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Replying To Viking66: "Id say alot more than half the lads who have played so far won't make a match day 26 at all come the summer. But these lads need to see where the standard is, some might make it in future years given good coaching, games, and targets, kpis, for development, and hard work. Given more time to improve basically.
Some might have a look at what's involved when they are on the panel and give up, and others might get chances and management might decide they arent good enough, and maybe arent going to be either." This is a fair point.
The level of Conditioning and fitness levels never mind the time spent on your skills a young lad of 20 would need to compete against the Dublins, Galways and Kilkennys in the Leinster SHC is through the roof and unless they are inside the set-up, they probably don't realise the effort, time and lifestyle changes it takes to get to that level just to be on the field in championship competing.
Look at the lifestyle Chin has led to get to that level, that didn't happen by chance. He is a ferociously driven individual like TJ Reid and Patrick Horgan.
That doesn't happen over 3 months pre-season in the winter on the right nutrition, lifting weights, sprinting up hills and in the ball alley.
Can take 2-3 years of consistently doing the above for things from age 19-22 and then you are ready.
Darragh McCarthy, Sam O Farrell & Oisin O Donoghue were all ready for Tipp last year aged 19 and that was a huge plus for Liam Cahill as they all had a huge say in Tipp getting to and winning the All Ireland final.
Past hurler (None) - Posts: 1022 - 16/01/2026 10:28:34
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Replying To StoreysTash: "Viking, the Ryan Cup is junior hurling. Call it for what it is. Its a bit like the Leinster Championship if we are all honest, a competition for also-rans at the moment.
The fact is, the Munster counties are churning out way more top hurlers than the Leinster counties are. This is an undeniable fact.
I don't doubt you that we have mid 30's playing Fitzgibbon and Ryan Cup but how many are key men on their team, how many are subs and more importantly how many are with the top colleges?
The top colleges do actively recruit the top hurlers in every county. You'd have to ask a question with SETU Waterford (10-15 yrs ago a powerhouse in colleges hurling) down the road why are our players not being enticed there? I'd be more concerned it is to with the real truth that our underage system is just not churning out top quality hurlers, whereas the Munster counties are. And I think underage results back this up.
Doylerwex it is good to hear our u14-15-16 are good, but then we have to drive on and win Leinster and All-Ireland minor titles with them. That is our 1st step back here, win at underage is not the be all and end all but it puts a strut in the step of a young buck and gives them belief we lack as a county at the moment.
Never underestimate the power of winning, but it HAS TO BE winning at the top level." Just on a point of order, if you want to "call it for what it is", the Ryan Cup is actually Intermediate. :)
Tier 1 - Fitzgibbon Cup (Senior)
Tier 2 - Ryan Cup (Intermediate)
Tier 3 - Maher Cup (Junior)
And as for Wexford lads heading for Carlow and the Ryan Cup rather than Waterford and the Fitzgibbon, there are reasons other than hurling for choosing certain colleges and certain courses....
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3321 - 16/01/2026 11:18:44
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Replying To StoreysTash: "Viking, the Ryan Cup is junior hurling. Call it for what it is. Its a bit like the Leinster Championship if we are all honest, a competition for also-rans at the moment.
The fact is, the Munster counties are churning out way more top hurlers than the Leinster counties are. This is an undeniable fact.
I don't doubt you that we have mid 30's playing Fitzgibbon and Ryan Cup but how many are key men on their team, how many are subs and more importantly how many are with the top colleges?
The top colleges do actively recruit the top hurlers in every county. You'd have to ask a question with SETU Waterford (10-15 yrs ago a powerhouse in colleges hurling) down the road why are our players not being enticed there? I'd be more concerned it is to with the real truth that our underage system is just not churning out top quality hurlers, whereas the Munster counties are. And I think underage results back this up.
Doylerwex it is good to hear our u14-15-16 are good, but then we have to drive on and win Leinster and All-Ireland minor titles with them. That is our 1st step back here, win at underage is not the be all and end all but it puts a strut in the step of a young buck and gives them belief we lack as a county at the moment.
