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Wexford Club Hurling Championship.

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "@tearintom - I reckon you're right that nobody would put in such a motion. And if they don't, or if such a motion wasn't carried by a majority, they can't really complain if or when it doesn't happen.

For what it's worth, some other counties do allow a free weekend for EP, but they're not in the same boat as ourselves. For example, this year:
- Carlow did, but their hurling championship was already finished, and their football doesn't take as many rounds as ours.
- Kilkenny also did, but of course, they didn't have football championships to work into their schedule.
- And likewise, but the other way round, a number of the "football counties" did, but either they didn't have hurling fixtures to get played, or else so few actually play hurling in those counties that only a very small number were actually affected by not being able to go to EP.

Again, if we didn't have Fleadh to contend with, the fixtures people here might be able to work in a free weekend for it, if Wexford go no further than quarter-finals in All-Ireland Senior Hurling or reach a Tailteann Cup Final, if Leinster continues to run their championships the way they're doing now, or if clubs agree to midweek games if necessary.

But say Wexford are in an All-Ireland hurling semi-final on first weekend of July (such that our club championships couldn't start until the third weekend), and our first club match in Leinster is last weekend of October, that'd leave only 13 or 14 weeks to play championships here that take 16 or 17 rounds altogether. Would be hard then to justify a free weekend for EP, or anything else."
All boils down to the same elephant Pikeman. We have too many games in our club championship.
When we start being genuinely competitive at county AI level again in a few years time we will have to address the problem properly ;-)

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 13997 - 21/11/2024 14:40:40    2580591

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If we get to All Ireland semi final so be it .
It will get worked out
Unfortunately I can tcsee tgat fappencany time soon .
If you take out the fleadh weekend and extra hurling weekend for 2026 that makes 2 weekends off the lenght time needed this year .
Look if you think we can keep players happy by doggiing them and being so flippant and dictating their every weekend we will lose out.
Thats if we want to remain a dual county
I don't remember the hurling being on any ep weekend I wonder if it was would the attitude change.
Nor pro or anti but it does look like ccc are purposely putting football on ep weekend.
Maybe senior contenders may not be affected as much but going diwn the grades it would spiral

Formertownie (Wexford) - Posts: 302 - 21/11/2024 15:01:09    2580597

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Replying To tearintom:  "
Replying To StoreysTash:  ""I'm sorry but genuinely I've never heard of this being talked about across any other sport and I'm not sure I've even heard any other county raising it apart from here albeit I don't go on every thread on here."

What other organised sport occurs July-September in Ireland tearintom? It is an issue across all counties.

Here is what would happen. The lad goes off to EP and the dictator on $200 a night tells him not to bother coming back after it, and is viewed as a "bad club man" or a "traitor". As if he owes the GAA a mountain of gratitude or is being paid for lining out for the club.

There was way more than 5 in my old club last year, I know that much. And it caused rows and divisions and as usual, a player who wants to live a life is held to ransom by an organisation constantly asking for more and more commitment.

I know a couple of players told management when training started "I am going to EP in August", and they barely got a look in all year. I know two players who are not going back next year on the back of how they were treated for going to EP. Maybe that will keep the tearintom style manager happy as they cut off their nose to spite their face."
I hate to say it again, it's called life!

If you've a manager in your club or trainer that behaves that way towards players then deal with it, in your club! Rather than expecting an entire organisation to sort it for you.

You're trying to tell me that a trainer on €200 a night in you're club treated your club players that way and the solution you see is not to call out what's happening in your club but to ask an entire organisation to change their calendar which in turn affects 100% of players, coaches, referees, county board officals all so a small percentage of players can go to a music festival.

You're talking about an organisation station asking for more and more commifment and being held to ransom, seriously! The entire GAA organisation was changed with over 100 years of tradition thrown out the door to cater for club players and now it's, what about electric picnic!

Any player in my club got treated no differently on account of missing a game for electric picnic or for any other reason either other than if the player that replaced them performed they kept their place and if that didn't happen in your club then that's on your club to sort out imho."
It's up to each county to sort out this problem as they see fit. Its not really up to individual clubs, except insofar as if they keep voting to keep as many championship games as we currently have they are part of the problem.
A problem every county and club is facing is player retention, both at underage and adult. If players get the feeling their club or county doesn't give a #### about them they are less likely to stick around, especially as there are so many alternatives to playing Football and Hurling compared to years ago.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 13997 - 21/11/2024 15:23:19    2580601

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Replying To Formertownie:  "If we get to All Ireland semi final so be it .
It will get worked out
Unfortunately I can tcsee tgat fappencany time soon .
If you take out the fleadh weekend and extra hurling weekend for 2026 that makes 2 weekends off the lenght time needed this year .
Look if you think we can keep players happy by doggiing them and being so flippant and dictating their every weekend we will lose out.
Thats if we want to remain a dual county
I don't remember the hurling being on any ep weekend I wonder if it was would the attitude change.
Nor pro or anti but it does look like ccc are purposely putting football on ep weekend.
Maybe senior contenders may not be affected as much but going diwn the grades it would spiral"
It happened to be a football weekend in both 2023 and '22 because it was held on last weekend of August or first weekend of September, we had the split season that clubs had voted for, and so the hurling championships were already finished.

