Hastings Cup 2016 - Now back to normal

[larryin89]

IMO this competition is one of the best run/organised the GAA have, credit to the longford GAA for that and it's going from strength to strength each year. I like the current format something the NFL could copy to freshen up. Burnout issues are forever debatable it might help if club competitions were finished in the calender year and I can't speak for O Byrne cup,McKenna cup but the FBD contributes very little to the GAA season.

I agree and would go further that the FBD is actually pointless.  Scrap it would be my suggestion.

I was looking for you outside 8pm mass in Kilmovee, Larryin. What did you make of Fr. Vincent's bongo playing altogether?

You have me now syf but you'd be more likely to catch me in the four ways just below the church . Call in next time and I'll stand you a point , always GAA talk on the go.

[Westside]

A mickey mouse competition that should have been scrapped a long time ago that only contributes towards player burnout

The actual U21 Championship must be seen as fairly Mickey Mouse by Dublin supporters going by the support brought to their games.

Great little competition and the likes of Kerry and Galway entering shows how well respected it is nationally, it's a decent barometer for the Championship itself.

Far better to be winning u21 all irelands as often as we are then worrying about how many fans are there

Yes because that's what every player dreams of. Lifting an Ireland with dozens of his countymen cheering him on and sharing in the joy....

Cavan U21s don't train with the Seniors and only play Senior football once the U21 season has ended. So there's no added pressure. I assume you've never been to a game, I've seen Cavan duke it out with the Rossies and Longford in a few games and nobody would dare call it a challenge game. The county where Sam currently resides have joined the list of teams entering.. But sure what would they know I suppose.

The county that knows how to win u21 championships doesn't play in it  .

But by all means pray continue playing in it.

Yes sure what would a county like Galway know about winning underage titles.. And when was the last time Kerry won anything at underage, or Cavan or Roscommon..

Who knows we might get the funding that Dublin have at some stage and compete that way. Maybe they could fund a few buses for the Dublin supporters this year, the 100 or so that travel to the All Ireland Semi Finals and Finals look a bit lonely...

[INDIANA]

A mickey mouse competition that should have been scrapped a long time ago that only contributes towards player burnout

The actual U21 Championship must be seen as fairly Mickey Mouse by Dublin supporters going by the support brought to their games.

Great little competition and the likes of Kerry and Galway entering shows how well respected it is nationally, it's a decent barometer for the Championship itself.

Far better to be winning u21 all irelands as often as we are then worrying about how many fans are there

Yes because that's what every player dreams of. Lifting an Ireland with dozens of his countymen cheering him on and sharing in the joy....

Cavan U21s don't train with the Seniors and only play Senior football once the U21 season has ended. So there's no added pressure. I assume you've never been to a game, I've seen Cavan duke it out with the Rossies and Longford in a few games and nobody would dare call it a challenge game. The county where Sam currently resides have joined the list of teams entering.. But sure what would they know I suppose.

The county that knows how to win u21 championships doesn't play in it  .

But by all means pray continue playing in it.

Yes sure what would a county like Galway know about winning underage titles.. And when was the last time Kerry won anything at underage, or Cavan or Roscommon..

Who knows we might get the funding that Dublin have at some stage and compete that way. Maybe they could fund a few buses for the Dublin supporters this year, the 100 or so that travel to the All Ireland Semi Finals and Finals look a bit lonely...

Maybe they could use the funding to teach you how to play Gaelic Football properly. If you need any help give me a shout - I won't even charge you.

[Syferus]

A mickey mouse competition that should have been scrapped a long time ago that only contributes towards player burnout

The actual U21 Championship must be seen as fairly Mickey Mouse by Dublin supporters going by the support brought to their games.

Great little competition and the likes of Kerry and Galway entering shows how well respected it is nationally, it's a decent barometer for the Championship itself.

Far better to be winning u21 all irelands as often as we are then worrying about how many fans are there

Yes because that's what every player dreams of. Lifting an Ireland with dozens of his countymen cheering him on and sharing in the joy....

Cavan U21s don't train with the Seniors and only play Senior football once the U21 season has ended. So there's no added pressure. I assume you've never been to a game, I've seen Cavan duke it out with the Rossies and Longford in a few games and nobody would dare call it a challenge game. The county where Sam currently resides have joined the list of teams entering.. But sure what would they know I suppose.

The county that knows how to win u21 championships doesn't play in it  .

But by all means pray continue playing in it.

Yes sure what would a county like Galway know about winning underage titles.. And when was the last time Kerry won anything at underage, or Cavan or Roscommon..

Who knows we might get the funding that Dublin have at some stage and compete that way. Maybe they could fund a few buses for the Dublin supporters this year, the 100 or so that travel to the All Ireland Semi Finals and Finals look a bit lonely...

