National Forum

Dropping Counties Out Of The NHL With Less Than 5 Hurling Clubs

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People should read Declan Bogues article on MSM.I thought it was very good.He has a particular insight as to how things are in Fermanagh.After reading it people who think the proposal is a good idea might change their mind.

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1126 - 10/11/2023 17:12:57    2512399

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Replying To wexfordwin:  "TBF the 5 Carlow clubs are strong and the top 2/3 compete with most of Leinster.

Some of the 5 counties mentioned have county teams made up of players from two clubs.. That is a bit ridiculous. There are players I know from wexford who would be at junior club level that have represented some of those counties and are delighted with their GPA entitlements."
I know a lad who hurled underage for Wexford who wasn't an automatic on 1 of those 5 teams.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 13783 - 10/11/2023 18:24:04    2512405

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Replying To streaker:  "Yeah, I could see Tooreen giving St Thomas' a real run for their money alright....."
Didn't Tureen beat kinvara a few years back?

Very few senior clubs in Galway can even give St Thomas a run for their money. They've won 6 county titles in succession and won most of their matches over the years with ease.

Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1942 - 10/11/2023 19:12:54    2512407

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Its probably easier than giving money in to a black hole where no value will come from it, in all honesty.
Lets get real, bar Antrim there is not one county north of the Galway-Dublin line on a map where the game will ever make an in road.
The best money the GAA could spend in hurling is in underage in Antrim, Kildare, Laois, Offaly, Carlow, Wicklow and Kerry. These counties can make progress with the right backing and the right championship structures to help them prosper.
For the rest of them, bringing the horse to the water is all you are at.

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1784 - 11/11/2023 09:42:20    2512421

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And all the other counties, mine included, must stand up for these 5 counties.

They must.

sponger (Wicklow) - Posts: 2913 - 11/11/2023 10:07:06    2512423

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Replying To Rolo2010:  "They know deep down football is a poor state and now the GAA are tinkering with the rules again rather than dealing with the real problem which is coaches not letting kids just play the sport. Even McGuinness said hurling doesn't suffer from the same problem because someone can just strike the ball up the other end of the field."
Of course it's all footballs fault. Nothing to do with the fact that the top counties do everything in their power to stop anyone else from braking into the top tier?

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1472 - 11/11/2023 11:55:38    2512426

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This is not remotely a good idea. If Croke Park stop these counties playing National League it could and likely will be the death knell for hurling in these counties. And where does that stop? Lads, who knows what factors in the future will impact on the scourge of emigration and the loss of our youth, again? Unemployment, lack of opportunities, housing etc all have impacted, even the so called stronger counties are at risk.

The GAA authorities would be better placed promoting the game properly than arbitrarily closing hurling down. Football men, lets hear you too, support all games properly.

Glensboy (Antrim) - Posts: 311 - 11/11/2023 15:57:06    2512429

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You would hope that the hurling people in the counties concerned were consulted and that they agreed with the decision. There have been circumstances in past where Congress delegates have sold their own county hurlers down the river either through malice or apathy. Probably the latter.

In weaker counties where there are dominant clubs - as there always are - surely the chance to play county was the highest ambition of lads who might never win a county title?

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3102 - 11/11/2023 16:52:08    2512435

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Replying To Glensboy:  "This is not remotely a good idea. If Croke Park stop these counties playing National League it could and likely will be the death knell for hurling in these counties. And where does that stop? Lads, who knows what factors in the future will impact on the scourge of emigration and the loss of our youth, again? Unemployment, lack of opportunities, housing etc all have impacted, even the so called stronger counties are at risk.

The GAA authorities would be better placed promoting the game properly than arbitrarily closing hurling down. Football men, lets hear you too, support all games properly."
You won't be hearing too much from football men on such a trivial issue as a county being banned from fielding hurling teams.
Wait til something really important happens like Dónal Óg making an unflattering remark about a second tier football competition and they'll be out all guns blazing.

Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1942 - 11/11/2023 17:13:59    2512439

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Replying To Galway9801:  "You won't be hearing too much from football men on such a trivial issue as a county being banned from fielding hurling teams.
Wait til something really important happens like Dónal Óg making an unflattering remark about a second tier football competition and they'll be out all guns blazing."
Stupid post.

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6142 - 11/11/2023 17:28:43    2512440

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While the news may be a shock, it is going to eventually come down the road in both football and hurling.
Maybe not now, but the ground work is being done and in a couple of years they will look again at how hurling is fairing in these counties and say there had been no change.
County games are stuck in the past, it's only in the last two years that the Tailteann Cup has come in while clubs have had senior, intermediate and junior for 100 years.
What else happens at club level - amalgamations and that is the way forward for counties with only two or three clubs… be it hurling or football.
It happened in the past at county level. If we are talking about improvement and helping good hurlers in these counties play at a higher level… amalgamations are the answer and can still be inspirational and something for players to aim for.
There are some football counties where it should be the same.
The idea that you have a county with lads who wouldn't get on a club team in a traditional county spending €60k on a senior team is the definition of madness.

