National Forum

Motion Of 4 National League Games To Play

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Replying To tirawleybaron:  "The clontarf motion is needed in Dublin, should be passing it there first rather than taking on the whole country"
Am I missing something here, why is it needed "particularly" in Dublin?

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 1087 - 20/02/2026 13:04:15    2657466

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There is at least one club here who have 6 players on the senior panel and 5/6 players on the u20 panel. This means that club has to play most of the county senior league - about 10 games - with the majority of their "better" players unavailable. Difficult to avoid relegation there.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 2087 - 20/02/2026 13:20:26    2657472

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Replying To tirawleybaron:  "The clontarf motion is needed in Dublin, should be passing it there first rather than taking on the whole country"
Exactly. As I said before, would be a national "solution" to a Dublin problem.

Thing is, Dublin couldn't just implement it themselves as a bye-law if it wasn't backed up by national rule. Say they did set a quota themselves of eight club games per year - they wouldn't have a leg to stand on if it was challenged by somebody who was asked into the county squad but who had just played seven or less club games the previous year.

What might be a more workable solution would be a different motion along the lines of:
"A County Board may set a quota of the number of club games which a player in that county must play in a given year in order to be eligible for inter-county competition in the following year".

Dublin, if they still felt strongly enough, could set their own quota at eight. Some other county might set theirs at four. Some other counties might not set one at all.

Would lead to suggestions of "uneven playing field", but it would be more workable than the motion currently being proposed.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3346 - 20/02/2026 13:20:56    2657473

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Exactly. As I said before, would be a national "solution" to a Dublin problem.

Thing is, Dublin couldn't just implement it themselves as a bye-law if it wasn't backed up by national rule. Say they did set a quota themselves of eight club games per year - they wouldn't have a leg to stand on if it was challenged by somebody who was asked into the county squad but who had just played seven or less club games the previous year.

What might be a more workable solution would be a different motion along the lines of:
"A County Board may set a quota of the number of club games which a player in that county must play in a given year in order to be eligible for inter-county competition in the following year".

Dublin, if they still felt strongly enough, could set their own quota at eight. Some other county might set theirs at four. Some other counties might not set one at all.

Would lead to suggestions of "uneven playing field", but it would be more workable than the motion currently being proposed."
Why are you saying it's a Dublin issue?

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 1087 - 20/02/2026 14:43:54    2657494

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Replying To Freethinker:  "There is at least one club here who have 6 players on the senior panel and 5/6 players on the u20 panel. This means that club has to play most of the county senior league - about 10 games - with the majority of their "better" players unavailable. Difficult to avoid relegation there."
St Brigids had 9 or 10 on the County panel last year.
Still won the League!

Seanfan (Roscommon) - Posts: 374 - 20/02/2026 15:52:25    2657503

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Replying To Seanfan:  "St Brigids had 9 or 10 on the County panel last year.
Still won the League!"
Brigids a brilliant club though

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18465 - 20/02/2026 16:05:18    2657507

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@ sligo joe (who appears to be in Dublin anyway) -

Why am I saying it's a Dublin issue?????

Quite simply, because Dublin are the ones who are making it an issue.

It's a motion put forward by a Dublin club, and approved by Dublin County Board for submission to Congress. No other county has been vocal on this. Surely you can see how that makes it a Dublin issue!

Perhaps you mean why am I saying it's a Dublin problem? And if so, perhaps I should have been using inverted commas on "problem" as well, when I said a national "solution" to a Dublin problem.

But again, a Dublin club submitting the motion, and Dublin County Board passing it at their level - so obviously a majority of people there see it as a "problem" that needs addressing.

Again, I'd have thought that was self-evident.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3346 - 20/02/2026 17:37:38    2657532

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "@ sligo joe (who appears to be in Dublin anyway) -

Why am I saying it's a Dublin issue?????

Quite simply, because Dublin are the ones who are making it an issue.

It's a motion put forward by a Dublin club, and approved by Dublin County Board for submission to Congress. No other county has been vocal on this. Surely you can see how that makes it a Dublin issue!

