By Tomas Mulcahy I mentioned in the build up to this final that I never had the opportunity to play in an All-Ireland club final and that it was the one big regret I have from my playing career. Looking at the expression on the faces of those James Stephens players, management and supporters alike once the final whistle was blown brought it home to me what I had missed out on. Outside of winning a senior All-Ireland with your county, this has to be next best thing. Success on the biggest stage with those you grew up with, those who taught you all you know about hurling, those who put endless hours of their time into the club to make it the success it is today - the All-Ireland club final is all about the unsung heroes. It is a huge achievement and on the basis of James Stephens display on Patrick's Day, one that is well deserved. I am sure Athenry will have no complaints about the outcome and admit they were beaten by a better balanced team on the day. When I speak of balance in the team I am not only referring to their mixture of youth and experience, but also the willingness of the backroom staff to give youth its chance while at the same time not discarding the so called older generation. Every team needs experience and big match leaders and they don't come better equipped than Peter Barry, Philly Larkin and Brian McEvoy. These guys won every battle as if their lives depended on it and suddenly the team grew in stature all over the field. The younger brigade stepped up to the mark and the performances of young Cody and Larkin and the point scoring exploits of the McCormack's were a joy to watch. It looks as though there is plenty of talent to keep the current crop of senior players in Kilkenny on their toes over the summer months. Hurling Development Committee Last month I attended a hurling forum in Portlaoise hosted by two local clubs who have a huge passion for the small ball as part of a major fundraising drive to promote the game n their county. This forum was very well organised in the Heritage Hotel and over 400 people attended and judging by the reaction from people, I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening. There was a panel of eight on stage and Michael O'Muirihearthaigh was given the task of putting the questions to these on various aspects of the game. I was one of those on the panel but more interestingly so were Ger Loughnane and Cyril Farrell, who are both members of the Hurling Development Committee. It was great to listen to these guys speak passionately about the role this committee has played up to now and also of its role for hurling into the future. Let's take a look at the key developments of the HDC The introduction of a three tier championship system which includes the introduction of the Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard Cups for tier two and three is one of the most obvious changes. At the outset of each year you can name 10 or 12 out of 32 counties as the main challengers for the McCarthy Cup, with possibly three teams as the strong fancy. The rest, to be realistic, were only making up the numbers and now rather than been hammered in each game they play, they have the chance to win their own competition with teams of similar quality and standard in Tier 2 and 3. This is a huge incentive for the so called weaker counties to compete fairly but also to give them the opportunity to progress because the team that wins out its competition will move up the ladder to the next tier the following year. Blueprint Coaching Manual Another key element of our game which has been lacking a uniform approach over the years is coaching. Streamlined structures need to be put in place in all counties for the development and training of our young and adult players. They are needed not alone to educate the players but also the coaches who train these players and to start at the very basics and work upwards. It was clearly pointed out that we have been left well behind in coaching by our competitor sports of soccer and rugby and their ability to place qualified personnel in our schools and parishes. What is most important is the variety and content of these programs, particularly for underage players where the emphasis needs to be on ball skills and keeping them entertained for long periods, while at the same time improving their skill levels. Kids should not be forced to turn up for training just for the sake of it but rather because they look forward to its variety and content. Appointment of Director of Hurling Ye read it again! - We are looking to appoint a Director of Hurling. For hurling followers concerned about bringing the game forward this has to be good news - we will now have someone who cares for nothing else but hurling, spreading the Gospel, overseeing the coaching set up as mentioned above and organising funding for qualified coaches countrywide. They will be able to look more closely at the weaker counties and see if proper funding is being granted and ensure that this funding is being used for the promotion of hurling alone and not for football, which we are led to believe is happening wholesale throughout the country where football is the dominant sport. They will also have the power to explore avenues of setting up separate hurling boards within these counties where there is a genuine interest in the game. For someone like myself who was beginning to get very negative about the future of hurling, I felt a spring in my step leaving the hotel that night and driving in my car back to Cork. You could forget about the experimental rules and so on, and look forward to the fact that real progress is about to happen. We must remember that Rome wasn't built in a day but at least it is a start and if everyone can row in behind this, the outlook is very positive. A lot of work done but a lot more to do! Tweet

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