I dont get why everybody is so dismissive of hurling in 1A. I am desperate for Wexford to get up there this year, not just because I think we are an ever improving side but anybody who thinks hurling in 1B is better for a team who are on the coat tails of those in 1A is deluded. It suited Wexford 2-3 years ago when we had to completely re-build a team and blood a brand new 15, but once they start to become established then you will learn more from the 5 hard tough games in 1A than the 5 in 1B.
I dont care less if Wexford finish bottom next year, once we get up there and hurl these top sides that is all I care about. I am sure Liam Dunne is feeling the same.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 17/03/2015 09:38:21    1703672

Well said Pinkie.

therealtmo (Tipperary) - Posts: 1292 - 17/03/2015 10:51:47    1703684

Marlon_JD
County: Tipperary
Posts: 1075

1703630 To be clear, does the fact that both Dublin and Galway beat Kilkenny mean that Kilkenny can't qualify for the quarter-finals, or could Kilkenny still qualify if they beat Clare by a wide enough margin, and Galway or Dublin lose by a wide enough margin?

I think the real value of the league for the top teams is from the quarter-final stage on. That's where the games start to approach championship level, and teams can start to move up through the gears so they hit the championship at full throttle. With that in mind, I think its better to be in 1B than 1A. Its so easy to finish in the bottom two in 1A, Kilkenny could end up on 4 points and still miss the quarter-finals. But if your a top team in 1b, you just have to avoid finishing bottom or second from bottom, and you're in the quarter-finals. If Kilkenny or Clare had been in 1b this year, they'd be preparing for a league quarter-final. And they still would have gotten hard games against top sides (such as Limerick, Waterford, Wexford) in the actual league games, and decent games from good sides (Offaly, Laois, Antrim etc).
So when it comes to Limerick missing out on promotion, I think they're better off where they are. [/I]

True - it is a tad unfair on Kilkenny if they win on Sunday (no matter the margin) they still cannot make a league quarter final. Two years ago when we got relegated we only lost two games in the league (two draws were the difference). The rules are the same for everybody I suppose but they are faulty.

Clare and Kilkenny this Sunday is the effective relegation final and the loser should go down rather than have to play the same opposition again the weak after. Antrim threw a game last year it seems against Offaly only to beat them a week later. This year again Antrim, like KK, now know they will be in a relegation playoff in their respective divisions. How will they approach this week's game? It is no more than a challenge match to prepare for a more important game the week after.

I'd imagine KK will field the same team against Clare as they did against Tipp and lose. They could then up meeting either Clare or Dublin I think in the final where they will have a much stronger 15 with the Ballyhale lads back and maybe a few of the injured lads back too. On this basis I don't think they will go down but you never know.

I definitely think you are better off in 1A then 1B and getting a Quarter final spot. With all due respect to our own players, I don't think we're capable of beating any of the 1A quarter finalists at the moment. To be honest I can't see any of the 1B teams winning.

Faithfull (Offaly) - Posts: 573 - 17/03/2015 21:39:02    1703953

Pinkie that is no good for any team that's like saying one step forward 2 steps backward.

johnwhite12 (Kilkenny) - Posts: 306 - 18/03/2015 08:08:12    1703981

Benny, how is Clare and KK this weekend the relegation decider?? If Galway beat Dublin (50/50 shot imo) and Clare win, then Clare avoid the actual relegation match.... Let the league run its course and we will see who is in the bottom two after this weekend instead of making silly premature statements

LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2492 - 18/03/2015 08:39:13    1703986

johnwhite12

I'm with pinkie here. I've already questioned whether we could maintain that level over 5 games. It's a very difficult division. If we were to say win two home games or lose all five by a point we'd learn a lot more than playing badly and beating a low ranked team. That wouldn't be a step backwards.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2706 - 18/03/2015 09:18:26    1703996

The whole relegation system is a joke in this Division . By the sounds of it Antrim could lose all there league games and a relegation play off and still stay up !!??

Poolbeg (USA) - Posts: 24 - 19/03/2015 13:34:10    1704472

LohansRedHelmet
County: Clare
Posts: 1450

1703986
Benny, how is Clare and KK this weekend the relegation decider?? If Galway beat Dublin (50/50 shot imo) and Clare win, then Clare avoid the actual relegation match.... Let the league run its course and we will see who is in the bottom two after this weekend instead of making silly premature statements

Relax bud...I wasn't being in anyway disparaging to Clare in that post (I have no idea what you read). If Kilkenny win at home (regardless of what happens elsewhere) then both teams will play each other the week later in the actual relegation decider. I am merely opining (and this is the place for it) that I do not agree (in my opinion) that there should be relegation decider.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 19/03/2015 14:10:20    1704483

Marlon_JD
County: Tipperary
Posts: 1075

1703630 To be clear, does the fact that both Dublin and Galway beat Kilkenny mean that Kilkenny can't qualify for the quarter-finals, or could Kilkenny still qualify if they beat Clare by a wide enough margin, and Galway or Dublin lose by a wide enough margin?


