jaysus how could I have forgotten ye faire city a lot of good ones hurled for them Bosco Buckley, Brendan Corcoran, Seanie Fitz, Sammy Kirwan I even think Chunkey hurled with them for a while.
From what I heard 7-8 Boro Juniors got themselves transferred to Threecastles this year. I'm not sure what grade they were playing with the Boro, the Boro had 4 or 5 adult mens teams last year. I could and probably will be corrected on this, as I'm far too old to know but I think the city teams have several teams at each age group to try keep lads playing. Obviously the competitions start to run out when the lads go above 13 but the aim in the Boro anyway is to keep as many playing as possible and give them as many games as they can. Different managerial teams will obviously approach this differently and some might not adhering to what the club want but I know that's the aim and ambition of the club. I'm sure it's the same in every club in the county.
Remember Ye Faire City? I think it was an adult team only, possibly with string army links, might have played at junior level?
I think they wore Offaly style jerseys.
"The likes of Threecastles, St Martins, Clara, Bennettsbridge, Danesfort and GBC could all benefit from an expanded city dispensation (one-way, no Parish rule). It would be a one way rule though, so lads could leave the city teams to play for one of these teams but the city teams couldn't take players from these teams."
This is a good idea, and more practical as you say. if I had grown up playing in Threecastles I would probably have played with them into adulthood (I'd have been useless, there's no fixing that, but I would have stayed at it). The amount of players that get filtered out in places like the Boro is awful. It's not even necessarily the club's fault, you just can't cater to the kind of numbers you have there. Although I'm assuming the days where they would take out all the bad players at about 10 years old, and put them to one side kicking a football so that the coaches could concentrate on the good players, are now over. That was the most demoralizing thing I ever experienced in sport, and it is probably informing my views on the city clubs more than it should at this stage.
Great post though, I suppose in some ways I'm thinking alon Blackcard's lines above…if you were starting from scratch there's no way you'd organize it the way it is. But that's not reality.
I think we can all agree that the chances of starting a new city team is highly unlikely given the lack of facilities, price of land, lack of volunteers, etc. When you look at Portlaoise a town with the same population as Kilkenny both in around the 28,000 mark. Portlaoise has one GAA club, however many of the population play for the teams surrounding Portlaoise.
The likes of Threecastles, St Martins, Clara, Bennettsbridge, Danesfort and GBC could all benefit from an expanded city dispensation (one-way, no Parish rule). It would be a one way rule though, so lads could leave the city teams to play for one of these teams but the city teams couldn't take players from these teams.
The only otherway, I see you could do it would be to base it on the primary schools.
St Canices = Dicksboro, Lake/StJohns = OLG, De la Salle = James Stephens.
The CBS = split the Boro in two.
The Project and Gael Scoil, split the Village into three.
Johnswell and the Model school, split OLG in three.
That would give you 8 teams. You would need very dedicated teachers and parents in each school with a burning ambition to start a GAA club. I don't think you'll find that.
So the last time I did a bit of population by club areas
I got about 7,700 for St Canices and St Marys split in two would give you a population of just under 3,850 for each club.
Both St Johns and St Patricks, OLG and Village respectively, had a population of about 11,000 each, split in 3 will give you total population of 3650 if the clubs were successful at drawing in all the numbers.
The problem is the school sizes are not equal at all and the big schools would dominate and clubs already associated would likely remain strong.
I think it would be better to be more focused on getting more out of places like Slieverue with a population of almost 6,000 in 2011, Thomastown are finally coming good and are back senior with a population of just over 4,000 in 2011. Piltown another low yield club at intercounty level with a population of just under 4,000 and Callan at 3,500.
I think Tullaroan with a total population of 590 in 2011 shows you don't need to have a huge population but you need a passionate population. Ballyhales success with a total population of 1660 in 2011 again shows it's not all about numbers it's what you do with them and how you motivate them to play hurling.
I’ll have to pick you up on that one about the U 20 management team. Clara selector, callan trainer, Bennetsbridge selector, where’s all the representations here? The manager has four Boro players on it who have won U19 and U 17 and U21 titles the last few years so I think they are entitled to four players don’t you think do you think the Village are entitled to seven players on the minor team after one minor title
there was and Mc Donaghs and St. Enda’s and Eire Og and confederation and St Mary’s Rioches, all of which could be restarted.
If you were starting from scratch, there should be 6 city clubs but there would be huge issues in making this happen. Where would you get volunteers for a new club, what would stop youngsters from picking one of the existing clubs, what ground would they use, do you just start off at underage level. I think there was a club called Newpark Sarsfields a good few years ago
Would tend to agree. There is also a fair swaythe or rural townlands that fall in under city clubs remit also.
Foresight is needed but starting new clubs is a very hard thing to do due to traditions
It's a sign that we need more city clubs, it's not right that the already dominant city clubs at underage will continue to grow at such a rate and it's not healthy for the future of the game or the development of players.
I presume they have lads on the Celtic Challenge squad to call upon as required
You need to have more than 31 in a training panel. Unless players dropped themselves off the panel as they were not getting any game time as you said. If there are 2/3 injured or sick you cant play 15 on 15 and get the best out of your players or work on your game plan. Hopefully they always had 31 available for training.
The Celtic Challenge squad is there for development. Carrying lads on the panel who never play a minute or even get to tog out on game day and potentially sit on the sideline for training games benefits nobody and only ruins a lads confidence
Management have seemed to pick what they think is the best 31 which is a positive. Not carrying anyone from their own clubs. Very much unlike the u20 where management/selectors are doing there best for their own at the expense of better players on the extended panel..
There appears to be only 31 on that minor panel, when other counties have 34/36. The should have brought in more for development. I would have thought Dunnamaggin would have 1 or 2 players good enough considering they got to Roinn A county finals in U-15 and minor last year. Dunnamaggin beat Erins Own in the minor semi final and Erins Own have 5 on the panel?
Once the best players are being picked I don't care if they all came from the one club but I did have an initial thought when I saw the panel about how the lack of clubs being represented is disappointing. Is it a sign of the game weakening across rural areas?
10 of the named senior team v Clare came from just 3 clubs.
Pick the best lads no matter where they are from. There doesn't have to be a spread.
Populations are moving to urban areas lads. This is going to keep happening. It's a numbers game. Dicksboro in particular going to benefit massively from the housing being built in Loughmacask.
They're also mostly from City clubs or Castlecomer. The lack of rural representatives is unusual to an extent particularly at Minor level.
No criticism of anyone but it is highly dominated by 3 clubs. I know we are very strong underage, but to have 18 players from 3 clubs is very unusual.
My jezus 🙄, name your alternative squad please. Who from your own (alleged) club shouldn't be there??
Looks like a hurling squad from Sligo or Monaghan. 18 representatives from 3 clubs
Thursday at 6.30pm in Nowlan Park
I wonder will the U19 final against Dublin be on with the minor on Saturday or the senior on Sunday.
minor panel
Murphy
Butler Lawlor Walsh
Blanchfield Corcoran Murphy
Carey Kenny
Mullen Donnelly Ryan/Deegan
Keoghan TJ Cody
Harry Shine won't have any hope of playing I'd imagine, Gearoid Dunne more likely to be involved.
My team for next week would be:
Blanchfield Deegan Murphy
Donnelly TJ Mullen
Shine Mossy Cody
I do not agree with this myself. Goes missing in the big games constantly. TJ, Mullen and Cody are the players who draw all the attention and the likes of Billy Ryan should be excelling with less attention. If any other forward put there hand up he would be gone.
Will Conor Heary be available soon?