Roger (Meath) - Posts: 478 - 11/11/2023 17:31:38    2512441

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I've written on a number of posts over the last few years about the GAA's gradual crept towards 'elitism' and 'professionalism'. It has been in progress at intercounty level for the last 20 years; huge sums of money being paid to managers/coaches which has resulted in gaelic football becoming largely unwatchable. I was criticised on a forum a few years ago when I suggested that hurling didn't have an All Ireland competition as there are only about five teams that can actually win the All Ireland. Football is now the same. Tiered competitions were introduced; not to improve hurling but to eliminate three quarters of the county in Ireland from the premier competition while allowing the big counties to play meaningless games against each other. I gave up watching intercounty hurling and football about four years ago and focused on the local club scene where i live in Kildare and in my native Wicklow. Sadly, there are signs at club level particularly in the championship of super clubs with huge resources and population squeezing out smaller clubs. The leinster club championship is not competitive anymore; it is dominated by big Dublin clubs with some minor competition from other counties. I find it hard to see what will stop our march towards elitism and professionalism. I think the GAA is driven by commericalism as oppose to volunteerism which is what the foundations of the organisation was based upon and what made it what it is. Dropping teams like Fermanagh, Louth etc from the national hurling league is only the start of the cull. People should ask what is the underlying reason before it is too late, if it isn't already. Weaker football counties take notice.

wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2023 - 11/11/2023 18:27:31    2512451

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I do think your right there ,the day it was decided that our president of the gaa got paid ,,it was the beginning of the end of amateur ,e.g there spending 12million !!!on new seats on just the cusack stand ,and that's not a problem ,I do also agree with a previous poster of amalgamations ,e.g wen I was playing minor ,I was on a panel the rest of connacht ,and we played in munster and I'd luv to see it back but across at u20 and senior ,and maybe enter leinster, but not to lose the county's individual competitions

Timmy86 (Sligo) - Posts: 302 - 11/11/2023 20:01:10    2512463

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Replying To Greengrass:  "Stupid post."
Explain why, assuming you understood the point I was making to begin with.

Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1942 - 12/11/2023 15:03:13    2512536

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Replying To Galway9801:  "Didn't Tureen beat kinvara a few years back?

Very few senior clubs in Galway can even give St Thomas a run for their money. They've won 6 county titles in succession and won most of their matches over the years with ease."
Apologies. Sarcasm doesn't travel well across here.

streaker (Galway) - Posts: 503 - 13/11/2023 14:23:20    2512720

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Replying To Timmy86:  ".I think you should live around tooreen or clubs like them ,to see the battles they go threw to get to there standard ,or il put it like this ,let's see how long St Thomas would last down n mayo for a few years competing against ONE club !!!"
I actually don't live far away from Tooreen.

streaker (Galway) - Posts: 503 - 13/11/2023 17:57:56    2512805

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Still no details emerging on what exactly "an expanded Lory Meagher Cup" would look like, or how exactly money would be ring-fenced and used for development of hurling. And according to a discussion I heard on the radio on Sunday, this thing is down for decision by Central Council in December, rather than (as I'd assumed) by the whole Association at Congress in January.

In those circumstances, I'd be massively opposed to the proposal being passed.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2615 - 14/11/2023 13:03:33    2512962

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Replying To gunman:  "People should read Declan Bogues article on MSM.I thought it was very good.He has a particular insight as to how things are in Fermanagh.After reading it people who think the proposal is a good idea might change their mind."
Is there a link to said story?

leitrimlad15 (Leitrim) - Posts: 108 - 14/11/2023 13:57:42    2512981

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Replying To Roger:  "While the news may be a shock, it is going to eventually come down the road in both football and hurling.
Maybe not now, but the ground work is being done and in a couple of years they will look again at how hurling is fairing in these counties and say there had been no change.
County games are stuck in the past, it's only in the last two years that the Tailteann Cup has come in while clubs have had senior, intermediate and junior for 100 years.
What else happens at club level - amalgamations and that is the way forward for counties with only two or three clubs… be it hurling or football.
It happened in the past at county level. If we are talking about improvement and helping good hurlers in these counties play at a higher level… amalgamations are the answer and can still be inspirational and something for players to aim for.
There are some football counties where it should be the same.
The idea that you have a county with lads who wouldn't get on a club team in a traditional county spending €60k on a senior team is the definition of madness."
Couldn't agree more.. see post in Leitrim Forum.

Replying To Square_B: "https://hoganstand.com/Article/Index/329828

What do we think of this proposal? A fierce kick in the teeth to anyone involved in Leitrim hurling let's be honest and doesn't say much for the priorities of the GAA."
Kick in the teeth is right. It will be the eradication of hurling in the smaller counties and the top boys don't care.

I never seen the sense of splitting out the leagues so much across 6 divisions. I know competitiveness for team, but no young player ever grows up with ambition to play in Division 5 or 6. There is a good few counties in same region that I would like to see amalgamate as part of a divisional team and let them play at higher level. The system now doesn't work where teams are essentially divided across county council lines.

There is between 2B and 3B or the bottom 3 Divisions that are geographically close.
• Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo
• Armagh, Cavan, Monaghan, Fermanagh, Donegal

Any thoughts?
leitrimlad15 (Leitrim) - Posts: 51 - 09/11/2023 13:22:29

leitrimlad15 (Leitrim) - Posts: 108 - 14/11/2023 14:04:46    2512982

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Posted by me on the Leitrim forum, repeating it here cos it's being discussed here too:
Shocking, stupid idea. If it went through, those counties' intercounty seasons would start three months later. So what are those committed hurlers going to do for those three months? They might try their hand at a bit of the old football. And the football season will still be in full swing by the time the Lory Meagher Cup starts; are they going to want to abandon their new football team? Would they even have been added to their football team in the knowledge that they'd be disappearing to play hurling half way through? My guess is if this proposal goes through, you can say goodbye to hurling in those counties. I might be wrong, but I can't see how not playing hurling is a good way to promote hurling. Imagine telling Junior clubs Cloone/Glenfarne-Kiltyclogher/Eslin "No league for you; here's some coaches instead for some training sessions on League weekends. Good gossons."

Tacaí Liatroma (Leitrim) - Posts: 1126 - 14/11/2023 17:15:26    2513032

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