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Say its been more beneficial to Kilanerin than tara rocks . Will it mean ballnstraw gaels are now going to go back as single clubs . Formertownie (Wexford) - Posts: 490 - 12/11/2025 11:22:33 2644139 Link 0 |
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Yes, all Kilanerin, and would therefore be hurling with Ballyfad if the current arrangement comes to an end. You're right in a post further up that Tara Rocks are very passionate about their club and they have one very passionate speaker in particular at meetings. But I remember him having to admit that they hadn't a single minor player this year, and only a handful at U16 and U14. So they've nobody coming through that way for 2026, and not many for the years ahead after that either. I really do struggle to see how they'd have any chance of fielding on their own. And it's all well and good to say Gorey will "need" two clubs and better to keep Tara Rocks alive now than see them die off and then have to set up a second club from scratch, but consider this - Tara Rocks will still need to attract new people to join them rather than join Naomh Eanna, and they've shown little or no sign over the past eight years that they're able to do so. Hard to see too how this might change in the next three to five years or more. Reality is that the arrangement was first put in place as a five-year plan to let them get back to fielding by themselves. They then came along at the end of the five years and said it hasn't worked yet, we need three more years. If it's to continue, they'd be coming back again to say it still hasn't worked, we need even more time. Hardline reply would be "you're after getting chance after chance for eight years in a row, and you're still no closer to where you were supposed to be. Why should we give you even more chances?" Incidentally, have had a look at that transfers list and the programme for football Round 5 this year too. Only Tara Rocks contribution to a Kilanerin senior panel of 25 was two players amongst the subs. Only contribution to a Kilanerin junior panel of 25 was those same two players named to start there, and four others amongst the subs. So at best, only nine Tara Rocks hurlers who played anywhere above Junior B, and only six Tara Rocks footballers who played anywhere above Junior B. It's getting even more difficult to see what hope they'd have by themselves at all. Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3219 - 12/11/2025 12:24:03 2644152 Link 0 |
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I'd completely disagree with your first line. I reckon there's absolutely no doubt that the arrangement has been far more beneficial to Tara Rocks. Without the arrangement, they'd probably no longer be in existence at all, due to sheer lack of playing numbers. But Kilanerin/Ballyfad would have been fine without it. They might be a grade lower in hurling all right, but their football status would hardly have been affected at all. There was some disquiet over how they won Intermediate in 2017 (first year of the arrangement) with some Tara Rocks players on board, but chances are they'd have won it before too long anyway, and as already seen, Tara Rocks are not exactly contributing hugely to their football teams at the moment anyway. Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3219 - 12/11/2025 13:22:27 2644160 Link 0 |
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Don't see how you think it's benefitted Kilanerin more than the Rocks. If it wasn't for the amalgamation it's very unlikely Tara Rocks would exist at all.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17491 - 12/11/2025 15:02:15 2644176 Link 0 |
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Don't see how you think it's benefitted Kilanerin more than the Rocks. If it wasn't for the amalgamation it's very unlikely Tara Rocks would exist at all.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17491 - 12/11/2025 15:02:21 2644177 Link 0 |
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The same man made the point that they are doing better numbers wise in the younger age groups. Agree that parents still favour Gorey though. Would it be possible to look at our bylaws and split Gorey town? And while we are at it split Enniscorthy and Wexford town? So clubs can have more clearly defined catchment areas. This eould not only benefit Tara Rocks, but also Shamrocks and Clonard, and maybe stop some of the fighting between Football clubs in Wexford? This last year there's been alot of complaining that one particular town Football club had visited all the schools in town promoting their club. Fair play to them for putting that work in imo, but at the same time if each club had a defined catchment area then maybe all 4 clubs would try to make the most of it.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17491 - 12/11/2025 15:08:44 2644182 Link 0 |
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"Doing better" with younger age groups is a relative term, though. If you've no minors, only two U16s, and maybe four U14s, then even five or six U12s is "doing better". On your suggestion - it's possible to look at any bye-law, but just to point out that Enniscorthy is already split, because it's two different parishes. Any issue with "Shamrocks people" ending up with Rapps/Starlights instead is mainly one of these two things: - Shamrocks not fielding at U12, so younger players join Rapps/Stars, and can then stay there since it's their official "first club". - or adults from the Templeshannon area doing the fake address thing to "prove" that they live on the other side of the river. Would take more than a change in bye-laws to resolve either of those things. For the other two towns - any proposed change would likely meet huge opposition from the stronger clubs. And imagine somebody in Gorey being told "no, you can't play for Naomh Éanna because of where you live. You have to join Tara Rocks instead. But if you lived two streets over or in the next housing estate, you could join Naomh Éanna all right." I know you could say the same about anybody in any border area between any two clubs, but difference is those borders have been there all along. They wouldn't be just suddenly imposed on people. Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3219 - 12/11/2025 16:07:37 2644193 Link 0 |
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What are your solutions? How many young lads at clubs like Gorey and Harriers drop out because they get next to no proper coaching on 2nd teams or don't even make 2nd teams at all? Some of these lads might be late developers either?
