I don't get the constant whinging about Kilkenny football. They competed in the Tommy Murphy cup when it was going, they currently compete in the All-Britain football championship and won their first title in it this year. How is this any different than Tyrone or Sligo competing in the Lory Meagher, i.e. play at your level.

muffinbutton (Clare) - Posts: 20 - 13/09/2015 11:16:09    1786550

We play hurling and are improving at it too. But if you are talking about duel coders that include sports outside the GAA, Co donegal is probably per ca-pita the best soccer county in the country.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3853 - 13/09/2015 11:28:46    1786553

Every county should be a dual county. The county boards remit is to promote GAA as a whole & treat both codes equally and not allocate the resources based on what they think what code the county will be more successful in.

Problem is alot of county boards think they are hurling only or football only conties and promote only the one code.

county man (Limerick) - Posts: 1156 - 13/09/2015 12:38:27    1786573

ballydalane
County: Kilkenny
Posts: 338



Believe it or not, I was at this year's Kilkenny intermediate football final between Danesfort and Dicksboro. To my untrained eye, Paul Murphy would be an outstanding footballer, he's got the physique, fitness etc. plus he was able to score some long-range frees and 45s. But no county hurler is going to tog out for the county football team. There was a young guy on the Dicksboro team who looked very good also. The problem is, in football terms, are they actually good, or are they "Kilkenny good"? Would they be hopelessly out of their depth when put into a setting with born-and-bred footballers, even in division 4? Because there are very few, if any, "dual" players in Kilkenny - only hurlers to "tog out for the football" when the need arises. None of them would have the instinctive skills or movements of a player who's been playing football their whole life. I should have taken a football friend of mine to that match and asked him, are these guys genuinely good footballers, or are they a bunch of hurlers trying to play football?

I do agree though that the best footballers in the county should make themselves available for the county team, and should put in the proper preparation to try and compete at Div 4 and see how it goes - unfortunately most of them are usually top club hurlers and either don't want to jeopardise their place on their club team, or their club manager has told them that playing for the county footballers isn't an option. Club hurling managers in Kilkenny hold a lot of sway.



If the Kilkenny hurling team with their fitness all started playing football on a regular basis then they would be good by any standard (any reasonable standard-it would be silly and purely conjecture to say they would beat Kerry/Dublin etc) - if Paul Murphy can kick frees and 45s, and with his physique, then he has the basics of the game. As you say, it then comes don to how often he kicks 45s and frees. If it is only twice a year, then he has little business playing division 4.

If the club hurling managers have influence then so be it. That is the culture of the place and it is not a crime.

KK seem to be doing well just to promote the game.

Dublin, Cork, Galway are still the largest dual coders in that they have teams that have the best shot at an All-Ireland senior double AND have senior club competitions that provide enough games where the senior champions of that county can compete at a reasonably high level

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 13/09/2015 14:57:23    1786616

Kilkenny get more money for football than all the grade 2,3 and 4 hurling counties put together.....if they don't want football... grand... just don't give them half a million so they can loose to Yorkshire!!!!

cuchulainn35 (Armagh) - Posts: 1691 - 13/09/2015 16:15:20    1786638

'It is very hard to expect a county with no tradition in hurling to all of a sudden be competitive. Hurling is a specialised game and it is very hard for a GAA club to get people playing it in an area with no tradition of hurling. It is much easier to get people playing football as this is not as specialised a game.
When the majority of the country has little tradition of hurling in its area it is very hard to change this. Nationwide the number of people playing hurling is far far lower than the numbers who play football. Traditionally you have always have had only about 10 counties (at best) where hurling has a equal profile/ higher profile to football and these have always being located in the southern half of the country (as I used to hear said, draw a line between Dublin and Galway and show me a hurling county north of this). Most of these counties are usually capable of being somewhat competitive at the top level. After this you have another about 8 or 9 counties that have some bit of a tradition of hurling but in the past have never being able to compete at the top level . The number of hurlers in these counties has always being far lower than the number of footballers. The further north you go the less hurling you will find.'


Here DC read his post again, he/she is talking about hurling in general hence my reply!

bumpernut (Antrim) - Posts: 1852 - 14/09/2015 09:35:51    1786852

Draw a line between Dublin and Galway and show me a hurling county north of this.
Does anybody know why is it the that hurling is not as popular north of this this line?

crikey (Australia) - Posts: 355 - 15/09/2015 13:00:13    1787676

Up until recently in the north carrying a hurling stick was considered an offensive weapon which obviously wouldn't have helped.

Im sure the irish guards thought it was fine though!

bumpernut (Antrim) - Posts: 1852 - 15/09/2015 14:19:03    1787747

Draw a line between Dublin and Galway and
Does anybody know why is it the that hurling is not as popular north of this this line?show me a hurling county north of this.

How many AI football titles have gone north of this line in comparison to south. These counties are struggling to win at football so hurling will always be regarded as interfering with progress!

ZUL10 (Clare) - Posts: 708 - 15/09/2015 14:19:40    1787748