This is how it lies (I believe): http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/headtohead-rule-back-in-the-firing-line-as-final-round-loses-its-lustre-31078764.html

Galway are already through to the QF's - the result of their game against Dublin will have no effect on that.

Kilkenny are already in the relegation play off, that won't change. They can't make the QFs. They'll be facing either Dublin or Clare in the relegation playoff.

If Dublin win or draw they're in the QFs.

If Dublin lose and Clare win, Dublin are in the relegation playoff against KK.

If Dublin lose and Kilkenny win, Dublin are in the Qfs and it's a repeat of the Clare v KK game in the relegation play off.

CroiGorm (Dublin) - Posts: 1547 - 19/03/2015 14:30:24    1704489

By the sounds of it Antrim could lose all there league games and a relegation play off and still stay up !!??

Well given that the system is that there is a relegation/promotion play-off series then if we lose them we can't stay up i.e. lose the 1B relegation and the 1B/2A promotion/relegation. If you mean that we can lose the first of these and still stay up then yes that is correct. Agree though that it is a bit unfair on the 2B team but lets wait and see if we can even win the relegation/promotion matches before we start giving out too much. Though another way to look at this is that if the 2B winners can't beat the team which loses the relegation playoff (and probably the team which didn't win one game in Div 1B) then should they be replacing them in the division?

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 19/03/2015 15:07:51    1704500

As much as I would like to see the team from 2A promoted without a playoff, the reason the system is in place is to protect the team coming up. There is a massive difference in class between 1B and 2A. Whoever goes down will dish out a load of hammerings and come straight back up. Whoever goes up in highly unlikely to pick up a single win. Coming up and losing every game by ten points is not going to improve hurling in that county.

Faithfull (Offaly) - Posts: 573 - 19/03/2015 22:05:56    1704655

Wasn't the 1B/2A play-off scraped this year ??

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2706 - 20/03/2015 10:11:21    1704692

So its time to get off the fence and make some predictions.

Allianz HL Division 1A
Kilkenny v Clare - Cill Chainnaigh to pile more pressure on Davy Fitz in the shadow boxing.
Cork v Tipperary - Corcaigh
Dublin v Galway - Baile Atha Cliath to bounce back

Allianz HL Division 1B
Wexford v Waterford - Loch Garman to get into 1A at last.
Limerick v Laois - Luimneach but too little too late
Antrim v Offaly - Uibh Fhali to prevail.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 20/03/2015 10:58:29    1704713

Wasn't the 1B/2A play-off scraped this year ??

I thought it was still in place Doyler though open to correction on that. I thought the Div 1B relegation playoff was fixed for the 29th March and the 2A winner/1B loser playoff was fixed for 12th April.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 20/03/2015 11:24:44    1704723

Allianz HL Division 1A
Kilkenny v Clare - KK
Cork v Tipperary - Cork
Dublin v Galway - Close but Galway may just scrape it

Allianz HL Division 1B
Wexford v Waterford - Wexford
Limerick v Laois - Limerick
Antrim v Offaly - Offaly with more than a bit to spare

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 20/03/2015 11:26:58    1704725

Kilkenny v Clare - Kilkenny
Cork v Tipp - Cork
Dublin v Galway - Dubs due a performance again and Galway have little to play for

Wexford v Waterford - Biggest game of the weekend. Home victory please god
Limerick v Laois - Limerick only just
Antrim v Offaly - I'd give Antrim a chance but you'd have to go with Offaly

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2706 - 20/03/2015 11:47:26    1704726

I know people are happy enough with this league format, in the main. But, if Wexford win this week, and gain promotion to 1a, but Waterford or Limerick go on to win the league outright, do people think the format might be changed? There is a real possibility that the team that wins the league this year, will still be in what is effectively the second division(1b) next year. Could be a strange one.

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 20/03/2015 16:07:45    1704839

Why should the league be changed to suit 2 teams? It wasnt changed in the last few years, why should it be changed just because Limerick and Waterford are there?

The league changes have been done to death - leave it alone. Sure they could have won an All-Ireland 2 years ago and it wasnt changed.

The league now is the most competitive it has been in years. A tiny slip up by Limerick cost them dearly.

If it is changed to suit 2 teams it is a joke. Clare or Kilkenny or Dublin will be in 1B next year too, its not that weak a division.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 20/03/2015 16:32:44    1704849

Div 1a
Cork v Tipp - Cork
Kilkenny v Clare - Clare
Dublin v Galway - Dublin

Div 1b
Limerick v Laois - Lim
Wexford v Waterford - draw
Antrim v Offaly - Antrim

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 20/03/2015 16:49:10    1704856