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Wexford Club Hurling 2025

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Replying To MyOhMi:  "It was proposed by the Hurling Advisory Committee which was led by Adrain Fenlon
Discussed, voted on and passed at Convention by Club delegates.

People need to remember that Wexford GAA do not just pull these suggestions out of their brains - it is the clubs that eventually vote these through in a democratic process.

Maybe we don't agree with the format, but then it is up to the clubs to try and change / alter it."
The weaker clubs won't vote to change the current format. They voted in favour for obvious reasons.
They know that they can be beaten out the gate in the early rounds and still end up in a quarter final.
The consequences of this is
Lack of interest by the fans.
Lack of interest by the players as many of them are working or holidaying in America or Dubai or other countries across the globe.
I honestly can't see it changing back but really it makes no sense to have games where it doesn't matter if you lose or win.
Going back to 4 teams from each group qualifying for quarter finals and semi finals with the 5th placed staying put and the 2 bottom teams in a relegation battle. Every game should have meaning for the players and the paying public.
A rethink is badly needed.

Magpie2 (Wexford) - Posts: 542 - 23/07/2025 15:00:37    2627470

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Replying To Magpie2:  "The weaker clubs won't vote to change the current format. They voted in favour for obvious reasons.
They know that they can be beaten out the gate in the early rounds and still end up in a quarter final.
The consequences of this is
Lack of interest by the fans.
Lack of interest by the players as many of them are working or holidaying in America or Dubai or other countries across the globe.
I honestly can't see it changing back but really it makes no sense to have games where it doesn't matter if you lose or win.
Going back to 4 teams from each group qualifying for quarter finals and semi finals with the 5th placed staying put and the 2 bottom teams in a relegation battle. Every game should have meaning for the players and the paying public.
A rethink is badly needed."
4 teams or even Oularts proposal last year, top two to quarters, and 3 v 5, and 4-4 to decide who joins them. Either way, when you come bottom, you should be in the relegation final.

Anyways back to this weeks games:

Glynn v Rapps
Rapps havent got going at all yet while have been doing ok and been unlucky. I'll be saying a win for the Glynn men.

Harriers v Shels
Shels have been winning without being spectacular, watched Harriers last day, awful game, think Shels will win.

Annes v Ballymurn
Annes have started the championship well and should continue here, Ballymurn have been poor and seem to be putting more into the football, still my favorites for relegation, Annes win by 8.

Rathnure v St Annes.
Rathnure going well, have been mpressed their first two days out, Ferns look like they havent woken up yet. Expect a Rathnure win.

Oylegate v Naomh Eanna
Very hard one to call, O/G have a win, albeit against Crossabeg, Naomh Eanna havent got going yet. Think the Gorey side will come out with a win here.

Martins v Oulart
Even though Rory is missing, Martins should still have plenty to win. Not so along ago, this match would of been the tie of the round.

Intermediate
Craanford v Fethard
All depends if Mikie Dwyer makes a come back, if he dosent I'd say a Craanford victory.

Gusserane v Cloughbawn
Hard to look past Cloughbawn for the win, should be very comfortable aswell. Gusserane got a win against a very poor Horeswood side last time out which will keep them off the bottom.

Askamore v Liam Mellows
Askamore have such good firepower but are slightly suspect at the back, Mellows doing ok but no that football has started, will be concentrating on that. Askamore victory.

Horeswood v Bunclody
Think the Horeswood men might be in trouble this year, they could really do with a win, Bunclody are always there or there abouts, expect them to win here.

Buffers Alley v Blackwater
Never anything between these teams in the past few years, Blackwater have started the season well, expect them to just about come out on top.

St. James v Tara Rocks
Rocks were poor against Blackwater while Jimmies should have some of there more stronger players back I believe. Kilanerin will been concentrating on the football as they have made a good start in senior. Jimmies for the win.

alwaysasub (Wexford) - Posts: 504 - 23/07/2025 16:55:58    2627494

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Replying To MyOhMi:  "It was proposed by the Hurling Advisory Committee which was led by Adrain Fenlon
Discussed, voted on and passed at Convention by Club delegates.

