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Wexford Club Hurling 2025

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Replying To Formertownie:  "I do think juvenille and minor club has suffered hugely with the club/county split season where proper minor and u16 championship doesn't start until u17 county teams get finished . Throw in tournament weekends etc club underage players are nt getting enough exposure to proper competitive championships until mid summer family holiday season . Throw in former u17 county players playing minor how much challenge is there in a development league for them. Will they drift off or stagnate if not involved with 20s or 19s .
What about the rest of the club players . . Maybe u18s in last year could play county league not championship."
Interesting point about minors being allowed to play league, not a proposal I have heard before. Would certainly give them more games and teams also struggle to field in the league stages although not sure how it would work in theory.

I really dont know why minor championship cannot start while they are also playing county. Why cant they play with their club during the week and then county at the weekend? Surely a match with a club is more beneficial than a training session with the county. I understand at adult level why its done but think its silly at minor level, to stop any sort of decent championship while about 5% of players hold it up. They should be allowed play both, we should be telling the minor managers this is the way we are going and thats it, not the other way around.

Sure the minor and U16 championship is farcical. Groups of 4, three half meaningful matches, where every team gets through (bit like adult), then a team might have one decent competitive game a quarter final, lose that and thats it. The early development league is beyond a joke, where they didnt even bother playing the finals of it last year.

alwaysasub (Wexford) - Posts: 508 - 01/08/2025 11:23:43    2629625

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Was at the match last night and thought the Rapps were full value for their win. Their forwards ran the harriers defenders ragged in the first half. Kevin foley was immense and Liam Ryan did a decent job on Chin. ( highlights the loss he was to Wexford this year).
As formertownie rightly says the harriers are relying on chin to do everything . Thought he became frustrated with how things were going even going back taking line balls when they were chasing the game and needed him upfront.
There seemed to be some needle between both teams which was good to see .

HurlingBuzz (Wexford) - Posts: 556 - 01/08/2025 11:40:02    2629633

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Replying To Formertownie:  "I do think juvenille and minor club has suffered hugely with the club/county split season where proper minor and u16 championship doesn't start until u17 county teams get finished . Throw in tournament weekends etc club underage players are nt getting enough exposure to proper competitive championships until mid summer family holiday season . Throw in former u17 county players playing minor how much challenge is there in a development league for them. Will they drift off or stagnate if not involved with 20s or 19s .
What about the rest of the club players . . Maybe u18s in last year could play county league not championship."
You've hit on something there that doesn't tend to be discussed much - how the U16 & U18 championships are affected by the county/club split season and the inter-county U17 competition.

It's not as big an issue in counties that still operate their club championships at U13/U15/U17, but because we run it at "even ages", the county U17 competition cuts across two other championships.

As for the idea of second year Minors (i.e. U18s rather than U17s) being allowed to play All County League but not adult championships later in the year - good in theory, but then you could end up with a situation like this:

Talented young Johnny, starting his second year of minor, is still just 17 years old when the League starts. He plays most or all of the matches, and does really well.

He then turns 18 around the middle of June. Championships start at the end of June or early July, and now he can't play.

"What? He was able to play with the men when he was 17, but now he can't play when he's 18? How does that make any sense?"

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3004 - 01/08/2025 11:59:04    2629638

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Replying To tearintom:  "Maybe it would be a better idea to have breaks in the championship to facilitate u21 as best we can rather than to facilitate sessions in Laois.

Not sure how feasible it is but a better use of time than the latter."
Are you playing the full championship in 1 weekend? What is it a blitz you are planning?

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1922 - 01/08/2025 13:32:58    2629651

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Replying To Viking66:  "It's like AFL"
I made that suggestion originally and yes its based on the Aussie Rules playoffs.
Benefits:
- Top 2/3/4 teams busting a gut to get in to the top 2, gives them the safety net for an "off day".
- No gap weeks and teams building a head of steam while another gets caught cold.
- Teams in 3rd/4th say who are qualified have something to play for if they can nick 2nd in the group on the last day
- Teams in 5th and 6th might only be decided on the last day
You will invariably end up with the odd dead rubber match but no league format can avoid that.
The only tweak I would make is I would say the team in 5th is only "OUT" if they have more points than the team in 6th. If they do not, they have to play off against the team in 6th and the loser is in the relegation final.
Every championship needs to have something riding on every match and I think back now to our championships over the years and can still tell you some first round matches which cost us massively at the end of the group. A slow start needs to be punished and we only had ourselves to blame.

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1922 - 01/08/2025 13:42:00    2629653

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "I think it's time to seriously consider scrapping U21 altogether. People say it's an important grade in bridging the gap between underage and adult. That might have been true years ago, when players of that age would probably only have had a handful of games a year without it. But now, there are more adult League & Championship games than there ever were in those days, and things are very different.

