Is the earlier Championship a success or failure?

[thewobbler]

Seafoid your point about too many matches would hold more weight if there was some way to stop players being flogged to death by coaches when they don't have matches.

My club starting training last November for a D2 club league starting in April.

GAA players and managers are pretty much to a man all fucken mad in the head. Honestly I wouldn't be worried about their welfare. They thrive on pushing themselves to places they don't need to go.

[seafoid]

Seafoid your point about too many matches would hold more weight if there was some way to stop players being flogged to death by coaches when they don't have matches.

My club starting training last November for a D2 club league starting in April.

GAA players and managers are pretty much to a man all fucken mad in the head. Honestly I wouldn't be worried about their welfare. They thrive on pushing themselves to places they don't need to go.

This is very good


https://westernpeople.ie/2022/09/10/gaa-must-remain-strong-on-the-split-season/
Another major difference in club football is the physical shape that club players are in now in comparison to 20 years ago. I'm not sure if players are more skilful today than yore but they are definitely stronger, faster and more athletic. Every young man now who is playing adult football has square shoulders, a broad back and big legs. The days of having the odd pot-bellied, paunchy corner-back is a thing of the past. Don't get me wrong, players at the highest level of club football in every generation were supremely fit but training in times gone by was based on lots of running and little scientific strength work. When I started playing senior football we ran a lot and were lean and wiry but serious club players now are much more gym-hewn and conditioned to the needs of modern-day GAA.

Just looking at the programmes from the different games over the weekend and it was noticeable how many teams have an S&C coach named in their extensive backroom teams. Once upon time if a team had a "trainer" or "coach" listed in their ranks they were considered avant-garde but in today's setups those roles are an absolute given. Most clubs nationwide now also have modern, well kitted out gyms on their grounds so there is little excuse for players not to be in tip-top shape. Young men nowadays are also much more aware of good practice in health, fitness and nutrition having access to a wealth of top-quality information via social media on smart phones.
Maybe it's because I am getting older, but I find that you need to be fitter for club football now than in the past. There is more high-speed movement due to each player's increased athleticism. Even as a corner-forward, I have noticed that I am doing much more running, especially in a defensive sense, because nearly every opposition kick-out is going short to the corner-backs or wing-backs so there is much more tackling and tracking for us forwards.


From an attacking perspective, shorter kick-outs also mean slower build-up play as teams carry the ball methodically through the lines, maintaining possession and trying to create an overlap or punch holes in their opponent's rearguards with hard runners from deep. Very few kickouts are kicked long any more but God be with the days when the goalie would drive his kickout to midfield and a few big men would fight to catch it cleanly or a few groundhogs would wrestle for the breaks before launching a long, direct kick pass into the full-forward line.

[Rossfan]

There's always Junior B

[Franko]

The big difference between the current split season and the previous arrangements relates to the number of matches that  every team plays

For the split season what counts is what has changed.

For the Sam Maguire and Tailteann there are now 4 round robin groups of 4 . Each group generates 6 matches. 3(matches per team)*4(number of teams)/2(teams per match) is the formula.
The total for "obligatory" matches is 6 (games)*4(groups) *2(competitions) = 48

For club there are lots of variations but say that 2 round robin groups of 8 replace the "Tyrone system" of 16 sudden death.
1 round robin group of 8 generates 7 (matches per team)*8 (number of teams)/2 (teams per match) =28 matches. Multiply by 2 = 56

The core group effected is the "county players" who are club stars and play with the  county. Every county is impacted because of the Tailteann.
Clifford is  one of them. He won a club all Ireland with Fossa in Jan and played in the final versus Dublin. He is probably back playing club.
He may be the best thing since sliced bread but he is playing too many matches. So are the rest of them.

The ESRI report focused on player welfare. The GAA got hooked.

I don't object to the concept of the split season if the hurling season is released from the orbit of football . But I would like the club and county systems to be sustainable.

Agreed

Whilst the straight knockout format is a little harsh (I'd prefer a 'back door' style arrangement where all teams get a second go at things), the recent f**king obsession with round robin style competitions needs to stop.

The GAA's biggest issue is that there aren't enough weeks in the year - but they've only themselves to blame because every competition in the country (barring the Tyrone SFC it seems) needs 50 games to be played before a team is knocked out.

Cut out this shite, organise the championships with 2nd chance back door format and everyone goes home happy

Also, with regard to your point about Clifford - if we have to disadvantage the best to facilitate the masses, that's a price worth paying in the grand scheme of things

[From the Bunker]

Also, with regard to your point about Clifford - if we have to disadvantage the best to facilitate the masses, that's a price worth paying in the grand scheme of things

If Kerry want to involved Clifford in two County Championships (Fossa and East Kerry) every year - that's their business.
If Kerry want to enter skewed Intermediate and Junior Champions into the Munster and AI Club championship where they know they have a 80% chance of winning - that's there business also. But don't expect sympathy for player fatigue or burn-out from the rest of us.