Happened to be a football weekend this year because of the order the games were played in so as to finish our football championships first, due to how our county football champions were scheduled for Leinster action before our hurling champions were.

If the games are run in the same order next year, then EP will be on a hurling weekend all right.

But overalll, Viking66 is correct here. The real elephant in the room is too many games in our club championships and too short a timeframe to play them, if you want a free weekend for EP but also want to avoid midweek matches.

tearintom also makes a valid point. Clubs have a greater responsibility here. If some in a club want EP weekend free of fixtures, but then the club goes and supports a championship structure that doesn't really allow for free weekends (unless you have midweek games that the club doesn't want either), then surely it's up to the club to square that circle?

Anyway, let's say 10% or even 20% of players want to go to EP. The other 80% have no intention of going anywhere near it, and would rather play on a Friday evening/Saturday/Sunday than a midweek match. Would it be fair or right to make them play midweek anyway, for the sake of the minority?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2630 - 21/11/2024 16:17:20    2580611

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Replying To Viking66:  "As regards investment this has increased for sure, but the current structures that have been put in place only really started with the appointment of the current head of games development. In 2021 I think. The u12 ASH scheme only started last winter. No dual players in underage development squads only started this year at u14. We're walking to the pub for a party I hope, but we have only got to the front gate at home now."
Rory Jacob was on the Wexford podcast after the Clare defeat in the summer and he felt the quality of player coming into St Peter's College wasn't of a good standard from primary school/clubs.

I think a major problem in Wexford is the 7-12 age group, kids just don't have the hurl in their hands enough each week.

Michael Fennelly said when he came in as Offaly manager he told the clubs to really work hard on the 7-12 age groups in primary school as doing it at 14-18 is too late to produce elite hurlers consistently.

He referred to a teacher he had in primary school, Joe Dunphy who built a culture in Ballyhale primary school of kids playing hurling every day at lunchtime.

I do feel Wexford are working hard to create this culture of hurling and you'd hope in 5-6 years we see some fruits of the new initiatives that are currently in place.

There is no secret to it, for Wexford to be at the very top table our club hurling needs to improve, our primary schools needs to have a culture of kids brining hurls to school and obviously non dual from 14 onwards should help too.

Past hurler (None) - Posts: 823 - 21/11/2024 23:26:41    2580665

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Replying To Past hurler:  "Rory Jacob was on the Wexford podcast after the Clare defeat in the summer and he felt the quality of player coming into St Peter's College wasn't of a good standard from primary school/clubs.

I think a major problem in Wexford is the 7-12 age group, kids just don't have the hurl in their hands enough each week.

Michael Fennelly said when he came in as Offaly manager he told the clubs to really work hard on the 7-12 age groups in primary school as doing it at 14-18 is too late to produce elite hurlers consistently.

He referred to a teacher he had in primary school, Joe Dunphy who built a culture in Ballyhale primary school of kids playing hurling every day at lunchtime.

I do feel Wexford are working hard to create this culture of hurling and you'd hope in 5-6 years we see some fruits of the new initiatives that are currently in place.

There is no secret to it, for Wexford to be at the very top table our club hurling needs to improve, our primary schools needs to have a culture of kids brining hurls to school and obviously non dual from 14 onwards should help too."
Sad to say the National school my lads are at don't allow the kids to bring hurls in, except for hurling training on Mondays. Fear of broken windows etc. They do support GAA initiatives like Hurling 365, which is on Tuesdays, and we are getting hurls and helmets for them for non playing kids because they asked us to. They have 2 current intercounty footballers there, one of whom played underage camogie, so they aren't anti GAA or anti Hurling.
The other school in the parish, the larger one with a far lower participation rate, did have a very unsupportive Principal, who has been replaced by one who is now pushing the games, organising in school mini blitzes etc. Again our club agreed to support him by supplying the school with new hurling equipment.
I agree with you 100%, those are the ages we really need to be focusing on, and in fairness to Games Development, and the CB, there has been a real emphasis put on those age groups the last few years. And as you say, hopefully those efforts will bear fruit, although I agree that we are talking a good few years down the line.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 13997 - 22/11/2024 09:41:55    2580681

