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It was a roundabout to say that this is the worst possible time of year to schedule games, especially for this age bracket. Putting the fact we are almost guaranteed bad weather, and possible unforeseen postponements due to that, the players are young men with plenty of distractions this time of year. Be it college exams, or whatever (yes even socialising). And if I was training all year, commuting up and down from Dublin or elsewhere to train perhaps once or twice a week, I wouldn't be too enthused that there is STILL GAA going on as Christmas decorations are going up. Talk about a defined calendar for clubs seems ridiculous when the off-season is getting shorter and shorter.
Start the under-20 football in Feb-March regardless of the county team, allow for the mid-season break as the Wexford senior sides enter championship, leave the under-20 hurling to the summer if it's so sacred to the calendar, and have everything else within the county finished by early October. This nonsense is no good for anyone.
beano (Wexford) - Posts: 950 - 26/11/2021 12:51:55
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Think we all agree that playing U20 at this time of year is far from ideal. Just want to clarify I wasn't suggesting myself that this is the best time for it. I was just pointing out there'd be issues of different types no matter when it was played.
The most common suggestion here seems to be to play it around February/March, either with (a) clubs lining out without their county players, or else (b) with county players being released back to the clubs if they have a match that weekend.
But potential problems with both those suggestions too:
(a) - clubs with a large number of players on county squad will complain they're being handicapped by having so many good footballers. They'll point to how opponents might not be down anybody at all, while they'll be without four or five or more of their best players themselves, and will say that's not fair. And if you've only got a panel of 18 or 20 in the first place, and five of them are in the county squad, you'd be struggling to even put out a team.
(b) - potential for either U20 county management or others to start complaining about how Co. Board is handicapping the county squad in preparing for their championship, by removing players from county training in the weekends leading up to an inter-county match, and sending them to play for their clubs instead.
As I keep saying, no easy solution. It's 30 years since I first togged off for an U21 football match myself. Just about everything's been tried at different times of the year since then, and still here we are in the same boat.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 746 - 26/11/2021 13:27:23
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Replying To Pikeman96: "Think we all agree that playing U20 at this time of year is far from ideal. Just want to clarify I wasn't suggesting myself that this is the best time for it. I was just pointing out there'd be issues of different types no matter when it was played.
The most common suggestion here seems to be to play it around February/March, either with (a) clubs lining out without their county players, or else (b) with county players being released back to the clubs if they have a match that weekend.
But potential problems with both those suggestions too:
(a) - clubs with a large number of players on county squad will complain they're being handicapped by having so many good footballers. They'll point to how opponents might not be down anybody at all, while they'll be without four or five or more of their best players themselves, and will say that's not fair. And if you've only got a panel of 18 or 20 in the first place, and five of them are in the county squad, you'd be struggling to even put out a team.
(b) - potential for either U20 county management or others to start complaining about how Co. Board is handicapping the county squad in preparing for their championship, by removing players from county training in the weekends leading up to an inter-county match, and sending them to play for their clubs instead.
As I keep saying, no easy solution. It's 30 years since I first togged off for an U21 football match myself. Just about everything's been tried at different times of the year since then, and still here we are in the same boat." I think the days of a tyrannical county manager calling the shots are gone, more or less. Player welfare has started to be acknowledged more and more, although the powers that be are slower to get on board evidently. Besides, most of the S and C training is done in the off-season anyway, lads aren't exactly doing laps of the pitch every training session now and most county training sessions are tactically-orientated.
In that situation, club championship is set for the Saturday, the county panel can have a get together on the Sunday morning or afternoon. Clubs with multiple county panelists shouldn't hold back those just clobbering together a team. Since it's a knock-out format, it's only messy for a week or two as teams gradually get eliminated. Use floodlit venues if you have to fix games for Tuesday night, with anyone in action exempt from county commitments that night.
I'm not having a go at you by the way, I just think the solution is a lot simpler if a bit of thought is put into it. It wasn't quite thirty years when I togged out, but it's simply incredible that there hasn't been anything done in that long.
beano (Wexford) - Posts: 950 - 26/11/2021 14:09:38
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Replying To beano: "I think the days of a tyrannical county manager calling the shots are gone, more or less. Player welfare has started to be acknowledged more and more, although the powers that be are slower to get on board evidently. Besides, most of the S and C training is done in the off-season anyway, lads aren't exactly doing laps of the pitch every training session now and most county training sessions are tactically-orientated.