[Aaron Boone]

Tyrone leading again. They just seem to be the forerunners in every aspect.

[Milltown Row2]

Tyrone leading again. They just seem to be forerunners in every aspect very poor in the Ulster club championship

Fixed that

[Rossfan]

That's what happens when your main aim is to have teams play as few games as possible with half the teams only getting 1 game.

[seafoid]

Tipperary are the same in the hurling. The focus  is the county team.
The usual profile of a successful club team is the background of a county not currently at the top table eg Corofin's 3 in a row, St Brigids

[trueblue1234]

That's what happens when your main aim is to have teams play as few games as possible with half the teams only getting 1 game.

Clubs have a league. Championship should be knockout or at best 1 back door. Why would the main aim of the championship be to have a league format. 

[Rossfan]

You're entitled to your opinion but the majority of Counties favour a group system followed by the best teams playing a knocknout closing stages.
Gives every team a chance of priming/improving before the hell for leather starts. Then the knockout fetishists can have their pleasure.
Also means a team just up from Inter gets 3 Senior Championship games.
Club Leagues are grand for a bit of exercise but with County lads not involved and player availability issues they don't count for a lot in the greater scheme of things.

The obsession of playing as few games as possible always amazes/amuses me, usually we'll summed up in the phrase "running off" a competition.
If I was running a soccer club I'd be delighted of course.

[seafoid]

You're entitled to your opinion but the majority of Counties favour a group system followed by the best teams playing a knocknout closing stages.
Gives every team a chance of priming/improving before the hell for leather starts. Then the knockout fetishists can have their pleasure.
Also means a team just up from Inter gets 3 Senior Championship games.
Club Leagues are grand for a bit of exercise but with County lads not involved and player availability issues they don't count for a lot in the greater scheme of things.

The obsession of playing as few games as possible always amazes/amuses me, usually we'll summed up in the phrase "running off" a competition.
If I was running a soccer club I'd be delighted of course.

Hope is thinking something is worth working for. Optimism is thinking things will work out.
If County Boards genuinely want group stages and leagues and knockout , lets see how they feel after 5 years of injuries and burnout.

[NAG1]

You're entitled to your opinion but the majority of Counties favour a group system followed by the best teams playing a knocknout closing stages.
Gives every team a chance of priming/improving before the hell for leather starts. Then the knockout fetishists can have their pleasure.
Also means a team just up from Inter gets 3 Senior Championship games.
Club Leagues are grand for a bit of exercise but with County lads not involved and player availability issues they don't count for a lot in the greater scheme of things.

The obsession of playing as few games as possible always amazes/amuses me, usually we'll summed up in the phrase "running off" a competition.
If I was running a soccer club I'd be delighted of course.

Hope is thinking something is worth working for. Optimism is thinking things will work out.
If County Boards genuinely want group stages and leagues and knockout , lets see how they feel after 5 years of injuries and burnout.

I would say that any burn out that is occurring it more down to paid coaches trying to justify their presence by over training. Would like to see the training to game ratio.

Players want to play games.

[shark]

You're entitled to your opinion but the majority of Counties favour a group system followed by the best teams playing a knocknout closing stages.
Gives every team a chance of priming/improving before the hell for leather starts. Then the knockout fetishists can have their pleasure.
Also means a team just up from Inter gets 3 Senior Championship games.
Club Leagues are grand for a bit of exercise but with County lads not involved and player availability issues they don't count for a lot in the greater scheme of things.

The obsession of playing as few games as possible always amazes/amuses me, usually we'll summed up in the phrase "running off" a competition.
If I was running a soccer club I'd be delighted of course.

Hope is thinking something is worth working for. Optimism is thinking things will work out.
If County Boards genuinely want group stages and leagues and knockout , lets see how they feel after 5 years of injuries and burnout.

Players want group stages. Have you chatted to many? County boards do as they are instructed by clubs. More games is always the preferred option. If they don't have them they'll be training in its place.
These changes were driven by players , for players. Players love the changes. Let it be lads.

[Rossfan]

Well said Shark.
A player with a D1 Club in Ros would play a maximum of 18 games over 8 months from 1st March to end of October - 34 weekends.
11 League rounds, League Final, 3 Championship group games and 3 k.o. games up to Co Final.
A player with a D2/Inter Championship  team could have a minimum of 13 games over 27 weekends from 1/3 to we 2/3 Sept.
9 League rounds, 3 Championship group games and a play off game.

No one will be burnt out from Club games anyway.