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At this early stage of the hurling championships the prominence of Carnew Emmetts and Kiltegan is noted. This can only be be a positive for hurling in Wicklow. As I have said earlier, these clubs have contributed massively to the county panels for the past 40/50 yrs or more and when they were strong we had some of our best performing teams. Hurling is deep in these guys DNA. I'm not saying either will win the championship but both will have a big say in who does win it out. Other clubs are blowing hot and cold. Avondale are almost a threat again. Bray are still doing enough to win. Pats look a little over the hill, or is that a bit unfair? Glenealy ? jury is still out here. Kilcoole's stay in senior could be short lived. Carnew look to have the strongest side in the intermediate championship. Barndarrig flatter to deceive, Rocks are still a long way off and I feel Glenealy are hard set to put out a strong senior side. Still, some interesting scenarios to play out in both divisions. Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1721 - 15/08/2021 16:22:32 2371578 Link 0 |
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Kiltegan are now guaranteed a semi final place. They should top the group with a win over Glenealy. Greystones couldn't get there game going and now rely on Kiltegan to do them a favour. Score difference could be important to decide who goes through. St pats were off the pace at the weekend. They made Glenealy look better than what they are. The other thing that stood out was the officiating of the game which was questionable at best. It was being said at the game that the referee is from Glenealy which if true is unbelievable. The Pats manager complained in the middle of the game and it ended with him being sent from the pitch. The game was stopped for ten minutes while people discussed whether St Pats would continue playing and it looked at one stage that the game would have to be abandoned. Very bad for a county to allow this situation to happen just for the want of an appointment of a neutral official. Luckyboy (Wicklow) - Posts: 38 - 16/08/2021 23:49:11 2372189 Link 0 |
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Not having a go at you for posting this but I think this sums up gaelic games in Wicklow and why people are running away from participating in hurling and football. Every summer there is a story of this nature; every summer without fail and they are always of the same vintage. Is it any wonder that we have no hurling team to follow and some people think changing the manager at intercounty level is going to turn the county's fortunes around. Madness. It is guarantee every summer, just like the rain. The county needs an attitude/mindset restart but it has needed this for the last 130 years.
wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2116 - 17/08/2021 10:10:02 2372246 Link 0 |
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The ref for the St.Pats v Glenealy game is a member of the Eire Og club. pistelero (Wicklow) - Posts: 1719 - 17/08/2021 11:19:19 2372289 Link 0 |
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I have to say that I agree with lots of what Luckyboy comes up with but it must be said that he shows a distinct bias against the Glenealy club which is unusual on these forums. This begs the question - why ? Most posters here try to be independent and neutral in their posts and a fair insight into the ins and outs of club football and hurling can be gleaned from their contributions. Not always so with our friend. From my enquiries there possibly exists a little animosity on behalf of an individual or two with regards to the two clubs mentioned. I am not privy to this nor do I want to be but it isn't on the interests of either of the clubs or the wider hurling scene to try making any more out of any issue, particularly if the facts are not straight as may be the case here. Anyway, the very best of luck to ALL clubs still in with a chance and let's hope we get games which will enhance and improve both the standard and reputation hurling in the county.
Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1721 - 17/08/2021 13:09:51 2372355 Link 0 |
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There's always two sides to every story. Does anyone know if the games was held up for 10 minutes and if Pats threatened to not complete the match because of an incident or because they weren't happy with the referee? If so, this is very damaging to the competition, gaelic games within the county and it further erodes an already tarnished reputation that exists around this type of behaviour in the county. If there was no legitimate reason for their behaviour then they should be punished accordingly. It just takes a small minority and a small number of incidents like reported to contaminate the whole of the GAA circle in the county. Referees are in the spotlight on the intercounty scene at the moment and it is easy to throw the toys out of the pram when a couple of decisions go against a team but these are amateur people putting themselves forward and without them there wouldn't be any matches to play, view or support.
wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2116 - 17/08/2021 14:23:48 2372401 Link 0 |
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Senior : Bray look ahead of the pack still, Glenealy after a poor display in the first round seem to be back on track and their closest rivals, Carnew are coming with lots of very good young players but maybe a year away yet. Kiltegan and Avondale have made great improvements and it's great to see, but it's still Bray for me..... Intermediate : Carnew bet Bray last weekend comfortably and look very strong, Carnew and Bray look ahead of the rest, but Glenealy can't be written off as ever. Junior : Western Gaels or Aughrim going by results. brollyboy (Wicklow) - Posts: 132 - 19/08/2021 09:00:49 2372938 Link 0 |
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So, now, is it Carnew v Glenealy and Kiltegan v Bray ? To me it looks like a Carnew and Bray final which could be a cracker. One thing that I'd say is pretty certain, if that is the final pairing, it won't be a repeat of last year. Carnew seem to sharpened up considerably. However, Bray do look capable of retaining their crown. The intermediate looks to be between Carnew and Bray again. Big question here is - what happened to Barndarrig. I expect Western Gaels to win the junior which can only be good for hurling. Good to see Aughrim going so well again. Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1721 - 21/08/2021 20:39:54 2373684 Link 0 |
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Bray x 9. Carnew x 5. Bray to win final x 7 or 8 Luckyboy (Wicklow) - Posts: 38 - 29/08/2021 13:02:21 2375982 Link 0 |
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Have to say I didn't see that Glenealy / Carnew result coming. Kiltegan put up a fight, as you would expect. Bray have just been doing enough and I think that should see them hang onto their title. Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1721 - 05/09/2021 19:11:38 2377977 Link 0 |
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Carnew were very bad today, particularly in the first fifteen minutes. Brays running game and first touch hurling should see them through. Bray x 7
Luckyboy (Wicklow) - Posts: 38 - 05/09/2021 23:29:59 2378058 Link 0 |
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And after all the downgrading of Glenealy on here they go on to contest their 18th County Final (1 replay) since 2000. Wicklowman (Wicklow) - Posts: 1145 - 06/09/2021 00:32:59 2378070 Link 0 |
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A question for the authorities on hurling in Wicklow - how many teams participated in this year's Wicklow senior hurling championship? Is Kiltegan the only team from the West of the county who plays in the senior hurling championship. Obviously I didn't see either of the matches over the week but on paper, it seems that both semi finals were competitive; are these the four best teams in the county and if so, is there a big gap to the next team(s) and how big would people say the gap is? wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2116 - 06/09/2021 10:32:09 2378137 Link 0 |
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Can't really agree with you on this Wicklowman. To the best of my knowledge there is only one poster on here who continually downgrades Glenealy. To me, his / her criticism smacks of being personal for whatever reason so we will park that. I always try to give a fair assessment of all clubs chances. Glenealy undoubtedly are the team of the last twenty years, and their proven record goes further back for decades, and looking at what's coming through, they should be again. Whether that can be this year, I am not too sure. Bray seem to be able to do enough still to get through. Their average age is still where it should be and their hurling ability is certainly a cut above what is on show from the other clubs, with the exception of Glenealy. Again, this has to be taken in the context of them operating in Div 4 of the Dublin leagues. In my opinion, our county champions of 8/10 yrs and further ago would have been at least of Intermediate standard in Dublin. So, here's hoping for a good open hurling match in the county final and may the best team win. I won't be presumptuous enough to predict the score but I would expect a Bray win. Having said that It wouldn't be a major surprise to me if Glenealy turn the tables.
Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1721 - 06/09/2021 11:05:40 2378149 Link 0 |
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I suppose , Wicklowsupport, at this stage there are only three other clubs - St Pats, Greystones and Avondale who on their day could possibly trouble this years top 4. Kilcoole were senior for the first time in years this year and found the going tough, to say the least. That shows the gap from Senior to Intermediate. . Carnew and Bray are in this yrs Intermediate final. Arklow Rocks and Barndarrig are the other separate clubs in the Intermediate grade, but the fact that 3 of the last four in the 2021 championship were second teams from the top clubs tells its own story. Western Gaels are making waves at Junior level. It will be interesting to chart their progress over the coming years as they have some hurlers from clubs not normally associated with the small ball game
Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1721 - 06/09/2021 11:15:52 2378151 Link 0 |
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There seems to be a core of teams/areas throughout the county that have a strong hurling tradition. What is interesting is that it is north, south, east and west as oppose to just one or two areas. I'm not sure of the quality but I would imagine it shouldn't be too difficult to target these areas with a coaching plan and improve the standards. Also, it should be possible for the teams in the north of the county to compete against teams in South Dublin and for the teams in the South especially Carnew to compete against teams in Wexford (a cross border league). There are clubs in Kildare who are starting to introduce hurling so it may even be possible for Western Gaels to compete against some of the lesser teams in Kildare who are a similar standard. Tier 1 Bray Emmets Carnew Emmets Glenealy Kiltegan Tier 2 St Pats Greystones Avondale Tier 3 (Intermediate) Bray Emmets Carnew Emmets Arklow Rocks Barndarrig Tier 4 (Junior) Western Gaels wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2116 - 06/09/2021 11:54:15 2378176 Link 0 |
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Your tiers are almost correct Wicklowsupport. Tier 3 includes Glenealy. And Tier 4 should also include St Pats, Avondale, and The Rocks, with Aughrim and Knockananna having teams entered too. Shillelagh, Newcastle and Enniskerry and Avoca all used to produce some pretty useful hurlers. They may be supplying players to other clubs presently. Rathnew were formerly a hurling stronghold but for many years now their juveniles would have played with Glenealy before they concentrated totally on football. Ashford also produced some fine hurlers with Glenealy over the years, while Glenealy reciprocated with some fine footballers. This was before juveniles from Glenealy began switching allegiance from Ashford to Rathnew. Unfortunately for Glenealy, while some of their juveniles have helped swell Rathnew numbers at senior level, the same doesn't seem to be happening the other way round. Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1721 - 06/09/2021 17:51:37 2378299 Link 0 |
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I'm a retired player from that area. When I played underage Glenealy gave 6-7 good lads to Ashford for the football. They are the same parish. Remember Glenealy is the smaller village by some distance. In return bar the odd exceptional year (the really invincible team - Leighton and Wayne's underage side where there was a big Ashford contingent - Kevin Manning, Mick Shea, Maguires etc) all Glenealy got back was 1 or 2 and sometimes no Ashford players back in return for the hurling. Glenealy grew pretty tired of that. Then you had the stimulus of Leighton Glynn getting his transfer which over the years inticed many a Glenealy young lad to just never go near Ashford at all and head straight for Rathnew. The Rathnew link with Glenealy hurling really began in the late 80s- early 90s, with Mark and Trevor Doyle, Bobby and Clifford Murphy, the Dignams and the Mitchells all going on to play in Glenealy's red and white. In short far more Rathnew players wore Glenealy hurling shirts than Ashford men. Some Glenealy lads still do play with Ashford, but it's less and less over the years.
Wicklowman (Wicklow) - Posts: 1145 - 06/09/2021 18:53:28 2378314 Link 0 |
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Always a difficult question to ask at any given time and I can probably take a guess at the answer but would it be better if there was an amalgamation of clubs? It seems that players from Ashford and Rathnew play hurling for Glenealy and of course if you are a quality footballer like Leighton Glynn you are probably going to play football for Rathnew, no offense to Ashford and Glenealy (not sure if there is a football team in Glenealy) but then you have a hurling team in St. Pats which is only a short distance down the road. Surely one team takes from the other team, whereas if there was a hurlin team that served the four clubs - Ashford, Glenealy, Rathnew and St. Pat, they would be a possibility of competing against the likes of Bray Emmets. Having said that, Kiltegan seem to always be able to produce quality hurlers and footballers whereas the likes of Baltinglass and Blessington can't produce both. wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2116 - 06/09/2021 20:20:03 2378351 Link 0 |
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I wouldn't attach too much significance to the "dominance" by Bray Emmetts of the hurling scene at the moment Wicklowsupport. That will end as did Glenealy ' dominance of a short few years ago. As I said in an earlier post, don't be surprised if Bray don't win this year. Kiltegan are coming. Carnew will get it right in time. Tradition is hard to beat and in time Bray will build their own. It's the supply chain of new blood that keeps the wheels turning. There are reasons why some clubs would never combine, in the east or any other part of the county. Inter club rivalry which sometimes can almost equate to a hatred runs deep in the veins of generations of footballers and hurlers. These would not be erased overnight and would bubble to the surface continually. Thankfully our games nowadays are mainly discussed afterwards as to what kind of game it was, who played well etc and not for what we were infamous for some years back. All these enmities haven't been helped over the years by our lack of success at inter county level. In fact one kind of feeds off the other - leaving us with a chicken and egg situation.
Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1721 - 06/09/2021 21:06:13 2378366 Link 0 |