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Wicklow GAA thread

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The posters on this forum who predicted an annihilation tonight were spot on. The gap between us and other counties such as Kildare and Meath is not just huge, the gap is enormous at minor and u-20 level. In the medium term there is very little evidence to suggest progress at senior level if these are the results being produced at underage level. I'd love to know who reviews the results and performances by underage teams annually and if a review is carried out what it means in terms of lessons learned. There is nothing to be achieved beating Carlow & Co when we are just canon fodder for the first quality team we play.

wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2210 - 28/04/2026 20:06:41    2669628

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Very disappointing for the young lads this evening.

Albundy19 (Wicklow) - Posts: 138 - 28/04/2026 20:10:27    2669631

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A tough defeat in Aughrim this evening. This team is 4 years together in Development. It just shows how far behind wicklow gaa is. Any suggestions where we can improve as a county?

kodak13 (Wicklow) - Posts: 129 - 28/04/2026 21:54:31    2669639

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Replying To Albundy19:  "Very disappointing for the young lads this evening."
The young players are the only ones I would have any sympathy for here. What will be the effect of such an absolute hiding have on their progress.? We are just not at the races at u17 and u20 level here and haven't been for over 20yrs. Now - no more hiding or sob stories. We have this alleged centre of excellence up and running for years now. Where are the results which it should be bringing ?? Something is wrong, wrong, wrong and we, the long suffering supporters are entitled to answers.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 2242 - 28/04/2026 22:12:19    2669645

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We need some outside manager to come in and he will get results . I wrote this message on here 5 years ago but the regular party goers on here laughed in my face . Meath , Dublin Galway , Louth it is going to cost money i think going on these results . We won the group so i think we should not being playing meath or Dublin . Leinster minor grade is not Structured right wicklow should not being playing meath for winning Group . Leinster gaa made mess of draw and structure

lor12 (Wicklow) - Posts: 264 - 29/04/2026 09:49:16    2669682

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Replying To lor12:  "We need some outside manager to come in and he will get results . I wrote this message on here 5 years ago but the regular party goers on here laughed in my face . Meath , Dublin Galway , Louth it is going to cost money i think going on these results . We won the group so i think we should not being playing meath or Dublin . Leinster minor grade is not Structured right wicklow should not being playing meath for winning Group . Leinster gaa made mess of draw and structure"
I've been on here for years and certainly never laughed at your or anyone else's posts. We did have one on who tended to be nasty, but he seems to be retired. I find loads of merit in your suggestion. I would suggest that Croke Park come down and do an audit of coaching facilities and coaches in the county. We have some coaches who never won anything as players. We have managers in the same situation - never having coached any team to win anything. I refuse to believe that we, as a county, are producing weaker or smaller kids than any other county, but I believe last nights show was as u14s against seniors. We seem to focus on the faster, more skilful players at say u14, coach them accordingly but as the age groups go up, we are lost against bigger stronger players - how does this happen ? Another question, are our referees told to be too strict on more robust or physical play at juvenile level. When we go out of the county are we nervous about getting a bang. Could we handle it if we did ? Also, we coach our teams to not lose the ball, pass it cross field instead of going route one, which is run at teams straight down the middle. Other teams run at ours and we have no answer. Are we coached to break tackles or are we coached to play back and forth across the field. This approach invariably breaks down, ball turned over and nobody left minding the house. I think Down showed the way on Sunday, just in case there are still those who believe that playing back and forth around the D. os the way to go. The new rules were set up to try discourage that. Like I said earlier. We have gone backwards for the last 20/25 yrs, but nobody in authority seems to be prepared to take their heads out their comfort zone and says enough is enough. This just has to stop.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 2242 - 29/04/2026 12:11:08    2669725

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Replying To lor12:  "We need some outside manager to come in and he will get results . I wrote this message on here 5 years ago but the regular party goers on here laughed in my face . Meath , Dublin Galway , Louth it is going to cost money i think going on these results . We won the group so i think we should not being playing meath or Dublin . Leinster minor grade is not Structured right wicklow should not being playing meath for winning Group . Leinster gaa made mess of draw and structure"
You're entitled to your opinion, and it is just as valid as mine or anyone else's. That said, I personally disagree with your view on appointing an external manager. External managers tend to be expensive, which is why counties usually employ them only at senior level, and even then often as a short-term solution until internal candidates are ready to step up.