Maybe they could use the funding to teach you how to play Gaelic Football properly. If you need any help give me a shout - I won't even charge you.

It took some dodgy refereeing for Dublin to beat those so-called anti-footballers.

[mylestheslasher]

Indiana - leaving the silly slagging aside. I dont get your point on the Hastings cup contributing to burn out. Now if you made the case of  the U21 grade contributing as a whole I could understand that but the Hastings cup you will need to explain to me. For example, on the weekend of the 5th Cavan will play their first game. I've no doubt that Dublin or any other team not in the tournament will be training or maybe playing an in house game that same weekend. Can you elaborate on your point please?

[INDIANA]

Indiana - leaving the silly slagging aside. I dont get your point on the Hastings cup contributing to burn out. Now if you made the case of  the U21 grade contributing as a whole I could understand that but the Hastings cup you will need to explain to me. For example, on the weekend of the 5th Cavan will play their first game. I've no doubt that Dublin or any other team not in the tournament will be training or maybe playing an in house game that same weekend. Can you elaborate on your point please?

It's extra matches over-worked players don't need to play in. 90% of last year's Dublin u21 squad were playing Sigerson Football.

People don't seem to realise that these guys are serving a number of teams and you can't have any joined up thinking between them playing mickey mouse challenge matches for 2-3 different teams on poor pitches in poor weather conditions when every manager is insisting these games are crucial in a team's preparation.

Throw in exams, college course-work etc. You don't want to be travelling half the country every weekend with a bunch of tired players playing on heavy pitches in poor weather conditions  when they already have to serve their University during the week. that's a recipe for disaster in my view.

Dublin target specific weekends for challenge games which is very few in number and largely rely on in house games. Any game versus the likes of Vincent's, Ballymun senior football team will be the equal of any u21 team in the country. So we don't have to travel any distance for it.

I mean who actually remembers who wins the Hastings Cup at the end of the year? The way it's spoken about here by the Roscommon lads you'd swear it was the AI Championship. Coming from a Div 3 Team who can't win a Connacht Senior Championship I find that extraordinary.

u21 is on its last legs. Its actually an imposition for a lot of our u21 players because it denies them the chance to play in the NFL for the senior side. By the time April comes round its too late and they'll be waiting till next year to get a chance.

[mylestheslasher]

Indiana - leaving the silly slagging aside. I dont get your point on the Hastings cup contributing to burn out. Now if you made the case of  the U21 grade contributing as a whole I could understand that but the Hastings cup you will need to explain to me. For example, on the weekend of the 5th Cavan will play their first game. I've no doubt that Dublin or any other team not in the tournament will be training or maybe playing an in house game that same weekend. Can you elaborate on your point please?

It's extra matches over-worked players don't need to play in. 90% of last year's Dublin u21 squad were playing Sigerson Football.

People don't seem to realise that these guys are serving a number of teams and you can't have any joined up thinking between them playing mickey mouse challenge matches for 2-3 different teams on poor pitches in poor weather conditions when every manager is insisting these games are crucial in a team's preparation.

Throw in exams, college course-work etc. You don't want to be travelling half the country every weekend with a bunch of tired players playing on heavy pitches in poor weather conditions  when they already have to serve their University during the week. that's a recipe for disaster in my view.

Dublin target specific weekends for challenge games which is very few in number and largely rely on in house games. Any game versus the likes of Vincent's, Ballymun senior football team will be the equal of any u21 team in the country. So we don't have to travel any distance for it.

I mean who actually remembers who wins the Hastings Cup at the end of the year? The way it's spoken about here by the Roscommon lads you'd swear it was the AI Championship. Coming from a Div 3 Team who can't win a Connacht Senior Championship I find that extraordinary.

u21 is on its last legs. Its actually an imposition for a lot of our u21 players because it denies them the chance to play in the NFL for the senior side. By the time April comes round its too late and they'll be waiting till next year to get a chance.

Still don't follow. When Cavan play on the weekend on the 6th are you saying Dublin will be taking a break and doing nothing? Seems to me Cavan will be running around a field somewhere and Dublin will be doing the same somewhere else. Just because Cavan's game is part of a tournament it make no difference in terms of demands on young players. I hear all your points but to me they are more points against the U21 grade in general rather than the Hastings Cup in particular.

And no, no one really cares who wins the Hastings cup at the end of the year but it is interesting to compare the teams that have done well in it with the teams who do well in the provincial U21s.

