Meath Forum

New Club Hurling Reforms

(Oldest Posts First)

For the forthcoming senior and intermediate hurling championship there will be two groups of six, with a seeded draw (finalists will be the first seeds, semi-finalists will be the second seeds, and the remaining teams will be unseeded).

The top three of each group play in the SHC and the bottom three of each group play in a new SHC B.

Losing SHC B quarter finalists play in relegation play-off final. The same format applies for the IHC.

TownJohnT (Meath) - Posts: 86 - 13/02/2024 08:53:51    2525791

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Whilst its a novel idea and will give all clubs something to play for I feel there will be quite a few hammerings as the gap between the top senior teams and bottom senior teams is significant. Correct me if I'm wrong but this was the reason it was changed previously. Anyway we will give it a whirl.

Rickoshay (Meath) - Posts: 33 - 13/02/2024 09:32:25    2525797

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Replying To Rickoshay:  "Whilst its a novel idea and will give all clubs something to play for I feel there will be quite a few hammerings as the gap between the top senior teams and bottom senior teams is significant. Correct me if I'm wrong but this was the reason it was changed previously. Anyway we will give it a whirl."
I suppose it will give the bottom 6 more games, previously knocked out at this stage, and have a championship to play for.

TownJohnT (Meath) - Posts: 86 - 13/02/2024 11:29:29    2525821

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Replying To Rickoshay:  "Whilst its a novel idea and will give all clubs something to play for I feel there will be quite a few hammerings as the gap between the top senior teams and bottom senior teams is significant. Correct me if I'm wrong but this was the reason it was changed previously. Anyway we will give it a whirl."
Slight variation on the previous format with introduction of seeded teams.

begining (UK) - Posts: 313 - 13/02/2024 13:21:02    2525843

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Replying To begining:  "Slight variation on the previous format with introduction of seeded teams."
Yes i think the overall consensus was to give the championship a meaning for all until the final game or two. Can see some of the teams pulling up though as if they were to sneak a draw or win against one of the seeded team's, i genuinely think some clubs would hold back and go for the Senior B as they would know come knockout stages in the A level, they wouldn't compete against the top 4.

could be wrong.

Irish_downunder (Meath) - Posts: 642 - 13/02/2024 16:36:12    2525888

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Think its worth a shot to see can the current lower senior/inter teams get any closer to the current stronger senior/inter teams. Brings a bit more life to the championship with more games for all teams.

pixey (Meath) - Posts: 60 - 13/02/2024 16:55:24    2525893

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Replying To Irish_downunder:  "Yes i think the overall consensus was to give the championship a meaning for all until the final game or two. Can see some of the teams pulling up though as if they were to sneak a draw or win against one of the seeded team's, i genuinely think some clubs would hold back and go for the Senior B as they would know come knockout stages in the A level, they wouldn't compete against the top 4.

could be wrong."
Think it is a terrible idea, we are just going back to the days of regular hammerings in the SHC. 8 teams per champ is way to go but the turkeys aren't going too vote for that in case their own club fell down a grade.

Can't see clubs having any interest in winning a B competition, particularly if their footballers are still in championship.

Belt (Meath) - Posts: 272 - 13/02/2024 18:04:12    2525906

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Pointless "reform". What does it achieve to just create a senior and intermediate hurling shield?

Until 2018 the weak teams would play a mix of SHC games every year, some vs strong teams and some vs other weak ones. It was figured that this wasn't helping the weak teams so they got hived off into their own group.

So then the weak senior teams played each other 5 times with 2 of them going on to get almost invariably beaten easily in the senior QF. This failed to bridge the gap between the weak and strong teams, because why would it.

With this "reform" we're going back to mixing the teams up (which didn't bridge the gap to the top teams the first time) but now in addition there's a mini contest where weak teams play among each other (which also didn't bridge the gap to the top teams the first time).

It strikes me as a willingness to do anything to avoid cutting the number of senior teams. None of Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Antrim, Carlow etc. have 12 senior hurling teams, but somehow we do it Meath? We are the only county outside of Liam MacCarthy level to have more than 8 teams in our SHC.

CastleBravo (Meath) - Posts: 1668 - 13/02/2024 19:24:27    2525922

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Replying To CastleBravo:  "Pointless "reform". What does it achieve to just create a senior and intermediate hurling shield?

Until 2018 the weak teams would play a mix of SHC games every year, some vs strong teams and some vs other weak ones. It was figured that this wasn't helping the weak teams so they got hived off into their own group.

