Ulster U20 and Minor Championships 2024

[Wildweasel74]

They got about 32 senior teams in a 1a and 1b league  but only 1a qualify for senior championship  as you limit 16. So, they got a massive pick.

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

I'm not saying that those factors aren't true. I'm just wondering why they aren't presenting themselves as clearly at minor level as they are at senior.

For example, I imagine their pick at minor level is completely enormous in comparison to the other Leinster counties.

[imtommygunn]

It's an interesting point. Senior clubs having very professional setups helps and the standard of the Dublin championship helps. A great team that they just need to drip feed a few players into year on year helps. A manager like gavin helps. The demise of Meath and Kildare has helped though I think they have expedited and compounded it. There are boys currently playing that they won't be able to replace but there's a few years in them yet. Leinster teams have got themselves to such a low ebb I imagine they will dominate it for a long while.

I honestly think Tyrone don't have the right senior setup in place and should challenging for the ai.

[yellowcard]

It's an interesting point. Senior clubs having very professional setups helps and the standard of the Dublin championship helps. A great team that they just need to drip feed a few players into year on year helps. A manager like gavin helps. The demise of Meath and Kildare has helped though I think they have expedited and compounded it. There are boys currently playing that they won't be able to replace but there's a few years in them yet. Leinster teams have got themselves to such a low ebb I imagine they will dominate it for a long while.

I honestly think Tyrone don't have the right senior setup in place and should challenging for the ai.

The problem the Tyrone management created for themselves was by winning the AI in their first season, massively overachieving and creating unrealistic expectations. They aren't a top 4 side any more and are well behind Kerry and Dublin.

[Truthsayer]

It's an interesting point. Senior clubs having very professional setups helps and the standard of the Dublin championship helps. A great team that they just need to drip feed a few players into year on year helps. A manager like gavin helps. The demise of Meath and Kildare has helped though I think they have expedited and compounded it. There are boys currently playing that they won't be able to replace but there's a few years in them yet. Leinster teams have got themselves to such a low ebb I imagine they will dominate it for a long while.

I honestly think Tyrone don't have the right senior setup in place and should challenging for the ai.

The problem the Tyrone management created for themselves was by winning the AI in their first season, massively overachieving and creating unrealistic expectations. They aren't a top 4 side any more and are well behind Kerry and Dublin.

Maybe true but what a great legacy! I'm sure Derry, Mayo, Galway supporters would love that problem!

[onefineday]

Why is it when their minor isn't bad?
How are the Dubs kicking on so much after 18?
I know lots of people point to the deck being stacked in their favour in terms of population, financially etc but I wonder why that isn't so evident at minor but completely explodes after it.

From recent experience of young lads I know in the Derry underage set-ups v Dublin underage set-ups, Dublin seems much more geared towards development of players for senior football as opposed to shorter term goals like winning what they see as developmental competition such as minor and u20 Leinster or all Irelands.
I don't like the approach myself as it ignores the inconvenient reality that the vast majority of underage intercounty players will never play senior - purely based on mathematics - and these competitions and games are likely to be the peak of many of their intercounty football careers.

[onefineday]

I'm not saying that those factors aren't true. I'm just wondering why they aren't presenting themselves as clearly at minor level as they are at senior.

For example, I imagine their pick at minor level is completely enormous in comparison to the other Leinster counties.

Absolutely spot on - the pick is enormous at underage - it's so big that to my mind they could easily field multiple underage teams who would be similar standard and competing for honours.
I actually think they definitely should be as it would create a better channel for player development and lead to less disenchantment from talented players who they just can't find spots for.
There's no doubt but that many gooduns slip through the net.

[trailer]

Tír Eoghain 8-16 (40)
Aontroim 0-7 (7)

Brutal from Antrim. What a let down the county board has been to GAA in the county. With the size of the population it is a outright disgrace that the CB would put such a team out. They must be doing zero work at club and schools underage level. I don't blame the players at all, in fact to pull on the jersey and go out and represent their county they are a credit to themselves. 
Having McEntee and others up managing the senior team while ignoring underage is f**king pointless. The CB and Northern Switchgear would be better off taking £100k out on to the Falls road and setting it on fire. If I was an Antrim man I'd be calling for heads.

Utterly pathetic.

[Milltown Row2]

Its as bad as Tyrone Hurling

[trailer]

Its as bad as Tyrone Hurling

Antrim Hurling is a joke as well ffs. When Antrim hurling is comparable to Tyrone football and the work that is put in is in any way similar you might have room to make a snide remark. If I was from Antrim I'd be pissed. What an embarrassment.

[Milltown Row2]

Its as bad as Tyrone Hurling

Antrim Hurling is a joke as well ffs. When Antrim hurling is comparable to Tyrone football and the work that is put in is in any way similar you might have room to make a snide remark. If I was from Antrim I'd be pissed. What an embarrassment.

Our club teams would put 40 past your county team, proper joke and embarrassment to the county board and Ireland in general 

[Armagh18]

Tír Eoghain 8-16 (40)
Aontroim 0-7 (7)

Brutal from Antrim. What a let down the county board has been to GAA in the county. With the size of the population it is a outright disgrace that the CB would put such a team out. They must be doing zero work at club and schools underage level. I don't blame the players at all, in fact to pull on the jersey and go out and represent their county they are a credit to themselves. 
Having McEntee and others up managing the senior team while ignoring underage is f**king pointless. The CB and Northern Switchgear would be better off taking £100k out on to the Falls road and setting it on fire. If I was an Antrim man I'd be calling for heads.

Utterly pathetic. 

You'd feel sorry for the Antrim footballers there surely. Should be competitive given the pick they would have. I know our underage record is nothing to boast about but there is a pile of work being done in the background to improve it.

As much as I hate to say it the Tyronies are a credit with the work being done at underage and at school level (hopefully that doesn't translate to seniors or the rest of us are in bother)

[Ed Ricketts]

I'm not saying that those factors aren't true. I'm just wondering why they aren't presenting themselves as clearly at minor level as they are at senior.

For example, I imagine their pick at minor level is completely enormous in comparison to the other Leinster counties.

You'd imagine there are cumulative effects at play.

At underage grades, they're only rolling with two or three years of advantage at any particular time. Perhaps natural variation in other counties is enough to overcome those advantages more often than not.

But at senior level, they enjoy the cumulative effect of 12-15 years of advantage. This seems to have eliminated the possibility of any other county gaining the upper hand through natural variation.

[yellowcard]

Tír Eoghain 8-16 (40)
Aontroim 0-7 (7)

That scoreline reads like an Under 14 club match and it just shouldn't be possible at intercounty U-20 level no matter how good Tyrone may be at that level. It should provide a wake up call for Antrim football and pumping money into a management team at senior level in order to provide a short term sticking plaster will not provide lasting solutions.   

[bannside]

That's far too wide a statement Yellowcard. Whatever happens at under age, the only team that's properly in the shop window is the senior team.

An alterior argument might be to put resources into a senior team that might just lift the profile and that had to start by getting out if Div 4. Now Div 3, that new target is Div 2, albeit that won't be this year.

While we don't expect to win a provincial minor cship or under 20, we still do need to be pulling three or four players per year from these squads to filter into senior level.

Imo it's at club under 8 level this needs to start. And there's a lot of clubs starting to get their act together now that it's safe to say we're not doing as much a decade ago.

I don't forsee much success in the next few years,but I'm not totally despondent about the future.