Galway hurling moving lock, stock and barrel into Leinster!

[johnneycool]

I see the Leinster counties have voted to not allow Galway U-21's and minors to compete in the Leinster.

TBH I'd have thought that would have been something to go through congress as it would have serious implications for the AI structures in both competitions.

[Asal Mor]

I was hoping it would go through, but I'm not sure about the notion that our brightest talents are being ruined by too many soft underage titles. There are and always were a litany of excuses with Galway hurling, but the move into Leinster leveled the playing field and we haven't been good enough.

We'd probably want to focus on internal things first. We were knocked out of the championship in early July(I think) but our club championships didn't resume until late September.

It's understandable that the Leinster counties voted against it. Getting to the Leinster final at minor and a guaranteed quarter-final is important from their point of view for developing their youngsters, and Galway entering would make that more difficult.

[johnneycool]

I was hoping it would go through, but I'm not sure about the notion that our brightest talents are being ruined by too many soft underage titles. There are and always were a litany of excuses with Galway hurling, but the move into Leinster leveled the playing field and we haven't been good enough.

We'd probably want to focus on internal things first. We were knocked out of the championship in early July(I think) but our club championships didn't resume until late September.

It's understandable that the Leinster counties voted against it. Getting to the Leinster final at minor and a guaranteed quarter-final is important from their point of view for developing their youngsters, and Galway entering would make that more difficult.

But that's the thing, with Galway in Leinster, would Mayo and Roscommon play off for the Connacht title and be parachuted in at quarter final stage?

In my mind Galway joining Leinster would have meant a rethink on where the Ulster champions come into the equation as well as it couldn't still be the quarterfinals at minor and semi-finals at U-21.

This decision is more than just a Leinster decision.

[Asal Mor]

You're right johnney, it would have affected the Ulster teams, but I didn't think Galway played Mayo or Ros at any level in hurling anymore(could be wrong, I'm a long way from home and only following things online).

The draw had already been made for next year's underage championships in Leinster without Galway so not sure how they'd have worked it if it was a yes vote. It would have meant a total re-structure of the minor quarters and the U-21 semis.

[manfromdelmonte]

Considering some counties in Leinster cannot get into their own A minor and Under 21 competitions then they were never going to allow Galway to be parachuted in

[Asal Mor]

And for counties like Laois , Offaly and Wexford it would've been Turkeys voting for Christmas. With the strength of Kilkenny, and Dublin and Galway at underage it would be very difficult for them to come out of Leinster.

[Farrandeelin]

Apologies or going off on a tangent with this thread, but could somebody please tell me what in almighty God's name is going on with the Galway SHC? Turloughmore are objecting to what exactly??

[Asal Mor]

I won't pretend to understand it, but it seems bizarre that so many lads head over every summer from all over Ireland to play in the states and then once in a blue moon someone gets punished for not doing the administrative side of it properly.

It seems Turlough don't have a leg to stand on though, as the player transferred  instead of getting the traditional "sanction".

[cicfada]

The Leinster council ar happy enough to make money out of galways matches though, all of tgem being in leinster of course. Galway should pull out of leinster altogether so it might force the issue. It's also a myth that Galway are a powerhouse at underage. Winning titles after two matches hardly entitles you to that status, I would have thought. Will be interesting what the gaa hq have to say about the leinster councils decision. As for the Galway championship, it's turned into a farce with portumna waiting in the final now for the last 3 weeks with the quarter final on the other side yet to be decided. No leadership at all from the co board with the full time secretary deafening by his silence. Then again certain members of the board were apparently the ones who advised turloughmore, that all was in order in the first place. On a lighter side, my home club are in the replay of the co intermediate final on Saturday . Please God they will finish it off this time having been hauled back in injury time last Sunday. While I may be treasurer of my club here in cork, I will be among the hordes invading Dugan park should our lads win on sat. Can't wait for it!!

[Asal Mor]

Best of luck to ye cicfada.

It seems the underage well is drying up now with no title in the last 3 years anyway.