So then the weak senior teams played each other 5 times with 2 of them going on to get almost invariably beaten easily in the senior QF. This failed to bridge the gap between the weak and strong teams, because why would it.

With this "reform" we're going back to mixing the teams up (which didn't bridge the gap to the top teams the first time) but now in addition there's a mini contest where weak teams play among each other (which also didn't bridge the gap to the top teams the first time).

It strikes me as a willingness to do anything to avoid cutting the number of senior teams. None of Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Antrim, Carlow etc. have 12 senior hurling teams, but somehow we do it Meath? We are the only county outside of Liam MacCarthy level to have more than 8 teams in our SHC."
hammer. nail. head.

truegael49 (Meath) - Posts: 14 - 13/02/2024 20:18:51    2525926

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So Blackhall Gaels expected to be promoted and now this won't happen. This decision could be appealed and my guess that the County Committee/Board would end up with egg on the face again.

MillerX (Meath) - Posts: 1080 - 13/02/2024 20:51:04    2525935

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crazy crazy stuff,will make for an even bigger snoozefest of group games, what should have been done was bottom two relegated from senior B and no promotion for 3 years. shave it back to 8 teams in senior 2 groups of 4 . top two in each group into semi finals and bottom team in each group play rlegation play off, thats a proper chamionship.lose 1 game your hanging by a thread, lose two your gone. ratoath made the final in 2022 winning 1 group game. playing games with very little meaning all summer, its easier to stay in the senior hurlinng championship than get knocked out.

dickie10 (UK) - Posts: 790 - 14/02/2024 01:02:23    2525956

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The current format is not working as conceivably in Group A all you have to get is 2 wins in 5 games and you qualify. There will be hammerings but look at the intercounty league. Westmeath got annihilated by Galway in week 1 and then went out and almost bet Limerick. The weaker clubs are not going to progress by just playing each other each year and different clubs are bringing through good young lads, the top 4 will quickly change. It also adds to our competitiveness in Leinster if the Senior B champions play in Junior. I don't think Blackhall would really be that bothered about the change and would probably welcome it. What has 2024 and Group A got instore for them, a quick exit to Group B again based on most of the other clubs who have come up.

off_the_wall (Roscommon) - Posts: 72 - 14/02/2024 06:57:03    2525965

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Replying To MillerX:  "So Blackhall Gaels expected to be promoted and now this won't happen. This decision could be appealed and my guess that the County Committee/Board would end up with egg on the face again."
Explain this one?

Selwyn (Meath) - Posts: 387 - 14/02/2024 07:12:58    2525968

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All the giving out about the hurling championship. No matter what format the football championship took it never improved the standard of football in the county. Our senior representatives in leinster have been very poor and we have never really got within a sniff of a club all Ireland.

Maybe the failure of hurling lies with the county board or their failure to promote hurling in big population areas. It is beyond me why another football club was allowed to start in East Meath instead of a new hurling club.

Rickoshay (Meath) - Posts: 33 - 14/02/2024 09:21:33    2525975

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Replying To Selwyn:  "Explain this one?"
The final positions of the groups in the 2023 championships decided the groups for the 2024 championships. That was one of the conditions that applied to the 2023 championships. Ideally the changes agreed recently should apply in 2025.
The conditions under which any competition is played should not be changed during that competition or after it is completed.

MillerX (Meath) - Posts: 1080 - 14/02/2024 10:01:27    2525985

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I love hearing all the great ideas from the hurlers on the ditch excuse the pun with out knowing the facts. Two weeks ago all hurling clubs were invited to attend a hurling meeting to ask club delegates as to how they wanted the hurling championship to be structured. Following that meeting 5 proposals were drafted and these were put to the delegates from all the clubs last Monday night and there was zero and I say zero interest in proposal 1,2,4 and 5 with no one with any counter proposals. This was broadcast on local media the next morning so the hurling clubs have spoke and this is what they the clubs and players wanted. Its very unfair to say that the county board is driving this change when its not its the clubs. Does anyone one on this forum actually know what any of the other proposals were? Proposal 4 was to go to 8 teams and got no traction. If you're a hurler on here then Id suggest going to your club and asking why they would have voted for this ( proposal 3 ) because the clubs have spoken and got what they wanted. ( source local media)

199710 (Meath) - Posts: 120 - 14/02/2024 10:11:44    2525988

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