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Hurling Championship 2026 - 4 Like(s)

Replying To bloodandbandage:  "Although the 3 teams to qualify are already known, there will definitely be nothing 'underwhelming' about our match in PUC. A place in the Munster final is at stake, and both teams will fight tooth and nail to be in it. Should be cracker.

Expect both Galway and Offaly to get the business done, but the game of the weekend will be in Parnell Park, and I believe the Dubs will get the job done."
Yeah, while there's less at stake in the final round of Munster than in other years, I still wouldn't describe it as "underwhelming".

Cork v Clare is a de facto semi-final and could be a cracker. Similarly, anything less than a win for Limerick, and they might not make the final either.

But you know what would make it really interesting??? A relegation battle.

Imagine if Tipperary were in a situation where losing to Limerick by five or more would mean they'd finish bottom and be relegated, rather than Waterford making the drop. That would bring a lot of added spice to the match in the Gaelic Grounds!

Am just stirring..... :D

Pikeman96 (National) - 21/05/2026 13:01:08

Football Format Changes Discussion - 3 Like(s)

Replying To Tadhg2020:  "No it doesnt collapse. It counts now because everyone is at full strength or close to full strength because the provincial championship is currently the second most important trophy you can win. If you break the link and the big teams are qualified anyway they is every liklihood that those teams will rest players as the league will happen after the provincial championship. Yes it will before you say it wont. There is no way teams will sit around for 6 weeks when the league is qualifying them for the championship proper. The provincials move to February and March and become a preseason/ early season competition. Media lose interest and so do fans. Then when a westmeath beat a Dublin B team in the leinster final it means much less. You know this but we are back to this strawman argument again. Its like groundhog day."
I'm not breaking the link.

The big teams are qualified already in the current system.

Whammo86 (National) - 21/05/2026 17:19:53

Leitrim GAA thread - 2 Like(s)

Replying To ohwow:  "Didn't know Leitrim football was popular in Tusla, Oklahoma"
It's Tulsa Oklahoma not Tusla!! This page is gone to the dogs lads.

Thanks for ruining the best day page on hoganstand.

I was talking to some very shrewd Leitrim men and they all agree. They believe it needs to get back to being what it was after the non-existent qualifiers.

Back to normality- good luck to Steven and the lads on Saturday. Potentially the last game of the season but I hope and expect it is not

leitrim4sam (National) - 21/05/2026 15:34:29

Football Format Changes Discussion - 2 Like(s)
Even I can't compete with this :)

No more mismatches? Uefa revamps qualifying for men's major tournaments | Uefa | The Guardian https://share.google/3tSGJyCS1E2UBE8cw

omahant (National) - 21/05/2026 14:21:23

Carlow GAA thread - 1 Like(s)

Replying To CARPS:  "I'm not having a swipe at Eire Og. I'm complaining about Palatine."
As mentioned here previously, only 4 Pal players were asked into senior panel pre league.
Crowley,
Ciaran Moran, who has retired after many years of great service, now has family and is not living in Carlow,
Cian Cashman, who played during the O'Byrne cup and was then let go from the panel after the O Byrne cup shield, in which he had started.
Finbar Kavanagh, who didn't commit as he is sitting final accountancy exams.
No others were asked.
Since the league finished Bryan McMahon was asked but is currently injured, so there was no point.
Pal did contribute 8 players to the county u-20 panel.
This thing of Pal not bothering is rubbish. The reality is that they don't have enough players up to the standard of playing inter county football, in county managements eyes, compared to other clubs

pieman (National) - 21/05/2026 19:43:42

Provincial Final Replays - Good Idea Or Bad Idea? - 1 Like(s)
It mightn't be for everyone but result on the day. How often does the underdog win the replay? Extra time and penalties evens the match up a bit coming into the last few minutes. If Monaghan held on last Sunday for a replay Armagh would have beat them by 20 in the replay.

Saynothing (National) - 21/05/2026 10:27:19

Westmeath Hurling thread - 1 Like(s)

Replying To Loughlenegale:  "Not Personal. Just a long time passion. In 1998 our CB at the time refused to take promotion earned on the field of play. Between restructuring and close games & playoffs over the years it was 2019 before we actually got a chance to win promotion again on the field of play. That discission in 98 set us back 5 Years with the initial blow with lost players management etc. So this rebuild project is concerning for me. I wont point it out again but it was a total clear out form kit men to S&C and so on. I agree not all in KOB control. This level of rebuild can backfire and leave us with a lost generation who never get a chance to meet their potential."
In 1998, the Westmeath senior hurlers were cutting thristles down in what would essentially have been division 3 of the national hurling league today. We were down with the likes of Louth, Tyrone, Roscommon etc. Restructuring of the hurling league, getting promoted or the county board offering 50 Hail Mary's wouldn't have mattered a fig to our chances of playing the top stuff back then.

We were simply no good back then. We couldn't even get out of the Leinster B group back in those days as it was called, the forerunner of the Joe Mc where they would hide Westmeath, Meath, Carlow, Laois etc away from the big guns to decide who would go out to get slaughtered by Offaly, Kilkenny, Wexford etc.