[INDIANA]

Indiana - leaving the silly slagging aside. I dont get your point on the Hastings cup contributing to burn out. Now if you made the case of  the U21 grade contributing as a whole I could understand that but the Hastings cup you will need to explain to me. For example, on the weekend of the 5th Cavan will play their first game. I've no doubt that Dublin or any other team not in the tournament will be training or maybe playing an in house game that same weekend. Can you elaborate on your point please?

It's extra matches over-worked players don't need to play in. 90% of last year's Dublin u21 squad were playing Sigerson Football.

People don't seem to realise that these guys are serving a number of teams and you can't have any joined up thinking between them playing mickey mouse challenge matches for 2-3 different teams on poor pitches in poor weather conditions when every manager is insisting these games are crucial in a team's preparation.

Throw in exams, college course-work etc. You don't want to be travelling half the country every weekend with a bunch of tired players playing on heavy pitches in poor weather conditions  when they already have to serve their University during the week. that's a recipe for disaster in my view.

Dublin target specific weekends for challenge games which is very few in number and largely rely on in house games. Any game versus the likes of Vincent's, Ballymun senior football team will be the equal of any u21 team in the country. So we don't have to travel any distance for it.

I mean who actually remembers who wins the Hastings Cup at the end of the year? The way it's spoken about here by the Roscommon lads you'd swear it was the AI Championship. Coming from a Div 3 Team who can't win a Connacht Senior Championship I find that extraordinary.

u21 is on its last legs. Its actually an imposition for a lot of our u21 players because it denies them the chance to play in the NFL for the senior side. By the time April comes round its too late and they'll be waiting till next year to get a chance.

Still don't follow. When Cavan play on the weekend on the 6th are you saying Dublin will be taking a break and doing nothing? Seems to me Cavan will be running around a field somewhere and Dublin will be doing the same somewhere else. Just because Cavan's game is part of a tournament it make no difference in terms of demands on young players. I hear all your points but to me they are more points against the U21 grade in general rather than the Hastings Cup in particular.

And no, no one really cares who wins the Hastings cup at the end of the year but it is interesting to compare the teams that have done well in it with the teams who do well in the provincial U21s.

I'd say Dublin do less then 50% of the amount of collective training then others at this level.  Each to their own but it's a template that's working and it's nothing to do with funding either.

[manfromdelmonte]

An awful lot of county U21 players will not be on sigerson teams.

1 - they might not be in college
2 - their colleges have too many big names studying there
3 - they aren't good enough
4 - they opt out due to final year pressures or they are on fresher teams
5 - they develop later as players and so are not on the radar of their college

Plus most counties under 21 club championships do not involve very many games

[INDIANA]

An awful lot of county U21 players will not be on sigerson teams.

1 - they might not be in college
2 - their colleges have too many big names studying there
3 - they aren't good enough
4 - they opt out due to final year pressures or they are on fresher teams
5 - they develop later as players and so are not on the radar of their college

Plus most counties under 21 club championships do not involve very many games

In the modern game for the top 8-10 counties none of the above apply

[mylestheslasher]

Indiana - leaving the silly slagging aside. I dont get your point on the Hastings cup contributing to burn out. Now if you made the case of  the U21 grade contributing as a whole I could understand that but the Hastings cup you will need to explain to me. For example, on the weekend of the 5th Cavan will play their first game. I've no doubt that Dublin or any other team not in the tournament will be training or maybe playing an in house game that same weekend. Can you elaborate on your point please?

It's extra matches over-worked players don't need to play in. 90% of last year's Dublin u21 squad were playing Sigerson Football.

People don't seem to realise that these guys are serving a number of teams and you can't have any joined up thinking between them playing mickey mouse challenge matches for 2-3 different teams on poor pitches in poor weather conditions when every manager is insisting these games are crucial in a team's preparation.

Throw in exams, college course-work etc. You don't want to be travelling half the country every weekend with a bunch of tired players playing on heavy pitches in poor weather conditions  when they already have to serve their University during the week. that's a recipe for disaster in my view.

Dublin target specific weekends for challenge games which is very few in number and largely rely on in house games. Any game versus the likes of Vincent's, Ballymun senior football team will be the equal of any u21 team in the country. So we don't have to travel any distance for it.

I mean who actually remembers who wins the Hastings Cup at the end of the year? The way it's spoken about here by the Roscommon lads you'd swear it was the AI Championship. Coming from a Div 3 Team who can't win a Connacht Senior Championship I find that extraordinary.

u21 is on its last legs. Its actually an imposition for a lot of our u21 players because it denies them the chance to play in the NFL for the senior side. By the time April comes round its too late and they'll be waiting till next year to get a chance.

Still don't follow. When Cavan play on the weekend on the 6th are you saying Dublin will be taking a break and doing nothing? Seems to me Cavan will be running around a field somewhere and Dublin will be doing the same somewhere else. Just because Cavan's game is part of a tournament it make no difference in terms of demands on young players. I hear all your points but to me they are more points against the U21 grade in general rather than the Hastings Cup in particular.

