Leinster Minor Hurling 2019

[Giovanni]

RTE reporting that Enda Lyons would move up to take on the U-20s. If so, then I guess that's fair enough. We need to keep as many good people involved as possible and I would think that he is a good one.

[steven seagal]

Yeah it would be good to keep Lyons involved, he seems to get teams hurling with a bit of determination and direction so we'd want to be keeping hold of someone like that.

Some people on here seem to have a problem with McGrath coming on board. On the scale of problems we've had in Laois hurling over the last decade or so, I'd be ranking this one fairly low down.

[Keyser Söze]

I don't have a problem with McGrath coming on board.
I've no confidence in the management team he is assisting, and I'd be dubious about the level of his involvement.
Hopefully I am wrong on all counts.

[merman]

I don't think anybody doubts his credentials. The reception here has been lukewarm owing to the way this outcome has been reached.

I'm certainly in the minority on this forum but I wouldn't have been in favour of retaining the outgoing management.
I'm relieved there's a change but it does feel a bit harsh the way this was handled.
Once this alternative was put together, there was never going to be any viable way it couldn't be backed by the County Board.
They were never going to look a gift horse in the mouth so to speak.

I don't have a problem with McGrath coming on board.
I've no confidence in the management team he is assisting, and I'd be dubious about the level of his involvement.
Hopefully I am wrong on all counts.

I would share Keyser's concerns to a fair degree. I hope McGrath is as honourable a character as I think he is and he gives a fierce commitment to the role. It'll be all worthwhile if results are delivered on the pitch and systems are put in place that are retained for the future.

[Joeythelips]

I couldnt give a f**k about winning minors as long as we're developing intercounty players.

I would not quite have the same attitude as I think both help the other but the main point I do agree with, the priority is developing players for Senior intercounty level, McGrath can obviously train players to a very high standard, if he brings that to this job then our players will obviously benefit. Imagine been a 17 year old hurler in Laois and you hear he was going to be taking over the coaching, surely you could not wait to get going.

There was a lot of chat on here about why Eddie Brennan was allowed to keep his role as RTE pundit, something which no doubt brings in a nice few quid for the year, but maybe this has helped in swaying McGraths mind also? who knows, its still a bit of a coop for the county board to get someone of such a high profile to help with underage.

[Don Draper]

Here lads, this is the fella who coached HOTY Aussie Gleeson.

Job done. Stand back.

[mountrath1]

Thank god for this appointment.. messrs dunne and that quinlan lad with no experience are been put into the dark.. improvements are made by getting your best involved not your family??.. From a management with no experience to having 1 with it..mite help if I ever of the others were to drop off

[GAA-SMART]

Hard enough to get experience into guys when everyone says they shouldn't get the job because they have no experience, and we wonder why we find it hard to get people to take teams. Dunne has experience anyway if he took a development team from 14-minor. Minor is U17 lads not senior mens.

[Spiritof1915]

Experience or not his management, selection process and training methods for the last 3 years have been nothing short of a disgrace. There's a clear club bias from people I've talked in the know.
Hopefully Derek mcgrath will change that and be allowed to fulfill the roll without the parochial bullshit that goes on in this county.

[LOVEGAA]

Experience or not his management, selection process and training methods for the last 3 years have been nothing short of a disgrace. There's a clear club bias from people I've talked in the know.
Hopefully Derek mcgrath will change that and be allowed to fulfill the roll without the parochial bullshit that goes on in this county.

What's in this for McGrath ? Would this not be a step down for him ?

This parochial bullshit has been going on a while and the lack of trials going on a few years now and nothing done about it

The county board need to get their act together.  There is no point in bringing in big names if the same people are running things the way they want it and not how it should be .

[Spiritof1915]

I can only speculate that mcgrath is going to receive a large wad of cash for his efforts. If it helps to improve players and help reconstruct our development panels I'm all for it
My fear is that he is being brought in to allow the current U16 management oust last year's minor management team and that his involvement in the county will be as a partial adviser.

