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Joe McDonagh Cup 2023

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Within the current rules it is fair for Offaly. The unexpected always happens for the GAA!
It's a pity the McDonagh will be a standalone fixture. Maybe the Ring and McDonagh should be a double header going forward."
Just like when the Christy Ring etc started the GAA slowly try and push the McDonagh out of sight. I wonder what reason they have for putting it as a standalone fixture?

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1616 - 19/05/2023 17:19:19    2479686

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Replying To oneoff:  "Just like when the Christy Ring etc started the GAA slowly try and push the McDonagh out of sight. I wonder what reason they have for putting it as a standalone fixture?"
It was meant to be payed with the u20 all Ireland final but as Offaly are in both the move the u20

skirge7 (UK) - Posts: 254 - 19/05/2023 20:19:02    2479707

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Replying To hurlingguru:  "We are 8 days from the Joe McDonagh Cup final and there has been no time or venue published officially. You'd have to question the GAA's commitment to hurling when such details for a final between teams ranked 12 and 13 in the hurling championship have not been published. There's not a hope in hell that the same scenario would apply to the final of the Tailteann Cup."
When the Christy Ring Cup was initiated, it was touted/proclaimed that it would serve as a curtain raiser to an All Ireland semi final every year thereafter. Carlow and Westmeath got thrown the keys of O' Connor Park on a Friday evening from memory, a year or so after… a great match mind. Give the Tailteann Cup another year or two and it'll be the same story. Leopards and spots. Turkeys and Christmas.

Passer_By (Carlow) - Posts: 533 - 19/05/2023 22:10:59    2479720

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Replying To Passer_By:  "When the Christy Ring Cup was initiated, it was touted/proclaimed that it would serve as a curtain raiser to an All Ireland semi final every year thereafter. Carlow and Westmeath got thrown the keys of O' Connor Park on a Friday evening from memory, a year or so after… a great match mind. Give the Tailteann Cup another year or two and it'll be the same story. Leopards and spots. Turkeys and Christmas."
It was a hurling President who marginalised the lower tiers.
To be fair in recent years they wanted the McDonagh paired with the Leinster final. The conundrum however was giving the McDonagh finalists more that a week for the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final. That was the influence behind pairing with the U20 final this year.
If the McDonagh final was next week, the finalists would still have two weeks for the preliminary quarter-final.
Maybe the Ring final can be paired with the Leinster final. The Ring final winner technically is qualifying to McCarthy Cup linked competition in the following year.

Suggestion for 2024:
June Bank Holiday Saturday:
Meagher final
Rackard final
McDonagh final

Weekend later:
Ring final
Leinster final

Weekend later:
McDonagh finalists versus third in Munster and Leinster.

Just a small tweak in pairings for the finals in Croke Park needs to be applied.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8773 - 20/05/2023 09:14:12    2479739

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Replying To skirge7:  "It was meant to be payed with the u20 all Ireland final but as Offaly are in both the move the u20"
I see. But is this the excuse that the GAA need to push it to one side like they've done with others?

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1616 - 20/05/2023 10:16:27    2479745

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If Antrim beat Westmeath and Kilkenny beat Wexford next week Wexford will be relegated to the Joe McDonagh

skirge7 (UK) - Posts: 254 - 21/05/2023 17:44:16    2480068

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Replying To skirge7:  "If Antrim beat Westmeath and Kilkenny beat Wexford next week Wexford will be relegated to the Joe McDonagh"
And if as I hope Carlow beat Offaly next Saturday then next year the McDonagh Cup will feature Wexford and Offaly …. meaning at least one of them still in it the following year. Great competition.

Onion Breath (Carlow) - Posts: 1556 - 21/05/2023 18:13:39    2480098

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Replying To skirge7:  "If Antrim beat Westmeath and Kilkenny beat Wexford next week Wexford will be relegated to the Joe McDonagh"
But will it happen? Maybe 15 years ago or so Wexford and Antrim were to play in a relegation play off and they just refused to be relegated.

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1616 - 21/05/2023 19:19:34    2480141

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Replying To oneoff:  "But will it happen? Maybe 15 years ago or so Wexford and Antrim were to play in a relegation play off and they just refused to be relegated."
Offaly were relegated in 2018. All others must do likewise.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8773 - 21/05/2023 19:48:28    2480151

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Replying To oneoff:  "But will it happen? Maybe 15 years ago or so Wexford and Antrim were to play in a relegation play off and they just refused to be relegated."
Another time Clare also refused when relegation was in prospect and were let get away with it.

Onion Breath (Carlow) - Posts: 1556 - 21/05/2023 21:03:40    2480183

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Offaly were relegated in 2018. All others must do likewise."
That's the way it should be but hasn't always been

Onion Breath (Carlow) - Posts: 1556 - 21/05/2023 21:04:29    2480184

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Replying To skirge7:  "If Antrim beat Westmeath and Kilkenny beat Wexford next week Wexford will be relegated to the Joe McDonagh"
In fairness, it would raise the profile of the McDonagh considerably if Wexford were down there next week, which looks as likely as not.
It's a great competition and deserves more respect and attendance.

