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Replying To Pikeman96: "Or on the other hand -
Since all county squads didn't leave it any later to start training last year anyway, and since all played practice matches in early January anyway, let's at least organise a few "proper" matches for them. Especially since gate receipts for those matches go to the Injured Players Benefit Fund. Better than games going ahead anyway either behind closed doors or else with people walking in for free, instead of contributing to that fund." I get what you are saying is what actually happens but what does that say about the GAA and its supporters?
zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 2109 - 17/10/2025 17:55:03
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Think for the likes of Wexford we need competitive games especially to get lads through. I actually enjoy going to them games as meaningless as they are
Wexfordgaa (Wexford) - Posts: 378 - 17/10/2025 18:20:49
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Replying To WEXILE: "I think the Walsh cup is a useful tournament for giving lads a chance. Sure they're training anyway and players will tell you themselves they train to play meaningful matches. It's also something for the fans to look forward to post Christmas.
Granted its not an all ireland or anything but in its own context a decent tournament" Absolutely. The family really like the trips to grounds you wouldn't usually go to as well, like Callan, or Mountrath.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17341 - 17/10/2025 19:28:44
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Replying To Pikeman96: "Yeah, that semi-final victory in '93 was one of our rare victories there. Tends to be forgotten about when you mention the '93 League because all anybody thinks about is the three finals v Cork.
Hard to think of many other good days there. One of the worst was when U21s lost to Antrim in the All-Ireland semi-final in 2013.
We did beat Galway there in the semi-final the following year, before losing to Clare in the final. And in 2015, we got revenge over Antrim, but were heavily beaten in the final by Limerick (all also in Thurles).
We're still only barely filling with one hand with the number of significant victories there we can think of over the past 40 years!" 2005 league against Tipperary maybe
ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 681 - 17/10/2025 19:35:09
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Replying To WEXILE: "I think the Walsh cup is a useful tournament for giving lads a chance. Sure they're training anyway and players will tell you themselves they train to play meaningful matches. It's also something for the fans to look forward to post Christmas.
Granted its not an all ireland or anything but in its own context a decent tournament" And it gives Wexford a chance to win some silverware!
foreveryoung (USA) - Posts: 2392 - 17/10/2025 21:33:45
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Replying To WEXILE: "I think the Walsh cup is a useful tournament for giving lads a chance. Sure they're training anyway and players will tell you themselves they train to play meaningful matches. It's also something for the fans to look forward to post Christmas.
Granted its not an all ireland or anything but in its own context a decent tournament" Walsh Cup is great competition. Some great games and big crowds over the years. Beating Cats in 2003 final and around 2011 before 5/6,000 in Parnell are likewise some of my best memories in a general desert of following Dublin.
As you say, they are in serious training anyway especially now that league status is so important. Dublin v Wexford v Clare be skin and hair I suspect as only teams with any sort of prospects in 1B and you don't want to be stuck there for long. Walsh Cup be far more beneficial in giving new lads a run.
BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3778 - 18/10/2025 09:28:27
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Replying To BarneyGrant: "Walsh Cup is great competition. Some great games and big crowds over the years. Beating Cats in 2003 final and around 2011 before 5/6,000 in Parnell are likewise some of my best memories in a general desert of following Dublin.
As you say, they are in serious training anyway especially now that league status is so important. Dublin v Wexford v Clare be skin and hair I suspect as only teams with any sort of prospects in 1B and you don't want to be stuck there for long. Walsh Cup be far more beneficial in giving new lads a run." Biggest crowd in Wexford Park in many years was for a game against Kilkenny in the Walsh Cup a couple of years ago, when the new floodlights were used for the 1st time.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17341 - 18/10/2025 13:58:48
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Replying To zinny: "I get what you are saying is what actually happens but what does that say about the GAA and its supporters?" Well, to me it says players don't object to playing matches at that time of year, and that supporters want to go see those matches.