[Zooming around]

Experience or not his management, selection process and training methods for the last 3 years have been nothing short of a disgrace. There's a clear club bias from people I've talked in the know.

I think that's a very unfair comment on somebody as passionate and as good as Liam Dunne. His manangement skills are really good and he has a great way of getting the most out of his players as evidenced by the results this group have achieved.

Do you know what his training methods are? Have you seen him in action? What's wrong with them?

[Spiritof1915]

Hes in charge of a development panel and has a duty along with the county board to develop as many players as possible during his time in charge. From my information and that of other contributors on here he made the panel a closed shop since the Tony Forristal tournament in 2017. I have learnt that the most he has at training in these years is 20 max and mostly around the 14/15 mark. How is that good management ffs ?.
The results have been unbelievable in 2017 and 2018 but they've been hammered by Cork, Tipp this year. Suffered losses to Dublin and Wexford. I also believe a poor Offaly team nearly beat them last week where this Laois team hammered them in the 2 years previously.
How in gods name is acceptable that no development squad have trials because of a few results. Show me the evidence where this happens anywhere else ?.
Some quality players who are dual players have already stepped away because of the cliché installed by the management.
The players that trialled for this years minors were supposed to be involved in the celtic challenge team but again that was made effectively a closed shop.
Being involved in development teams for many years myself this is one of the worst cases of mismanagement I ve ever heard.

[clonadmad]

Well from what I can gather, is that the management team opted to enter one team only in the tony Forristal (albeit with fantastic results) when this group where u14. This went against the grain of every other year when Laois sent 2 teams. I think the majority of the problem is that other chaps not involved in the click have no interest or desire to be ask in to make up the numbers in what essentially is a closed shop.

The fact that the panel has never had trials and are handpicked by the selectors in the intervening years is unbelievable. The mentors who call the shots are involved with their club teams so they never get to view other games independently.
I again reiterate the fact that Laois had only three subs last Saturday a week or two out from their important end of season tournament. Is their any other development panel in the country managed in this way. I believe that one chap playing corner forward is a back and has been playing in that position since he was small. No surprise when I heard he was from one of the selectors club.

Ditto with this years u16 team

We had 2/3 lads who we thought might be worthy of consideration,only to be told that it was a closed shop also,there's been no trials for this group also since u14.

Unbelievable carry on

Also the 2 u15 teams were cut to 1 this year.

I've seen Ye hurl on numerous occasions over the last few years and I'd question who these 2/3 lads are. To say the standard is low would be an understatement. Huge numbers of players unable to perform even the most basic skills. I didn't see any potential county players.  In fairness, maybe those lads weren't playing on any of those nights. I'm still struggling to believe that one of the mentors actually told you it's a closed shop.

What is really amazing is that 4or 5 of the Kilkenny team that Laois beat at u14 we're playing in the minor final last Sunday.

Regardless of whether lads are good enough from my club or yours for that matter

The bottom line is that this years u16 team was a closed shop and has been since those lads were u14


It mightn't suit you to hear it but that's the reality

It really doesn't matter what suits me. I'm not involved in any way other than I have a couple of nephews around this age grade. I'm still struggling with the notion that any set of mentors would close the shop at 14 and not be open to bringing in anyone who sticks their hand up.

You can struggle all you want,but that's the reality and it's been said to you by a good few posters at this stage,you need to get a bit more clued into what's going on with underage hurling development in the county.

[clonadmad]

Who actually told you it was a closed shop??

U15 management only have two mentors involved. The previous years management couldn't commit for various reasons. Hard for them to carry two panels when only two people willing to help out.

Outrageous name being thrown around as minor hurling coach. Anyone else hear anything. Thankfully it ain't muldooley!!!

Why did they go through the pretense of running 3 Saturday's of u15 trials then back in March if they they knew they were only going to have 1 u15 team.

Why wasn't that said to everyone before the trials began?