35OLT (USA) - Posts: 101 - 21/05/2023 22:37:25    2480224

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Replying To oneoff:  "But will it happen? Maybe 15 years ago or so Wexford and Antrim were to play in a relegation play off and they just refused to be relegated."
I'd like to see them try but the GAA will force it on them. I do think it is unfair that Waterford lose all 4 games and be safe. They wouldn't even be relegated if Kerry won.

Rolo2010 (Donegal) - Posts: 746 - 21/05/2023 22:46:39    2480226

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Replying To slayer:  "Really enjoy the posts in this thread & also very much enjoy any coverage of the McDonagh cup on TV. Just wondering if the MacCarthy Cup was expanded to 16 teams and if hurling was structured somewhat like football is now, would there be interest from the McDonagh Cup sides in playing in an expanded MacCarthy Cup?

I take the points made about Kildare totally. There is a step up between all 5 hurling championship divisions and sometimes I wonder if that 5 was flattened to 2 or 3 would that help or hinder? Even within the MacCarthy cup and McDonagh cups there can be very one sided games. So is the structure working?

As someone watching hurling for 40+ years I long for a breakthrough like Offaly in 1980 but not sure if that is possible anymore? Very interested to hear views on this as seeing hurling promoted in counties outside of the MacCarthy cup is one of the most inspiring things about the game. It's not all about the big trophy."
Offaly's breakthrough happened because of bord na mona as well.
The establishment of bord na mona prior to that was necessary for the families to be around offaly to have the children for that golden generation and then to keep them children around by providing jobs.
If it wasn't for bord na mona offaly's golden era might never have happened.

Dowling (Laois) - Posts: 2 - 21/05/2023 23:59:37    2480258

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Replying To Viking66:  "Offaly reached 5 Leinster finals between 1901 and 1969 before winning 1 in 1980, followingit up with another along with the AI in 1981. So it's not as if they came from nowhere exactly. There was always hurling played there it took a golden generation of players. Laois and Kerry already have won AIs. So I'd be guessing you would be looking at Antrim, Kildare, Meath, Westmeath in that order as next most likely to break their AI ducks and Carlow, Derry, Wicklow and Down probably after that. The reason I have Kildare and Meath that far up the list is the playing numbers they have, although if any of those counties got a golden generation it could be them. That doesn't mean it's likely in the next few years though, and the GAA isn't exactly helping promote hurling in any of those counties either."
The golden generation occurred offaly due to a larger than normal generation providing more high quality players as a result of increased jobs thanks to bord na mona.
Yes it was also due to good work by the gaa in offaly at the time but 1 wouldn't have happend without the othe.

Dowling (Laois) - Posts: 2 - 22/05/2023 00:06:09    2480260

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I would not like to see Wexford being relegated - they'd be along with Tipp the team I'd most like to see doing well outside of my own - but all teams, including the bottom team in Munster, ought to subject to same rules. I doubt very much that genuine Wexford supporters, as represented on this forum, would be among the objectors if any.

Ironically, given that Westmeath's great win is the cause of this possibility, they were unjustly done over on at least two occasions in the past on foot of arbitrary changes to league promotion and the championship voted for by a Congress mostly made up of people with no interest - at best - in hurling.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3506 - 22/05/2023 08:39:46    2480291

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Offaly were relegated in 2018. All others must do likewise."
Are you a kerry supporter or an offaly sympathiser, as we know offaly play the second favourites in the mc donagh Cup in 5 days time

Cuhullain (Kildare) - Posts: 300 - 22/05/2023 09:05:57    2480299

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Offaly were relegated in 2018. All others must do likewise."
But that's not really true unfortunately. For years the format of Division 1 kept getting changed to suit curtain teams.

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1616 - 22/05/2023 09:34:03    2480310

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Replying To Cuhullain:  "Are you a kerry supporter or an offaly sympathiser, as we know offaly play the second favourites in the mc donagh Cup in 5 days time"
It has been a long road back for Offaly. Dublin played Division 2 football this year. Meath are playing Tailteann football. Offaly played Ring hurling. It will be very difficult for the GAA to make any changes that move the goal posts in favour of certain counties. Otherwise the tiered system will collapse and it will be back to square one.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8773 - 22/05/2023 10:37:00    2480362

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Replying To Dowling:  "Offaly's breakthrough happened because of bord na mona as well.
The establishment of bord na mona prior to that was necessary for the families to be around offaly to have the children for that golden generation and then to keep them children around by providing jobs.
If it wasn't for bord na mona offaly's golden era might never have happened."
This is a very fair point: and often overlooked. For rural counties (ie. without a city), having a large companies that employ locally is a make or break thing. Kilkenny have Glanbia, Kerry have Kerry Foods etc.

Poor old Carlow and Leix don't have that sort of thing. For example, the great Eire Og football team in Carlow (Five Leinsters in seven years) could not have happened with Irish Sugar and Braun (both gone now) providing apprenticeships and jobs to keep lads around.

Carlow Town Hurling Club used to be a major force in Carlow hurling, but dropped off when those factories closed.

CARPS (Carlow) - Posts: 853 - 22/05/2023 15:29:28    2480584

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