Perhaps you mean why am I saying it's a Dublin problem? And if so, perhaps I should have been using inverted commas on "problem" as well, when I said a national "solution" to a Dublin problem.

But again, a Dublin club submitting the motion, and Dublin County Board passing it at their level - so obviously a majority of people there see it as a "problem" that needs addressing.

Again, I'd have thought that was self-evident."
This is a crazy motion .I hope it is roundly defeated.

It will be a nightmare for CBs to police and works against counties outside Dublin .

Remember many players are teavelling back home for county and club .

Remember these players are amateurs .

If Dublin have an issue rhen introduce a bye law for themselves.

joeman123 (Leitrim) - Posts: 641 - 20/02/2026 20:25:49    2657558

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "@ sligo joe (who appears to be in Dublin anyway) -

Why am I saying it's a Dublin issue?????

Quite simply, because Dublin are the ones who are making it an issue.

It's a motion put forward by a Dublin club, and approved by Dublin County Board for submission to Congress. No other county has been vocal on this. Surely you can see how that makes it a Dublin issue!

Perhaps you mean why am I saying it's a Dublin problem? And if so, perhaps I should have been using inverted commas on "problem" as well, when I said a national "solution" to a Dublin problem.

But again, a Dublin club submitting the motion, and Dublin County Board passing it at their level - so obviously a majority of people there see it as a "problem" that needs addressing.

Again, I'd have thought that was self-evident."
I am genuinely interested as to why yourself and one other poster referenced this issue as a Dublin problem or indeed this problem as a Dublin issue (if you check your online or hard copy Thesaurus you'll find that issue and problem are interchangeable in this context).
Surely you don't suggest that if a club put forward a motion then the subject involved in the motion is unique to that county. A very brief perusal of just this thread shows posts from at least 4 counties airing similar issues as those raised in the post.
Anyhow I appreciate your belief that because a Dublin club put forward the motion then the issue/problem of clubs being left without players only exists in Dublin.
As for your comment that I appear to be in Dublin, bizarre!

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 1087 - 20/02/2026 21:00:21    2657562

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While the intentions may be good, like many others I think this proposal is completely unworkable. Suppose a player is recovering from a long-term injury and legitimately misses a bunch of games as a result? Any attempt to excuse such players from satisfying the minimum requirement of playing 4 club league games (such as requiring a note or report from a doctor or physio) would be wide open to abuse and very easy to get around.

Or imagine a young lad coming to the attention of the county selectors after a string of brilliant performances in the county championship but it is then discovered that he can't be given a try with the county team because, for whatever reason (he was travelling abroad, studying for exams, working or just couldn't be bothered) he missed too many club league games. This would be a ridiculous situation that could easily happen.

On the whole, the current split season format does a good job of balancing the competing needs of clubs and counties with player welfare. Also, the players seem happy with it. I don't see any easy ways to improve it.

Gaillimh_Abu (Galway) - Posts: 1048 - 20/02/2026 21:16:57    2657564

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It is wrong that county players are only available for a guaranteed minimum of 3 club games on average. It has to be addressed.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9442 - 21/02/2026 01:40:38    2657583

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Replying To legendzxix:  "It is wrong that county players are only available for a guaranteed minimum of 3 club games on average. It has to be addressed."
Some of our county players played in excess of 15 club championship games last year. Pretty sure Philip Dempsey, David Codd, Darren Codd and Diarmuid O'Leary played 20 club championship games for St Martins last season. Unless they were injured for some of them.
Its definitely something that counties, and clubs, need to address themselves, as regards their club structures and championship formats.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18465 - 21/02/2026 11:09:42    2657607

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Replying To sligo joe:  "I am genuinely interested as to why yourself and one other poster referenced this issue as a Dublin problem or indeed this problem as a Dublin issue (if you check your online or hard copy Thesaurus you'll find that issue and problem are interchangeable in this context).
Surely you don't suggest that if a club put forward a motion then the subject involved in the motion is unique to that county. A very brief perusal of just this thread shows posts from at least 4 counties airing similar issues as those raised in the post.
Anyhow I appreciate your belief that because a Dublin club put forward the motion then the issue/problem of clubs being left without players only exists in Dublin.
As for your comment that I appear to be in Dublin, bizarre!"
I'll leave aside your rejection of my perfectly reasonable and rational explanation of why I've been referring to it as a Dublin "issue" or a Dublin "problem".