As previously pointed out, problems with running U21 are:
- Can't play it in early part of the year due to inter-county competition
- Can't play it in May/June due to Leaving Cert & college exams
- Try run it midweek at this time of year, and you get all the problems we're seeing now.
- Leave it until November to start, and you've two other problems. You're still trying to work around adult fixtures as three hurling teams and three football will be competing in Leinster. And you're facing complaints of "leaving lads waiting all year and now expecting them to play on bad pitches and in bad weather".

Even the Oulart suggestion of using the Wednesdays in the run-up to the two free weekends wouldn't have solved things. There are four rounds of U21 this time of year (two hurling, two football), so you'd still have the same problems in two of those weeks. And that's leaving aside altogether how on one of the dates that Oulart suggested, lads with Intermediate 'A' football clubs would also be playing championship 24 hours later.

As I heard somebody else say a year or two back - if we'd never had U21 in the first place, nobody would be suggesting it now. Nobody would be saying: "Know what we really need? Another age grade between Minor and adult, because there simply aren't enough games in the calendar without it".

Finally, side note - and still, some people want U18s to be able to play adult as well. Look at what's happening the U21 championships, and imagine what the Minor championships would be like too."
Still think waiting towards end of year with a straight knock out, winner on the day, for U21 is the best option. Pitches are a lot better these days so that isn't much of an argument to begin with. Decent prizes for Div 1 and 2 winners. The games can still be very good quality if players/clubs have a genuine interest.

Trying to lump it in with the adult competitions is a waste of time anyway.

Timbertony (Wexford) - Posts: 442 - 01/08/2025 14:23:33    2629658

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Replying To StoreysTash:  "Are you playing the full championship in 1 weekend? What is it a blitz you are planning?"
No that's why I said the words "breaks in the championship"

Ye know possibly plan breaks around actual gaa rather than sessions as seems to be more of an obsession in wexford, perhaps quite in keeping with where we find ourselves as a county where a sessio in Loais garners so much attention compared to other counties.

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1544 - 01/08/2025 16:09:24    2629673

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "You've hit on something there that doesn't tend to be discussed much - how the U16 & U18 championships are affected by the county/club split season and the inter-county U17 competition.

It's not as big an issue in counties that still operate their club championships at U13/U15/U17, but because we run it at "even ages", the county U17 competition cuts across two other championships.

As for the idea of second year Minors (i.e. U18s rather than U17s) being allowed to play All County League but not adult championships later in the year - good in theory, but then you could end up with a situation like this:

Talented young Johnny, starting his second year of minor, is still just 17 years old when the League starts. He plays most or all of the matches, and does really well.

He then turns 18 around the middle of June. Championships start at the end of June or early July, and now he can't play.

"What? He was able to play with the men when he was 17, but now he can't play when he's 18? How does that make any sense?""
I think lads should be able to play adult as soon as they turn 18. That gets rid of the need to get adult panels/managements Garda vetted, and having to do Safeguarding courses. And at the same time it would be a massive boost to our county u20s. Of the team that started against Kilkenny only 4 I think had played any adult hurling, and that for just 1 year, while near enough all the Kilkenny lads had played adult, most for 2 full seasons. They played with way more physicality than our lads, and won nearly all the broken ball.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16768 - 01/08/2025 17:35:57    2629690

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Replying To Formertownie:  "I do think juvenille and minor club has suffered hugely with the club/county split season where proper minor and u16 championship doesn't start until u17 county teams get finished . Throw in tournament weekends etc club underage players are nt getting enough exposure to proper competitive championships until mid summer family holiday season . Throw in former u17 county players playing minor how much challenge is there in a development league for them. Will they drift off or stagnate if not involved with 20s or 19s .
What about the rest of the club players . . Maybe u18s in last year could play county league not championship."
It to do with school also.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16768 - 01/08/2025 17:38:37    2629691

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Replying To WexMurph:  "Watched Rapps v Harriers on clubber, have to say as much as we need Lee Chin it would be great if Kevin Foley gave us another couple of years in the county jersey. Class player ran riot for the Rapparees. Makes that group more interesting now."
Kevin was always a top of the range hurler. It would be great if he'd stick around another few years for sure.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16768 - 01/08/2025 17:40:38    2629693

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "You've hit on something there that doesn't tend to be discussed much - how the U16 & U18 championships are affected by the county/club split season and the inter-county U17 competition.

It's not as big an issue in counties that still operate their club championships at U13/U15/U17, but because we run it at "even ages", the county U17 competition cuts across two other championships.

As for the idea of second year Minors (i.e. U18s rather than U17s) being allowed to play All County League but not adult championships later in the year - good in theory, but then you could end up with a situation like this:

Talented young Johnny, starting his second year of minor, is still just 17 years old when the League starts. He plays most or all of the matches, and does really well.

He then turns 18 around the middle of June. Championships start at the end of June or early July, and now he can't play.

"What? He was able to play with the men when he was 17, but now he can't play when he's 18? How does that make any sense?""
Very radical view but could we going forward give the last yearss minors who have turned 18 the choice . You can play adult or u18 but not both to alleviate any fixture clash . Only after turning 18 though . So as they can be treated as any other adult .
They can play either adult or minor nut both but can play u21 either way .
If they feel they magnetic wrong choice they can go back to to minor after any game or but cannot return to adult again until the following year ..

