They all seem to be struggling at underage compared to previous anyway. This is seeping through to adult level.
Bricky rangers are a club with potential on the edge of Dungarvan. They have some excellent young players in Tom OâConnell and Peter Cummins.
I wouldnât have seen them play but talking to my Cappoquin/Tourin friend who was fierce disappointed with their showing.
Shamrocks of Knockanore should have beaten them in the semi final.
Iâve a young lad of 9 here so since he started hurling a few years ago, Iâd be quite familiar from go games and mini blitzes with the U8 to U11 scene at the moment. Itâll be interesting to see how it all plays out in years to come as those players evolve.
A few observations of the underage sceneâŚ.
Ballygunner have huge numbers. Theyâd have 60-70 starting every year. By U9, thatâs down to 40â50 per year group. Theyâd usually be spread across 3-4 teams at go games/mini blitzes. Ballygunner wouldnât be anything to write home about below U11 level. Half of their numbers, youâd know from looking at them wouldnât be picking up a hurl outside of the hour of training once or twice a week. The refrain I hear a lot is that it all starts knitting together for Ballygunner as a club around U13 when the weight of numbers really starts to tell.
I was at an U9 tournament in Lismore early in the summer. It was a Ballyduff Upper v Lismore final. Tallow are in with Shamrocks as Cois Bhride at underage level as well. The western teams were streets ahead in terms of skill set and development of all the city teams, even with a sprinkling of 8 and maybe even 7 year olds in their ranks.
Stradbally would probably be the strongest U11 team in the county. Nephew of the Brick an exceptional player there.
Good to hear they are keeping the score at u11 level.
Some serious information on the u11 scene.
Huge amount of combos in West Waterford. Youâd think Tallow would have numbers by themselves but must be doing Knockanore a favour.
They always have a big night in Jack Meades on the Sunday night. They go into the two schools in Ballygunner on the Monday with the Cup and then retire to Becketts for the rest of the day/night. Back to business then on Tuesday.
Half of them will be in Portugal golfing by Wednesday.
Mostly the OâSullivan/Mahony cabal.
Tallow had some outstanding young hurlers late 90s. Sad to see how much they have fallen.
A Crokes Kilmacud mentor told me Lismore have the best under 12 team in the country. They (crokes) went around the country hammering everyone they met until Lismore put them in their place. A freak one off group by all accounts. Hopefully they can hang onto them
Lismore and Ballyduff Upper both have terrific crops of U9âs as well. Two sons of Stephen Molumphy there exceptionally good for that age.
Functional and fit outfit without being anything spectacular. Mark OâBrien was on the winning 2013 minor team and 2016 u21 team, he was on the county senior panel up to a few years ago and is a cut above most fellas at intermediate level in Waterford.
They also have MJ Sutton who was on the 2013 minor panel as well. He was injured on Saturday but came on as a sub and scored 1-1. His grandfather John Sutton was on the Kilkenny team that bet Waterford in the 1957 all Ireland final.
They have a raft of fellas heading off to Australia in the next few weeks so unlikely theyâll make much of an impression on the Munster club and will probably struggle at senior next year.
They won the division 2 minor last week so if they can survive a year or 2 at senior until those lads start coming through they might hold their own senior then.
Thatâs good to hear. They donât hold onto everyone though.
Portumna are probably the best u11/12 team in the country after winning the community games the last two years. They are on the way back.
Ballyhale/Carrickshock parish got an awful trimming from them this year.
They wonât be making much impact senior so
There was regime change in Ballygunner this year with Conor Sheahanâs father, David taking over as Club Chairman.
Iâm not entirely sure whether he has retired from the day job as an Assistant Garda Commissioner. If heâs still in there, maybe he could be in line for the top job as well if thereâs regime change with Drew Harris under pressure.
Waterford star Aussie Gleeson has confirmed he is taking a year out from inter-county hurling in 2024.
The 2016 Hurler of the Year is hoping the break will rejuvenate his appetite for the game after admitting to losing his spark in recent years.
Gleeson had been persuaded by Waterford manager Davy Fitzgerald and the teamâs performance advisor Donncha OâCallaghan to stay on for the 2023 season. However, after 10 years playing senior hurling for Waterford the Mount Sion man now feels the time is right for some respite.
âI just donât have the drive to do it, really,â the 28-year-old told the Irish Examiner. âI need a break for a while. Itâs not as if Iâm never going to go back or anything like that. As Davy said to me, the door is definitely open if in the next few weeks or next month or two I have a change of heart. I genuinely couldnât speak any higher of Davy. He was 100 per cent with me about everything over the last year.
âAround this time last year, I was hemming and hawing about playing and I met Davy for the first time in Clonmel and then I met Donncha in Dungarvan and had good chats with them. I spoke to the players after that and made the decision that I was going to go back. They were all huge in me changing my mind.â
Fitzgerald has given his full support to the Mount Sion man. âI admire Aussie unreal. A lot of people donât know him and often judge him. Heâs an outstanding hurler. Iâve told him that if he feels the real buzz back at any stage, he is welcome back.â
Gleesonâs 2023 season was hampered by injury from the outset. Going into the new year, he had hamstring issues before he suffered a tear in a Division 1, Group B game against Tipperary in March.
He battled back to make substitute appearances in the following monthâs Munster SHC games against Limerick and Cork. He began the defeat to Clare but was ruled out of the final round win over Tipperary with a thigh strain.
Gleeson maintains he has unfinished business with Waterford but right now doesnât feel like he is in the best position to pursue those ambitions.
âI think the break will help in bringing the appetite.
âIt might bring it back quicker than Iâm thinking about at the moment but I know if I went back in later this year I just wouldnât give the full commitment that is properly needed and that wouldnât be fair to the players, the management or myself.
âIn 12 monthsâ time, I could be as hungry as I was when I was 18, 19 coming into the panel. Iâm hoping thatâs the case, that Iâm as eager and buzzing and then I can go back in and give it my all for how ever long the body allows me.â
Gleeson has spoken before about the difficulties he faced attempting to live up to his Hurler and Young Hurler of the Year winning form in 2016. In what was only his third senior season, he felt burdened by the expectation he placed on himself.
Debuting as an 18-year-old in 2014, he earned an All-Star nomination the following season, the first of three consecutive acknowledgements. His haul of awards in â16 saw him emulate Tony Kellyâs collection three years earlier.
âThe accolades were unbelievable but I donât think it really kicked in what they meant for a number of years. I struggled with the pressure of it the year or two after it.
âThis past season was my 10th â I came straight out of minor and into the seniors. I know a lot of other people have done that and played on longer but I know in my own head I just need to get this break.â
Aside from getting over to watch games in Anfield and Celtic Park, Gleeson doesnât have much planned during his hiatus.
âIâve a couple of weddings of club-mates next year. Iâll be training and playing away with the club. Thereâs no one-way flights booked anywhere. Itâs just take the breather and enjoy everything that my mates are doing now. Doing things I wasnât able to do before.â
Thinly veiled, âDavy wants us back training next week, and fuck thatâ.
Iâd expect a tsunami of similar announcements across a load of Counties in the coming weeks.
âI admire Aussie unreal.â
Donners must have been too busy with the Rubby this month to convince him for next year.
Good to see Aussie being a free spirit. Not enough of them left these days
Itâll be hard for a fella with his physique to get back to elite level
The word on the street was he was going to Oz last year. He should have went instead of wasting the last 12 months hurling half hearted with an arse on him.
Heâd have gotten that out of his head and be ready for 3/4 more years but instead he wonât be back until heâs 30.