This raises a broader question: why does Wicklow struggle to produce managers capable of leading our own teams? In my view, focusing solely on management misses the core issue. The most important factor in any county's success is its players.

For several years, I've been highlighting our club performances in the Leinster Championship. Our county champions consistently sit at the lower end of the provincial standard. For example, Baltinglass and Hollywood were heavily beaten in this year's club championship by the champions of Kildare and Louth.

Until our clubs can compete more effectively at provincial level, and our underage teams become consistently competitive, our senior team is unlikely to achieve sustained progress. For that reason, I believe the more important discussion at county level should centre on development squads and how we are nurturing and developing players.

wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2210 - 29/04/2026 12:53:10    2669740

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Yes, totally agree it's Leinster GAA's fault for the draw as Wicklow shouldn't be playing Meath…. Who should we play? Meath lost 2 of their 3 minor games this year as Kildare and Louth beat them.

Do you think we should play maybe:

Westmeath? I highly doubt our U20 team would keep within 10 points of Coláiste Mhuire, let alone our minor. This is one school team in Westmeath. They had another team go very far in B.

Offaly - they won it last year (2025). All-Ireland U-20 champions 2021..

Longford - they won it the year before (2024). Runner-up 2015. Won it 2010.

Louth - they are probably the favorites this year! They bet both Meath and Kildare.

Kildare - I highly doubt we could compete with them.. What did they beat our U20s by 15?

Laois - might be able to complete with Laois, they haven't made a final since 2016.

We are the longest without a final appearance out of any Leinster county! Carlow - 2007. Wexford 1999. Wicklow's last final appearance was 1997.

Furthermore, you want an outside manager? And you think this will work.. What about the fact that our senior manager is probably in the top 5 paid managers in the country. He is actually not doing a bad job. If we didn't make such an investment where would we be? We also set up a junior hurling championship match in February so two outside players could play for Wicklow this year. So I think we are well served with outside influence.. Mark Vaughan is also involved with our Minors. Carlow got promoted this year with a 100% Carlow management team and players. They also have a very small population and are decent at hurling.

