To be fair, the Shefflins, Comerfords, Walshs, Powers, Reids, Purcells, Carters & Tennysons of the world will feel far more at home across the water.
Good move all round.
cowpat
October 10, 2012, 8:59am
282
âThe Shefflinsâ. Henry Shefflin you mean. There arenât five of him on the field⌠:mad:
Can you not see that it refers to their families and clansmen?
Safe bet heâs got better knees than Earley though.
Kilkenny footballers will ply their trade exclusively in Britain[/url] next year after opting out of the [url=âhttp://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/National_Football_Leagueâ]National Football League and the Leinster junior and U-21 championships.
The draft fixtures for the league, which have been circulated to counties and are still subject to change, do not include Kilkenny in what is now an eight-team Division 4 again.
Kilkenny have been on the receiving end of some very bad defeats in the league and underage football[/url] championships in recent years, culminating in the 50-point defeat to Louth in this yearâs [url=âhttp://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Leinster_Rugbyâ]Leinster U-21 series.
The GAA have given the green light for their move to Britain , which will see them play teams from London and other parts of England and Scotland in a redrawn British championship next summer.
The competition is being run off along the lines of the Christy Ring Cup and the winners will gain entry to the All-Ireland junior championship.
It is viewed as the most sensible solution to the sequence of morale-sapping defeats that have become commonplace for Kilkenny since their return to the league in 2008 after a period of hibernation.
Their only victory came against London.
The move into a much less competitive environment received unanimous approval at Monday nightâs Kilkenny County Board meeting and is understood to have involved GAA president Liam OâNeill behind the scenes.
Kilkenny will travel to Britain for all their games next June and those trips will be financed with the help of the GAA.
Kilkenny have been out of their depth, even in Division 4 and this year suffered a 9-23 to 0-4 defeat to Fermanagh.
Meanwhile, opportunities for Dublinâs novel Spring Series to thrive look limited after the release of the draft fixture list.
The Dublin footballers and hurlers are scheduled to be on the same ticket on only one Saturday night, March 16, when the Limerick hurlers and the Tyrone footballers are on the same programme.
Dublin also play Cork and Mayo in football on other Saturday nights in February and March with a further match on Sunday, March 24 against Down.
Their last football match is away to All-Ireland champions Donegal on Sunday, April 7.
Dublin chairman Andy Kettle said that âwith some ingenuityâ the Spring Series can continue to thrive, despite the obvious problems in aligning good hurling and football league matches involving Dublin.
Colm Keys
Irish Independent
That is embarrassing. They have to go cock in hand to the brits to try and get a meaningful game. They should just give up.
The standard of the All Britian county competition is pretty shit it must be said. Sides barely train for it and an organised intermediate club side from home would beat most of the teams in it.
Any of ye have Premier Sports in for when the GAA season is on? Is it worthwhile, how much is it?
Yes 8 quid a month for 4 or 5 months well worth it.
Do you not get it free with the sky sports package? I am speaking with an advisor of theirs called âAbdulâ he seems to think it comes free.
I donât have it and i have the full Sky package, tell Abdul to wake up me thinks.
But you are based in Ireland? It is more geared at the diaspora.
No its an add on package mate. There is no contract so you pay month to month and cancel it when the season is over.
Sorry it was Abdul actually. I pressed him a few times on the subject and he was quite insistent. Seems like he was just mad to sell me a package at all costs, and i thought we were getting on well.
We had it for the championship, itâd didnât show all the games that were televised on rte but still was worth the 8 quid. Weâve cancelled it as thereâs nothing else worth watching on it.
Itâs an ad on package separate to sky.
Congratulations to Fullen Gaels and Flattythehurler on retaining the Warwickshire senior hurling championship at the weekend