The future of laois hurling

[burdizzo]

If a team trying to make a breakthrough beats someone more established & finishes above them, you might have to beat them again a week later.
E.g. from this year would be Castletown & Borris Kilcotton.

Has anyone ever explained what the problem was with the previous open draw style system?

I assume the third and fourth would criss-cross with the other group, so they couldn't be playing the same team again a week later?

[Verbal]

If a team trying to make a breakthrough beats someone more established & finishes above them, you might have to beat them again a week later.
E.g. from this year would be Castletown & Borris Kilcotton.

Has anyone ever explained what the problem was with the previous open draw style system?

I assume the third and fourth would criss-cross with the other group, so they couldn't be playing the same team again a week later?

Yes, silly mistake from me.
Still,
If you finish 4th in a 4 team group, is it really a good thing to be given one last chance ?

[SpeculativeEffort]

A strong proposal was put to the county board on the night for a slight tweak to the 8 team championship.
Top team in each group straight thru to semi
2nd teams straight thru to Qf
3rd and 4th teams play each other in a preliminary Qf with winners obviously thru to Qf against 2nd placed teams.
Losers playing off in relegation final.
I think it's the best proposal. Teams will have 2 chances to avoid relegation if that's not enough the relevant teams deserves to go down.
Hope the county board considers it seriously.

Does this not virtually make the groups pointless as nobody is knocked out. Lose all 3 games and you still in it? Is a semi final (more than likely 6 weeks away) a good reward for topping group? You could be playing a team with 2 extra knock matches under their belt.

[Spiritof1915]

A strong proposal was put to the county board on the night for a slight tweak to the 8 team championship.
Top team in each group straight thru to semi
2nd teams straight thru to Qf
3rd and 4th teams play each other in a preliminary Qf with winners obviously thru to Qf against 2nd placed teams.
Losers playing off in relegation final.
I think it's the best proposal. Teams will have 2 chances to avoid relegation if that's not enough the relevant teams deserves to go down.
Hope the county board considers it seriously.

Does this not virtually make the groups pointless as nobody is knocked out. Lose all 3 games and you still in it? Is a semi final (more than likely 6 weeks away) a good reward for topping group? You could be playing a team with 2 extra knock matches under their belt.

I disagree.  If you finish in top 2,no risk of relegation and the confidence of performing well to date.
Finish 3rd or 4th, relegation or a chance to get back into the championship means hopefully do or die hurling. No dead rubbers as we've seen in last few years with
3rd round championship group games.
This structure will, in my opinion keep the championship hugely competitive from start to finish.

Did anyone really forsee B/K getting relegated this year.

i agree its a double chance for a team to avoid relegation but
If you bring in the 10 team and indeed the 12 team structure the possibility of bullshite dead rubbers increase.
Have we enough teams to support 10 and 12 at senior level and the knock effect of diluting the lower tiers.
There's no perfect solution to any championship structure.  Its an evolving process where teams come and go. I suggested a 10 team structure before, but in hindsight I think we just don't have enough teams to make it work. 

[Laois Rising]

For novelty I'd love to see the following system in place (obviously I know it will never pass in reality as a proposal).

8 senior teams play off with a first round do or die game (open draw as to who faces who). 4 teams progress to the next round with an open draw again. The two winning teams from these encounters proceed to play one another with the winner progressing to the final. The two losing teams then play off in a quarter final with the winner of that game facing the losing team of the two winning teams encounter in the semi-final.

The losing 8 teams play off in a senior B style competition as currently in use in the football championship.

What I like about this proposal is that it takes away the safety nets and the dead rubbers that the group games are currently throwing up. It also brings back cut-throat first round encounters that should add intensity and excitement to the championship. 

[Verbal]

Jaysus that would be a bit drastic!

[Smellyball]

For novelty I'd love to see the following system in place (obviously I know it will never pass in reality as a proposal).

8 senior teams play off with a first round do or die game (open draw as to who faces who). 4 teams progress to the next round with an open draw again. The two winning teams from these encounters proceed to play one another with the winner progressing to the final. The two losing teams then play off in a quarter final with the winner of that game facing the losing team of the two winning teams encounter in the semi-final.

The losing 8 teams play off in a senior B style competition as currently in use in the football championship.

What I like about this proposal is that it takes away the safety nets and the dead rubbers that the group games are currently throwing up. It also brings back cut-throat first round encounters that should add intensity and excitement to the championship. 

Shit proposal. Lose your first game and the year is effectively over.
Plus what's the point of playing a quarter final, followed by another game when the finalists are already decided....

[ottoman]

For novelty I'd love to see the following system in place (obviously I know it will never pass in reality as a proposal).

8 senior teams play off with a first round do or die game (open draw as to who faces who). 4 teams progress to the next round with an open draw again. The two winning teams from these encounters proceed to play one another with the winner progressing to the final. The two losing teams then play off in a quarter final with the winner of that game facing the losing team of the two winning teams encounter in the semi-final.

The losing 8 teams play off in a senior B style competition as currently in use in the football championship.

What I like about this proposal is that it takes away the safety nets and the dead rubbers that the group games are currently throwing up. It also brings back cut-throat first round encounters that should add intensity and excitement to the championship. 

I wouldn't fancy that at all. No1, you would find it very hard to get managers, players, selectors etc to properly commit for a year for potentially 1 game of hurling. Imagine C/B and Camross or the like drawing each other in the first round. You would have to play the rest of the hurling championship with comfortably 1 of the best 4 teams in the county not in it. We don't have near enough top sides as it is, never mind eliminating 1 of them at the first round!!

Systems like this worked at county level and within some county club systems back in the day, but with the level of training and commitment required these days. Players want to be rewarded with matches and plenty of them.

[Smellyball]

For novelty I'd love to see the following system in place (obviously I know it will never pass in reality as a proposal).

8 senior teams play off with a first round do or die game (open draw as to who faces who). 4 teams progress to the next round with an open draw again. The two winning teams from these encounters proceed to play one another with the winner progressing to the final. The two losing teams then play off in a quarter final with the winner of that game facing the losing team of the two winning teams encounter in the semi-final.

The losing 8 teams play off in a senior B style competition as currently in use in the football championship.

What I like about this proposal is that it takes away the safety nets and the dead rubbers that the group games are currently throwing up. It also brings back cut-throat first round encounters that should add intensity and excitement to the championship. 

Shit proposal. Lose your first game and the year is effectively over.
Plus what's the point of playing a quarter final, followed by another game when the finalists are already decided....

- The two winning teams from these encounters proceed to play one another with the winner progressing to the final. The two losing teams then play off in a quarter final with the winner of that game facing the losing team of the two winning teams encounter in the semi-final-
I went back and read this again to try understand it.... awful.
A team could potentially lose a semi final twice in the same competition.
Lol

[Spiritof1915]

Talking to a person in the know who tells me that the 8 team format will be abandoned from 2025. It will be a 10 or 12 team format to be decided by the ccc next week.

[Laois man]

I taught clubs were voting on it if it goes ahead or not.

[Spiritof1915]

Looks like 10 team format for senior championship from 2025 onwards. Vote this evening at County board meeting
U17 championships to stay the same for another 3 years.
Not sure what the story is with the format for rest of adult championships.

[Blow-in]

10 team SHC is a farce. We are doing well having 8 teams capable of playing senior hurling but definately not 8. Clubs who voted for just looking after their own patch

[Laois man]

But 16 football teams his OK?

[Robbo]

Camross champs in 2017. Quick change the format.
Champs again in 2023. Change again.
   


Why are clubs afraid of a cut throat champ? Abbeyleix went down then won a final and stormed through to a senior final with a young team.