Tommy Murphy/Christy Ring Cups What's the point

patmac

As the title says if the GAA are trying to promote these second tier competitions why not put the Finals on at a time when neutrals will be half interested in seeing them not at 12.15pm in the morning at the start of a triple header in front of a deserted Croke Park at dinner time, at least the Nicky Rackard Cup might get some interest being on with Dublin/Derry.

These games may not rank high in the priorities of most fans (and obviously not with the GAA) but for the players involved they have been training hard for this and deserve better.
End of rant.

Flukey

Well what they should do with the Hurling ones is let the teams themselves decide which of the 3 competitions they want to enter. There was unanimous consensus last year that Antrim should not have been in the Christy Ring and it might have done Westmeath better to have stayed in it for another year and defend their title before moving up. So have the Rackard, Ring and McCarthy Cups, but let the teams themselves decide which they want to enter.

The teams know their own levels so you are not going to have Rackard standard teams opting for the McCarthy Cup, so you will still get a very balanced level within each competition. It may mess up the draw a little, but that can easily be managed once teams have declared which competition they are going into, in the same way the football provincial draws can be done even though each province has a different number of counties.

Pride Fighter

If Westmeath win the CR cup that will be there second win in three years. I think they belong in the all Ireland proper, they could compete with and beat the likes of Laois, Antrim, Offaly and Dublin. You could then have an 8 team Leinster championship if Antrim and Galway (starting with 4 QF) were put into it raising the bar for hurling in the province. Westmeaths dominance is not fair on the likes of Kildare, Meath and all the other CR counties.

patmac

Pride Fighter wrote:

If Westmeath win the CR cup that will be there second win in three years. I think they belong in the all Ireland proper, they could compete with and beat the likes of Laois, Antrim, Offaly and Dublin. You could then have an 8 team Leinster championship if Antrim and Galway (starting with 4 QF) were put into it raising the bar for hurling in the province. Westmeaths dominance is not fair on the likes of Kildare, Meath and all the other CR counties.

Wouldn't think we are dominating as we drew with Meath this year just beat Carlow by two points in the semi's having led by 11 at half time and just beat a poor Down side by a point as well, while we are improving we not guaranteed victory against Kildare this weekend.
The point I'm trying to make is the scant regard the GAA are giving these competitions by playing them at 12.15pm on a triple bill in front of 2000 people lost in a huge stadium.

Pride Fighter

Your right, that makes no sense. Even though your wins were narrow sometimes you are only as good as your opposition. I still think Westmeath could cut it at all Ireland level. However the GAA wants to give the lower tier teams a match in Croke Park and come the second half the ground will start filling and you will be playing in front of 30-40,000 people by the end of the game. Thats their thinking anyway.

patmac

Pride Fighter wrote:

However the GAA wants to give the lower tier teams a match in Croke Park and come the second half the ground will start filling and you will be playing in front of 30-40,000 people by the end of the game. Thats their thinking anyway.

That might happen if there was only two games and it started at 1.30pm as in other years but doubtful if it would happen this year.

Flukey

Pride Fighter wrote:

If Westmeath win the CR cup that will be there second win in three years. I think they belong in the all Ireland proper, they could compete with and beat the likes of Laois, Antrim, Offaly and Dublin. You could then have an 8 team Leinster championship if Antrim and Galway (starting with 4 QF) were put into it raising the bar for hurling in the province. Westmeaths dominance is not fair on the likes of Kildare, Meath and all the other CR counties.

That is what I am saying. Under the current system the likes of Westmeath are in a yo-yo situation, up one year and down the next. It should be down to them to choose which competition they play in. They could benefit by trying to retain the Christy Ring Cup or they could benefit by staying up in the McCarthy Cup for a second year, even if they have a bad first year. As things are they are not afforded either of those choices though.

Flukey

patmac wrote:

That might happen if there was only two games and it started at 1.30pm as in other years but doubtful if it would happen this year.

Unfortunately, whatever time you start it at, many people won't come in until the later game. So in one sense, the starting time would make no difference. Those that are interested will come in for whatever the start time is and those that aren't will wait until the game they want to see is approaching.

squire1

In fairness it is ONLY the Christy Ring final. You can understand why the media, neutral fans, RTE etc have no interest in it but in fairness the GAA should show it more respect. I thought the idea was to promote huring in weaker counties, not to play the games when most hurling fans were only getting out of bed. I'm sure I'll get some funny looks with my Kildare jersey by the time the Cork Waterford game starts. I doubt most of their supporters would be aware that the match was even on.

At least we'll be up before all the traffic.

thirdmantackle

why wasn't the Christy Ring final saved for the following weekend? before the Waterford/Cork vs Limerick semi final???

Pride Fighter

squire1 wrote:

Anyone know of any early houses around croker?