People need to remember that Wexford GAA do not just pull these suggestions out of their brains - it is the clubs that eventually vote these through in a democratic process.

Maybe we don't agree with the format, but then it is up to the clubs to try and change / alter it."
Plenty did try change it, but not enough. Also maybe there were too many different alternatives.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16734 - 23/07/2025 17:43:14    2627508

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I had to google the justification for this championship setup and apparently the clubs were swayed by the justification but Alan Hearne did not know why.
Is it a case of "Fenlon and Griffin say so"? Can clubs not think for themselves? Do they want this because they don't want to be out after 5 rounds? This flies in the face of competitive sport.

ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1450 - 23/07/2025 18:15:56    2627520

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There's no chance anyone on that committee are going to admit they got it badly wrong their main objective being More hurling more hurling more hurling . Not sure they thought of the quality by taking that ultra competitive edge away by no one out after round Robin .
I don't attend these conventions I trust others to do whats best for wexford gaa .
I believe the committee were allowed to put their arguments for current format to the floor and then a vote took place secret or otherwise . The talk should nt have mattered if clubs had given their delegates their mandate to vote . Maybe the hac swayed the vote on the night and changed the delegates minds . Sounds like a trump rally
mwhga. ( make wexford hurling great again)
Thats going to take a long time and forward planning too . We need to come up with a plan/format that's suits us not copy some other counties plan . Every county has different needs

Formertownie (Wexford) - Posts: 380 - 23/07/2025 22:44:24    2627559

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Replying To ExiledInWex:  "I had to google the justification for this championship setup and apparently the clubs were swayed by the justification but Alan Hearne did not know why.
Is it a case of "Fenlon and Griffin say so"? Can clubs not think for themselves? Do they want this because they don't want to be out after 5 rounds? This flies in the face of competitive sport."
100% correct.

Magpie2 (Wexford) - Posts: 542 - 23/07/2025 23:50:22    2627570

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Replying To Viking66:  "Plenty did try change it, but not enough. Also maybe there were too many different alternatives."
Thats the problem, way too many alternatives. People just need to get behind one other.

alwaysasub (Wexford) - Posts: 504 - 24/07/2025 09:07:58    2627586

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Replying To ExiledInWex:  "I had to google the justification for this championship setup and apparently the clubs were swayed by the justification but Alan Hearne did not know why.
Is it a case of "Fenlon and Griffin say so"? Can clubs not think for themselves? Do they want this because they don't want to be out after 5 rounds? This flies in the face of competitive sport."
Yes it was those two that pushed it, but this year, when the vote happened, the County Board encouraged clubs to stick with it for another year which influenced a lot of votes. I think it would have been a lot closer to being changed otherwise. How did they think it would be a good idea to back it again, I don't know.

btwex90 (Wexford) - Posts: 43 - 24/07/2025 09:55:41    2627592

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Replying To Magpie2:  "100% correct."
Obvious you weren't in the room. Alot of the clubs who voted against it being retained were clubs who it would've suited to be safe finishing 5th.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16734 - 24/07/2025 10:15:48    2627604

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Replying To Formertownie:  "There's no chance anyone on that committee are going to admit they got it badly wrong their main objective being More hurling more hurling more hurling . Not sure they thought of the quality by taking that ultra competitive edge away by no one out after round Robin .
I don't attend these conventions I trust others to do whats best for wexford gaa .
I believe the committee were allowed to put their arguments for current format to the floor and then a vote took place secret or otherwise . The talk should nt have mattered if clubs had given their delegates their mandate to vote . Maybe the hac swayed the vote on the night and changed the delegates minds . Sounds like a trump rally
mwhga. ( make wexford hurling great again)
Thats going to take a long time and forward planning too . We need to come up with a plan/format that's suits us not copy some other counties plan . Every county has different needs"
As regards more hurling I think quality is better for development than quantity. What we have currently now is 2 pretty meaningless League competitions, followed by knockout. This means alot of players only get 1 truly meaningful game of hurling all year. The only losers of their 1st knockout game who get another meaningful game are those who end up in a relegation final.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16734 - 24/07/2025 10:19:49    2627605

