Ah lads, cool the jets, take a step back and stop with the blarney. It's not a shock. There's such a thing as raising the awareness of these fine results. It adds to the disgrace of the 2A winner being put into a play-off for 1B.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7857 - 28/10/2014 21:07:23    1667912

Kanturk are premier Intermediate,which is the higher grade in the Intermediate level.

over35hurler (Cork) - Posts: 36 - 28/10/2014 21:47:59    1667928

Bull,

"However Ballyhea were missing Neil Ronan and Pa O'Callaghan. That's not making any excuses but these two players would be a big hit on any club team."

Lixnaw were also missing Galvin & Griffin.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 29/10/2014 12:02:47    1667998

Offside,

"Happens in Ulster too. Take the Junior club championship for example - the Antrim team got put out in the semi by a Monaghan team. But, the Antrim team were originally in the Junior B in Antrim which they won and progressed in to the Antrim Junior which they won and got in to Ulster. The Monaghan team on the other hand won the Monaghan Senior Championship and then chose to go in to the Ulster Junior. So in the Ulster semi you had 4th tier in Antrim against 1st Tier in Monaghan with only a goal between them at the final whistle."

The Antrim team won the Junior championship & so are "3rd tier". There is only one "tier" in Monaghan hurling. Castleblayney are graded Ulster/All-Ireland junior unless they win their way up to intermediate or are regraded. It's not the club's choice. Lisbellaw won their way up to provincial senior despite they being the only club team currently fielding in Fermanagh. How's that for your "1st Tier"?

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 29/10/2014 12:13:00    1668004

Not sure what point over35hurler is making. Ballyhea won Intermediate Premier and will be senior next year. The Intermediate A winners move up to Intermediate Premier but don't enter any provincial championship as the Cork Intermediate Championship is split in two.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7857 - 29/10/2014 14:10:18    1668044

The Antrim team won the Junior championship & so are "3rd tier". There is only one "tier" in Monaghan hurling. Castleblayney are graded Ulster/All-Ireland junior unless they win their way up to intermediate or are regraded. It's not the club's choice. Lisbellaw won their way up to provincial senior despite they being the only club team currently fielding in Fermanagh. How's that for your "1st Tier"?

My point is that the Antrim Champions started in the 4th Tier competition: Senior = 1st Tier, Intermediate = 2nd Tier, Junior = 3rd Tier, Junior B = 4th Tier. They won the 4th Tier competition which as winners got them in to the semi-final stage of the Junior which they also went on to win. They were also a Division 4 league team so again this is the 4th Tier in the league competition. Also, Castleblayney were in the Intermediate Ulster Final in 2011 so they must have been regraded since then to drop down to the Junior - I see they hammered the Derry team in the Final too which kinda backs up the fact that maybe they should have been in a higher grade as the Antrim team were the only team who got anywhere near them in the Ulster Competition.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 29/10/2014 14:31:38    1668055

Hate to praise that Lixnaw shower for anything, so I will just say its great that Kerry hurling continues on its upward curve of last few years.

Please God a Kerry side can go all the way and win a Munster intermediate title and hopefully go on to start competing with honour in Munster senior club championship, paving the way for senior hurling county team to re-enter Munster championship in the not so distant future!

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 29/10/2014 14:57:11    1668077

I do not know what is the need for all the shock and awe over the Kerry champions beating Ballyhea. Only a few years ago Ballyduff (I think) beat Ballybrown of Limerick in a Semi Final in Kilmallock. While Ballybrown were Limerick Intermediate champions that year they have a rich tradition,as Ballyhea also have, having won the Munster Club Championship back in the late eighties. Yet the Kerry men beat them comfortably enough.

Oldtourman (Limerick) - Posts: 4321 - 29/10/2014 15:22:30    1668090

eeper7
County: Longford
Posts: 2165

1667998
Bull,

"However Ballyhea were missing Neil Ronan and Pa O'Callaghan. That's not making any excuses but these two players would be a big hit on any club team."

Lixnaw were also missing Galvin & Griffin.


Keeper, Galvin and Griffin aren't in the league of Ronan and O'Callaghan. Neil Ronan is a serious hurler, probably one of the best Harty Cup hurlers of all time and a player than will get you in and around 8 pts per game. O'Callagan has been a top minor in Cork and another serious Harty Cup huler with Charleville. Make no mistake, if these 2 players were playing for Ballyhea, they would have won regardless of Galvin et al. I will be hoping Lixnaw go as far as possible in this championship and hope they get a day out in Croke Park

The_Bull (Cork) - Posts: 248 - 29/10/2014 16:55:48    1668124

That's been the problem with Ballyhea though Bull. I saw them against Cloyne and in the final this year. Very ordinary team with two great players. Lixnaw are supposed to be a serious outfit, and given that two of theirs were missing, and they coped, they certainly appear more rounded.

It's seldom that you'd look at the Cork Senior championship and immediately pick out the relegation fodder, but when Ballyhea come up against clubs that have the players to quieten Ronan and Callaghan, that's exactly what they'll be.

Culchie (Cork) - Posts: 799 - 29/10/2014 20:46:48    1668195

Introducing AI intermediate and junior hurling championships is one of the best things Croke Park has done for hurling since the original Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard competitions before the likes of Nicky Brennan and Christy Cooney watered them down by moving the finals away from AI semi-final days.