And no, no one really cares who wins the Hastings cup at the end of the year but it is interesting to compare the teams that have done well in it with the teams who do well in the provincial U21s.

I'd say Dublin do less then 50% of the amount of collective training then others at this level.  Each to their own but it's a template that's working and it's nothing to do with funding either.

Fair enough but again not relevant to the claim you made about the Hastings cup, it applies to the wider U21 grade. Care to change your opinion in singling out this tournament as a cause of burnout?

[INDIANA]

Indiana - leaving the silly slagging aside. I dont get your point on the Hastings cup contributing to burn out. Now if you made the case of  the U21 grade contributing as a whole I could understand that but the Hastings cup you will need to explain to me. For example, on the weekend of the 5th Cavan will play their first game. I've no doubt that Dublin or any other team not in the tournament will be training or maybe playing an in house game that same weekend. Can you elaborate on your point please?

It's extra matches over-worked players don't need to play in. 90% of last year's Dublin u21 squad were playing Sigerson Football.

People don't seem to realise that these guys are serving a number of teams and you can't have any joined up thinking between them playing mickey mouse challenge matches for 2-3 different teams on poor pitches in poor weather conditions when every manager is insisting these games are crucial in a team's preparation.

Throw in exams, college course-work etc. You don't want to be travelling half the country every weekend with a bunch of tired players playing on heavy pitches in poor weather conditions  when they already have to serve their University during the week. that's a recipe for disaster in my view.

Dublin target specific weekends for challenge games which is very few in number and largely rely on in house games. Any game versus the likes of Vincent's, Ballymun senior football team will be the equal of any u21 team in the country. So we don't have to travel any distance for it.

I mean who actually remembers who wins the Hastings Cup at the end of the year? The way it's spoken about here by the Roscommon lads you'd swear it was the AI Championship. Coming from a Div 3 Team who can't win a Connacht Senior Championship I find that extraordinary.

u21 is on its last legs. Its actually an imposition for a lot of our u21 players because it denies them the chance to play in the NFL for the senior side. By the time April comes round its too late and they'll be waiting till next year to get a chance.

Still don't follow. When Cavan play on the weekend on the 6th are you saying Dublin will be taking a break and doing nothing? Seems to me Cavan will be running around a field somewhere and Dublin will be doing the same somewhere else. Just because Cavan's game is part of a tournament it make no difference in terms of demands on young players. I hear all your points but to me they are more points against the U21 grade in general rather than the Hastings Cup in particular.

And no, no one really cares who wins the Hastings cup at the end of the year but it is interesting to compare the teams that have done well in it with the teams who do well in the provincial U21s.

I'd say Dublin do less then 50% of the amount of collective training then others at this level.  Each to their own but it's a template that's working and it's nothing to do with funding either.

Fair enough but again not relevant to the claim you made about the Hastings cup, it applies to the wider U21 grade. Care to change your opinion in singling out this tournament as a cause of burnout?

No not at all. Its another waste of time competition that isn't required in the GAA calendar.

As I said by not playing in it we do 50% less collective training sessions and matches then other counties and we still win AI titles. And if we don't win the u21 AI it won't be because we didn't play in the Hastings Cup.

u21 is a stepping stone to senior level at best- creating unecessary competiitons like the Hastings Cup that contributes towards burn-out in young players is a complete no-no for me.

[Syferus]

The Hastings Cup is no less important than the Sigerson League, which is played during the time the actual Sigerson Cup should be played

Arbitrary attack on a group of tournaments when the real demon is a broken calendar.

[INDIANA]

The Hastings Cup is no less important than the Sigerson League, which is played during the time the actual Sigerson Cup should be played

Arbitrary attack on a group of tournaments when the real demon is a broken calendar.

Most of the county players don't play in the Sigerson League. A lot of them play in this. But the Sigerson League should also be scrapped and even Niall Moyna has said the same.

So in short I agree  both the Hastings Cup and the Sigerson Cup should be scrapped because there is no need for them when you're pulling from the same pool of players who are playing enough as it is

[Captain Obvious]

A mickey mouse competition.

Does the sucessful team win a trip to Disney land? for example Wicklow,Clare might only get one U-21 championship game surely a competition like this with three extra competitive games should help in their development for future senior players.

I'd say Dublin do less then 50% of the amount of collective training then others at this level.  Each to their own but it's a template that's working and it's nothing to do with funding either.

I doubt that. From one U-21 All Ireland to three in five years, i'd say a more focused effort and more money spent on this grade has delivered more success for Dublin.