Never underestimate the power of winning, but it HAS TO BE winning at the top level." One thing I find dissapointing is we have lads who play for Wexford underage all the way up to under 20 then choose not to commit when it comes to senior .
Afinestick96 (Wexford) - Posts: 827 - 16/01/2026 11:25:31
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Replying To Viking66: "As regards the Underage/Senior success its like a chicken and egg situation. We reached Senior AI hurling finals in 1951 and 1954, after winning Leinster in those years. We were in 5 Leinster Senior hurling finals in a row between those years. In 1955 we reached our first ever Leinster minor final. Maybe that period of Senior success encouraged the younger generation?
As I pointed out in my last post, we didnt win a Leinster minor title until 1963, when we went on to win the AI. We had appeared in 6 Senior AI finals in the previous 12 years at that stage, winning 3.
Unfortunately for us after our underage success in the 1960s, the 1970s saw Corks best ever Senior team, backboned by players who beat us in no less than 5 AI U21 finals in the 8 years after our lone u21 AI win in 1965, and arguably Kilkennys second best team ever. We won 3 Leinsters but no AIs. We fell back after that at all levels, until the lads of the early mid 90s came together. After that AI win there was a renewed buzz around hurling, a noticeable uptick in lads hurling hurling on the street especially in urban areas including villages, and we reached 2 u21 AI finals in a row in the early noughties, probably left the one against Limerick behind us.
Sadly for us those players had to contend with Kilkennys best team ever.
We fell away again.
Im not saying we as a county are quitters, but......" Feel like you're probably the man to ask Viking, talking about 'modern' history, why do you think a county like Clare, probably most similar demographic, are able to have more sustained success than us? Where do you think they're going right when we seem to be going wrong?
They won a minor all Ireland about 2 or 3 years ago, but even at that they haven't been great at 20s/21s level since the team that bet us in 2014?
Since 95 off the top of my head they've 4 snr all irelands 4 u21 all irelands, 2 leagues, 3 munsters, compared to 4 Leinsters and 1 Snr AI…. and granted we've had to compete with Kilkenny and now Galway in that period, but it's not like they're getting it any easier in Munster.
OpenStandWall (Wexford) - Posts: 317 - 16/01/2026 11:32:47
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Replying To StoreysTash: "Viking, the Ryan Cup is junior hurling. Call it for what it is. Its a bit like the Leinster Championship if we are all honest, a competition for also-rans at the moment.
The fact is, the Munster counties are churning out way more top hurlers than the Leinster counties are. This is an undeniable fact.
I don't doubt you that we have mid 30's playing Fitzgibbon and Ryan Cup but how many are key men on their team, how many are subs and more importantly how many are with the top colleges?
The top colleges do actively recruit the top hurlers in every county. You'd have to ask a question with SETU Waterford (10-15 yrs ago a powerhouse in colleges hurling) down the road why are our players not being enticed there? I'd be more concerned it is to with the real truth that our underage system is just not churning out top quality hurlers, whereas the Munster counties are. And I think underage results back this up.
Doylerwex it is good to hear our u14-15-16 are good, but then we have to drive on and win Leinster and All-Ireland minor titles with them. That is our 1st step back here, win at underage is not the be all and end all but it puts a strut in the step of a young buck and gives them belief we lack as a county at the moment.
Never underestimate the power of winning, but it HAS TO BE winning at the top level." Lads don't just go to college to hurl. And the likes of UL and UCC are unlikely to try to recruit hurlers from Wexford no matter how good they are.
As regards the level you hurl at as a College last year TUD and SETU Carlow were probably the standout colleges at Ryan Cup level, 1 beat the other in their semifinal, someone had to win, then TUD had an off day in the Final, which I watched. The Gards got promoted.
As regards starters we had 1, 3, 5 and 14 starting for TUD, Cian Kenny a regular Senior starter for Kilkenny started at 6.
We had 2 starters for Waterford, Padraig Jones and Luke Codd, Codd top scored for them last week. They tend to be made up mainly of Waterford hurlers, 2 is the most we have had there for a good while.
We had 4 starters for Carlow, including the captain Michael Dundon.
