For what its worth I don't believe there is any other club team in the country that woulda beaten Portumna on Monday. Its funny though that people are often on here saying that in terms of intercounty their team needs to be in the first division to get the tough matches in preparation for championship, now we are being told that some club teams are at a disadvantage because they have to play more, tougher (supposedly) games to get to a final..........how fickle sports fans are. And well done Portumna

frankbhoy77 (Antrim) - Posts: 1300 - 19/03/2014 20:57:24    1562266

If you are trying to think of a team that may have beaten Portumna Monday I would say last years winners would have been the best bet. However Portumna had already beat them by a point after a replay in the county semi-final so that ruled them out as potential opposition on the day!

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 19/03/2014 21:07:27    1562273

MLR earned their place in the final and Portumna deserved their AI. End of. But in the world of ifs and buts ... Well, Ballyhale Shamrocks are my tip for the coming year. Shefflin will probably give the club one last lash but aside from him I think Shamrocks are becoming very strong again anyway. This year they had serious injury casualties.Wouldn't be great to see these two face off one more time before Shefflin calls it a day?

MiAmigaVERONICA (Clare) - Posts: 323 - 19/03/2014 21:33:48    1562285

And of course Damian Hayes and Ollie Canning

MiAmigaVERONICA (Clare) - Posts: 323 - 19/03/2014 21:43:02    1562290

Nobody is doubting Portumnas ability and there is no question but that they are the best team in Galway. However the point is that they didn't have a long campaign after they won the Galway final. Every team that wins their respective county final is the best in that county. However they then have to reach various other peaks to get through their province. It clearly isn't a level playing pitch, it is not serving hurling in Galway well and the longer we live in denial the longer we will be without a Senior All Ireland title.

Nobody is questioning MLR place in the Final. It happens to be them this year, it was other teams who arrived in the finals is past years having come through a long difficult route. Having to peak in your county and then on a number of times in your province is a hard thing to do. By the time you reach the All Ireland series it becomes all the more tough.

westisthebest (Galway) - Posts: 444 - 19/03/2014 21:50:04    1562300

So you want a ' level playing field' cuederocket? I agree, I would like to think everyone wants your so called ' level playing field '.
But go suggest that this can be achieved by giving the beaten Leinster finalists and beaten Munster finalist a second bite at the cherry is not just stupid but arrogant as well.
It would send out the message that Munster& Leinster clubs are somehow more deserving than Ulster & Connacht. Put simply it would be unfair.
It's only since 2006 that Galway clubs have began to dominate this competition, mainly through Portumna with 4 titles.Clearly they are an exceptional club team.
There was no one too worried about the club championship prior to that.As I see it the fairest system would be to forget the provincial championship and just have an open draw involving eligible county champs . I reckon that would involve 16 teams and could be played off easily in Feb & March.

Condorman (Dublin) - Posts: 983 - 20/03/2014 09:38:58    1562337

westisdabest......Galway won 3 Liam's in the 1980's and zero club All Irelands....negative correlation. Congrats to Portumna. I think County champions could enter an open draw across the land as somebody mentioned earlier but that would end up to be an expensive farce in the long run. This debate would not happen if Leinster/Munster clubs were winning.

maroondiesel (Mayo) - Posts: 1226 - 20/03/2014 09:39:49    1562338

something has to be done condorman,i dont care what way the GAA sort it out,but sort it out they must.its bizarre how posters cannot see the inequity.there are none so blind as those who choose not to see.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 20/03/2014 10:40:19    1562376

Condorman,

"But go suggest that this can be achieved by giving the beaten Leinster finalists and beaten Munster finalist a second bite at the cherry is not just stupid but arrogant as well. It would send out the message that Munster& Leinster clubs are somehow more deserving than Ulster & Connacht. Put simply it would be unfair."

Rubbish. There are more counties whose county hurling champions compete at senior club level in Leinster & Munster than in Ulster or Connacht. Fact, not arrogance. There is no need to throw the baby (provincial club championships) out with the bathwater (perceived inequality).

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 20/03/2014 11:00:45    1562395

Castlegar were all-Ireland club champions in 1980. Some would say this was a contributor to All-Ireland success at intercounty level the same year, and not a negative impact anyway. Galway clubs have been dominating before 2006 too, winning six of the ten titles won between 1992 and 2001. There's an article in yesterday's indo saying that Galway have won over one third of all the all-Irelands played since 1990 at club, intercounty minor, and intercounty u21 level. It's the annual (perhaps more than annual now) Martin Breheny - what's wrong with the Galway hurlers bit! I think soma is on the right track as to 'where it's all going wrong', in that Galway don't seem to step up to the intensity and physicality of top senior intercounty fare, especially since Kilkenny raised the standard from 2002 to the present. It would be a mistake to say we've all the skills though, and are just missing the intensity. Ballwinning through the field always seems to be an issue, but Galway also haven't produced a glut of quality no3s, no6s, or even skilful score taking forwards in the past 20 years at senior intercounty level. Even the all-Ireland club finals too provided a recent hint as to why Galway don't win Senior All-Irelands, when Ballyhale beat Loughrea & Portumna in the 2007 & 2010 finals. Ballyhale won those games because they had the class and intensity to do so. More recent Leinster club champions like K/K last year, and MLR this year have been nowhere near Ballyhale's class. Anyone watching the last two all-Ireland club finals knew in their heart that the fare on offer was a world way from what Kilkenny tend to serve up on the first Sunday in September.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4141 - 20/03/2014 11:03:23    1562398

Galway won 3 All Irelands in 80s by also receiving a free pass into semi final every year.another ridiculous advantage that thankfully has bein addressed.how many have galway won since?

