Messages

What's also looming in the background and I've yet to see anyone refer to it, is not just the impact of positive tests now - but there is potential here for clubs to abuse this when it gets to relegation stages. I don't know if anyone would really be prepared to take that step due to the impact on their personal situation (self-isolate), but I hope if a positive test is reported (and please God there's few/none), they need to show absolute proof that there was a positive test result recorded, before 1 or more championships are deemed null and void due to clubs involved having to step down.

Slieve Blooms future has been taken away with those transfers, over a jersey? How it was let happen is a disgrace. Realistically no player in Laois should be granted a transfer to another club inside the county, particularly a lad from a junior/small club to a senior club, bar its something like a lad moving from clonaslee to graiguecullen other than that its a small enough county, lads from every club regardless of grade should be given an oppurtunity to hurl or kick senior.

Regarding mass amalgamations at underage i feel every club should make an effort to try go solo for as long as possible even if it means playing B, Rosenallis are a prime example of this and you can see the benefits of it now for them. And even if some smaller clubs feel the need to go together they should try go with a club of simular size, surely better for kilcavan and the rock playing football together than sending young lads into mountmellick as it for mountmellick too, same with Ballinakill going with Ballypickas in hurling rather than taking lads into Abbeyleix or The Harps who have numbers on their own

All you have to do is look over the ditches where galmoy/windgap is the only underage amalgamation in Kilkenny, Ballyhale play at C level sometimes if they have to, meanwhile in Offaly you have Birr going in with two other clubs at some grades to make up teams.

I hear what you're saying @Ballyroan Abbey re. clubs of similar sizes going together, as opposed to "super clubs". However, especially at Juvenile level, for most parents, they are not going to travel unreasonable distances to play GAA, with a similar sized club, if there's a soccer pitch, or rugby pitch closer. If there's a neighboring GAA club, no matter how big the numbers, then that's the more practical option.

On the option of clubs like Clonaslee and Slieve Bloom going on their own at U13, which @clonadmad mentions, I don't believe that's an option either, like you said. Slieve Bloom have been cleaned out at juvenile by Castletown, who are the same parish, so it's difficult to see how they will recover. I believe Trumera are on their own at a few juvenile grades this year too and finding numbers though. For clubs like those mentioned, I think amalgamation is the realistic route to survival. For that to work, you really need to be looking at your neighboring clubs. Whatever about the options for Clonaslee, given their location, Slieve Bloom should be a strong candidate not just from their own perspective, but also from the perspective of other clubs in the vicinity - which includes Castletown, despite the recent difficulties between both clubs. If they end up going in with the likes of Ballyfin, Mountrath or whoever else on a full amalgamation, the parish rule that cleaned them out, might have the opposite effect with that "super club" and bolster numbers in that new arrangement.

The "super club" isn't a fad. Whether it be for the benefits it brings in terms playing numbers, resources ($$$), number of pitches etc. etc., IMO it makes a lot more sense to have players representing your area in a healthy "super club" and using your club grounds as part of that setup, when the alternative is watching your club slowly decline, while you wait for what?

I think the comment re. the GDAs is valid. They are an extremely valuable resource and we're very fortunate with the lads we have in place. However, I firmly believe they need a lot more support (administration, strategy and organisationally) and they need a lot more bodies.

Without trying to imply that we indoctrinate a certain type of hurling from juvenile, the GDAs I believe are the key to ensuring we provide a consistent level of coaching and development across all the schools and clubs in the county. When you look at the footprint they have to cover, in terms of number schools and clubs per GDA and then you add the amount of administration and strategic work (and self-improvement) they need to do on top of this, I think our numbers are unrealistic.

I'm not sure if there is a generic rule of thumb applied per county (# of GDAs), or if it's simply down to the resources within each county, or if the funding is distributed centrally - but invaluable IMO

Re. yesterdays result and the form this year, without being naive, the number of injuries and age profile of the panel has to be a considered. Dropping down to Div 2 voluntarily would be lunacy. You have to be competing at the highest level you can, otherwise, you adapt to those around you and your standards drop - maybe not on a yo-yo year where you go down and come up, but if you go down and don't bounce back, disillusionment can easily set in

Are all the gaels resolved now? who did Balinakill end up with in the end?

Agreed @redsetanta - we have a crop of good young hurlers, which through 1 reason or another are getting great experience. It's not easy to take those heavy defeats, but they've mainly come through intermittent periods in games where we have shipped a good few scores. On the flip side, there have been periods in those games where we have held our own and maybe should have capitalised more on possession.

May have been a little bit of naivety in our play at times, as previously mentioned, trying to match some of these teams man-for-man. If it clicks and it's a big "if" granted, but if it clicks and we're a bit more ruthless, it's not too late to make a statement and put Wex away as while I'm not so sure Davy will rest players (I suspect he'll start strong with a plan to swap players out early in second period), those players may have one eye on the QFs and may not be up for a battle.

Does the 1B relegated team still play off against the 2A winner? I thought that was changed, or maybe not in yet.

Offaly should win, which suits us obviously if we beat Wex and if we don't, then likelihood is we'll be propping up the table - whether on head-2-head or points (?) Known Davy's form he will continue to keep current crop of players on high intensity and therefore not rest many if any, despite QF. That means a major, major challenge on Sunday for Laois

Does anyone know if anyone is appealing their transfer

Conor Quinlan is the only one I know on the hurling side

Was that appeal this evening? Did anyone hear if it was sanctioned?