Formertownie (Wexford) - Posts: 386 - 01/08/2025 22:18:13    2629720

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Replying To Viking66:  "I think lads should be able to play adult as soon as they turn 18. That gets rid of the need to get adult panels/managements Garda vetted, and having to do Safeguarding courses. And at the same time it would be a massive boost to our county u20s. Of the team that started against Kilkenny only 4 I think had played any adult hurling, and that for just 1 year, while near enough all the Kilkenny lads had played adult, most for 2 full seasons. They played with way more physicality than our lads, and won nearly all the broken ball."
Mainly to do with our obsession of play younger lads instead of those 19 or 20. As said before we had more players just out of minor than all the other teams put together. Madness.

Paull (Wexford) - Posts: 210 - 01/08/2025 22:29:10    2629725

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Replying To MyOhMi:  "Look in a way Shels were under no obligation to change the fixture - when would it have been changed to? .. Full round of minor fixtures played last Monday night. Harriers / Rapps had agreed to change Senior to Thursday night due to a wedding so I don't know when the U21 game would have fitted in. Far from ideal either way

It now makes sense to play the U21 semi-finals on the Wednesday of the week that that there are no games due to Electric Picnic.

Otherwise you are going to have the same issue as last year - U21 will be lumped into midweek during the Hurling Q/F and S/F.

Buffers Alley / Shels / Oulart / Rathnure through to the semi finals"
As I said everyone looking to put the blame on fixtures for this rather than look at why the Harriers think they could not field a team without 6/7 players from their senior panel. Does it mean that they only have 20 or 21 players that will play u21 hurling? The only team in the biggest town in Wexford? In any Hurling county there would be an inquiry as to why, in Wexford we blame the fixtures.

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 2036 - 01/08/2025 22:36:43    2629726

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Replying To tearintom:  "No that's why I said the words "breaks in the championship"

Ye know possibly plan breaks around actual gaa rather than sessions as seems to be more of an obsession in wexford, perhaps quite in keeping with where we find ourselves as a county where a sessio in Loais garners so much attention compared to other counties."
Yes its working so well in other counties............GAA is doing great across the country in player retention terms. Players love team charters and being told how to live their life by a mercenary GAA manager.
You know there's a good reason why so many players say F this.

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1922 - 02/08/2025 07:12:21    2629736

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Replying To tearintom:  "No that's why I said the words "breaks in the championship"

Ye know possibly plan breaks around actual gaa rather than sessions as seems to be more of an obsession in wexford, perhaps quite in keeping with where we find ourselves as a county where a sessio in Loais garners so much attention compared to other counties."
And when are these other breaks you talk about? Wexford can hardly get the games played by end of October as it is

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1922 - 02/08/2025 07:15:46    2629737

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Replying To Paull:  "Mainly to do with our obsession of play younger lads instead of those 19 or 20. As said before we had more players just out of minor than all the other teams put together. Madness."
19 year olds hadn't played any club adult championship either under our current system Paull.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16768 - 02/08/2025 10:31:17    2629754

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Replying To Formertownie:  "Very radical view but could we going forward give the last yearss minors who have turned 18 the choice . You can play adult or u18 but not both to alleviate any fixture clash . Only after turning 18 though . So as they can be treated as any other adult .
They can play either adult or minor nut both but can play u21 either way .
If they feel they magnetic wrong choice they can go back to to minor after any game or but cannot return to adult again until the following year .."
That's common sense.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16768 - 02/08/2025 10:31:51    2629755

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Replying To StoreysTash:  "And when are these other breaks you talk about? Wexford can hardly get the games played by end of October as it is"
Think what Tom is missing is that there are way less club championship games played in other counties to start with. Groups of 6 with plenty of pretty meaningless games is unique to ourselves.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16768 - 02/08/2025 10:37:15    2629757

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Oulart unlucky last night. Had what looked like a good goal disallowed which would have put them ten points up. In fairness Shels came back into it well but that's Oulart bottom of that group now with a game to spare so basically a dead rubber for them in the last game. Another flaw of this format.

WexMurph (Wexford) - Posts: 297 - 02/08/2025 12:14:57    2629769

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Replying To Viking66:  "Think what Tom is missing is that there are way less club championship games played in other counties to start with. Groups of 6 with plenty of pretty meaningless games is unique to ourselves."
I've been pretty adamant on here i would be all on for less games that actually mean something to be honest as have you.

I would love nothing more than to see less games, make them more meaningful and have more breaks.

The problem is the mentality with many would be for scheduling breaks around EP and longitude and having a dedicated break for leaving cert session holidays and whatever else comes in vogue rather than doing anything that might benefit os as a county GAA wise.

Party first, the wexford way!

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1544 - 02/08/2025 14:00:00    2629785

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