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Replying To Viking66:  "Obvious you weren't in the room. Alot of the clubs who voted against it being retained were clubs who it would've suited to be safe finishing 5th."
Sorry got that backwards, alot of the clubs who wanted to retain it were clubs who it probably benefitted from it being gone, clubs with realistic chances of finishing 5th, but who weren't going to win a Championship.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16734 - 24/07/2025 11:13:38    2627633

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Bonkers. Absolutely bonkers.

ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1450 - 25/07/2025 12:51:15    2627897

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Echoing the general sentiment on this forum that the championship structure needs to be changed. Just going through the motions first few rounds and waiting until prelim quarter finals. Years gone by you'd have Ed Rowsome, Peter Mernagh and either Darren Stamp,Richie Kehoe or Des Mythen previewing each round. Used to be on Wexford weekly but then changed to Wexford Gaa TV. Nothing from Wexford Gaa TV this year. If the county board and their media team don't advertise the championship even how can they expect us as fans to get excited about it?

The only reason I could see this championship structure been used is if the county team went on a mad run to the all Ireland final and we had to play club rounds without the county players. Other than that I don't see the need for it.

But still I think clubs will continue to vote on this structure though as it guarantees them a extra safety net. Before if you lost your first 2 rounds you'd be under savage pressure to stay up in that grade now you're ok for 6 rounds before you could possibly play a relegation final. Case of Rapps and Crossabeg last year both losing 5 games, Cloughbawn winning 2 games but Cloughbawn are the ones playing Intermediate this year. If a club isn't good enough to stay up after losing 5 games then obviously they are not up to that standard and should be going down.

camánouttathat (Wexford) - Posts: 71 - 26/07/2025 13:03:38    2628080

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Replying To camánouttathat:  "Echoing the general sentiment on this forum that the championship structure needs to be changed. Just going through the motions first few rounds and waiting until prelim quarter finals. Years gone by you'd have Ed Rowsome, Peter Mernagh and either Darren Stamp,Richie Kehoe or Des Mythen previewing each round. Used to be on Wexford weekly but then changed to Wexford Gaa TV. Nothing from Wexford Gaa TV this year. If the county board and their media team don't advertise the championship even how can they expect us as fans to get excited about it?

The only reason I could see this championship structure been used is if the county team went on a mad run to the all Ireland final and we had to play club rounds without the county players. Other than that I don't see the need for it.

But still I think clubs will continue to vote on this structure though as it guarantees them a extra safety net. Before if you lost your first 2 rounds you'd be under savage pressure to stay up in that grade now you're ok for 6 rounds before you could possibly play a relegation final. Case of Rapps and Crossabeg last year both losing 5 games, Cloughbawn winning 2 games but Cloughbawn are the ones playing Intermediate this year. If a club isn't good enough to stay up after losing 5 games then obviously they are not up to that standard and should be going down."
The weekly TV previews were only done from the start at the same time as the split season?
Current format is a joke, really we have a knockout championship now and they're the only games with any real intensity in the hurling, alot of players are only getting 1 meaningful game if their club loses its first knockout game and hasn't finished 5th or 6th in their second Wexford League Competition group.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16734 - 26/07/2025 14:38:43    2628101

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Anne's not as good against Crossabeg as they were against Ferns although tbf, Ferns got dominated physically by the Anne's while Crossabeg put it up to them, Anne's also hit a heap of wides in the second half

Problem for Crossabeg is that they're so dependent on the Foleys, take them out of the game and it's hard for them to score at this level

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 612 - 26/07/2025 15:31:21    2628115