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 20/03/2014 11:04:09    1562399

cuederocket
County: Dublin
Posts: 70

1562376
something has to be done condorman,i dont care what way the GAA sort it out,but sort it out they must.its bizarre how posters cannot see the inequity.there are none so blind as those who choose not to see.

You're a gas...some level 'playing field' you're talking about. Earlier in this thread you were agreeing with a suggestion that the Galway/Ulster champions should play against the losing Leinster/Munster finalists, so giving a 2nd chance to the latter!

Ailteoir (Galway) - Posts: 899 - 20/03/2014 11:07:13    1562400

The only time the likes of cuederocket complains about the "system" and "level playing fields" is when Galway club / underage hurling teams win AI's. When they are losing its perfectly fine. Cuederocket, why aren't you complaining that Galway (or Antrim) seniors are not allowed any home matches or get very little gate receipts when they have to play Leinster teams in their own backyard? Surely that is not a "level playing field" that you crave so desperately?! By the way I and most Galway people would be in favour of open draws in all competitions. Unfortunately the other counties are not in favour of that - just like the Leinster counties are not in favour of allwing Galway clubs / underage sides into their province as they realise that would be hardly any chance of the likes of MLR winning again in that scenario!

tommy k (Galway) - Posts: 3470 - 20/03/2014 11:08:02    1562401

cuederocket people make a very similar argument to this about the inter-county provincial set-up, saying it is entirely unfair because there are so many extra teams in Leinster and Ulster, and Kerry etc get a handy run to the All-Ireland. Yet when the back-door was brought in the first county to win an All-Ireland through it was from Connacht and Kerry have won as many All-Irelands through it as every Ulster and Leinster county combined (I think I have my facts right there). Im afraid the only way you will see more teams from Leinster for example winning more club All-Irelands is if the standard there improves, or the standard in the stronger counties drops. Rearranging competitions is unlikely to have the effect you desire on this.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 20/03/2014 11:16:20    1562406

soma apologies for the above, I shouldt have called your post rubbish as it is a discussion board for opinions! So apologies about that.
But another thing your forgetting, is that Portumna and Loughiel can at least take a couple of weeks off in the winter whereas MLR/Na Piarsaigh etc have to keep going and hurling throughout the winter in the slop and muck. By the time St. Patricks day comes, they are wore out.

Another big advantage and case for an open draw ia it would help finish the club championship in the calender year, because everyone would start at the same time.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 20/03/2014 11:36:23    1562419

Cuederocket,
Galway won 3 All Ireland's in the. 80s because they had an exceptional team, not because they got favours from the GAA.They also lost 3 All Ireland's in the 80s.

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 20/03/2014 11:59:47    1562432

Keeper7 ,

Allowing 2 sides out of all the sides that compete for club honours the luxury of a second bite at the cherry just because they are from Munster/ Leinster is unfair .It should be the same rules for everyone.Its the precious provincial championships that are the problem.Time for an open draw I say.Same amount of games for all then.

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 20/03/2014 12:05:57    1562438

Are Galway posters here just in denial or plain ignorant. Of course the current structure isn't a level playing field. And it is doing Galway hurling a disservice in the long time. There is absolutely no way our clubs would manoeuvre through a Leinster or Munster campaign and go on to win All Ireland titles with such regularity. Our campaign stops at the county final and then it is relaxation time over Christmas. Meanwhile all other county champions are playing their hearts out to win their provincial final. How we can that be a level playing field?

And would those in the know please post the evidence that the Leinster counties don't want us? It's more a case the our own leaders don't want to go there. The only complaint I hear from. Leinster is that they don't want to play LEINSTER matches in Galway. And that's fair enough. I suggested before that we play our"home" games in Tullamore. In fairness in all the time since our seniors joined Leinster we have never had to play Kilkenny in Nowlan Park or Wexford in Wexford Park. Nor have we offered to do so.

westisthebest (Galway) - Posts: 444 - 20/03/2014 13:21:59    1562489

Are Galway posters here just in denial or plain ignorant. Of course the current structure isn't a level playing field. And it is doing Galway hurling a disservice in the long time. There is absolutely no way our clubs would manoeuvre through a Leinster or Munster campaign and go on to win All Ireland titles with such regularity. Our campaign stops at the county final and then it is relaxation time over Christmas. Meanwhile all other county champions are playing their hearts out to win their provincial final. How we can that be a level playing field?

And would those in the know please post the evidence that the Leinster counties don't want us? It's more a case the our own leaders don't want to go there. The only complaint I hear from. Leinster is that they don't want to play LEINSTER matches in Galway. And that's fair enough. I suggested before that we play our"home" games in Tullamore. In fairness in all the time since our seniors joined Leinster we have never had to play Kilkenny in Nowlan Park or Wexford in Wexford Park. Nor have we offered to do so.

westisthebest (Galway) - Posts: 444 - 20/03/2014 13:39:54    1562500

Somehow westisthebest (again a funny poster name reading your actual posts!), I don't think you have the "best interests" of Galway hurling in mind. I'd say like cuederocket, you're in the camp of hoping Galway teams lose and nothing to do with "level playing fields". Unfortunately there are a few of you so-called "Galway supporters" knocking around so you are not the only one by any means you'll be glad to know! Come on just admit - you can't fool us.

tommy k (Galway) - Posts: 3470 - 20/03/2014 15:01:11    1562553