In the Londis on Westmoreland street they sell some cheap booze, I am telling you this as the match is so early pubs wont be open. If you are coming from Kildare you should get the train from Newbridge to Heuston, the luas to abbey street, buy some booze in the aforementioned londis and walk to Croker (its not far). Whoever wins the following game just hook up with some of their fans and party with them. You will be surprised when you wake up somewhere in Cork or Waterford.

squire1

Pride Fighter wrote:

If you are coming from Kildare you should get the train from Newbridge to Heuston, the luas to abbey street, buy some booze in the aforementioned londis and walk to Croker (its not far).

Thanks, I was wondering how to get there :rolleyes:

Pride Fighter

squire1 wrote:

Thanks, I was wondering how to get there :rolleyes:

Another way is to use the N7 (also called the Naas road). When you get to the red cow you can park your car at a luas park and ride and get the luas into town. That way is becoming quite popular.

AndyP

Buy yer gargle the day before, offies acn only open pub hours. Stay on the Luas to Amiens St (Connolly) and its only 10 or so mins walk from there.

pd101

Setanta Sports:

"Wicklow football boss Mick O'Dwyer has joined his Westmeath hurling counterpart Seamus Qualter in criticising the early throw-in times for lower tier finals at Croke Park this weekend.

Qualter is angry that Westmeath's Christy Ring Cup final meeting with Kildare is taking place at 12.15pm on Sunday, with O'Dwyer fuming about the same throw-in time for his footballers against Antrim in the Tommy Murphy Cup final 24 hours earlier.

Wicklow and Antrim kick off a triple-bill with the BOI All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals between Cork and Sligo and Tyrone and Meath to follow on Saturday. The Garden County had hoped that their game would act as a curtain raiser to the meeting of Dublin and Derry at headquarters seven days later, but with the Nicky Rackard Cup final meeting of Armagh and Roscommon pencilled in for that date, they are now forced into an early start.

"You'll have no atmosphere at 12.15 in the morning," O'Dwyer raged.

"It is a bit of a nuisance to them. When they were about it, they should have taken us up to Croke Park at 8am if they just wanted to get us out of the way." "

Micko is right, its a disgrace.

cruiserweight

RTE are still showing the games, shame about the throw in times though

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=81346

HoganStand.com wrote:

RTE have announced plans for a bumper weekend of GAA championship coverage that will see the station broadcast no fewer than six matches.

RTE will show three games on Saturday and three games on Sunday with over 10 hours of football and hurling action and analysis over the two days. On Saturday, the state broadcaster will bring armchair fans a Croke Park triple bill which features Wicklow and Antrim in the Tommy Murphy Cup final and the two All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals between Cork and Sligo, and Meath and Tyrone.

Sunday’s schedule kicks off with the Christy Ring Cup final between Westmeath and Kildare at 12.15pm. Following this will be the All-Ireland SHC semi-final between Wexford and Kilkenny at 2pm, and the All-Ireland quarter-final replay between Cork and Waterford at 4pm.

The decision to screen the Tommy Murphy and Christy Ring Cup finals has been welcomed by the four participating counties who had feared that the early throw-in times to both games would result in them losing the live TV coverage they were promised.

Mushy

I only found out this morning that they were showing the TM cup final. And its looking good for Wicklow now, which I wont mind one bit. Hopefully a bit of silverware coming back here to the garden county at last.

Erin Go Brath

If these "lesser competitions" increase the interest in fans from the counties involved then its a succesful project imo.

This Antrim v Wickow game is a cracker btw. Tommy Murphy all the way.

Mushy

What a game! Unbelievable. My heart is still going 90 here. Although I do have to feel sorry for Antrim, you probably wont see a better block all season than that one with just over a minute left. At least in the end there was a bigger crowd to witness extra time, and see the two teams still giving it their all. That was one hell of an advertisment for the Tommy Murphy Cup. Wicklow hopefully start getting over their Croke Park hoodoo, great end to the season.

gucci

great game, very good football and scores kicked by both sides and no sly tactical fouling or anything that sometime spoils games at the business end of the season. such cruelty on antrim, i really thought they deserved it, but wicklow played super stuff too and rte and the press have t he story they want about micko being the man, but the 30 or 40 players involved in the game today really were the men, great advertisement for the tommy murphy cup and for the smaller weaker counties

jackbhoy

gucci wrote:

great game, very good football and scores kicked by both sides and no sly tactical fouling or anything that sometime spoils games at the business end of the season. such........

....... the 30 or 40 players involved in the game today really were the men, great advertisement for the tommy murphy cup and for the smaller weaker counties

Well said! Great to see two teams just go out to play football, show respect for officials and their opposition with none of the hype and childish verbals that we've seen from teams all summer.

Pride Fighter

Congratulations to both Wicklow and Westmeath on their success. On the sunday game they said that Westmeath have been re-instated to the leinster championship for next year, thats great news for hurling in the province.