Hurling Championship

[Pull Hard Hes No Relation]

Realistically U21 is a better gauge of talent that will develop into senior hurlers than minor as the drop off from minor is shocking. Galway will be delighted to have won two u21s in the past three years as this is really a sign of talent available to step up into senior than minor. That is why if Dublin can retain the Leinster U21 next year they will really be going places and should have a solid foundation to build on for the future, if Pillar keeps his hands off the hurlers!

Kilkenny are on a crest of a wave at the minute and probably enjoying the richest vein of talent within their county ever but it can't last. They have great structures but they have also hit a "lucky" streak in having so many talented players at the one time - for a small county it is unlikely that this level of abaility can be sustained over the long term and that they will decline again in the next couple of years. Even when Shefflin returns from injury there is no guarantee he will be the same player and for me he is the driving force behind that Kilkenny team. Personally speaking they looked lost in the 2nd half upfront without Shefflin, I know some people will argue they had the game won and did what they had to do but when was that ever said about Kilkenny teams, they have always gone for the juglar just ask Offaly a couple of years ago! Great team no doubt but a mile ahead of the rest....don't think so, no more than a puck of the ball between them Cork and Waterford, Galway to join that group next year.

In relation to Cork, I'd say they will be delighted with their performance at U21 this year particularly given so many of the panel are available next year and it bodes well for future talent coming through to bolster what is still a very experienced and talented senior squad. Of the top three/ four Waterford are the ones with the most to worry as the lack of underage talent within the county has to be a worry to them in terms fo sustaining their current standing in the hurling hierarchy. McGrath, Shannahan, Browne, Flynn etc will all be the wrong side of 30 next year and there are no ready made replacements stepping into the breach - how would they have coped lsoing three of those guys for the match V Cork in the same way that Cork matched them in the Munster championship without Sean Og etc or how Kilkenny managed to win an All Ireland without Shefflin and Hickey.

Genuinely think that people are being very tough on Tipp here (some admission for a Cork fan!), don't think Tipp are as far off as people are saying. They had to field this year without Eoin and Paul Kelly, Paul Curran, Maher etc for long periods of the year and yet lost out to Waterford in a thriller in the NHL, were a puck of the ball away from the All Ireland semi final after having been ambushed by Wexford. No doubt in my mind that Tipp are a significantly better side than Wexford when at full strength and when the correct time is selcted - Kelly and Cummins starting. With their U21 team from last year and two All Ireland winning minor sides in a row the future looks bright for Tipp and I expect them to be challenging for honours next year particularly if they get their management team right.

The next tier of Limerick, Clare, Wexford is where Dublin and Offaly should be aiming to get to as Limerick showed this year that a team which is orgainsed properly, plays with passion and gets the breaks can have a great championship run. People might think I'm being harsh on Limerick but I geneuinely don't think they have the class of the top tier sides and their real test is next year to see can they replicate this years performance. Clare definitely a county in decline as are unfortunately Wexford and I expect Dublin to leapfrog both these sides in the next 2-3 yrs, Offaly will struggle due to the numbers game although their U21s give them some hope the reality is that they would need to produce this on a regular basis to get back to the glory days of the 90's.

[Leo]

As a football rather than a hurling followe I still can only admire the competitiveness of the Munster Chamionship. Overall our provinical set up is grossly lopsided and outdated and nor more reflects the demographics of this country but the Munster hurling scene is as it is and should be respected for that. So I would give the Muster champions straight passage to the AI semis.
Kilkenny are the daddys but in aa weaker and inferior province, so I would give the Leinster champs straight passage to a quarter final section made up iof 3 groups:
A

[tayto]

Agree with all of that Pull Hard Hes No Relation

[Mr. Gaelic]

Ah jesys lads, yous can't be serious! Dumping the Munster Hurling Championship would be like telling FIFA to get rid of the World Cup! Did you watch the hurling this year at all?  How many classic games were there in Munster this year?  Now, if you take away the Munster Championship and potentially land Cork with a run of games like Offaly, Wexford and Antrim before a potential quarter or semi-final, then what happens?  We don't get a decent game until the latter stages and even then there's no guarantee.

I believe that there's not a lot wrong with the current system.  It's not Kilkenny's fault that they're far too strong for Leinster and if you put them in an open draw and pull them out with Cork in the first round, you have a situation where the All-Ireland final is going to be a damp squib every year until the smaller counties catch up.  The fact that they aren't winning has little or nothing to do with the format of the Championship.

[tayto]

i dont agree with losing munster either.

A munster and a rest of ireland championship, as has been mooted before woul dbe the best way forward in my opinion.

[darbyo]

Ah jesys lads, yous can't be serious! Dumping the Munster Hurling Championship would be like telling FIFA to get rid of the World Cup! Did you watch the hurling this year at all?  How many classic games were there in Munster this year?  Now, if you take away the Munster Championship and potentially land Cork with a run of games like Offaly, Wexford and Antrim before a potential quarter or semi-final, then what happens?  We don't get a decent game until the latter stages and even then there's no guarantee.

i dont agree with losing munster either.

The competition 'The Munster Championship' should be gotten rid of yes but this won't mean that Munster championship matches will. All this bowing at the alter of the MC is rubbish and is holding the game back (as is the provincial system in football IMO). First off there was only one classic game in the MC this year Wat V Cork, I don't understand all this talk of Limerick V Tipp being a classic, thought all three games were of poor standard. But that is neither here nor there, the point is, if as you say "you take away the Munster Championship and potentially land Cork with a run of games like Offaly, Wexford and Antrim before a potential quarter or semi-final, then what happens?  We don't get a decent game until the latter stages and even then there's no guarantee" then Kilkenny must have to play the likes of Wat, Tipp and Limk. If it's an open draw type situation because of the small number of counties you're almost guaranteed a few all Munster clashes but the chance of a Clare V Galway or Wat V Kilk championship match in the 1st month of the season is increased. These games would have a novelty factor and because all teams should want to top their group for an easier QF/SF they should be competitive also. By the way I'm from Munster and attend at least 2/3 of all the MC games and their not all their cracked up to be. Just sporting occassions like all others.