Maybe it says something different to you.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3173 - 18/10/2025 18:20:55
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Junior B - Rathnure V Gorey
This game is the start of a big weekend for the Rathnure Club. They have pretty much sailed through all the games except for a hard fought district final win over Oulart. Gorey were in last years final as far as I'm aware but seem to be very reliant on William Cullen every day.. Ageless Nigel Higgins to the fore and a Rathnure win here
Junior - Rathnure V Marshalstown
Second adult final and an important one for a club that always had a very good second string. After first two rounds Rathnure were heading for relegation but had a big win in Round 3 at home to Marshalstown. Marshalstown came through semi final over strong Glynn team even without the injured Cathal Roche while Rathnure had a titanic tussle with St Pats. Hard one to call but I think Rathnure have two big injuries so I'd expect Marshalstown to win this.
Intermediate - Cloughbawn V Fethard
Had you of asked me 3 weeks ago I would have said that Cloughbawn would walk this final - however I think been out of the football has allowed Fethard concentrate more on hurling and it has showed especially in their semi final win over St James. Cloughbawn will be hot favs and I don't think the Whitty brothers will be given as much space as previous games. I think Fethard will cause trouble but won't have enough fire power to see it out. Cloughbawn for the win
Intermediate A - Davidstown V Duffry
Interesting final and one that Duffry possibly didn't expect to be in this year. That said they have a very good young team that is backboned by winning minor team of a few years ago. Davidstown have been impressive though and really steamrolled Monageer in the semi-final. I don't expect Duffry to be able to stay with speed of Davidstown forwards and will give them the win
Junior A - Ballyhogue V Harriers
The curtain raiser to the senior final - Harriers should be higher up the adult grades with their second team if they are trying to he;p their first. Good spread of age and experience. Ballyhogue on the otherhand had a very good win in intermediate football last weekend so alot of their team will be involved in this. Ben Asple and James Parle prob standout players. I do expect Ballyhogue to take this one
Senior - St. Martins V Rathnure
And finally the senior final - some pundits seem to think it's a 'shur st martins only have to turn up' final. I don't see it that way. Both play a similiar type of hurling - a sweeper will be utilised by both and it will depend on how the matchups go for the key players - Expect Barry O Connor to be picked up by Donal Wickham who kept Jack Cullen relatively quite last day. Stephen Martin will probably go onto Rory O' Connor and Brian Quigley on Jack O Connor. Joe Barrett will need to pick up Sean O' Connor .. Rathnure have dangerous forwards and I think they have nothing to fear. They were tested against Gorey and even after a bad start stuck at it. St. Martins on the other hand have not been tested so far this year in any game. So in theory any test here and they should be able to up it. However Rathnure are hungry for success and I think that counts for a lot. If St Martins don't have the fire in the belly that they need then they will be turned over. If they are up for the fight then I think they will win. It is a carbon copy of the 1999 final when all Rathnure had to do was turn up and we saw what happened there - I am sticking my head on the line and going for a Rathnure win based on their hunger and current form
MyOhMi (Wexford) - Posts: 255 - 20/10/2025 16:47:57
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Replying To MyOhMi: "Junior B - Rathnure V Gorey
This game is the start of a big weekend for the Rathnure Club. They have pretty much sailed through all the games except for a hard fought district final win over Oulart. Gorey were in last years final as far as I'm aware but seem to be very reliant on William Cullen every day.. Ageless Nigel Higgins to the fore and a Rathnure win here
Junior - Rathnure V Marshalstown
Second adult final and an important one for a club that always had a very good second string. After first two rounds Rathnure were heading for relegation but had a big win in Round 3 at home to Marshalstown. Marshalstown came through semi final over strong Glynn team even without the injured Cathal Roche while Rathnure had a titanic tussle with St Pats. Hard one to call but I think Rathnure have two big injuries so I'd expect Marshalstown to win this.