Tank (Wicklow) - Posts: 16 - 29/04/2026 13:07:26    2669743

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Replying To Freethinker:  "I've been on here for years and certainly never laughed at your or anyone else's posts. We did have one on who tended to be nasty, but he seems to be retired. I find loads of merit in your suggestion. I would suggest that Croke Park come down and do an audit of coaching facilities and coaches in the county. We have some coaches who never won anything as players. We have managers in the same situation - never having coached any team to win anything. I refuse to believe that we, as a county, are producing weaker or smaller kids than any other county, but I believe last nights show was as u14s against seniors. We seem to focus on the faster, more skilful players at say u14, coach them accordingly but as the age groups go up, we are lost against bigger stronger players - how does this happen ? Another question, are our referees told to be too strict on more robust or physical play at juvenile level. When we go out of the county are we nervous about getting a bang. Could we handle it if we did ? Also, we coach our teams to not lose the ball, pass it cross field instead of going route one, which is run at teams straight down the middle. Other teams run at ours and we have no answer. Are we coached to break tackles or are we coached to play back and forth across the field. This approach invariably breaks down, ball turned over and nobody left minding the house. I think Down showed the way on Sunday, just in case there are still those who believe that playing back and forth around the D. os the way to go. The new rules were set up to try discourage that. Like I said earlier. We have gone backwards for the last 20/25 yrs, but nobody in authority seems to be prepared to take their heads out their comfort zone and says enough is enough. This just has to stop."
I was gutted leaving Aughrim last night. Perhaps I was grasping at straws after following county teams at all levels for 65 years but I thought that this group showed promise only to be annihilated. If we thought a centre of excellence was going to change things then we were living in dreamland. It is only another football field with a gym of which there are many around the county. In many ways it puts players off playing for the county after a days work or college having to travel the long distance to Ballinakill.
No there is something basically wrong. One Carlow poster suggested that such defeats are down to long term trauma from massive and continuous defeats. Maybe it is only part of the problem . I think we were beaten when we saw the Meath jersey and went back to lateral passing and aimless kicking. In previous games this group how effective they could be when they played with abandon and creativity. Last night a paralysis seemed to set in. In saying that Meath were a class apart in skill, physique, attitude, drive and preparation. Outside managers has been mentioned. How many outside managers have been tried in the last twenty years and we are still in division 4. Clubs have to look at their coaching also to produce players of county standard. Look at Meatĥs number 6 and 14 as just 2 examples of the type of player needed for county standard.
One big criticism I would have regarding young player development is the lack of games during the year which results in players losing interest and not getting enough opportunities to develop their skills and physical condition.
Maybe the GAA need to introduce a provincial competition and a subsidiary all Ireland competition like the Tailteann Cup at underage so that at least teams would end up playing teams that are on a par with each other.
A win and a beating like last night that does neither team any good . We are just one of many counties that are cannon fodder come championship time. Just examine the list of provincial and all Ireland winners at underage for the last 20 years and you will see what I mean.
I wish I had answers but maybe last night's result will provide the basis for an examination of why we can't make progress. I won't be holding my breath however.

Optimisticobserver (Wicklow) - Posts: 149 - 29/04/2026 13:15:40    2669746

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Replying To Freethinker:  "I've been on here for years and certainly never laughed at your or anyone else's posts. We did have one on who tended to be nasty, but he seems to be retired. I find loads of merit in your suggestion. I would suggest that Croke Park come down and do an audit of coaching facilities and coaches in the county. We have some coaches who never won anything as players. We have managers in the same situation - never having coached any team to win anything. I refuse to believe that we, as a county, are producing weaker or smaller kids than any other county, but I believe last nights show was as u14s against seniors. We seem to focus on the faster, more skilful players at say u14, coach them accordingly but as the age groups go up, we are lost against bigger stronger players - how does this happen ? Another question, are our referees told to be too strict on more robust or physical play at juvenile level. When we go out of the county are we nervous about getting a bang. Could we handle it if we did ? Also, we coach our teams to not lose the ball, pass it cross field instead of going route one, which is run at teams straight down the middle. Other teams run at ours and we have no answer. Are we coached to break tackles or are we coached to play back and forth across the field. This approach invariably breaks down, ball turned over and nobody left minding the house. I think Down showed the way on Sunday, just in case there are still those who believe that playing back and forth around the D. os the way to go. The new rules were set up to try discourage that. Like I said earlier. We have gone backwards for the last 20/25 yrs, but nobody in authority seems to be prepared to take their heads out their comfort zone and says enough is enough. This just has to stop."
Agree with a lot of what you said.
I watched a lot of challenge games and one recent in- house challenge game involving the minor team.They play almost a non contact game.Aggressive tackling and hard shouldering is almost extinct. Everything is aimed at making space ,support play etc,etc.While it may get results against similar type teams,Once you come up against top teams, it still needs a large amount of physicality to compete with them.
One of the Meath goals last night, A Wicklow player ran beside the goal scorer for a distance without making any attempt to stop him.Any time A Wicklow player was in shooting distance ,they were most definitely stopped.Also playing u16 players on the team is not on.They are not strong or mature enough.
Things will have to change.

