Did someone say they’re objects?
JP gazumped the equalization of funding for the time being I think. Smart fella.
Excellent post. Gakway have been streets ahead for years at underage, remember their success at Tony Forrestal! But they've struggled to develop them further.
With reference to a previous poster, I'm no expert on s&c, nor do I follow soccer. But I do know that young lads are not objects and do have a life outside of hurling.
My argument is that the Galway hurling clubs seem to get the best out of their players before they hand them over. They excel for 2/3 in the Galway system to minor and then fall off the face of the earth. The Galway clubs seem to do great work, but the county cannot sustain it.
Dublin were giving all the money in the world. Do you not think we should be doing that or have you some other ideas
And that's why they and Cork (who also hoover up wins at 14/15/16 level) have dominated Minor since it went to u17.
The teams who have excelled at development squad level will clean up at the new Minor becuse it's essentially the culmination of 4 years of being togther as a development group and comes just 6 months after U16. And because it is played earlier in the year than previous, most players haven’t even reached 17.
But the jury is still out on whether it is translated into senior success. Galway and Cork have been by far the most successful teams at development level for the last 15 years and more but have just one senior AI between them in that time.
Look at the Cork minor team from 3 years ago, some of their interplay was mesmeric. But was it something of an illusion? Maybe it was just the culmination of a group of players who have been together for 4/5 years as a development squad, knowing each other inside out, passes zinging, everything to hand, lads knowing exactly where another is and where he is moving to.
Early days, but if that Cork team were as good as they looked (and they looked brilliant) a few of them would be setting the world alight already. Even more so, Galway, hardly any of their 5 AI winning minor teams of recent years have broken through as serious senior players. Look at Sean Mc Donagh in 2019, I’d have killed to have had him for Kilkenny, he looked an outrageous talent. Is he even on the extended Galway senior panel?
Conversely look at Limerick, no Minor title in 40 years but production line of quality 19–21-year-olds being produced Limerick. Look at ASR Limerick, just one AI yet have produced at least 10 serious senior hurlers in the last 10 years.
I think it’s sad that counties that put so much into development squads get so little reward, and it’s the advanced set ups post minor (Lim in hurling and Dub in football) that end up producing the real senior material. But sadly, there is a reason for that and let’s call a spade a spade, its’s bloody money!
Which brings me nicely on to the facilities discussion. Of course, we always need to strive for the best, but again, like the chasm in senior county training budgets, as a small county, if it comes down to a money race, we will be beaten out the gate by Limerick and others. As another poster pointed out, Limerick have purchased nearly 100 acres of land just outside the city to build a Centre of Excellence. I assume that land alone cost millions. And millions more to be poured into the state-of-the-art facility itself, and millions more to continually run it, staff it and upgrade it. We cant compete with that, nor can almost any other county.
The GAA is at a crossroads, the intercounty model that has been its bedrock is now badly broken and they must decide whether teh future belongs to a tiny number of counties with vast funding, or whether they look to somewhat equalise funding across all competing counties to ensure their competitions are competitive and interesting and not a litany of one sided matches that demoralise players and spectators.
The opposite to what you've said. S&C (especially Strength) needs to be built at an Underage level. Once they reach 18/19, their growth stops, so you need to get their natural strength up at a young age. Just because Ardscoil won that match doesn't mean you can give a blanket statement like 'not to get too hung up on S&C at such a young age'.
Can't find it now, but Arsene Wenger did a great talk on youth in Sport and how Strength, Skill etc is all done underage. Once they hit adult level, they'll already have grown/developed fully, and it's then about embedding them into a system/structure and using their skills in the position that they fit the descriptor for best etc.
That's going on for years. My point being that it doesn't guarantee them success after moving on from underage/minor - as is plainly obvious with their under 20s. Hurling should be fun for kids. They'll be time enough turning "professional".
There is unbelievable work going on in Galway's clubs underage. 4 out of the last 5 feile underage winners have gone to Galway clubs. The clubs in Galway seem to be doing great work at developing players to 15/16.
Watching St Kierans v Ard Scoil Ris last Saturday you could generally see the difference in build between the two teams. St Kierans played to their strengths and were extremely well coached in the basics of hurling. They outfought their opponents with a smart game plan, plenty of skill and tremendous work rate from start to finish. There's a lesson there to be followed and perhaps not to get too hung up on strength and conditioning at such a young age.
As I pointed out in a previous post, look at Gakway's huge success at minor. No centre of excellence mind you. But they just cannot replicate that success at Under 20.
