Senior Hurling Club Championship 2015

Started by redsetanta, March 06, 2015, 09:34:57 AM

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merman

It's a straightforward championship POTH but it's not always easy to explain in text....

After this weekend (barring replays of course) we will have 4 winners and 4 losers.

We then enter phase 2 where we have our 4 'winners' play in what are essentially quarter-finals and our four 'losers' play in qualifiers. The winners from the 'winners' section advance to the semi-finals.

Phase 3 and Relegation run concurrently.
The winners from the 'losers' section advance to play the losers from the 'winners' section. Again, these are essentially quarter-finals and the losers are out with no threat of relegation. Repeat match-ups are avoided where possible.

The relegation final is then between the losers from the 'losers' section.

All 4 semi-finalists will thus have won 2 games though 2 will also have lost one.

It's a decent championship format though I would still be of the opinion that our county panellists do not hurl enough club games....


Mossy Bruce

Quote from: Plain of the Herbs on July 14, 2015, 09:07:11 PM
How does the championship work lads?

I'm glad you asked, Plain of the Herbs, because I was wondering the same thing. ???

And thanks, Merman, for the explanation!
LAOIS! LAOIS! LAOIS!

finbar o tool

Quote from: merman on July 15, 2015, 12:57:04 AM

It's a decent championship format though I would still be of the opinion that our county panellists do not hurl enough club games....

agree, i like the format but also agree, all the hurlers, not just the county men could do with more championship hurling.

probably goes back to that old chestnut of not enough clubs.

Merman, or anyone, do you think there should be 10 clubs in the senior championship?
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merman

I personally think 8 is a good number.

I would add 3 games to the championship.
At the start if the year; I would draw two groups of 4. Each team would play 3 games; one in April/May/June.
After those games; we would enter phase 2 of the championship which is where we are at now.
So, instead of having these matches as an Open Draw, I'd base them of final group placings.
Ie: A1vs B4, A2vsB3, A3vsB2, A4vsB1.

There should be room for a couple of extra games as Laois are out of the Round Robin next year.

Unlaoised

I think the system works well although it does tend to favour the Top teams .I can see Camross winning it this year but they have a tough draw to start with!
LAOIS ABÚ

Plain of the Herbs

So the format the same as the Christy Ring and Nick Rackard cups so.

I can see why people would like to see more matches.  You have to remember though that no matter how many or how few matches there are, you can still get knocked out the once.

crow

Thanks Merman I am a bit off the pace this year,come on dont mind the weekend for a minute how come no one mentioned the big row that took place in Camross  between themselves and B/K juniors this week. match abandoned,9 or 10 mins left not a bit of trouble until a corner back and a corner forward took into it,then it became a free for all, they even came over  the wire brought back memories , sorry I know ye dont want to hear that ,ref could do nothing, I say he did not know where to start so he walked,some of ye must have been there,now I do think that Abbeyleix could surprise R/E, they did not look good against Camross and that was in Borris pitch so OMoore park might just catch them out at this time of the year,Ballinakill are a nice lively team and if they put it together they will beat Castletown, cant see Harps beating B/K if they learned anything now is the time to show what they are made of,  I think C/B will beat Camross the only thing that could upset them is that Camross will have had more of their panel together for longer as they would have the least with the county and there will be no individuals with Camross so roll on the weekend.

finbar o tool

Crow, i wasnt at that junior match that was abandoned but i spoke to a Camross man since that was at it and he reckoned there wasnt that much in it, few slaps thrown alright but apparently a couple of players ended up on top of each other on the ground and the ref should have blown for a throw in, but didnt and it spiraled a little bit, and the ref didnt blow the whistle until half way through the row, and just walked off the pitch. i was told no one came over the wire but a first aid man for Camross and someone else that was either doing linesman or umpire got involved and got a clip around the ear!   
thats what i heard anyway, i stand to be corrected!!

also on the games this week end, Camross beating R/E could have been a little kick in the hole for R/E, a bit of a wake up call maybe? i expect them to have too much for Abbeyleix.
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merman

Camross at nearly 2/1 has to be the bet of the weekend in what is essentially a 50/50 game!

I'm also expecting a huge performance from Borris/Kilcotton who are apparently flying....

finbar o tool

for the gamblers out there, B/K, R/E, C/B and Ballinakill accum pays 4/1!
throw in camross instead of C/B and the accum pays 7/1!  :)
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TheGreatGame

There is always a great buzz around the start of championship and hopefully this weekend will kick it off with a bang. 

Ballinakill are a team I'd view as championship dark horses.  The last time they played senior championship they didn't have John Walsh and Cha is a totally different hurler now too.  Seamus Dwyer, James Walsh, Jackman etc. are hurling as well as ever so I'd be surprised if they don't win on Sunday.  Ben Conroy is a massive loss to Castletowns chances.  He's a serious club hurler and was their most  effective forward for the last few years.  As always you will get their trademark gutsy display but it might be a year too soon for a young and developing team.  Ballinakill by 4 or 5.


