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Wicklow GAA thread

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Replying To Hawkeye2:  "I think the days of elevating some obscure player that's been going well in the club scene and throwing them into the county team to make a difference mid season are well & truly over. The fitness and conditioning demands are too high. So unless it's a player that has only maybe stepped away from the panel recently and wants to return or a club player who looks after themselves unbelievably well, then there is no chance of them being able to adapt to just being thrown into the county mix.

We are already lamenting the fact that we have players who have been in S&C programs now through minor, U20 and into Senior and yet still we look miles off where we need to be from a physical conditioning perspective versus where the top teams are at."
I think there is a problem with clubs in the county. Clubs aren't producing players properly in terms of strength and conditioning plus producing players in the relevant ball skills which is needed to play at the highest level. My reason for saying what I've just said is evident during the county club championship and particularly when our club champions play in the provincial championship. Results in the Leinster club championship proves Wicklow club are regressing. Our senior and intermediate champions in 2026 were hammered by clubs who didn't even win the provincial title. Also, I think there is a problem within the current setup at intercounty level. The county board are paying for a forwards coach, yet we don't seem to have one forward capable of scoring two pointers, we are dependent on our goalkeeper to be competitive. While this is a problem, it is hard to blame an intercounty manager when the players the clubs are supplying to him lack in a number of different departments. Other counties are operating a secondary intercounty team. I assume this is designed to help players make a successful transition from playing club to playing intercounty. These secondary intercounty teams play against other county teams. I suppose it is similar to a reserve team. The way our county team currently operates isn't working so something needs to change otherwise we'll be stuck in division four for decades to come.

wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2164 - 09/02/2026 19:26:31    2655716

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