I havent been able to get the teams for DCU, UCD, and Maynooth from this week but there's plenty Wexford lads on those 3 panels also. 7 on the DCU panel, 5 on Maynooths, and 6 on UCDs. Most of whom would have Senior and u20 intercounty experience for us.
I know a good few of these started last week for their colleges, Eoin Ryan and Simon Roche, who started midfield, 2 lads who have played Senior intercounty, for UCD.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18008 - 16/01/2026 11:40:04
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Replying To Past hurler: "This is a fair point.
The level of Conditioning and fitness levels never mind the time spent on your skills a young lad of 20 would need to compete against the Dublins, Galways and Kilkennys in the Leinster SHC is through the roof and unless they are inside the set-up, they probably don't realise the effort, time and lifestyle changes it takes to get to that level just to be on the field in championship competing.
Look at the lifestyle Chin has led to get to that level, that didn't happen by chance. He is a ferociously driven individual like TJ Reid and Patrick Horgan.
That doesn't happen over 3 months pre-season in the winter on the right nutrition, lifting weights, sprinting up hills and in the ball alley.
Can take 2-3 years of consistently doing the above for things from age 19-22 and then you are ready.
Darragh McCarthy, Sam O Farrell & Oisin O Donoghue were all ready for Tipp last year aged 19 and that was a huge plus for Liam Cahill as they all had a huge say in Tipp getting to and winning the All Ireland final." As regards later developers Darragh McCarthy wasn't even a starter at minor. Shows what is possible.....
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18008 - 16/01/2026 11:41:25
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Replying To StoreysTash: "Viking, the Ryan Cup is junior hurling. Call it for what it is. Its a bit like the Leinster Championship if we are all honest, a competition for also-rans at the moment.
The fact is, the Munster counties are churning out way more top hurlers than the Leinster counties are. This is an undeniable fact.
I don't doubt you that we have mid 30's playing Fitzgibbon and Ryan Cup but how many are key men on their team, how many are subs and more importantly how many are with the top colleges?
The top colleges do actively recruit the top hurlers in every county. You'd have to ask a question with SETU Waterford (10-15 yrs ago a powerhouse in colleges hurling) down the road why are our players not being enticed there? I'd be more concerned it is to with the real truth that our underage system is just not churning out top quality hurlers, whereas the Munster counties are. And I think underage results back this up.
Doylerwex it is good to hear our u14-15-16 are good, but then we have to drive on and win Leinster and All-Ireland minor titles with them. That is our 1st step back here, win at underage is not the be all and end all but it puts a strut in the step of a young buck and gives them belief we lack as a county at the moment.
Never underestimate the power of winning, but it HAS TO BE winning at the top level." I agree with the power of winning statement.
Interestingly our excellent under 21 team wasn't great at minor. They all went off to top level fitzgibbon and game back much better players for it. That team wasn't really made in Wexford in opinion.
The one Leinster win in 19 was a better achievement in my view for that reason.
Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 4140 - 16/01/2026 11:44:41
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Replying To Viking66: "As regards the Underage/Senior success its like a chicken and egg situation. We reached Senior AI hurling finals in 1951 and 1954, after winning Leinster in those years. We were in 5 Leinster Senior hurling finals in a row between those years. In 1955 we reached our first ever Leinster minor final. Maybe that period of Senior success encouraged the younger generation?
As I pointed out in my last post, we didnt win a Leinster minor title until 1963, when we went on to win the AI. We had appeared in 6 Senior AI finals in the previous 12 years at that stage, winning 3.
Unfortunately for us after our underage success in the 1960s, the 1970s saw Corks best ever Senior team, backboned by players who beat us in no less than 5 AI U21 finals in the 8 years after our lone u21 AI win in 1965, and arguably Kilkennys second best team ever. We won 3 Leinsters but no AIs. We fell back after that at all levels, until the lads of the early mid 90s came together. After that AI win there was a renewed buzz around hurling, a noticeable uptick in lads hurling hurling on the street especially in urban areas including villages, and we reached 2 u21 AI finals in a row in the early noughties, probably left the one against Limerick behind us.