For B/K it's time to start delivering big time.  The big question for them is who to play full-back and it will be interesting to see how they line out tonight.  They have the players to match anyone but maybe not as settled as their main rivals.  The Harps have not done too bad but can't afford to lose the likes of Brian Galvin.  Some younger players are stepping up though and I'd be confident they will give a performance this evening.

The move of Mick Mac back to centre-back is a big call for C/B.  He was arguably the most consistent centre-forward at club level in the county but at the same time he is certainly a more natural defender.  I'd expect Lee Cleere and Robbie Phelan to be straight into their starting line up and as Mark Kav and Fonzi showed for R.E last year a really talented minor can make a big difference.  Camross are moving nicely and will be on the war path after last years co.final no show.  A lot of their players who won a string of u21 titles are into their prime now.  No question this is the match of the weekend and I just can't decide on a winner so I'll go with a draw in this one.

R/E are a very solid, all-round team.  Take Roddy King out of the equation and they simply don't have that fear factor however.  They also have a serious issue to over come in finding a top quality goalkeeper.  If Abbeyleix can exploit this weakness and bag a few goals they may get close, but it's R/E by 5+ for me in this one.

To answer Finbars question, not a hope would I increase the number of clubs at senior to 10.  I'd maybe review it 5 years down the line if the strength in Senior B required it, but at the moment the depth is certainly not there.  For long enough we had dead rubber games and total mis-matches, 8 competitive teams keeps everyone on their toes.

I'm really hoping the sense of hope and general good will for hurling in the county at the moment will see more people coming to see the matches.  The crowds have been more than decent over the last few years for a county of our size, but there is always room for more!  Sometimes even an intense match can seem pedestrian if only a handful of supporters are there to see it. 


finbar o tool

Well folks whats the verdict after this evenings games?

You just have to admire Camross, they were tenacious! They used the ball well, and didnt give C/B an INCH when they didnt have the ball! C/B had no answer, they were fairly poor, and they got worse when they had the extra man!! Their shooting near the end was attrotious, when they really needed a score! Camross showed great team work throughout, used their 'cuteness' as they always do. Niggling the C/B lads to mess with their heads and it worked! The sending off was the correct decision even though no serious harm was done, Hyland milked it a bit but i wouldnt blame him! Very stupid from Keenan, especially when Hyland was wrestled to the ground, i saw no need for any altercations, it was a free, end of!

1st game was fairly one sided, B/K had plenty to ease past the Harps. Harps could be looking at relegation...
They had no one to match Scully, think he got 2-4 from play. B/K would be interesting without him though, Foyle was quite poor. He didnt get great supply in the 1st half due to the wind but he got enough in the 2nd half and didnt do much. if hes fully fit then he needs to start stepping up to the plate. Paddy Whelan had a great game and the 2 stapletons played very well too.  B/K are still lacking something though i fear, i get the impression they would crumble under pressure like C/B did tonight.

A side note, There was some great blocking and hooking in tonights games, from county players in particular! Was great to see!
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merman

Contrasting games yesterday evening.

Borris/Kilcotton showed flashes of brilliance but the game lacked real championship intensity and I'd really worry for The Harps. Their panel just looks threadbare and I don't think they are as fit as they should be for this stage of the year. B/K hurled in patches and when they put everything together they are a formidable outfit. I would be surprised if they don't make a final at the very least. Scully was exceptional and he really is a prolific shooter when he gets any kind of chance. Their balance in defence looks good and if they can get a little more out of their forwards then they could arguably be the team to beat.

The second game had all the intensity but the quality was lacking for me. Zane Keenan was superb but no other county panellists stood out. CB have serious problems and I wouldn't see them as championship contenders on that form. They are too nice a team and where nice teams will win Palmer Cups and Leagues; something more is needed for championships. Camross' discipline (blatant red card aside) and application is exceptional and that could carry them far. They are better than the sum of their parts and have strengthened up their panel now too. I think they'll need to improve to win a championship but it is definitely within them.

finbar o tool

Couldnt make the games tonight but would love to hear some details?
2nd game sounded like a cracker, R/E are not champions for nothing, fair play to them! Hard luck Abbeyleix, they couldnt keep it going it seems?

The draw is as follows:
Winners- B/K v R/E, Camross v Ballinakill.

Losers- Abbeyleix v Castletown, Harps v C/B.

B/K v R/E a very interesting match up.
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Ballygowen

Wasn't at any of the games either, but Abbeyleix seemed to put up a good battle, they will definitely fancy themselves against Castletown, while you would imaging C/B to beat the Harps.

as for the winners, should be a good battle between B/K v R/E, i would expect R/E to pip this with their experience. Camross v Ballinakill, i would think camross to win here easily enough, Ballinakill have some good players but you would think Camross would be too strong for them. Just a quick question, did Holmes, Delaney or Darrell Dooley feature for camross?? all 3 transferred back form Australia this year.