Leinster Club championship to be delayed?

Hammer Archer

http://hoganstand.com/Meath/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=155404

Now first of all, this is not an anti Dublin thread. I know this hasn't been voted on yet but it looks like it will pass.
Is this not a bit ridiculous to throw the Leinster championship out of sync because the Dublin County championship hasn't finished (it's barely started) yet? Several teams over the years have had to pull out of the club championships either because their county championships weren't finished or because they were to be asked to play 2 games within a day or two.

In 1999, Skryne pulled out as the Meath championship was delayed because of our county teams run in the AI. In this instance the Leinster Council refused to delay the club championship.
Recently, the Wexford champions were forced to pull out because they were asked to play their Leinster game the day after their county final. Also, Wicklow didn't have a representative in the championship in 2007 either as their delayed final went to a replay.
And 2 years ago, the Meath final went to a replay and the winners, Seneschalstown, had to play their Leinster game (against the might of Portlaoise) less than 3 days after the replay. They lost the game and I think they were left with a few serious injuries as well.

In all the recent cases above (bar 1999 possibly), a delay of just a week was requested but the Leinster Council denied these requests as it said it would cause too much of a problem with the fixture list. Yet now they're on the verge of granting a 3 week delay? This means the Leinster championship won't start until the middle of November. God help the players if the weather turns out like it was in the last two years.

I understand that the performance of the Dublin teams this year was extraordinary and unprecedented (minor hurlers and footballers, U21 hurlers, senior hurlers and footballers) but I don't think it is very fair to the Meath champions to have to wait six weeks between games while the Dublin Champions go straight into it in top shape having just won their county championship. It gives the Dublin champions, whoever they will be, a huge advantage over the rest of the field as (if they win their first game) they'll no doubt play another team who has had an extremely long wait between games.

premierstone

Ludicrous if this is granted, as you have alluded to there have been numerous examples of where counties were forced to give up their spont in the club championship because they hadnt finished their county championship in time, why move the goalposts now?? Double Standards again if it gets the nod.

Tipperary hurling championship was delayed this year due to the hurlers reaching the final, the minor footballers ( both John Meagher and Liam McGrath are on the Loughmore team) and an appeal in the south championship, yet when Tipp requested an extra week from the munster council they were refused, a result of which Borrisoleigh will play a county QF this sunday their third knock out championship game in 12 days.

At the end of the day it is the duty of each individual county board to ensure they have their championship completed in time and to allow for continued intercounty involvement and any intervention here by the Leinster Council would be both unprecedented and unfair to all other counties.

Hammer Archer

Exactly. Congrats to Dublin for being so successful this year but their county board surely knew that this was going to be a problem a long time ago and should have either pulled out of the Leinster Club Championship or played games without the county players being involved.
I know it'd be a disadvatntage to certain teams, but look at the Pro 12/Aviva Premiership/Top 14 being played while the RWC is going on. Connacht (as far as I know) have lost no one to the World Cup yet Leinster and Munster have lost pretty much half their first teams each.
As it stands, if this motion is passed, the Dublin Champions look like they will have a relatively easy run to the final having been winning week in week out.

Mountainlad

Similarly, in Munster (obviosuly a different council but nonetheless a relevant example) in 2008, Waterford got to the All Ireland Senior Final. Now, our county boards are notorious when it comes to fixture planning and rescheduling. A few games went to replays in the Hurling championship, and the Board decided that Hurling was more important than football, thus the County football champions, The Nire, were unable to compete in the Munster Championship. No exceptions were made, teams aren't even allowed be nominated (of course that would have been of little comfort to the eventual club winners, as Ballinacourty would have been nominated for winning it the previous year).

Now that's ine thing, I don't think the Munster council have any previous history of making exceptions for one County and not another in these circumstances. Whereas this is plainly accomodating Dublin where the same would not be done for other Counties. There are a few arguments that need to be looked at here. I've voiced my opinions that changing the Hurling league format is a poor decision but looking at it from the perspective of clubs recently, cutting down the games may not be as a bad a decision after all (just maybe the manner in which it's done).

For example, the Waterford Senior County Hurling Championship resumed on the 27th of August after a ten week layoff. The football championship resumed two weeks beforehand, though some games were delayed due to the minor hurlers involvement in the All-Ireland semi final that week (14th of August). In the case of one club this week will be there sixth weekend in a row playing between football and hurling. They lost in the quarter finals of the hurling last weekend by a few points. They're expected to win this weekend. Had they won last week and this weekend, they'd have been out 8 weeks in a row at least. Another club is also out six weeks in a row between hurling and football as of this week, and were relegated from the hurling championship last weekend. To me, it's just too much to ask of guys who don't get a championship game for 2 months, to play 6-8 weeks in a row.

At what stage is the Dublin Senior hurling championship by the way? Is there the possibility of something similar happening with the Leinster Hurling championship. I wonder might this have an effect on the All-Ireland championship as well? We all know last year that some Provincial deciders weren't played until after January because of the bad weather. I've heard that this year could be worse (snow as early as next month some say :eek:). Can delays really be afforded?

Hammer Archer

Well they've gotten the delay supposedly. Now the winners of Dunshaughlin and Summerhill in the Meath SFC on Sunday (October 2) will have to wait until November 13th for their next championship game.
Surely now any Leinster club who asks for a delay in future years will have it granted seeing as there is a precedent now. I hope to god the weather isn't as bad as previous years or it could be touch and go whether the All Ireland club championship will be played in time.