Sadly for us those players had to contend with Kilkennys best team ever.
We fell away again.
Im not saying we as a county are quitters, but......" We're not a county of quitters but I'd argue we are too satisfied with mediocrity and have a savage lack of belief that we need to try to address.
How exactly we do that I'm not sure.
I was delighted the Martin's did what they did. Our chaps were talking about it. We hammered them with our underage groups. They started asking themselves "if they can do it why can't we?" Which I'll be using for all of 2026 with our young lads.
Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 4140 - 16/01/2026 11:47:16
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Replying To OpenStandWall: "Feel like you're probably the man to ask Viking, talking about 'modern' history, why do you think a county like Clare, probably most similar demographic, are able to have more sustained success than us? Where do you think they're going right when we seem to be going wrong?
They won a minor all Ireland about 2 or 3 years ago, but even at that they haven't been great at 20s/21s level since the team that bet us in 2014?
Since 95 off the top of my head they've 4 snr all irelands 4 u21 all irelands, 2 leagues, 3 munsters, compared to 4 Leinsters and 1 Snr AI…. and granted we've had to compete with Kilkenny and now Galway in that period, but it's not like they're getting it any easier in Munster." Around 5 years ago they got a bad beating by Cork at minor. By around 40 points. They introduced a few changes on the back of that, including upping the numbers they have in their underage squads, especially at u14, to around the same as Cork at u14. This was after them commissioning a study that found 30% of lads on u14 development squads don't even play adult hurling for their clubs. Significant drop off.
We have county winter hurling for our u12s, they have it for every year group from u11 to u17.
Donal Maloney introduced bio banding to their underage set up also around that time, which we have subsequently followed them with.
A clubman of yours has introduced some of these ideas with our u14s for this year, so hopefully it works out well, and we will see some of the fruits of this when these lads go up through the years and get to minor.
They are a few years ahead of us, and maybe its on account of their periodic AIs but they have far more people willing to volunteer to put in the time coaching, and to upskill.
They also spend way more on underage and coaching and games than we do, which is something Ive been doing my best to change the last few years.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18008 - 16/01/2026 12:19:03
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Replying To OpenStandWall: "Feel like you're probably the man to ask Viking, talking about 'modern' history, why do you think a county like Clare, probably most similar demographic, are able to have more sustained success than us? Where do you think they're going right when we seem to be going wrong?
They won a minor all Ireland about 2 or 3 years ago, but even at that they haven't been great at 20s/21s level since the team that bet us in 2014?
Since 95 off the top of my head they've 4 snr all irelands 4 u21 all irelands, 2 leagues, 3 munsters, compared to 4 Leinsters and 1 Snr AI…. and granted we've had to compete with Kilkenny and now Galway in that period, but it's not like they're getting it any easier in Munster." Ill sum up what Clare have done in bullets-
1- more county players, especially in the younger age groups
2- more county coaching contacts, and all year round, so more volunteer coaches needed.
3- better quality coaching. So these lads need not only to give up their time to coach, but also to go on courses to get better.
4- county board need to spend more on supports for these volunteer coaches. Which ours would Im pretty sure if we had more of those volunteers to start with.
5- its sustainable as long as you have enough people in the county who really want the county to be successful and are prepared to give their time to achieve that success, as opposed to what we have plenty of- lads who say they want the county to be successful.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18008 - 16/01/2026 13:54:18
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Replying To Doylerwex: "We're not a county of quitters but I'd argue we are too satisfied with mediocrity and have a savage lack of belief that we need to try to address.
How exactly we do that I'm not sure.
I was delighted the Martin's did what they did. Our chaps were talking about it. We hammered them with our underage groups. They started asking themselves "if they can do it why can't we?" Which I'll be using for all of 2026 with our young lads." You arent a quitter, but Im sure you have met plenty of those lads in pubs and shops who use our lack of success as an excuse not to do anything. I think quitter is actually a pretty polite term to use to describe these lads.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18008 - 16/01/2026 13:56:46
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DoylerWex spot on and the other poster. Wexford are a county where you shrug the shoulders after a loss, "ah sure" mentality.