[johnneycool]

The Leinster council ar happy enough to make money out of galways matches though, all of tgem being in leinster of course. Galway should pull out of leinster altogether so it might force the issue. It's also a myth that Galway are a powerhouse at underage. Winning titles after two matches hardly entitles you to that status, I would have thought. Will be interesting what the gaa hq have to say about the leinster councils decision. As for the Galway championship, it's turned into a farce with portumna waiting in the final now for the last 3 weeks with the quarter final on the other side yet to be decided. No leadership at all from the co board with the full time secretary deafening by his silence. Then again certain members of the board were apparently the ones who advised turloughmore, that all was in order in the first place. On a lighter side, my home club are in the replay of the co intermediate final on Saturday . Please God they will finish it off this time having been hauled back in injury time last Sunday. While I may be treasurer of my club here in cork, I will be among the hordes invading Dugan park should our lads win on sat. Can't wait for it!!

I hope you didn't pick up any fancy accounting skills in your time up North?

[cicfada]

You'd want to acquire few tricks to be a modern day treasurer of a gaa club I can tell ya😄😄. My own club in Galway Ahascragh- Fohenagh were beaten in the co final on Saturday. I was worried about this match before it as I had seen the body language of both teams after the drawn match and it was clear that the cappataggle lads were delighted to have a second chance. They scored 12 points to our lads 1 in the second half to win it easily . Our lads had a great start, leading by 1-04 to 0-01 but we're only leading by 3 at the half and the rest is history. The a/f team is relatively young still so they could still do it in the future. Another huge crowd at the match, easily 3000 people which is impressive, maybe hurling fans in Galway are so desperate to see a hurling match that they turned out in numbers on Saturday. Desperate to see a match because there is no SENIOR HURLING on at the moment there, but of course "sin scéal eile"!!

[seafoid]

I found a Tribune article from 2011 by John McIntyre, the previous manager

Did the pressure get to Galway again? Can they not cope with high expectations? Do they have a suspect temperament? Why are they so frustratingly inconsistent? These are all questions which have been asked so regularly over the last 20 years and still, it seems, we re no nearer any solutions.But perhaps the biggest elephant in the room is that Galway are not cutting it in the really high stakes matches and that successive teams are overhyped due to the county's impressive record at under age level and in the all Ireland club series.
I can't explain what went wrong last Sunday. there are no excuses.It was set up for a big Galway performance but it didn't come. It's a real head scratcher. Our preparations were the same for the Waterford match as they had been for the matches against Clare abd Cork, but it was like watching 2 different teams. to be honest, I'm shaken by it all and utterly demoralised by a dreadful conclusion to our championship campaign.


Lynshkey on the same theme

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/vincent-hogan/vincent-hogan-have-galway-become-a-soft-touch-26743621.html

Galway win an All-Ireland minor and, all of a sudden, these lads' heads become as big as buckets," says Lynskey. "They're on Galway Bay FM, they're down in Supermacs, they're opening up this, opening up that, signing jerseys. There's too much made of them.  "We're making superstars out of middling hurlers in Galway, blowing up bad hurlers as good.
"And they end up putting on the jersey as if they're entitled to it. They're not entitled to it."

And Conor Hayes

"What we built up in '05, just all drifted away again," says Hayes. "They couldn't be spoken to. They knew it all, had everything sussed. They were the next Kilkenny. The next Cork. The attitude was, 'Yeah, this is it. We've made it!'  "As if winning an All-Ireland was inevitable.  "One of the issues I had with Galway was: I found them to be very much a bunch of individuals. And, when you're losing, the individual goes to mind himself and nobody else. "When you got them all going together, they were capable of brilliance.   "But I found it difficult to instil a team ethic into them. I'll be shot for saying this, but some of these lads' biggest worry with 10 minutes to go seemed to be whose jersey they'd bring home. "I know it'll be fired back at me that I'm talking s***e, only trying to cover up the fact that I didn't get it out of them myself.
"But that's what I found. When backs are to the wall, they don't come out fighting. They remain against the wall. They capitulate too easily."


Thurles 06 epitomised that.

I don't think moving the underage into Leinster would solve anything.
The problem is the transition from underage to senior.

[manfromdelmonte]

they'd be better off staying out of Leinster at this stage if you ask me and building up a bit of a siege mentality against all the other big counties.
they might even get a home game or two

[muppet]

And for counties like Laois , Offaly and Wexford it would've been Turkeys voting for Christmas. With the strength of Kilkenny, and Dublin and Galway at underage it would be very difficult for them to come out of Leinster.

The GAA must be one of the few organisations that would give the turkeys a vote regarding Christmas.