Under age amalgamation

[El Jefe]

Port were certainly the better team and deserved the victory. They'd lost 5 finals v St Paul's over the last few years so they were due one. In saying that, it was St Paul's worst performance in a long time and as said above it certainly wasn't helped by the sideline. Some very poor and baffling decisions made.

[Helix]

This for both hurling and football or football only?

[Portbush]

This for both hurling and football or football only?

i started this post off because I wanted to know people's opinion on underage amalgamation.(  hurling football doesn't matter) do they work. I see it here in Laois and Offaly where you could have a number of teams together and they split when it comes to senior level.

[Ballyroan Abbey]

Reality is every club cant have the numbers for an underage team, so they go in wifh a neighbouring club, usually smaller clubs, i have noticed that a lot of people are complaining about small clubs and why cant they just join up, well you actually end up losing numbers after a few years be it from lads not able to accept not being on a first team or clashes of personality, etc. Even in my own club while thing have improved in the last few years there are still people who would rather ballyroan were on their own as an intermediate team, than have abbeyleix lads and the abbey on the name

[town1980]

Well them lads are no good for your club in my mind with yere amalgamation yee could be a junior team,,, yee played some great football this year I felt with the help of abbeyleix and a lot of them ,,,the lads that think that in your club are probably the older generation men not the new breed of people yee av doing good work at all them young leveks

[Helix]

I echo what Ballyroan regarding numbers. I find unless you're joined at an adult grade the underage amalgamation keeping players will be a challenge as being split in adult grade from being as 1 bunch from juveniles onwards. Underage amalgamations fill a void for small clubs to have a lads playing hurling regularly. In my own club we are joined from 14's onwards but sadly this year unable to field at minor and u21 due to poor numbers which is frustrating. Amalgamation has it pros if used properly it can allow for competing at higher grade and exposure to higher standard of hurling. In Laois (and i'm sure around most parts of the country) division 1 and division 2 are very significant gap in terms of quality. Amalgamations allow more of a chance to exposure to the higher level and enhance player quality when it comes to adult grade.

The problem with amalgamating at adult is you have a small minority who would rather stay in the doldrums and reflect on how great a club was 40-50 years ago than join with a rival club to enhance hurling at a higher level for current players. Take in Offaly this year for example Clodiagh Gaels, 2 neighbouring clubs Killurin and Killeagh won an intermediate hurling title following joining together only recently (2015). A strong underage amalgamation is present and won a minor A competition and have a decent crop coming through. Having an outlet to hurl at higher level increases motivation for players rather than fluting around.
Speaking from a frustrated player point of view that politics is holding back amalgamations and ever reaching a higher standard of hurling in the county, especially so small. Underage ones fill a void for players to play but if there's no ambition at adult, you're wasting your time.

[SCFC]

Clodiagh Gaels were only going back together. Killurin split from Killeigh years ago over a non GAA matter.
They have a fine crop of players but won't threaten the senior. 

[Helix]

Clodiagh Gaels were only going back together. Killurin split from Killeigh years ago over a non GAA matter.
They have a fine crop of players but won't threaten the senior. 

Thanks for the clear up with the split years ago. At least they've a chance to mix it senior in Offaly. There was lads on Midlands 103 after they won final this year near 40 on that team this year all with an aim all career to play senior hurling. Agree they probably wont threaten at senior. They have that chance now at least. How long they'll get it of course depends.

[Helix]

Heard that so-called 'wind up' a few months back with Clonad pulling away from Park Ratheniska and going to St Fintans raheen has now been passed from 2017 onwards.

[Keyser Söze]

Heard that so-called 'wind up' a few months back with Clonad pulling away from Park Ratheniska and going to St Fintans raheen has now been passed from 2017 onwards.

Speaking for myself only, the "wind up" aspect was that Raheen were going to hurl with Clonad and wear Clonad jerseys at all grades etc etc (as highlighted below). I still cannot see this part of it happening, even if the join up part is true!!

Colt and Shanahoe to join up with ourselves.

Talks at a very advanced stage with u8's up to u21's hurling in the Jersey,being trained in Clonad and with the  club also supplying the mentors across all the age groups,a great boost for the club and also for hurling in the county.

[Don Draper]

Speaking for myself only, the "wind up" aspect was that Raheen were going to hurl with Clonad and wear Clonad jerseys at all grades etc etc (as highlighted below). I still cannot see this part of it happening, even if the join up part is true!!

Would St Fintans be under pressure for numbers?

[Keyser Söze]

Perhaps at some age groups. They would be fine at minor next year for example but I do know that they have had Ballypickas with them at U12/14/16 this year (or at least some of those age groups)- offering a couple of players here and there.

Some very unusual Senior join ups being mooted. Ballinakill are rumoured to have a trick or two up their "Slieve"'s.

[Ballyroan Abbey]

Speaking for myself only, the "wind up" aspect was that Raheen were going to hurl with Clonad and wear Clonad jerseys at all grades etc etc (as highlighted below). I still cannot see this part of it happening, even if the join up part is true!!

Would St Fintans be under pressure for numbers?
[/quote

Perhaps at some age groups. They would be fine at minor next year for example but I do know that they have had Ballypickas with them at U12/14/16 this year (or at least some of those age groups)- offering a couple of players here and there.

Some very unusual Senior join ups being mooted. Ballinakill are rumoured to have a trick or two up their "Slieve"'s.

It says alot for the relations between some clubs in this county that ballinakill and slieve bloom would join, you would imagine that castletown could take slieve bloom for a gales team, as for ballinakill there is less than 2k between there pitch and ballypickas's, yet there appears to be no chance of reconcilliation between them. The Clonad and st fintains situation makes sense at least seeing as its the one parish. We had a situation where there was an u16 final between clonad/ratheniska/ballinakill vs st fintain/ballypickas, utter madness even the 2 arles's are together at underage

[Don Draper]

Strange times indeed. Credit to any Club, such as Rosenallis, who try and go their own way at underage these days. Hard to know what to make of some of these amalgamations.

[Helix]

The Ballinakill Slieve bloom rumour thing is surely to have Ben Conroy hurling senior club level in championship to possibly help them win a senior before the core bunch gets older in Ballinakill..

Speaking for myself only, the "wind up" aspect was that Raheen were going to hurl with Clonad and wear Clonad jerseys at all grades etc etc (as highlighted below). I still cannot see this part of it happening, even if the join up part is true!! [/quote]

The jersey thing will sort itself in time. Possibly rejig the gaels jersey. Time will tell. Aim I suppose this gaels would try hurl in A competition all the way from 10s to minor and 21s. Should have been done years ago.