Young lads go through puperty at different ages but County squads are inclined to pick lads who go through puberty earlier because they are bigger and stronger at 13/14. A typical club u-14 team could have lads on it closer to 12 biologically and other lads closer to 16. It should all even out by u-18.The theory is good lads who mature slightly later are being missed by county squads. I think Kerry have experimented with bio-banding in some of their squads. This is when you play lads of the same ‘biological’ age together rather their real age.
1 Like
The A team the B team and the hairy balls team
2 Likes
Clare and Limerick have done a few bits on it. New Zeland rugby too. It seems your average u14 dev ssquad would have a large majority born in the first half of the year. The majority decreases gradually as the years go on but smaller players birn towards the end of the year are definitely less likely to make it.
1 Like
Just the current fad for underage
Not done in 99% of sports
1 Like
Was talking to a colleague who is a coach with a county underage B squad, I asked him if he ever checked the birthdays of the players as a possible reason to differentiate between players when making the Final Cut. He said he didn’t.
What happens is the young lads born in Q1 have way more chance to make the squad and Q4 lose out.
It happens across all sports.
Southampton were pioneers in attempting to get an edge on this simple that iirc.
I mused something similar to myself on Saturday while watching the game
https://twitter.com/NoPlanBGAA/status/1798677636488511664?t=mtVXTbsoKw1jXoMj1Q-Fiw&s=19
2 Likes
That’s an interesting video. Would be hard to implement at club training but would give you ideas nonetheless.
Who’s funding Clare GAA?
I find the whole thing a bit admirable and a bit scary. It’s a bit mad that lads go to such detail into a children’s game. You can see why they are becoming so successful but I’d be a bit uncomfortable with the professional levels involved.
6 Likes
Interesting for the likes of @Bandage who just wouldn’t get it but fairly rudimentary all the same.
1 Like
To be honest i think the lad mulcahy is doing his phd on it and using clare as his subject. I don’t think playing bio banded games at county level is practical and as far as i know there has been no games since. The info gathered could be useful in grouping players at similar stages for training or possibly using a quota system for selecting players. Its completely different to the likes of Southampton who have the players with them fulltime.
Question here for anyone that would have any suggestions
Involved in Management with a Senior Club (Hurling) who’d be looking at potentially winning a County Championship and hoping to reach a Provincial Final this year.
A Senior Player (mid 30s) still well capable of playing at the level didn’t play League this year. I think a big reason is because our league team is so weak with a high county player involvement, so therefore would’ve been playing league with people a lot younger than him.
Currently he is humming and hawwing about playing Championship and is considering giving the year a miss.
What (if any) suggestions would you have to entice the player to stay on this year? Fitness wouldn’t particularly be an issue
I have a couple of things in mind:
a) Suggest to return maybe a week or two before County players are back and enjoy most of their summer
b) Actually do leave them enjoy a year away because if they aren’t mentally 100% all in, then it could be a hindrance (I think he’ll be all in when back)
c) Play the guilt card saying about age and never knowing when it can all end with injuries etc
d) Maybe give him some sort of allowance when it comes to training (although it likely wouldn’t cut it with other players then)
e) A follow on from ‘e’ would be that load management would be used wisely for them
I want the player involved and playing as much as possible.
1 Like
Definitely don’t go with B. We had a generational forward in his early 30s who we were thinking was taking a year off 3 years ago and he still hasn’t/probably won’t return. Every game we lose narrowly generally revolves around a miss or two he would likely have nailed.
Would a couple of challenge games with the second team/junior side rekindle a bit of love for the game and ease him back into training?
A man (a fior gael) telt me the other day that down in Sixmilebridge they train three times a week for u9 hurling and games most weekends… madness.
1 Like
You don’t get it fella
6 Likes
Out out out.
If that’s the reason for missing the league it’s crap.
if he’s a match winner you make allowances and I’d go with (A) This shit of training everyone the same is nonsense . Play on his ego and tell him he’ll be needed to get job done at business end and he’s credit in the bank now but you’ll be collecting later in year and you expect him tuned in when needed. Match winners are hard to come by
3 Likes
100% …if he’s that good the rest of the team should be willing to accept he has the credit in the bank
1 Like
Used to wreck my head when lad who would be at every training session , give rip roaring speeches pre game, a lot of the time would be the same lad who would disappear when you needed him most in the tight game .
Thanks for the advice lads - good stuff there
Will go with the option of making the plea that before they know it their career will be over and we will allow them ease into things (won’t absolutely bust their legs to ‘get them into gear like the other lads)
The credit in the bank that we will need later in the year is a fucking great line and I’ll be using it
1 Like