star on your club minor team if it changes back to U18 with the stipulation of not being allowed play with the men. You’re the oldest and strongest on the team and fall into the trap of taking on too much and trying to solo through the opposition continuously. These kind of notions usually get knocked out of young lads when they start training with the adult teams because they learn how to become a team player and adapt. This subsequently benefits the rest of the minor team who also come on by that stage thanks to filling out a bit and training with the clubs first team. That’s all gone now and unless a star player is playing county minor and has the edges knocked off him there then there’s a strong possibility he’ll just continue with those bad habits all the way up to 19 years of age. It takes a strong willed coach to alter that.
The same fella could be in college and partying in over 18’s nightclubs, even trying to sneak into Coppers and the likes but isn’t allowed to even play adult Junior B football/hurling. Assuming the leagues resume in March then he’ll be 19 and 2mo playing his first adult game, realistically at least 20 and a half before he becomes a fully fledged regular in the first team.
Just as an aside, James Carr who’s currently on the Mayo senior football panel once kicked 2-12 in a Junior club game at the age of 15. Would he be currently playing for Mayo without that type of early exposure?
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All told it’s pretty shit to be that lad. Getting pulled and dragged like rag doll.