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Rathnure are most certainly a team on an upward trajectory while Ferns are heading in the opposite direction. It was a fairly drab game with zero intensity but you always felt that Rathnure would end up as winners. Declan Ruth has worked wonders for them since taking over and after his good work with the Rapps, should definitely be in the conversation to replace Rossiter when the time comes. Pat Bennett on the other hand looks like he's stayed on too long with Ferns, a team in serious decline, mixture of staleness and lack of quality coming through to replace the older stalwarts is coming home to roost. I'd fancy Rathnure to get to the last 4 this year and win it in the next 2 or 3 for sure. Mixture of youthful exuberance and confidence has them flying so far.

YellowShadeOfPurple (Wexford) - Posts: 57 - 26/07/2025 17:39:47    2628134

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Replying To YellowShadeOfPurple:  "Rathnure are most certainly a team on an upward trajectory while Ferns are heading in the opposite direction. It was a fairly drab game with zero intensity but you always felt that Rathnure would end up as winners. Declan Ruth has worked wonders for them since taking over and after his good work with the Rapps, should definitely be in the conversation to replace Rossiter when the time comes. Pat Bennett on the other hand looks like he's stayed on too long with Ferns, a team in serious decline, mixture of staleness and lack of quality coming through to replace the older stalwarts is coming home to roost. I'd fancy Rathnure to get to the last 4 this year and win it in the next 2 or 3 for sure. Mixture of youthful exuberance and confidence has them flying so far."
O Loughlin doing seriously good coaching there too.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16734 - 26/07/2025 21:38:21    2628174

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Was at two of the senior matches today, and watched two more on Clubber. Maybe it's just me and my dislike of the current structure, but I didn't feel there was any great intensity to any of them. And certainly nothing to get excited about.

Going back to one of the marketing ideas put forward by @ExiledinWex on the last page - flicking or rotating billboards in at least three different locations, with details of the coming weekend's matches:

- How much do you think it would cost to hire that sort of advertising space every week from end of June through to end of October, and update it every week?
- How many extra match tickets would you genuinely expect to sell off the back of it?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2999 - 26/07/2025 22:35:42    2628177

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Was at two of the senior matches today, and watched two more on Clubber. Maybe it's just me and my dislike of the current structure, but I didn't feel there was any great intensity to any of them. And certainly nothing to get excited about.

Going back to one of the marketing ideas put forward by @ExiledinWex on the last page - flicking or rotating billboards in at least three different locations, with details of the coming weekend's matches:

- How much do you think it would cost to hire that sort of advertising space every week from end of June through to end of October, and update it every week?
- How many extra match tickets would you genuinely expect to sell off the back of it?"
Good point pikeman.
I don't think billboards would make much of a difference. The games are previewed every week in the local papers and on South east radio.
Peple are either interested or they're not.
I haven't seen any county going down that road.
It would be a total waste of time and money.

Magpie2 (Wexford) - Posts: 542 - 27/07/2025 00:41:57    2628185

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Was at two of the senior matches today, and watched two more on Clubber. Maybe it's just me and my dislike of the current structure, but I didn't feel there was any great intensity to any of them. And certainly nothing to get excited about.

Going back to one of the marketing ideas put forward by @ExiledinWex on the last page - flicking or rotating billboards in at least three different locations, with details of the coming weekend's matches:

- How much do you think it would cost to hire that sort of advertising space every week from end of June through to end of October, and update it every week?
- How many extra match tickets would you genuinely expect to sell off the back of it?"
You only need one digital one. I don't think billboards are the answer, but I also don't think any of the questions you're presenting are insurmountable.

All you'd really have to do is one sign promoting the whole championship, then a qr code and link to the central ticket site.

I remember the hurling on the quay thing years ago during tourist season.

Still think clubs can do more to bring younger teams along to games as well although Friday evenings in bellfield not great for us on that front.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 3862 - 27/07/2025 10:32:05    2628204

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