When I think back on that era, hurling standards in the so-called weaker counties have come on a sight. The Joe Mc winners are no longer absolute cannon fodder when they go up and teams like Kildare, Westmeath, Carlow can mix it on a good day with the big guns and usually at least keep the score respectable these days. I think Meath won the Leinster B group in 98 and their reward was getting battered by the eventual All Ireland winners Offaly by 30+ points in the Leinster championship proper.

That says a lot about where Westmeath was compared to the top teams when we couldn't even get out of the Leinster B group back then to face them.Westmeath were a million miles off division 1A and 1B teams back then. Strength, conditioning, JP McManus investing a million quid in us, a few prayers from Mother Theresa, nothing earthly or heavenly would have made Westmeath competitive in that era.

Things only started getting a little better since the Christy Ring competition came along around 2005 (Christy Ring was equivalent to the Joe Mc level today back then). That divying up of the hurling championship has reduced those massacres and allowed the weaker teams to build up to a higher standard. We unexpectedly won the first Christy Ring in 2005. Down were raging hot favourites that day too. Westmeath just barely won that game. Then Westmeath produced a miracle in a monsoon below in O'Moore park the following year in Leinster and we bet Dublin. Then we got to see Shefflin and that great Kilkenny team play in Cusack park that summer. That was never a contest though really. But, things in general are much better now.

Anyway, now it's a rebuild job that's it. Westmeath have retained Joe Mc status. Barring the Laois game, most of the games we stayed competitive with a young team. Still a chance too to go up to Down and finish the year on a high too. Look at the footballers example too. You have to taste bitterness and hard defeats before you can grow. Last year the footballers kept losing tight games. This year they can't stop winning. Long may it continue too. Hopefully, their example and the general good feeling around the county now can spur on our hurlers too in the future.

RadioactiveTan (National) - 21/05/2026 18:38:02

Galway Football thread - 1 Like(s)

Replying To Kickitout:  "The main reason Roscommon won majority of there own kickouts is Galway basically gave them up short I'd say Galway have being doing this consistently under Joyce it cost them all Ireland v Armagh Galway not push up on kickouts until 66 min and won everything from there on but 2 late same v Meath last year pushed up and scored 2-04 in few mins then back to normal , I think both Mcdonnagh and o connaghile need start v Kildare they way better at putting pressure on kickouts ,, I mske a prediction Ross not win 81% v Tyrone as Tyrone will push up on them big time I expect Ross win by 5 ,,"
Agree, all of our loss's over the last few years were because we didn't get it right tactically and failed to take the opportunities we were given. We have no business in this championship if we are going to give away the opposing teams kickoffs and fail to even break even on our own. Joyce and company seem to put this failure down to the goalkeepers where neither of them have made a strong case over the other.
Another thing that has become blatantly obvious is our lack of pace out the field, in the Roscommon game some of their players were running away from our backs with the ball.
The experts seem to think we will win Saturdays game with ease but it should be worth mentioning Kildare ran W'Meath close and we should treat them with the utmost respect.

Galway4ever (National) - 21/05/2026 17:56:17

Donegal GAA thread - 1 Like(s)
Donegal went from 13/8 into 11/10

Whatever about the injuries, someone sees away wins.
Equally excited as I am scared to see does Langan and co take the field.

At full strength, we go into their own backyard and beat them.

Up Donegal!!!

shaggykev (National) - 21/05/2026 17:32:58

Monaghan GAA thread - 1 Like(s)

Replying To TheGreatRambo:  "Nobody ridicules players around here, not should they, its saved for managers/coaches that don't suit peoples agendas."
I see monaghan Facebook advertising it as a paul mcgurr cup game and not tier 3 game.

farneygael3 (National) - 21/05/2026 17:23:36

Galway Football thread - 1 Like(s)
The main reason Roscommon won majority of there own kickouts is Galway basically gave them up short I'd say Galway have being doing this consistently under Joyce it cost them all Ireland v Armagh Galway not push up on kickouts until 66 min and won everything from there on but 2 late same v Meath last year pushed up and scored 2-04 in few mins then back to normal , I think both Mcdonnagh and o connaghile need start v Kildare they way better at putting pressure on kickouts ,, I mske a prediction Ross not win 81% v Tyrone as Tyrone will push up on them big time I expect Ross win by 5 ,,

Kickitout (National) - 21/05/2026 16:01:25

Galway Hurling thread - 1 Like(s)

Replying To BigBàsMan:  "Nigels son... An ounce of breeding is worth a tonne of feeding. Thought Fallon was brilliant at 3. Cullen, ed o Reilly, callanan, Vince Morgan all had great games."
IMO the introduction of Cahalan and Rabbitte had a big influence on the game, Galway were the better team but kept a poor Kilkenny team in the game until those lads came on to put the result in no doubt who would win.

katser (National) - 21/05/2026 15:42:36

Galway Hurling thread - 1 Like(s)