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Surely a few of the younger Martins players wil be given a chance if there interested, David Codd, Joe Barrett to name a couple…think both of them would be well up to it. That game today was as close as you'll get to inter county

WexMurph (Wexford) - Posts: 240 - 24/11/2024 19:25:30    2581054

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Hard luck to Martins. Na Fianna probably marginally better but still could've won it. Gave a good account of themselves and best showing by Wexford champs in the guts of a decade. Judging by other semi final which was entertaining if not exactly high in quality, Na Fianna look a very likely winner of Leinster this year. If you could get more hurling in to Barry O'Connor he would've been a great option for Wexford the last few years, might be too late in the day for a go at the county team now and don't know what his living situation will be for next year, if he's moving back to Oz. Rathnure and Mellows both had good wins but hard to see them winning Leinster. But it's definitely been the best club performance in a long while on all fronts for hurling. Always good to see.

Throughthemidfieldhewasstormin (Wexford) - Posts: 285 - 24/11/2024 20:48:48    2581066

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Replying To WexMurph:  "Surely a few of the younger Martins players wil be given a chance if there interested, David Codd, Joe Barrett to name a couple…think both of them would be well up to it. That game today was as close as you'll get to inter county"
Agreed, they were up against Dublins inter county hurlers in the Curries, Burkes etc and matched them and more.

Past hurler (None) - Posts: 823 - 24/11/2024 20:55:00    2581068

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Replying To Throughthemidfieldhewasstormin:  "Hard luck to Martins. Na Fianna probably marginally better but still could've won it. Gave a good account of themselves and best showing by Wexford champs in the guts of a decade. Judging by other semi final which was entertaining if not exactly high in quality, Na Fianna look a very likely winner of Leinster this year. If you could get more hurling in to Barry O'Connor he would've been a great option for Wexford the last few years, might be too late in the day for a go at the county team now and don't know what his living situation will be for next year, if he's moving back to Oz. Rathnure and Mellows both had good wins but hard to see them winning Leinster. But it's definitely been the best club performance in a long while on all fronts for hurling. Always good to see."
Horeswood won the Leinster Junior Championship 2 years ago, and Oylegate made the Intermediate final 3 years ago.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 13997 - 24/11/2024 23:01:15    2581083

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Replying To Viking66:  "Horeswood won the Leinster Junior Championship 2 years ago, and Oylegate made the Intermediate final 3 years ago."
1 team in Leinster intermediate final, another looking good in junior and a senior team that lost to the best team in it and won a game…think that's better than either of them two years tbh….like I said best overall club year in a long time for Wexford.

Throughthemidfieldhewasstormin (Wexford) - Posts: 285 - 24/11/2024 23:16:31    2581087

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Replying To Viking66:  "Horeswood won the Leinster Junior Championship 2 years ago, and Oylegate made the Intermediate final 3 years ago."
Wristy stickmen viking.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3186 - 25/11/2024 01:15:51    2581100

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Replying To Throughthemidfieldhewasstormin:  "Hard luck to Martins. Na Fianna probably marginally better but still could've won it. Gave a good account of themselves and best showing by Wexford champs in the guts of a decade. Judging by other semi final which was entertaining if not exactly high in quality, Na Fianna look a very likely winner of Leinster this year. If you could get more hurling in to Barry O'Connor he would've been a great option for Wexford the last few years, might be too late in the day for a go at the county team now and don't know what his living situation will be for next year, if he's moving back to Oz. Rathnure and Mellows both had good wins but hard to see them winning Leinster. But it's definitely been the best club performance in a long while on all fronts for hurling. Always good to see."
How exactly is it hard to see Rathnure winning Leinster?

countyman2022 (Wexford) - Posts: 730 - 25/11/2024 09:16:48    2581110

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Replying To BarneyGrant:  "Wristy stickmen viking."
NF good value for their win Barney! Hope they kick on now. KK will be tough opponents in the final.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 13997 - 25/11/2024 09:40:39    2581117

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Replying To countyman2022:  "How exactly is it hard to see Rathnure winning Leinster?"
Was wondering that myself. They're in the final so anything can happen. And in the semifinal they beat one of the strongest teams in it who won it only year before last.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 13997 - 25/11/2024 09:46:09    2581119

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Replying To Throughthemidfieldhewasstormin:  "Hard luck to Martins. Na Fianna probably marginally better but still could've won it. Gave a good account of themselves and best showing by Wexford champs in the guts of a decade. Judging by other semi final which was entertaining if not exactly high in quality, Na Fianna look a very likely winner of Leinster this year. If you could get more hurling in to Barry O'Connor he would've been a great option for Wexford the last few years, might be too late in the day for a go at the county team now and don't know what his living situation will be for next year, if he's moving back to Oz. Rathnure and Mellows both had good wins but hard to see them winning Leinster. But it's definitely been the best club performance in a long while on all fronts for hurling. Always good to see."
Liam Mellows and Rathnure both had super wins over the weekend. Why would it be hard to see either of them winning Leinster?

