GAA may have finally succeeded in killing off the railway cup!!

[jodyb]

I know there's mixed opinions on the interpros, personally I've always thought that they threw up some greatly enjoyable clashes. The annoucement that the semi finals are to take place in Dungarvan and Kiltoom, coupled and the timing, couldn't do more to highlight headquarter's disdain for the competition. I think its a shame that a competetion so popular among the players is not only being allowed to die, is being actively throttled by croke park.

From Hoganstand

'Interpro finals taken out of Croker
17 September 2008


The GAA have announced the dates and fixtures for the Interprovincial football and hurling championships, with the finals no longer set to take place in Croke Park.

The semi-finals in both competitions take place on Saturday 25 October with Fraher Field in Waterford hosting the Munster against Ulster games in both codes. Kiltoom in Roscommon is the venue as Connacht take on Leinster in both football and hurling.



The two finals will then be played as a double header under floodlights in Portlaoise seven days later on Saturday 1 November. Last year the two deciders returned to Croke Park for the first time in a number of years and with a high profile marketing campaign along with a reduced ticket price of Eu10, it was hoped that a big crowd would fill the stadium.

Even though the attendance of 10,127 was way up on finals in recent years, the fact that there were 72,000 empty spaces in the stadium is bound to have played some part on the decision to move the games to a provincial venue this year.

The timing of the games has also come into question, as they take place while the Irish International Rules squad is touring Australia. Martin Donnelly, who has sponsored the competition, has stated that such a clash can only weaken the tournament.

"It wouldn't make much sense playing it at the same time because you would be without many of the top footballers for a start," said Donnelly during the summer.

The fixtures in full are:

Saturday 25 October

GAA Interprovincial Hurling Championship semi-finals
Fraher Field 2.00pm Munster v Ulster
Kiltoom 3.30pm Connacht v Leinster

GAA Interprovincial Football Championship semi-finals
Fraher Field 3.30pm Munster v Ulster
Kiltoom 5.00pm Connacht v Leinster

Saturday 1 November

GAA Interprovincial Hurling Championship final
Portlaoise 6.00pm Munster/Ulster v Connacht/Leinster

GAA Interprovincial Football Championship final
Portlaoise 7.45pm Munster/Ulster v Connacht/Leinster

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Disgraceful, it looks like they're even trying to (fatally) aggravate the sponsor with the timing of it.

[ExiledGael]

Disgraceful decision, but it's in keeping with their recent thinking.
Absolute joke when put alongside the prioritising of the International Rules and how that is timed and marketed.

[Rossfan]

This whole Inter pro thing has been dead but wont lie down for the last 30+ plus years.
It doesnt matter where or when they play it as there is little public interest - as evidenced by only 10,000 turning up in Croke Park last year despite loads of free tickets and no International Rules games.
It was big in pre TV days when it was the only way people got to see  top players from outside their own Counties in action.
Anyway nobody really cares about Provincial teams or whether they win/lose/draw etc.. For example I certainly never saw a single supporter get worked up about a refereeing decision at an Inter Pro game and as for tackles or tough/rough play.....

[jodyb]

This whole Inter pro thing has been dead but wont lie down for the last 30+ plus years.
It doesnt matter where or when they play it as there is little public interest - as evidenced by only 10,000 turning up in Croke Park last year despite loads of free tickets and no International Rules games.It was big in pre TV days when it was the only way people got to see  top players from outside their own Counties in action.
Anyway nobody really cares about Provincial teams or whether they win/lose/draw etc.. For example I certainly never saw a single supporter get worked up about a refereeing decision at an Inter Pro game and as for tackles or tough/rough play.....