Intermediate - Cloughbawn V Fethard
Had you of asked me 3 weeks ago I would have said that Cloughbawn would walk this final - however I think been out of the football has allowed Fethard concentrate more on hurling and it has showed especially in their semi final win over St James. Cloughbawn will be hot favs and I don't think the Whitty brothers will be given as much space as previous games. I think Fethard will cause trouble but won't have enough fire power to see it out. Cloughbawn for the win
Intermediate A - Davidstown V Duffry
Interesting final and one that Duffry possibly didn't expect to be in this year. That said they have a very good young team that is backboned by winning minor team of a few years ago. Davidstown have been impressive though and really steamrolled Monageer in the semi-final. I don't expect Duffry to be able to stay with speed of Davidstown forwards and will give them the win
Junior A - Ballyhogue V Harriers
The curtain raiser to the senior final - Harriers should be higher up the adult grades with their second team if they are trying to he;p their first. Good spread of age and experience. Ballyhogue on the otherhand had a very good win in intermediate football last weekend so alot of their team will be involved in this. Ben Asple and James Parle prob standout players. I do expect Ballyhogue to take this one
Senior - St. Martins V Rathnure
And finally the senior final - some pundits seem to think it's a 'shur st martins only have to turn up' final. I don't see it that way. Both play a similiar type of hurling - a sweeper will be utilised by both and it will depend on how the matchups go for the key players - Expect Barry O Connor to be picked up by Donal Wickham who kept Jack Cullen relatively quite last day. Stephen Martin will probably go onto Rory O' Connor and Brian Quigley on Jack O Connor. Joe Barrett will need to pick up Sean O' Connor .. Rathnure have dangerous forwards and I think they have nothing to fear. They were tested against Gorey and even after a bad start stuck at it. St. Martins on the other hand have not been tested so far this year in any game. So in theory any test here and they should be able to up it. However Rathnure are hungry for success and I think that counts for a lot. If St Martins don't have the fire in the belly that they need then they will be turned over. If they are up for the fight then I think they will win. It is a carbon copy of the 1999 final when all Rathnure had to do was turn up and we saw what happened there - I am sticking my head on the line and going for a Rathnure win based on their hunger and current form" Great summary lad! Like you I think Martins could be walking into this senior final a bit undercooked. They haven't been tested at all really. Martin's have been caught before like this in hurling and football finals. If Rathnure can limit Rory O'Connor's influence they have every chance.
Cloughbawn will have benefitted from the fair old scare the Alley gave them in the semi final. That's a very tight Intermediate final to call I think. I'll give Fethard the nod, Cian Byrne and Mikey Dwyer were motoring very well the last day, the two Whelan's back off the bench are great options at this level too. Just coming good at the right time and have beaten Cloughbawn in the same final in recent years. Should be a cracker of a game.
Timbertony (Wexford) - Posts: 464 - 20/10/2025 21:10:07
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Replying To Pikeman96: "Well, to me it says players don't object to playing matches at that time of year, and that supporters want to go see those matches.
Maybe it says something different to you." Really.
Let's look at where and who has a choice.
Supporters. Can chose to go or not to the games. If they go and pay their money they want to be entertained, are the willing to accept seeing third choice players playing that they know will never make the league team let alone championship. Are they willing to see the team being hammered. The uproar on this site slating players as never been good enough would be comical.
Managers have a choice. They can play 2nd or 3rd choice players, lose, face the backlash from the expecting supporters and as a result county board and some have their own ideas that you need to have your championship team playing in December - everything managers has their own way of thinking.
Players. How many players if asked will refuse to play knowing that if they refuse now, one they may not be asked again - he not committed excuse, and two they fear someone else will take their spot and they may not get the chance to claim it back.
Player welfare is not just something the GPA, Players and Managers should be concerned with, we the consumer also have responsibility for it. Unfortunately comments over ep this year and bringing back these tournaments shown that in the consumer base there is little understanding of it.
zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 2109 - 21/10/2025 04:50:56
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Replying To zinny: "Really.