Watched the Rathnure game on Clubber - was actually a really good game with no quarters given from either team. Tough and hard honest hurling. Rathnure have really shined during their last 4 games in the closing 10 minutes period. This is something they failed to do for the last few years and it cost them dearly. Jack Redmond was superb yesterday. The Wickham brothers got through a mountain of work. Rathnure conceded some soft scores and that maybe a worry but AJ Redmond was a big loss in his sweeper role.

Lisdowney are a good young team (similiar to Rathnure) so if the weather plays its part next weekend I expect a real battle in Wexford Park

Am I correct in saying Liam Mellows are through to a Leinster S/F now?

It is a pity the Martins didn't get the win - but again they can stand tall and their heads up. For the last number of years Wexford clubs have failed pitifully in Leinster and bowed out without even a whimper

MyOhMi (Wexford) - Posts: 160 - 25/11/2024 10:00:59    2581125

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Replying To Viking66:  "NF good value for their win Barney! Hope they kick on now. KK will be tough opponents in the final."
It was good tough game. Some frustrating calls on both sides. Great skill on both sides considering conditions although Fianna short game is heart attack territory at times.

Rory O'C got majestic point late on from out on stand sideline in front of us. Thought Martins had it at that stage but well worked goal turned it around again.

Final should be good. Impossible to call.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3186 - 25/11/2024 10:53:41    2581134

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Replying To BarneyGrant:  "It was good tough game. Some frustrating calls on both sides. Great skill on both sides considering conditions although Fianna short game is heart attack territory at times.

Rory O'C got majestic point late on from out on stand sideline in front of us. Thought Martins had it at that stage but well worked goal turned it around again.

Final should be good. Impossible to call."
Any of the younger NF players likely to figure for your county side next year Barney?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 13997 - 25/11/2024 11:07:43    2581140

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Replying To MyOhMi:  "Liam Mellows and Rathnure both had super wins over the weekend. Why would it be hard to see either of them winning Leinster?

Watched the Rathnure game on Clubber - was actually a really good game with no quarters given from either team. Tough and hard honest hurling. Rathnure have really shined during their last 4 games in the closing 10 minutes period. This is something they failed to do for the last few years and it cost them dearly. Jack Redmond was superb yesterday. The Wickham brothers got through a mountain of work. Rathnure conceded some soft scores and that maybe a worry but AJ Redmond was a big loss in his sweeper role.

Lisdowney are a good young team (similiar to Rathnure) so if the weather plays its part next weekend I expect a real battle in Wexford Park

Am I correct in saying Liam Mellows are through to a Leinster S/F now?

It is a pity the Martins didn't get the win - but again they can stand tall and their heads up. For the last number of years Wexford clubs have failed pitifully in Leinster and bowed out without even a whimper"
Great wins for Rathnure & Liam Mellows - but would have to question the standard in the junior comp.

Mellows are playing the Louth champions in the semi final... Horeswood beat the same team from Louth by a few points in 2022. Mellows play Kilkenny champs then in final if they win that.

Junior and intermediate Leinster hurling has been dominated by Kilkenny teams. When Horsewood won it in 2022 Commercials from Dublin that Rathnure played few weeks ago knocked out the Black and Whites from Kilkenny in the semi final.

Last year Fr'ORegans Craanford were the only team in Leinster to give a strong Tullagher team any sort of a game and could have won it. Based on this I think Liam Mellows will have a good chance - especially as the pitches are a lot heavier now and it'll suit their physicality and running game.

grassroots01 (Wexford) - Posts: 178 - 25/11/2024 11:19:42    2581144

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Replying To Viking66:  "Any of the younger NF players likely to figure for your county side next year Barney?"
I'd imagine so,. Be particularly interested to see AJ Murphy getting a proper run at county. There would be a few others like O'Dea as well, Stacey maybe. Meagher who is great workhorse. I'm sure he won't want to be too top heavy with NF lads and Cuala dominance arguably was factor in fall off after 2013. That's where the focus was.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3186 - 25/11/2024 11:57:10    2581150

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