Rockofsense (Wicklow) - Posts: 6 - 29/04/2026 13:57:54    2669761

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Replying To Optimisticobserver:  "I was gutted leaving Aughrim last night. Perhaps I was grasping at straws after following county teams at all levels for 65 years but I thought that this group showed promise only to be annihilated. If we thought a centre of excellence was going to change things then we were living in dreamland. It is only another football field with a gym of which there are many around the county. In many ways it puts players off playing for the county after a days work or college having to travel the long distance to Ballinakill.
No there is something basically wrong. One Carlow poster suggested that such defeats are down to long term trauma from massive and continuous defeats. Maybe it is only part of the problem . I think we were beaten when we saw the Meath jersey and went back to lateral passing and aimless kicking. In previous games this group how effective they could be when they played with abandon and creativity. Last night a paralysis seemed to set in. In saying that Meath were a class apart in skill, physique, attitude, drive and preparation. Outside managers has been mentioned. How many outside managers have been tried in the last twenty years and we are still in division 4. Clubs have to look at their coaching also to produce players of county standard. Look at Meatĥs number 6 and 14 as just 2 examples of the type of player needed for county standard.
One big criticism I would have regarding young player development is the lack of games during the year which results in players losing interest and not getting enough opportunities to develop their skills and physical condition.
Maybe the GAA need to introduce a provincial competition and a subsidiary all Ireland competition like the Tailteann Cup at underage so that at least teams would end up playing teams that are on a par with each other.
A win and a beating like last night that does neither team any good . We are just one of many counties that are cannon fodder come championship time. Just examine the list of provincial and all Ireland winners at underage for the last 20 years and you will see what I mean.
I wish I had answers but maybe last night's result will provide the basis for an examination of why we can't make progress. I won't be holding my breath however."
Good to get your perspective on last night. It is only a small point but we need to stop using the word excellence when referring to Ballinakill. I understand your point about the introduction of an underage Tailteann cup; I'd be against the idea as I don't believe players improve playing against teams of a similar standard over a long period of time. While last night's annihilation was difficult, it crystallised where we are and what we need to do in order to move in the right direction. Louth is a small county with a much smaller population to Wicklow. Not so long ago they were in Division 4 but they've turned it around completely in a relatively short period of time so it can be done. This is an example we should be following. I don't want to criticise people who are doing their best to improve football but I suspect there is a form of groupthink. If we do what we've always done then we'll continue to get what we're getting. If I assess club and underage results in the last twelve months, our footballers are falling further behind. I actually think Oisin McConville is overachieving with our senior team based upon what talent he is working with considering the talent available to him.

wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2210 - 29/04/2026 14:49:32    2669778

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I feel sorry for the lads last night, none of them went out to be beaten like that, but how are we that far behind? Its actually a worry for the gaa as a whole Wicklow are not the worst team in Leinster at minor level, how big is the gap becoming to teams like Wicklow, Wexford, Carlow etc?

stringfellohawk (Wicklow) - Posts: 164 - 29/04/2026 17:35:57    2669834

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Many of us remember a very colourful presentation compiled years ago by a group appointed to put in place structures for the future of gaelic football in Wicklow. The structure laid out aspirations aims and objectives which would guide our teams to compete at the highest level in Leinster with the initial goal of reaching Leinster finals ìn all grades. The academy idea may have come about from that study. I wonder how many copies are still in existence. Needless to remark we haven't come remotely close to achieving these lofty deals.
Last year I left Cullen park dejected hearing that 6-8 of the team were under 16.....this has been mentioned again in one of the posts for this year's team. Are we delusional if this true to expect under 16s to compete against stronger older players . Are we trying to sow defeat in the minds of our players at an early age?If we can't find 25 players that are on the cusp of 17 throughout the county we should just forget about taking part as it is unfair on young lads to have to endure what happened last night. They and their families deserve better.