Let's look at where and who has a choice.
Supporters. Can chose to go or not to the games. If they go and pay their money they want to be entertained, are the willing to accept seeing third choice players playing that they know will never make the league team let alone championship. Are they willing to see the team being hammered. The uproar on this site slating players as never been good enough would be comical.
Managers have a choice. They can play 2nd or 3rd choice players, lose, face the backlash from the expecting supporters and as a result county board and some have their own ideas that you need to have your championship team playing in December - everything managers has their own way of thinking.
Players. How many players if asked will refuse to play knowing that if they refuse now, one they may not be asked again - he not committed excuse, and two they fear someone else will take their spot and they may not get the chance to claim it back.
Player welfare is not just something the GPA, Players and Managers should be concerned with, we the consumer also have responsibility for it. Unfortunately comments over ep this year and bringing back these tournaments shown that in the consumer base there is little understanding of it." But they're going to be playing games anyway at that time of the year?
They may as well play these games which are nothing but glorified practice matches, surely better they play these with a bit of support on the sideline as opposed to behind closed doors practice matches
tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1583 - 21/10/2025 11:33:54
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Replying To zinny: "Really.
Let's look at where and who has a choice.
Supporters. Can chose to go or not to the games. If they go and pay their money they want to be entertained, are the willing to accept seeing third choice players playing that they know will never make the league team let alone championship. Are they willing to see the team being hammered. The uproar on this site slating players as never been good enough would be comical.
Managers have a choice. They can play 2nd or 3rd choice players, lose, face the backlash from the expecting supporters and as a result county board and some have their own ideas that you need to have your championship team playing in December - everything managers has their own way of thinking.
Players. How many players if asked will refuse to play knowing that if they refuse now, one they may not be asked again - he not committed excuse, and two they fear someone else will take their spot and they may not get the chance to claim it back.
Player welfare is not just something the GPA, Players and Managers should be concerned with, we the consumer also have responsibility for it. Unfortunately comments over ep this year and bringing back these tournaments shown that in the consumer base there is little understanding of it." The thing about your comments is that they apply equally whether it's Walsh Cup matches in question, or just practice matches in the absence of the Walsh Cup.
The only difference is that supporters would pay for one of those, but not the other. But that doesn't make any huge difference as regards what they'd say about the team or their performances anyway. Don't know if you've ever been in the Centre of Excellence or similar venue for a practice match, but you'd be surprised at the size of the crowd sometimes. If they see a poor Wexford performance or a heavy Wexford defeat, they won't be going away thinking "well, I'd complain if I'd paid a tenner to see that, but I got to see it for free instead, so I won't say anything."
Fact of the matter is that with National Leagues starting at the end of January, teams will be playing matches in early January to prepare for them. Whether you put the tag "Walsh Cup" on them, or leave them as practice matches, makes no difference. Matches will be arranged and played anyway.
The discussion here was "should the Walsh Cup be brought back?" and my answer remains "may as well, there'd be matches anyway, so may as well make something of them."
Your answer seems to be "No, not only should the Walsh Cup not be brought back, but there shouldn't be any matches at all at that time of year", and that's getting into different territory altogether.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3173 - 21/10/2025 11:41:42
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Replying To zinny: "Really.
Let's look at where and who has a choice.
Supporters. Can chose to go or not to the games. If they go and pay their money they want to be entertained, are the willing to accept seeing third choice players playing that they know will never make the league team let alone championship. Are they willing to see the team being hammered. The uproar on this site slating players as never been good enough would be comical.
Managers have a choice. They can play 2nd or 3rd choice players, lose, face the backlash from the expecting supporters and as a result county board and some have their own ideas that you need to have your championship team playing in December - everything managers has their own way of thinking.
Players. How many players if asked will refuse to play knowing that if they refuse now, one they may not be asked again - he not committed excuse, and two they fear someone else will take their spot and they may not get the chance to claim it back.