The club intermediate and junior competitions mean that the county competitions mean much more and have given hurling a higher profile in dual clubs in particular where hurling is the weaker sport.

The likes of Meath teams can compete with the Wexford and Kilkenny teams and give it a right rattle, mightn'd always win but are competitive and have a decent shot at a Leinster title or AI at their level.

bricktop (Down) - Posts: 2503 - 30/10/2014 09:45:08    1668228

I agree - great competitions. I suppose it is important that they are graded properly, although I have heard of many complaints.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 30/10/2014 10:44:38    1668248

Bricktop
Croke Park should take only limited credit for organising those events. The Provincial club championships were first run in 1964, yet it was 1971 before Central Council organised All Ireland Championships in these grades. In hurling the Junior Competition was first organised by the Bruff Club in Limerick sometime in the 1980s and not by Central Council. In the Intermediate grade nothing was done until 2003 when this scribes home and adopted parishes won their respective County Championships at this grade and I got on to the Secretaries in each of the other relevant champion clubs in the other Munster Counties. These people got the Provincial Championship underway that year with Kiladangan of Tipp beating Bride Rovers of Cork in the Final. Only then did upper echelons in Croke Park get involved in organising that competition. As far as the Junior B Competition in hurling is concerned this has always been the brainchild of members of the splendid Killeedy Club in West Limerick.

Oldtourman (Limerick) - Posts: 4321 - 30/10/2014 10:49:18    1668251

Oops! I haven't heard of many complaints.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 30/10/2014 11:12:02    1668259

Culchie
County: Cork
Posts: 756

1668195
That's been the problem with Ballyhea though Bull. I saw them against Cloyne and in the final this year. Very ordinary team with two great players. Lixnaw are supposed to be a serious outfit, and given that two of theirs were missing, and they coped, they certainly appear more rounded.

It's seldom that you'd look at the Cork Senior championship and immediately pick out the relegation fodder, but when Ballyhea come up against clubs that have the players to quieten Ronan and Callaghan, that's exactly what they'll be.
--

I think that's a bit unfair on Ballyhea. They have a smattering of lads who have hurled at minor, under 21 and intermediate with cork and have a few more top notch club players. Nobody wins Cork premier intermediate by riding their luck or depending on two guys. While they won't threaten to win at senior, I would be surprised if they come straight back down. The intermediate winners usually do ok in senior in cork and I could think of one or two clubs that are weaker in the senior grade. Don't forget Ballyhea were senior for over 20 years before regrading last time. Saying Ballyhea are very weak also belittles Lixnaw's win. Hope Lixnaw win it out now!

hurlinspuds (Cork) - Posts: 1494 - 30/10/2014 12:09:16    1668287

Don't know hurlingspuds. The only team I can think of that might be weaker than Ballyhea are the Barrs. I'd put the rest a few notches above them.

You're right about my belittling Lixnaw's achievement though. It probably comes across that way, and that's not fair. It's quite obvious that they could easily compete at Premier Intermediate in Cork, and expect to win it regularly. Like you, I hope they go all the way. Hurling people in Kerry take a lot of crap, and having a little real ammunition to chuck at their county board would help, when football is being shoved back their throats.

Culchie (Cork) - Posts: 799 - 30/10/2014 14:11:40    1668359

Culchie
County: Cork
Posts: 757

1668359
Don't know hurlingspuds. The only team I can think of that might be weaker than Ballyhea are the Barrs. I'd put the rest a few notches above them.

You're right about my belittling Lixnaw's achievement though. It probably comes across that way, and that's not fair. It's quite obvious that they could easily compete at Premier Intermediate in Cork, and expect to win it regularly. Like you, I hope they go all the way. Hurling people in Kerry take a lot of crap, and having a little real ammunition to chuck at their county board would help, when football is being shoved back their throats.

Fair play culchie.

hurlinspuds (Cork) - Posts: 1494 - 30/10/2014 17:12:58    1668440

Sean Kelly was a great GAA president. Looked after the lower club tiers in both codes and the lower inter-county championship tiers in hurling.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7857 - 30/10/2014 18:53:34    1668470

Culchie: Hurling people in Kerry take a lot of crap, and having a little real ammunition to chuck at their county board would help, when football is being shoved back their throats.

Yerra we/they do sometimes, but its more from people outside Kerry who don't have a clue about hurling accusing us of doing a Kilkenny on the other game without knowing the effort people in areas like north Kerry put into the game.

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 30/10/2014 21:27:06    1668529

The national hurling league should return to divisions of 8 teams with 2 up and down between the divisions. Let's just get on with the game, letting teams earn their divisional status on the field of play and take their medicine by dropping a division if they are relegated.

Division 1 - 2015 should be:
Clare
Kilkenny
Galway
Tipperary
Dublin Region
Cork
Waterford
Limerick

Division 2 - 2015 should be:
Wexford
Laois
Offaly
Antrim
Kerry
Carlow
Derry
London

Division 3 - 2015 should be:
Westmeath
Kildare
Down
Wicklow
Meath
Mayo

Division 4A - 2015 should be:
Armagh
Donegal
FINGAL COUNTY
Roscommon
Fermanagh
Monaghan


Division 4B - 2015 should be:
Louth
Longford
Tyrone
Leitrim
Warwickshire
Sligo

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7857 - 30/10/2014 22:03:18    1668548