Limericks Rathkeale is going to be passed on to the Gaelic footballers or Camogie. JP's brother Gerry (not short of a Bob ) has bought 75acres of prime land in Patrickswell and thats going to be the new centre for the hurlers. This will be next level stuff by all accounts. Might be a Dome like Connacht have . And people forget about UL..Clare and Limerick train there at times. That place has the best sports facilities in Ireland along with Abbottstown . So Kilkenny have no choice but to move and move fast. Its already been pointed out on here that give Limerick a certain 'type' of 14-16 year old and give Kilkenny a similar type and 6 years later there's a far gap between them in terms of power, tactical awareness and focus. Of course facilities will win you nothing without professional guys in the background. That's forgotten aswell and they cost as much as the facilities..
People giving out about all the money spent on Limerick , Dublin etc .... 'almost full time players ' ......
Now they are calling for acres and acres of pitches and astros because "they certainly add to the type of professionalism that us required for the modern game" ....
Keeping up with the Jones's ? or trying to out do them ?? 🤔
Totally agree.
I think basically we are all agreed with what is required and as grats said maybe we should give big Phil that bit of space. I have every confidence in Phil Hogan it’s the upper echelons of the county board that I have no faith in. If they do get big money it will have to be spent otherwise it would dwindle away or worse.
I can't disagree.
I'm not saying that having these facilities will win you all irelands but they certainly add to the type of professionalism that us required for the modern game.
There you go, on the Shamrocks! I'm hopeful that Phil will knock the County Board into modern times. Be patient, we've been waiting a long time, let's give it bit more time.
Too small and it's not the easiest place to access.
Would Buckley park be any good or would it be to small, its sitting there doing nothing.
Our crowd never want to be leaders they always lagged behind. They will have to get progressive. Remember the old saying “he who hesitates is f….d”. Just going back to the shamrocks I’d say they had four all Irelands won before they owned their own pitch, they used to train on the Knocktopher abbey field which is now the soccer pitch.
The facilities we all crave for ought to be on the way following Phil Hogan's intervention. A small bit of patience is required. We won 36 senior titles without the benefit of a centre of excellence. Limerick's success was achieved without Rathkeale which was only developed recently.
GAA people throughout the country are dumbfounded when they're told of the facilities Ballyhale Shamrocks have at their disposal. It's only now that their development plans kicked off. How telling it would be if the Shamrocks were to drop back just when their new facilities come on board. The Village had a lot more success before they moved to their now expensive grounds.
I was in Rathkeale a month ago when Maynooth University were playing in the Purcell cup against UL and i Have to day the setup was very good. They played on a full size astro pitch under lights. Beside this pitch were 2 other full size pitches. Before the match was over the Limerick senior hurlers started training on the main pitch under lights. This main pitch, which was in excellent condition, also had a very good stand which could probably seat maybe 3000. (I stand to be corrected on this). The point being is that in Kilkenny we have no facility that could come within a million miles of this setup and this is what gets under my skin.
Probably tells you what Shefflin thinks of the young lads coming through in Galway if he's going back to Glynn. If he can recapture his 2017/2018 form he will be an asset to them but that's a long time to go without playing intercounty hurling!
With regards to ourselves and the trip to Ennis on Sunday, what kind of team are we likely to go with? Will he go with similar to the last 2 days or will he give a few more of the newer lads a run. A lot of lads on that panel who have got very little game time and if they don't play this weekend or next, are more than likely not going to see any game time this year.
Johnny Glynn is a big boost to the Galway attack and might hurt us down the line when it comes to Croker
Me too, I've lost all faith in them to do perform their roles properly. Favouring their own clubs when it comes to grading and not allowing any questions. Not good enough.
I would say that is the case but surely he would have some sort of consultancy advice on what direction they should go.
From what I hear, Phil is a very proud Kilkenny and hurling man. He approached the county board with ideas which included raising funds towards the betterment of Kilkenny hurling. I can't imagine him raising millions, handing it over to the Board, disappearing and allowing the board to continue to hoard the money. Furthermore weren't we informed by a poster here of the investment plans attached to Phil's fund raising.
My understanding was Phil Hogan is heading up a corporate finance committee, so his role is getting the money in, not putting together plans for how the money is used, would that be correct?
Anyone hear any updates on Juvenile Co.Board committee. Last I heard the Senior CCC had to step in to try and help sort out the mess they created regarding grading. Original draft seemed fair but the 2nd draft was a complete mess hence involvement of Senior CCC. I've lost all faith in that committee hopefully next year the clubs come together and vote them all out.
You proposed 4 pitches, the village has potential for at least eight. We have to have what I proposed up above as an absolute requirement. We have senior,U20’s,minor and several development squads and football to cater for. The dome would be an optional extra.as I said above the county board reps will have to start asking questions.
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