Belief comes from winning. Players need to come to fng hate losing, you need to be a sore loser and use that anger to do better the next day. I'm not saying throwing digs or rowing after the final whistle or anything but anger has to feed through to the next training session after a loss, and even to the next match.
Like the goal v us last year - don't puck the ball out till referee talks to umpires. Raise hell about a shocker of a decision. After the disastrous minors and u20's last year hammered by Kilkenny and losing to Laois, what analysis of what went so wrong has happened? How were these teams so badly prepared or so far off the pace? What has gone wrong since promising underage prospects? Yes its too late to change it but if you don't learn from mistakes you are destined to repeat them. Do we ask the players involved what they think in hindsight?
There has been a lot of effort thrown at underage in Wexford in the last 10 years with little to show for it. But if we're not developing a winning mindset at underage, I do not think you can just turn it on at adult level. But the winning can't be "we won the B championship", "we won division 2", and so on.
ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1527 - 16/01/2026 14:38:16
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Replying To Doylerwex: "We're not a county of quitters but I'd argue we are too satisfied with mediocrity and have a savage lack of belief that we need to try to address.
How exactly we do that I'm not sure.
I was delighted the Martin's did what they did. Our chaps were talking about it. We hammered them with our underage groups. They started asking themselves "if they can do it why can't we?" Which I'll be using for all of 2026 with our young lads." The current martins underage teams are some of the weakest the club has ever produced. Certainly wouldn't be getting too excited about hammering them.
Waltermitty2 (Wexford) - Posts: 284 - 16/01/2026 14:45:36
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Replying To ExiledInWex: "DoylerWex spot on and the other poster. Wexford are a county where you shrug the shoulders after a loss, "ah sure" mentality.
Belief comes from winning. Players need to come to fng hate losing, you need to be a sore loser and use that anger to do better the next day. I'm not saying throwing digs or rowing after the final whistle or anything but anger has to feed through to the next training session after a loss, and even to the next match.
Like the goal v us last year - don't puck the ball out till referee talks to umpires. Raise hell about a shocker of a decision. After the disastrous minors and u20's last year hammered by Kilkenny and losing to Laois, what analysis of what went so wrong has happened? How were these teams so badly prepared or so far off the pace? What has gone wrong since promising underage prospects? Yes its too late to change it but if you don't learn from mistakes you are destined to repeat them. Do we ask the players involved what they think in hindsight?
There has been a lot of effort thrown at underage in Wexford in the last 10 years with little to show for it. But if we're not developing a winning mindset at underage, I do not think you can just turn it on at adult level. But the winning can't be "we won the B championship", "we won division 2", and so on." Our u20s won in Parnell Park. Was actually the first year that we beat Dublin at every grade there is at underage all the way down to u14.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18008 - 16/01/2026 14:50:09
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Replying To ExiledInWex: "DoylerWex spot on and the other poster. Wexford are a county where you shrug the shoulders after a loss, "ah sure" mentality.
Belief comes from winning. Players need to come to fng hate losing, you need to be a sore loser and use that anger to do better the next day. I'm not saying throwing digs or rowing after the final whistle or anything but anger has to feed through to the next training session after a loss, and even to the next match.
Like the goal v us last year - don't puck the ball out till referee talks to umpires. Raise hell about a shocker of a decision. After the disastrous minors and u20's last year hammered by Kilkenny and losing to Laois, what analysis of what went so wrong has happened? How were these teams so badly prepared or so far off the pace? What has gone wrong since promising underage prospects? Yes its too late to change it but if you don't learn from mistakes you are destined to repeat them. Do we ask the players involved what they think in hindsight?
There has been a lot of effort thrown at underage in Wexford in the last 10 years with little to show for it. But if we're not developing a winning mindset at underage, I do not think you can just turn it on at adult level. But the winning can't be "we won the B championship", "we won division 2", and so on." Our u20s won in Parnell Park. Was actually the first year that we beat Dublin at every grade there is at underage all the way down to u14 this Millennium.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18008 - 16/01/2026 14:56:47
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