Yeah, played on a saturday night, virtually no publicity and no free tickets to my knowledge, other than those given to some ethnic minority groups to introduce them to the game.
Contrast that with the advertising campaigns around the compromise rules, which resulted in 70,000 coming out on wet sunday afternoon some years back.
A fraction of the publicity and the timing, afforded to that bastardised charade, that is now resulting in our young talent being poached, would surely result in better attendances at the interpros

[Pangurban]

They would be better killing it off rather than subject it to such an insulting, disrespectful end. A Calender highlight during its hey-day, and could have been again if promoted properly. Certainly more worthy of promotion than compromise rules

[Rossfan]

A fraction of the publicity and the timing, afforded to that bastardised charade, that is now resulting in our young talent being poached, would surely result in better attendances at the interpros

There WILL NOT be big attendances at the Inter Pros- their day is gone as a spectator sport.
As for your other point - the AFL will continue to seek out GAA players whether the Intl Rules continues or is ended.
Please live in the real world . 

[Bomber]

I don't understand why these don't get more attention as it is the best players in the country playing in them. Certainly no player should turn down the chance to play for their province if they are asked and I would hope noone would.

Although I would be in favour of taking them out of Croke Park for the time being at least as playing in a stadium nine tenths empty is doing it no good. A nice club/county ground with capacity of say 8000 would be what I would like to see and get it an all ticket sell out and have a cracker in front of a great atmosphere live on tv to get a bit of profile going again. Is Kiltoom and Fraher Field small county grounds? This could be ok but could they not be a bit more central say half way house?

Promoting it is a big thing too and more should be done in this regard. Advertising the International Rules helped get full houses but until the GAA are prepared to do the same for this competition then it is going nowhere.

When to fit it in is hard to know and really is the biggest problem there is with it as getting it at a time to suit all players really is impossible unless people are prepared to play in it despite having games for other teams around the same time.

[bennydorano]

I've yet to see a poor Railway Cup game, they are always pretty high quality, lacking intensity but more interesting to me than the International Rules.

There WILL NOT be big attendances at the Inter Pros- their day is gone as a spectator sport.
As for your other point - the AFL will continue to seek out GAA players whether the Intl Rules continues or is ended.
Please live in the real world . 

I think we should stop assisting the Aussies in pilfering talent.   Mickey Harte for President.

[full back]

that is now resulting in our young talent being poached

Dont know who you are talking about, but no one owns the players FFS


Disappointed that the Railway Cup is being played when so many top quality players will be missing.
If you were the sponsor you would tell the GAA to go & fcuk as soon as the Cup is presented

[Model Hammer]

God, I'd say there'll be a big crowd in Kiltoom anyway. They love their football in the Midlands. Then if Leinster get through I would expect a big crowd in Portlaoise.
We've been crying all year about small crowds in Croker and now they're taking the finals to Provinicial Grounds. Makes sense to me ...

As a Midland dweller myself I'd be a bit biased. But I'll certainly be hoping to attend both Kiltoom semis and both finals.

[The GAA]

I wonder what the teams will look like this year. International rules will probably deprive my own province of Paddy Bradley, Cavanagh, McGinley, Gormley, Clarke, McDonnell, McKeever, Coulter, Gordon, Freeman, ?

Is Ryan McCloskey playing soccer again? club championship may rule out more players~? Given that big joe is managing, the ulster team mightlook something like -

                   Hearty
McMenamin  McMahon  Mone
Jordan        O'Rourke   Kernan
          McGrane  Doherty
Dooher       Kernan      McMahon
Johnson      Muldoon    McCumiskey

[IolarCoisCuain]

I think its a shame that a competetion so popular among the players is not only being allowed to die, is being actively throttled by croke park.

I used to feel the way a lot of you boys feel about the Railway Cup but the penny dropped for me last year.

The competition isn't popular with players. At all. They made a big deal last year of playing it under lights at Croke Park and nobody showed. Players aren't interested in it. They mutter the usual platitudes but if you write out a team of whom you'd pick for your province and then look at who's missing when the teams line out that will tell its own story.

It's terrible but this the fact of the matter. The players really don't care, and the small crowds are a reflection of that. People don't want to be sold a pup.

[Doire abú]

Think I read today there are 44 training with the Ulster panel. Any names?

[time ticking away]

it should be thrown in the bin. After county it should be club not province