Replying To SouthGalway:  "Great win by the U20s v Kilkenny. Leinster Minor and U20 Champions. Hon Galway!"
The great invasion or should I say "invitation " of the Connaught Warriors into Leinster is paying off because by the looks of the Minor and U20 competitions Galway could be dominant and conquerors of Leinster for the foreseeable future!

katser (National) - 21/05/2026 15:36:36

Football Championship 2026 - 1 Like(s)

Replying To JimB1991:  "His point seems to be because Kerry don't win the All Ireland every single year its not an issue, or at least that's what I got from the waffle."
You mean that being ablet to gear your training to be ready for the last weekend in May, when everyone has to be ready to go 5-6 weeks earlier, is not an advantage! Poppycock I tell you.

tirawleybaron (National) - 21/05/2026 15:12:02

Hurling Championship 2026 - 1 Like(s)

Replying To munsterchamps:  "limerick havnt had a home game first in the round robin since 2019."
Well, there you go then :)

If Limerick were inclined to make the same sort of complaints as Waterford are inclined to do, they could very easily say:
"A home game for the first match gives you the best chance of getting off to a good start, but we haven't had one since 2019! But Waterford get one almost every year. It's not fair. We can't get a break. The fixtures are always set in Waterford's favour."

Pikeman96 (National) - 21/05/2026 15:10:18

Galway Hurling thread - 1 Like(s)

Replying To galway19:  "One way traffic in the u20 final. The scoreline flattered Kilkenny and if we had our full squad available it could have been a 20 point beating. Very funny watching David Barcoe trying to bully some of our lads in the first half, he barely hit or caught a ball all day and then when Rabbitte came in on him he was all over the place defensively. Rightly sent off in the end. Jack Shaughnessy is some talent for an 18 year old. Two cups secured in Leinster and hopefully we can pick up the third in a few weeks time as well as an all ireland u20 title"
Nigels son... An ounce of breeding is worth a tonne of feeding. Thought Fallon was brilliant at 3. Cullen, ed o Reilly, callanan, Vince Morgan all had great games.

BigBàsMan (National) - 21/05/2026 14:18:49

Westmeath Football thread - 1 Like(s)
Have ye seen the video in the dressing room of McHugh getting the ice bucket?
On Leinster GAA Twitter.... they had some incredible other edited pieces from the game too
Watching McHugh deciding how to react and then.... just incredible scenes of the players celebrating in the dressing room
The joy I'm feeling :)
But check out Whittaker hopping on out one leg to carry the ice bucket.. not a great sight for the next day tho he seems to forget in the moments after
Please God he will be fine.. he's bottled lightning!!

d7h (National) - 21/05/2026 13:32:43

Galway Hurling thread - 1 Like(s)

Replying To galway19:  "One way traffic in the u20 final. The scoreline flattered Kilkenny and if we had our full squad available it could have been a 20 point beating. Very funny watching David Barcoe trying to bully some of our lads in the first half, he barely hit or caught a ball all day and then when Rabbitte came in on him he was all over the place defensively. Rightly sent off in the end. Jack Shaughnessy is some talent for an 18 year old. Two cups secured in Leinster and hopefully we can pick up the third in a few weeks time as well as an all ireland u20 title"
Agreed that its nice run we are on, but even if we do manage to win senior ( which is a big if, based on the trajectory of last few senior games) lets not become as annoyingly triumphalistic as some ( but certainly not all) rossie supporters.

anotheralias (National) - 21/05/2026 13:26:12

Football Format Changes Discussion - 1 Like(s)

Replying To Tadhg2020:  "No its not. You clearly haven't been watching the celebrations in Roscommon and Mullingar or louth last year. Nobody has ever celebrated a league win like that.
Its not that I have great regard. Those saying they dont are talking out of both sides of their mouths. I include you in that. Are you really telling everyone that if Antrim were ever to win an Ulster title that you dont want it to count for something significant like it does now. Yes they made a mistake in the new format. I dont like it anyway but not seeding the winners will be fixed if the system lasts. However you cannot tell me that winning the ulster championship in this and particularly last years format wouldnt be better that winning the diminished ulster championship that you are proposing. I dont buy that for a second.
As for the best teams playing each other in meaningful games at the right time of the year. They do in this format, they did in last years format and they always have done."
Your argument collapses when you use Westmeath, Antrim etc as examples

Those counties win provincial so infrequently, they couldn't give a monkeys about what that then means for their All Ireland ambitions.

The fact that they won, they actually gained no advantage over the teams they beat.

The draw we have now allows Galway (3rd on all time list), Cork (4th on all time list), and Dublin (2nd on all time list) a leg up for doing nothing of note except lose a provincial final, where only Dublin beat a div 2 team to get there.

tirawleybaron (National) - 21/05/2026 13:15:34

Galway Hurling thread - 1 Like(s)

Replying To Triffic:  "Burke won't be back for Sunday anyway. Be a test to make the Leinster final too I'm afraid."
That's a shame if it's the case as he was one of the form forwards in the country.

ColmFlaherty (National) - 21/05/2026 12:39:01