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All Things Galway Hurling

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Replying To Stool Pigeon:  "I don't think it was the votes from Cork and Tipp that swayed the issue, it was the votes of those many counties utterly unaffected by the issue that made it happen. Classic congress manure. It only really affected Galway and Cork (to a lesser extent). The reason offered appeared to be 'fewer club games' as if this was somehow a good thing.

AFAIK as a result of the congress decision there can only be one up and one down from your top level after 2023 and you can't win your county title from outside the top tier. Below the top tier you're free to organise as you wish as long as you have a max of 16 teams in your top flight with only the Intermediate/Senior B winners going up each year.

16 Senior and Intermediate would obviously appear to be the way to go (as you say) ultimately but reaching that point won't be an easy circle to square.
Might be an idea to keep the top 12 from next year (no relegation to senior B), promote the three Senior B group winners and the Intermediate champions and work from there. That would give 16 teams to start off in 2023. The rest of it further down can be organised internally however we fancy it."
Next season are they just going to announce 16 senior teams and 16 intermediate teams, how will they get 8 teams down from senior next year ( i know no one has an answer yet but whats your thoughts)

CillTormoir (Galway) - Posts: 301 - 25/11/2021 11:37:52    2390744

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Replying To Stool Pigeon:  "I don't think it was the votes from Cork and Tipp that swayed the issue, it was the votes of those many counties utterly unaffected by the issue that made it happen. Classic congress manure. It only really affected Galway and Cork (to a lesser extent). The reason offered appeared to be 'fewer club games' as if this was somehow a good thing.

AFAIK as a result of the congress decision there can only be one up and one down from your top level after 2023 and you can't win your county title from outside the top tier. Below the top tier you're free to organise as you wish as long as you have a max of 16 teams in your top flight with only the Intermediate/Senior B winners going up each year.

16 Senior and Intermediate would obviously appear to be the way to go (as you say) ultimately but reaching that point won't be an easy circle to square.
Might be an idea to keep the top 12 from next year (no relegation to senior B), promote the three Senior B group winners and the Intermediate champions and work from there. That would give 16 teams to start off in 2023. The rest of it further down can be organised internally however we fancy it."
Very good points Stool Pigeon. Your idea for Senior B Group winners and Inter winners would stop any club from saying they didnt get a chance to stay Senior .

The 2nd teams at Inter and Jun A is an issue that will probably be swept under the carpet but i do think it would help alot. Remember there was issues this year with Clubs not being happy that the junior champ would be concluded before the Senior even started.

They did this in Football and it led to all the 2nd teams being stronger ( as the regrades didnt play senior champ) and they ended up having to play a playoff to see who represented Galway in Connacht.


If every Senior B club has a chance to stay Senior next year based on results they really cant complain. Same with Inter teams .

puckemhard (Galway) - Posts: 215 - 25/11/2021 11:58:12    2390751

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A lot of sense been talked here which in itself is quite refreshing.

As a salthill man and knocking on the door of intermediate I believe we would do fine in this grade as would ballygar and shehana/ MM. ButI would worry about other junior clubs though. Some would have some serious preparation to do but it could be there making. Junior clubs would have to think long and hard about excepting such an invite if it materialised to avoid becoming the whipping boys.

thecut (Galway) - Posts: 327 - 25/11/2021 12:09:48    2390759

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I think you are right MB and Bearna / Furbo from this years results might struggle and from the underage aswel compared to Skehana /MB and Salthill especialy , but to be fair MB have been strong over the last 8-10 years so i think they could be ok. I would think most Junior clubs currently wouldnt fear playing 1st teams such as Kilbeacanty, An Spideal etc? would they be as strong as say a Liam Mellows second team with everyone except for 18 Senior players being able to play?

Again just thoughts, and i agree it is refreshing , if only this was replicated in County Board meetings ! :)

puckemhard (Galway) - Posts: 215 - 25/11/2021 12:34:44    2390768

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Call a spade a spade lads, some of these junior clubs are only knocking on the door of intermediate because senior B is intermediate standard and intermediate bar 5/6 teams is junior standard.

Donaldtrump (Galway) - Posts: 197 - 25/11/2021 14:14:44    2390788

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Getting ahead of ourselves here. At current standing and from what Paul Bellew recently said, nothing changes for the foreseeable. Both Cork & Galway feel they have found a way around the motion, proposal gone to Croke Park on same. Galway championship does not hold up provincial or all Ireland series which in essence was the reason behind the motion. Big financial implications if changes must take place.

bogmaster19 (Galway) - Posts: 11 - 25/11/2021 14:41:19    2390793

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Paul spoke about that , but there doesnt seem to be any actual confirmation of this from what i have heard. I hope it does get sorted as it makes no sense making massive countys like Galway and Cork have the same structure as Leitrim or Monaghan have. But thats for another day. Quick question the financial implications? What would those be?

puckemhard (Galway) - Posts: 215 - 26/11/2021 09:44:58    2390866

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Replying To puckemhard:  "Paul spoke about that , but there doesnt seem to be any actual confirmation of this from what i have heard. I hope it does get sorted as it makes no sense making massive countys like Galway and Cork have the same structure as Leitrim or Monaghan have. But thats for another day. Quick question the financial implications? What would those be?"
Fewer games obviously means smaller overall aggregate attendances and therefore less money on the gate.

It was an unnecessary change to make as it only ever affected bigger counties anyway and the baby was thrown out with the bathwater in an attempt to prioritise the IC game above all else.

But of course Congress has to be seen to be doing something i suppose

Stool Pigeon (Galway) - Posts: 625 - 26/11/2021 10:54:28    2390876

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Replying To Stool Pigeon:  "Fewer games obviously means smaller overall aggregate attendances and therefore less money on the gate.

It was an unnecessary change to make as it only ever affected bigger counties anyway and the baby was thrown out with the bathwater in an attempt to prioritise the IC game above all else.

But of course Congress has to be seen to be doing something i suppose"
As things stand though, the nationally agreed split season between IC and club would pose particular difficulties in a genuinely dual county like Galway unless some readustment was made to the senior club championship. Because it is exclusively club football fixtures one week followed by exclusively club hurling fixtures the following week (or visa versa) theres very little room for manouvre....basically there's half the number of weekends available to play off the county club championships than there would be in most other counties where one sport is dominant and prioritized to the exclusion of the other. The real difficulty arises from a Galway point of view because of the decision to play the All Ireland club championships within the calendar year -- AFAIK the All Ireland club championship finals are moving to December. Because of this I dont know how it would be possible to have the county club championship completed if the IC championship is running from May to July and preceded by the National League games from February......might get a couple of group stage club games played in April but then I doubt if the club game would start back in August....realistically it would be September. Dont think it would be possible to play off the county senior club championship as it is currently constituted and have our county champions ready for an All Ireland club semi final by mid November at the latest without either reducing the number of senior clubs or truncating the hurling group stages and having more of a knockout championship. One or other would have to happen I think.

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1614 - 27/11/2021 11:37:12    2390948

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