Putting the club finals on St. Patrick's day instead of the Railway Cup finals probably didn't help and was the beginning of the end for the inter-pros!

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8748 - 11/10/2013 12:27:09    1499440

Got Milk

The international rules series is very much a show case for the cross over attributes of our game i.e. fielding, athleticism so on and so forth.

It is however no small coincidence in my mind, that the AFL actively recruited players in Ireland as a result of these games. Up until a few years back we had this Dixon character convening provincial training sessions for youngsters wishing to try their luck down under. Many of the aforementioned players you've written of we're recruited at a young age as part of that drive. Do I think that there was a direct correlation between that move and the annual/bi-annual staging of the international rules series, well yes I do. Their longer term loss would have been to our own games detriment in my view. I'm glad for one that Brendan Murphy returned to Carlow for instance.

If the international rules are your own cup of tea more power to you. I hope you enjoy them, diversity of opinion is what makes life interesting I suppose.

I do believe however, that the series, which I personally dont find overly entertaining is a distraction and threat to our own codes amateur status.

Passer_By (Carlow) - Posts: 534 - 11/10/2013 13:02:37    1499472

I agree with you, Passer_By, but half the youth of this country has gone to Oz anyway!

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 11/10/2013 13:43:58    1499497

They were already dead before that realdub. I was them on Paddys Day and there were very small crowds. Only attraction for me was seeing a Dublin dominated Leinster playing a Kerry dominated Munster!

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 11/10/2013 13:48:24    1499498

I think Joe Kieran had an idea a few years ago that the Railway Cup final in football be put on before the All Ireland Club Final on St Patricks Day and the same happens with the Hurling in Semple Stadium.

The Face (Monaghan) - Posts: 890 - 11/10/2013 15:03:56    1499557

Anyone else think it's time to de-rail the railway cup :-)


......I apologise for that comment.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 11/10/2013 15:20:23    1499563

Htaem you need to blow off some steam with a comment like that

emmomac (UK) - Posts: 273 - 11/10/2013 15:24:08    1499567

Haha nice, ah but we're getting a bit sidetracked now emmomac.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 11/10/2013 15:30:06    1499575

enough of these one-liners

emmomac (UK) - Posts: 273 - 11/10/2013 15:37:24    1499577

Try stay on track lads!

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8748 - 11/10/2013 16:12:40    1499599

now I have gone and lost my train of thought

emmomac (UK) - Posts: 273 - 11/10/2013 16:42:57    1499619

Htaem
County: Meath
Posts: 4444

1499563
Anyone else think it's time to de-rail the railway cup :-)


......I apologise for that comment.

Your motive is loco

Superglue (Kerry) - Posts: 1283 - 11/10/2013 17:29:23    1499638

I imagine Dubs, like all metropolitans everywhere, will never identify with any culchies, but we're not all like that. I'll always shout for an Ulster team. The GAA has a serious spite at the Railway Cup and whoever said they want to to fail is dead right. I've however always enjoyed R Cup games I've been to. Firstly because it's interesting to see great players from normally opposing counties teaming up; and secondly the games tend to be entertaining - they're not friendlies, but neither is there the win at all costs tension that you can find at county level, so the players can open up and play with a bit more freedom. I've also been to comp/int rules and think they're poor. I was at the brawl in Croke park when Geraghty was knocked out and the attitude of the Aussies was more or less racist. Just a lot of clowning around really; I wouldn't go back and I thought half the people attending were eejits who were there primarily to see a fight.

essmac (Tyrone) - Posts: 1141 - 11/10/2013 17:33:05    1499640

Why not play the interprovincial finals on the same day as the club final of the same code? On club final day, the crowd who go to see the hurling final are mostly gone for the football final anyway as they have little or no interest. Why not have two separate days for the club finals, with the Railway cup hurling final as a curtain raiser for the club hurling final on one day and the Railway Cup football final on another day as the curtain raiser for the football final. If the St Patrick's day bank holiday doesn't fall on a weekend i.e midweek, they might have to be played at separate venues but in this eventuality the hurling could be played in Thurles instead of Croke Park. I think you'd have bigger combined attendances at these than having the club finals together on one day and the Railway Cups combined on another day, and combining the club final in a code would boost the interest in the Railway Cup final in that code. And lets face it, most GAA fans have a preference for one code over another anyway. So why not give them 2 games in that code and boosting the Railway cup final in that code at the same time.

KeyserSoze (Cork) - Posts: 363 - 11/10/2013 18:20:53    1499668

Just saw above, Joe Kernan thought of it before me. Great minds and all that.

KeyserSoze (Cork) - Posts: 363 - 11/10/2013 18:22:21    1499672