Player welfare is not just something the GPA, Players and Managers should be concerned with, we the consumer also have responsibility for it. Unfortunately comments over ep this year and bringing back these tournaments shown that in the consumer base there is little understanding of it." I am 100% with you with you here zinny.
All the January competitions are is another excuse for managers (who are mainly being paid by the night) to get more training and effort out of players.
There is no need for any GAA player to be doing anything on a pitch before the end of January. Winter is a time for a break for GAA players, and then gym sessions before starting back in January.
What the GAA are missing here is there is no need for 6-7 league games. No-one cares who wins the league. There should be a Walsh Cup starting middle of Feburary, 3 rounds of league in March with a league final ONLY, then championship in late April.
I'm firmly an advocate for club breaks over split season because the inter county player is getting flogged from October-November and nobody is shouting stop and instead wondering why players won't commit to such a gruelling schedule.
Limerick came back every year after winning All-Ireland and crawled in to the opening league games, they knew their season was not decided on a league game in Neller in Feburary.
Some counties fans.....would lose their mind over a Walsh Cup result in January, and then ask "why are we so flat" in May-June.
I was with a physio last week and I was asking him about sea swimming, ice baths, and that to help my shoulder. He was laughing at some GAA player who had an article about how he was in an ice bath at 4am in the morning to aid his recovery. He said "what this guy is doing is sacrificing a known recovery tool - sleep - for one which is debated - cold therapy". The point I am making is that GAA need to stop thinking that more extreme everything is going to yield a better result.
Let these players enjoy Christmas and if they can't go back on the 2nd January then we need to have a look at our calendar again. There's still 3 1/2 months to the first round of the Championship on the 2nd Jan.
ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1507 - 21/10/2025 11:42:30
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Replying To ExiledInWex: "I am 100% with you with you here zinny.
All the January competitions are is another excuse for managers (who are mainly being paid by the night) to get more training and effort out of players.
There is no need for any GAA player to be doing anything on a pitch before the end of January. Winter is a time for a break for GAA players, and then gym sessions before starting back in January.
What the GAA are missing here is there is no need for 6-7 league games. No-one cares who wins the league. There should be a Walsh Cup starting middle of Feburary, 3 rounds of league in March with a league final ONLY, then championship in late April.
I'm firmly an advocate for club breaks over split season because the inter county player is getting flogged from October-November and nobody is shouting stop and instead wondering why players won't commit to such a gruelling schedule.
Limerick came back every year after winning All-Ireland and crawled in to the opening league games, they knew their season was not decided on a league game in Neller in Feburary.
Some counties fans.....would lose their mind over a Walsh Cup result in January, and then ask "why are we so flat" in May-June.
I was with a physio last week and I was asking him about sea swimming, ice baths, and that to help my shoulder. He was laughing at some GAA player who had an article about how he was in an ice bath at 4am in the morning to aid his recovery. He said "what this guy is doing is sacrificing a known recovery tool - sleep - for one which is debated - cold therapy". The point I am making is that GAA need to stop thinking that more extreme everything is going to yield a better result.
Let these players enjoy Christmas and if they can't go back on the 2nd January then we need to have a look at our calendar again. There's still 3 1/2 months to the first round of the Championship on the 2nd Jan." Couldn't agree more.
As much as I love the GAA, player welfare and a defined 'off-season' is a big issue. And the powers that be have made a hames of marketing and condensing its biggest asset by far (more meaningless championship games packed into a shorter calender).
Sacrifice is a bigger mantra in GAA than in fundamental religion at this stage.
beano (Wexford) - Posts: 1511 - 21/10/2025 13:08:06
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Replying To ExiledInWex: "I am 100% with you with you here zinny.
All the January competitions are is another excuse for managers (who are mainly being paid by the night) to get more training and effort out of players.
There is no need for any GAA player to be doing anything on a pitch before the end of January. Winter is a time for a break for GAA players, and then gym sessions before starting back in January.