In that situation, club championship is set for the Saturday, the county panel can have a get together on the Sunday morning or afternoon. Clubs with multiple county panelists shouldn't hold back those just clobbering together a team. Since it's a knock-out format, it's only messy for a week or two as teams gradually get eliminated. Use floodlit venues if you have to fix games for Tuesday night, with anyone in action exempt from county commitments that night.
I'm not having a go at you by the way, I just think the solution is a lot simpler if a bit of thought is put into it. It wasn't quite thirty years when I togged out, but it's simply incredible that there hasn't been anything done in that long." I agree your suggestion could work, so long as U20 county manager nor anybody else didn't start complaining about how the county team was being held back in its preparations for its own championship.
But when U20 (or U21, as it was at the time) was played early in the year, however long ago it is now, there were other complaints about it being over too soon, and the 18/19 year olds who were already out of minor but not quite up to standard of the older grades had little or nothing to do for the rest of the year, particularly if they didn't play hurling as well.
Granted, that's probably only a small number. But am pointing it out all the same just to show there'd be at least some complaints from at least some quarters, no matter what you do.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 746 - 26/11/2021 14:56:08
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Starlight's,Gorey,Martin's, SARS,and barntown All should win tonight
Lockerroomboy (Wexford) - Posts: 268 - 26/11/2021 15:31:07
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Crossabeg Shels off according to Crossabeg's Twitter
wexico15 (Wexford) - Posts: 3789 - 26/11/2021 16:02:14
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A massacre in Bree, how good is this Martin's team? St Martins going for 4 or 5 titles in a row?
Lockerroomboy (Wexford) - Posts: 268 - 26/11/2021 21:01:35
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Replying To Lockerroomboy: "A massacre in Bree, how good is this Martin's team? St Martins going for 4 or 5 titles in a row?" Ballyhogue had only thirteen players available, and had it on good authority that the game would be 13-a-side, but Martin's went full fifteen. And then took off two lads at HT when they were 28 points up. A complete and utter farce and mockery of the competition. I see Gorey and Sarsfields had two lop-sided wins as well- something is seriously amiss. I forecast more walkovers next week.
beano (Wexford) - Posts: 950 - 27/11/2021 10:04:47
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Replying To beano: "Ballyhogue had only thirteen players available, and had it on good authority that the game would be 13-a-side, but Martin's went full fifteen. And then took off two lads at HT when they were 28 points up. A complete and utter farce and mockery of the competition. I see Gorey and Sarsfields had two lop-sided wins as well- something is seriously amiss. I forecast more walkovers next week." There are 16 teams in premier.
We don't even expect that at adult level.
Divisions of 8 based on the finishing position of the same teams when they were minor should be the structure
Onfor15 (Wexford) - Posts: 302 - 27/11/2021 11:21:43
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Replying To Onfor15: "There are 16 teams in premier.
We don't even expect that at adult level.
Divisions of 8 based on the finishing position of the same teams when they were minor should be the structure" The issue is everyone was lumped in together into the one section, meaning that hammerings are to be expected. When they should have been graded more equally.
Clearly Ballyhogue, even at full strength, shouldn't be paired in the same grade as Martin's. Of the losers this round, how many of them will bother fielding next week? Some lads must be demoralised after shipping such a beating.
beano (Wexford) - Posts: 950 - 27/11/2021 12:02:30
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Replying To Onfor15: "There are 16 teams in premier.
We don't even expect that at adult level.
Divisions of 8 based on the finishing position of the same teams when they were minor should be the structure" Your suggestion is the way it should be done.
Instead the stronger teams will only get stronger and we will lose more players to the game from clubs crying out for numbers.
beano (Wexford) - Posts: 950 - 27/11/2021 12:11:04
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Replying To Onfor15: "There are 16 teams in premier.
We don't even expect that at adult level.
Divisions of 8 based on the finishing position of the same teams when they were minor should be the structure" The 16 teams are put in 2 groups after the 1st games, 8 winners in top section, 8 defeated teams the grade below.
wexico15 (Wexford) - Posts: 3789 - 27/11/2021 13:14:45
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