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17491 - 12/11/2025 16:40:09 2644199 Link 0 |
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Its a novel idea and I would be in agreement but unfortunately the bigger clubs would never agree. They like to pick the best of the bunch and leave the rest. There should be defined areas in towns. Hopefully Tara Rocks can start promoting that they are a rural club just a few minutes from town and instead of a child playing on a second or third team. they can join them and get good coaching with probably their only team.
alwaysasub (Wexford) - Posts: 550 - 12/11/2025 17:12:32 2644205 Link 0 |
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But weren't they operating as 2 one code only clubs anyway, wasn't that the purpose on the "merger ? As an aside ( and purely hypothetical) but what happens if a player doesn't want to revert to his previous club. eg. X transferred to t rocks for hurling purposes, he's made new acquaintances there and wants to stay with the club, can X stay there or MUST he transfer back to his original club ? Yellaman (Wexford) - Posts: 199 - 12/11/2025 19:10:24 2644216 Link 0 |
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Hmmm. I answer your question about whether it's possible to look at bye-laws by stating in what I believe to be perfectly reasonable manner that yes it's possible, but it would make little difference in one town because other factors are at play there, and it would likely be met with opposition in the other two towns. Suddenly I'm asked to come up with other solutions to "problems" that I don't see in the same way as you in the first place. But for what it's worth - splitting Wexford town for hurling purposes by creating a new artificial divide would achieve little or nothing. You'd still have to form a whole new hurling club somehow. And where are the good or "proper" coaches for this new club's first team going to come from? Similar with Gorey. If Naomh Éanna only have enough good or "proper" coaches for the first team in the younger ranks, and since Tara Rocks are as short on coaches as they are on players, where are the good or "proper" coaches going to come from for the second club? Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3219 - 12/11/2025 21:19:57 2644225 Link 0 |
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This will sound blunt, but "no" and "no" are the answers to your first line. Before the arrangement, both operated in both codes - Kilanerin football, Ballyfad hurling, and Tara Rocks fielding in football and hurling. It was only after the arrangement came into place that both became de facto single code clubs, with players from "the hurling club" (Tara Rocks) allowed to go to Kilanerin for football, and vice versa. The purpose of it wasn't to provide football to a Tara Rocks player because there was none in his own club, or to provide hurling to a Kilanerin player because there was none in his own club. The purpose was supposed to be a chance for Tara Rocks to overcome what was supposed to be a short-term problem with playing numbers, before going back to fielding by themselves after five years. The answer to the second part would depend on how exactly those transfers are handled by Wexford GAA in the first place. I think they're done like an "isolated player" transfer, so they'd only ever be for one year at a time, and a hypothetical player like you mention would have no choice in the matter. Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3219 - 13/11/2025 10:30:58 2644249 Link 0 |
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Some might not see it as a problem, but this is exactly the kind of issue the county board needs to start addressing in the four towns. At least Viking has made a suggestion. Right now, things are operating differently in each town, but the outcome is the same - some clubs (or neighbouring clubs) have too many players, while others don't have enough. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what needs to be done. grassroots01 (Wexford) - Posts: 190 - 13/11/2025 10:39:34 2644250 Link 1 |
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I think there is a bigger problem. With the teams on outskirts of wexford town with drop out rate and huge numbers . . Not just a town problem every club in county is suffering from drop out rates. Poor statement and fairly critical of both clubs inclusive policies . To say naomh eanna and harriers not coaching everyone the same or at least the opportunity is there for them to partake as is in every club I d imagine . That is the reason most of those clubs have 2nd teams . But as far as I m aware they all train together not as 2 seperate teams in most clubs in my knowledge of it . Formertownie (Wexford) - Posts: 490 - 13/11/2025 10:42:25 2644251 Link 0 |
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Kilanerin hurled as Ballyfad. They won the Intermediate hurling championship as recently as 2003.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17491 - 13/11/2025 11:05:51 2644255 Link 0 |
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Whole new hurling club in Wexford? Clonard are on the go more than a wet day and just got approval for their finance to buy their grounds! Also you are putting the cart before the horse as regards coaches. Most underage coaches start out as parents of children who start playing for a club. Very few clubs are lucky enough to have an existing top coach who just happens to live in the Parish or who otherwise wants to coach there. The more enthusiastic of these parents, like me, then go on numerous courses to try and get better at coaching. Not saying that makes me a good coach mind, but experience will hopefully make me better!! If you don't get children to start at these clubs you don't get parents taking up coaching. And I know for a fact at bigger clubs some parents, many even, don't feel needed to take up coaching, or go on courses to improve their coaching, as there are other parents who are former players who will coach their children for them. Hence second teams generally having less and poorer quality coaching contacts than first team players. And lads who don't make second teams nearly always give up GAA altogether. Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17491 - 13/11/2025 11:23:41 2644260 Link 0 |
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Aren't Kilanerin/Ballyfad the same club or at least werent they? Like Starlights/Rapparess essentially which are the same Club. A couple of Kilanerin people have said to me that there's still a bit of resentment over the removal of the Ballyfad name as such. tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1588 - 13/11/2025 11:33:29 2644262 Link 0 |
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Only mentioned those 2 clubs because the discussion was about towns. Agree there are certainly other clubs that applies to. Clubs like St Annes and Oulart where they have enough boys in an agegroup to make 2 teams train those teams together, and fair play to them. Others I know of don't give the same amount of coaching contacts over a year to all the children as they do though. Doylerwex made the point in a previous post that the indoor winter training the Harriers do for example isnt available to all children on account of space and number of coaches. Hence the points in my post.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17491 - 13/11/2025 11:42:38 2644265 Link 0 |
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Thanks Pikeman, I know both are ( were) dual clubs. Formertownie suggested maybe they should continue as one-code clubs, one hurling & one football. I was just pointing out that that was the original reason for the amalgamation. Anyway, just been talking to a colleague up that way, and it seems the whole amalgamation ( adult and under-age) is ending at end of year. I don't know if this is true, or just local gossip, but he seemed fairly clued-in to the whole set-up. Yellaman (Wexford) - Posts: 199 - 13/11/2025 11:48:27 2644269 Link 0 |
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They did indeed Viking, it was another poster who suggested that they might continue as one-code clubs.
Yellaman (Wexford) - Posts: 199 - 13/11/2025 11:50:08 2644271 Link 0 |