I'll instead just address your final point that it's somehow "bizarre" that I remarked that you appear to be in Dublin anyway.

Your user name appears here as sligo joe (Dublin).

Is it not as equally obvious to you then as to why somebody might believe you're based in Dublin? i.e. you could be a native of Sligo who moved to Dublin at some stage?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3346 - 21/02/2026 12:47:47    2657624

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "I'll leave aside your rejection of my perfectly reasonable and rational explanation of why I've been referring to it as a Dublin "issue" or a Dublin "problem".

I'll instead just address your final point that it's somehow "bizarre" that I remarked that you appear to be in Dublin anyway.

Your user name appears here as sligo joe (Dublin).

Is it not as equally obvious to you then as to why somebody might believe you're based in Dublin? i.e. you could be a native of Sligo who moved to Dublin at some stage?"
Well obviously it's as clear as mud to you but HS user name is first and your County affiliation is next in brackets so Kudos to you for working out that I appear to be from Dublin.
And if there is any update on your bizarre broadcast that the substance of a motion from a club is uniquely applicable to that club's county please let us know.
It's up to seven now, posters from different counties that see an issue/problem with county player availability?

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 1087 - 21/02/2026 18:14:56    2657669

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Replying To sligo joe:  "Well obviously it's as clear as mud to you but HS user name is first and your County affiliation is next in brackets so Kudos to you for working out that I appear to be from Dublin.
And if there is any update on your bizarre broadcast that the substance of a motion from a club is uniquely applicable to that club's county please let us know.
It's up to seven now, posters from different counties that see an issue/problem with county player availability?"
7 isnt that many compared to how many posters there are?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18465 - 22/02/2026 10:40:00    2657736

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Replying To Viking66:  "7 isnt that many compared to how many posters there are?"
Posters from 7 different counties is the point.
What I was asking of "pikeman" is why he states that the unavailability of county players to their clubs is a problem in Dublin only. And his only answer so far is that the motion is from a Dublin club so it must be uniquely a Dublin problem, strange logic. Colm O'Rourke's column today indicates it is not just a Dublin issue but pretty much an issue in every county for some clubs.

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 1087 - 22/02/2026 14:23:49    2657778

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Only a couple of Cavan posters and a Dublin poster, yourself, seem to think its necessary. A wicklow poster makes the point that having plenty of intercounty players affects clubs League position, but doesn't mention championship at all. And a Kerry poster points out that some counties only guarantee 3 club championship games, but otherwise still seems in favour of our current split season. Most counties guarantee far more club games for intercounty players than 3, as I pointed out in my last post some of the St Martins lads played 20 times for their club in the club window under the current set up.
If its an issue in Dublin, or Cavan, then those counties should change their championship structures to give their intercounty players more club games, not try to inflict motions and new rules on the majority of counties where it just isnt an issue.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18465 - 22/02/2026 16:10:04    2657820

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Replying To sligo joe:  "Posters from 7 different counties is the point.
What I was asking of "pikeman" is why he states that the unavailability of county players to their clubs is a problem in Dublin only. And his only answer so far is that the motion is from a Dublin club so it must be uniquely a Dublin problem, strange logic. Colm O'Rourke's column today indicates it is not just a Dublin issue but pretty much an issue in every county for some clubs."
Tell you what. Let's see how the motion fares at Congress next weekend, and we'll leave it at that.

Remember it was withdrawn last year as it didn't have a hope of passing.

FWIW, my prediction is that it will lead to some decent discussion this time round all right, but it'll still be defeated if it goes to the floor at all.

And by the way, you'll search high and low without success for anywhere I said "it must be a uniquely Dublin problem". All I said was that it's a Dublin issue, and clearly it's a Dublin issue if Dublin are the ones bringing it forward. That doesn't automatically rule out the possibility of some people in other counties seeing it as an issue too. But I stand by my prediction that the motion will still fail.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3346 - 22/02/2026 20:49:37    2657937

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