What the GAA are missing here is there is no need for 6-7 league games. No-one cares who wins the league. There should be a Walsh Cup starting middle of Feburary, 3 rounds of league in March with a league final ONLY, then championship in late April.
I'm firmly an advocate for club breaks over split season because the inter county player is getting flogged from October-November and nobody is shouting stop and instead wondering why players won't commit to such a gruelling schedule.
Limerick came back every year after winning All-Ireland and crawled in to the opening league games, they knew their season was not decided on a league game in Neller in Feburary.
Some counties fans.....would lose their mind over a Walsh Cup result in January, and then ask "why are we so flat" in May-June.
I was with a physio last week and I was asking him about sea swimming, ice baths, and that to help my shoulder. He was laughing at some GAA player who had an article about how he was in an ice bath at 4am in the morning to aid his recovery. He said "what this guy is doing is sacrificing a known recovery tool - sleep - for one which is debated - cold therapy". The point I am making is that GAA need to stop thinking that more extreme everything is going to yield a better result.
Let these players enjoy Christmas and if they can't go back on the 2nd January then we need to have a look at our calendar again. There's still 3 1/2 months to the first round of the Championship on the 2nd Jan." All valid points and I have to say I agree with you on many of them.
But again - the question here was "should the Walsh Cup be re-introduced?", and my answer to that still remains "for as long as the League begins at the end of January (remember it started on January 25 this year), and teams will be arranging and playing matches in advance of it anyway, we may as well put a bit of structure on those matches and call it the Walsh Cup".
If the question becomes "should the calendar be re-structured so that there's a condensed League just in March, with a Walsh Cup starting mid-February, and therefore no need to play any sort of match before the first of February at all?", my answer to that would be "that's a good idea, and at the very least, it deserves serious consideration".
Incidentally, you also seem to be in favour of the return of the Walsh Cup. You'd just run it at a different time!
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3173 - 21/10/2025 14:29:18
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Replying To Pikeman96: "The thing about your comments is that they apply equally whether it's Walsh Cup matches in question, or just practice matches in the absence of the Walsh Cup.
The only difference is that supporters would pay for one of those, but not the other. But that doesn't make any huge difference as regards what they'd say about the team or their performances anyway. Don't know if you've ever been in the Centre of Excellence or similar venue for a practice match, but you'd be surprised at the size of the crowd sometimes. If they see a poor Wexford performance or a heavy Wexford defeat, they won't be going away thinking "well, I'd complain if I'd paid a tenner to see that, but I got to see it for free instead, so I won't say anything."
Fact of the matter is that with National Leagues starting at the end of January, teams will be playing matches in early January to prepare for them. Whether you put the tag "Walsh Cup" on them, or leave them as practice matches, makes no difference. Matches will be arranged and played anyway.
The discussion here was "should the Walsh Cup be brought back?" and my answer remains "may as well, there'd be matches anyway, so may as well make something of them."
Your answer seems to be "No, not only should the Walsh Cup not be brought back, but there shouldn't be any matches at all at that time of year", and that's getting into different territory altogether." Disagree, the minute you lable these then they take on a whole different significance to a practice match.
The reason for bringing them back is money for the Provincial Councils, if practice matches are the same then just charge for people to attend.
Once these are labled, they are on the radar on how players and managers are being judged. An under pressure manager now faces a game on Jan 4th where there will be 2-3k paying public, local and national media attention. To say that the manager will treat that game and the run up to it the same as a practice match in an open field the same is denying reality.
What that means is that the expectations on players over the Christmas and New Year period are far higher and more of the regulars will be used earlier than what they should be in competitive games.
zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 2109 - 22/10/2025 10:22:07
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Some interesting comments and insight from Barry Lambert and Jimmy Holohan on The Wexford Hurling Podcast for this weekends games - none of them really calling it though!