Optimisticobserver (Wicklow) - Posts: 149 - 29/04/2026 21:10:43    2669858

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Replying To wicklowsupport:  "Good to get your perspective on last night. It is only a small point but we need to stop using the word excellence when referring to Ballinakill. I understand your point about the introduction of an underage Tailteann cup; I'd be against the idea as I don't believe players improve playing against teams of a similar standard over a long period of time. While last night's annihilation was difficult, it crystallised where we are and what we need to do in order to move in the right direction. Louth is a small county with a much smaller population to Wicklow. Not so long ago they were in Division 4 but they've turned it around completely in a relatively short period of time so it can be done. This is an example we should be following. I don't want to criticise people who are doing their best to improve football but I suspect there is a form of groupthink. If we do what we've always done then we'll continue to get what we're getting. If I assess club and underage results in the last twelve months, our footballers are falling further behind. I actually think Oisin McConville is overachieving with our senior team based upon what talent he is working with considering the talent available to him."
Louth similar population to Wicklow 139,000 to 158,000in Wicklow. Louth huge population county compared to Offaly, Westmeath, Monaghon , cavan etc

dickie10 (UK) - Posts: 930 - 30/04/2026 00:35:51    2669891

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Coaches/Managers inevitably focus on results. Even the best-intentioned feel the pressure from supporters, parents and social media warriors to win, win, win. This leads to a short term focus. We need a separate role (or roles), outside of our coaching setup for player development. We need a team of people in charge of developing every player in the county to the best of their ability from the ages of 13 to 23. This role should be long term and allow the person(s) to liaise with clubs and county setups to monitor and develop players of all levels across the county. It might seem excessive but have a look at where we are as a county and where we have been as a county since 1884. We need drastic if any of us are ever to experience the thrills and highs a Kerry, Kilkenny or Dublin supporter have been privileged to experience over the years.

HowISeeIt (Wicklow) - Posts: 11 - 30/04/2026 10:53:08    2669939

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Past 20 Years Statistics. Wicklow are the worst in Leinster based on final appearances.

Minor past 20 years - Wicklow and Wexford are the only teams that have not reached a single final.

Under 20s past 20 years - Wicklow and Carlow are the only teams in Leinster not to reach a single final.

Every other team in Leinster except for the above-mentioned has reached the Leinster final in both Minor and U-20.

Wicklow is the only team in Leinster not to reach at least one final in either minor or under-20 in the past 20 years.

It should be noted that football is very much secondary in Wexford for underage. They have completed in 10 Leinster finals in U-20 and 6 in minor in the past 20 years. There would be a considerable number of these players involved with football panels; their main focus was not hurling. Wicklow is predominantly a football county; there are very few, if any, who would choose to play minor hurling over minor football.

Based on the above, we are the worst performing underage county in Leinster based on final appearances in the past 20 years. I therefore also think Osin has significantly overachieved as a manager.

Tank (Wicklow) - Posts: 16 - 30/04/2026 12:21:59    2669979

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Replying To HowISeeIt:  "Coaches/Managers inevitably focus on results. Even the best-intentioned feel the pressure from supporters, parents and social media warriors to win, win, win. This leads to a short term focus. We need a separate role (or roles), outside of our coaching setup for player development. We need a team of people in charge of developing every player in the county to the best of their ability from the ages of 13 to 23. This role should be long term and allow the person(s) to liaise with clubs and county setups to monitor and develop players of all levels across the county. It might seem excessive but have a look at where we are as a county and where we have been as a county since 1884. We need drastic if any of us are ever to experience the thrills and highs a Kerry, Kilkenny or Dublin supporter have been privileged to experience over the years."
There is a lot of merit in what you are saying. For many years we have been outmuscled at juvenile level - not illegally, let me hasten to add - but by bigger, stronger players who can field the ball and more importantly, hold onto it. Like I said in an earlier post , we are not breeding smaller lighter youngsters in Wicklow, but these faster, lighter players are the ones who seem to come to the fore for their clubs and consequently get sent forward for county trials. Then we end up with hidings from the stronger counties as we just can't compete physically. Are the clubs possibly not working hard enough on their fringe players to develop them as players ?

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 2242 - 30/04/2026 12:43:17    2669984

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