MyOhMi (Wexford) - Posts: 255 - 22/10/2025 10:47:40
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Replying To zinny: " Replying To Pikeman96: "The thing about your comments is that they apply equally whether it's Walsh Cup matches in question, or just practice matches in the absence of the Walsh Cup.
The only difference is that supporters would pay for one of those, but not the other. But that doesn't make any huge difference as regards what they'd say about the team or their performances anyway. Don't know if you've ever been in the Centre of Excellence or similar venue for a practice match, but you'd be surprised at the size of the crowd sometimes. If they see a poor Wexford performance or a heavy Wexford defeat, they won't be going away thinking "well, I'd complain if I'd paid a tenner to see that, but I got to see it for free instead, so I won't say anything."
Fact of the matter is that with National Leagues starting at the end of January, teams <u><b>will</b></u> be playing matches in early January to prepare for them. Whether you put the tag "Walsh Cup" on them, or leave them as practice matches, makes no difference. Matches will be arranged and played anyway.
The discussion here was "should the Walsh Cup be brought back?" and my answer remains "may as well, there'd be matches anyway, so may as well make something of them."
Your answer seems to be "No, not only should the Walsh Cup not be brought back, <u>but there shouldn't be any matches at all at that time of year</u>", and that's getting into different territory altogether."</div>Disagree, the minute you lable these then they take on a whole different significance to a practice match.
The reason for bringing them back is money for the Provincial Councils, if practice matches are the same then just charge for people to attend.
Once these are labled, they are on the radar on how players and managers are being judged. An under pressure manager now faces a game on Jan 4th where there will be 2-3k paying public, local and national media attention. To say that the manager will treat that game and the run up to it the same as a practice match in an open field the same is denying reality.
What that means is that the expectations on players over the Christmas and New Year period are far higher and more of the regulars will be used earlier than what they should be in competitive games." Looks like we'll have to agree to disagree. I don't think myself there's any huge significant difference in expectations etc. between Walsh Cup and practice matches at that time of year, either in terms of players used or expectations by managers/players/general public. Bit like the All County Leagues here. No club supporter worries too much if their team isn't doing well in them or is giving runs to players who likely won't be there when the more serious stuff comes round. By the way, if you think there's 2,000 to 3,000 people at every Walsh Cup match, you must be at different ones to me. In the last Walsh Cup (2024), we played Carlow in Wexford Park, and Kilkenny in Callan. There wasn't 500 people for the match v Carlow, and less than 1,000 in Callan either. I'd say even the final v Galway (played in Carlow) barely had the sort of numbers you're talking about. And let's not forget the O'Byrne Cup in all of this, where similar arguments would apply. Have you been to one of those in the past few years? You'd be lucky to see 200 spectators at it.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3173 - 22/10/2025 11:22:25
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Replying To Pikeman96: "All valid points and I have to say I agree with you on many of them.
But again - the question here was "should the Walsh Cup be re-introduced?", and my answer to that still remains "for as long as the League begins at the end of January (remember it started on January 25 this year), and teams will be arranging and playing matches in advance of it anyway, we may as well put a bit of structure on those matches and call it the Walsh Cup".
If the question becomes "should the calendar be re-structured so that there's a condensed League just in March, with a Walsh Cup starting mid-February, and therefore no need to play any sort of match before the first of February at all?", my answer to that would be "that's a good idea, and at the very least, it deserves serious consideration".
Incidentally, you also seem to be in favour of the return of the Walsh Cup. You'd just run it at a different time!" Yeah, pretty much. A new look at the calendar is overdue.
I favour the reduction in training load for players and a more realistic calendar which allows them to enjoy their life as young lads want to do.
Our best club players are just finishing up with their clubs and will step off that treadmill straight on to the inter county treadmill.
There's Fitzgibbon managers running the college players around our colleges now as well.
How is that sustainable for anybody?
Hearing players having knee and hip replacements in their 30's and 40's should have alarm bells ringing all round, just because modern medicine can do it doesn't mean it should need to be done.
ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1507 - 22/10/2025 11:27:22
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