National Forum

Hurling Championship 2026

(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post


Replying To twbm:  "Time to tune into RTE for the Wexford Dublin match where they'll probably give more time to talking about Clare Limerick (last weeks match) and Waterford Cork"
Yeah, the real hurling.

foreveryoung (USA) - Posts: 2523 - 09/05/2026 15:41:13    2671792

Link

Replying To twbm:  "Time to tune into RTE for the Wexford Dublin match where they'll probably give more time to talking about Clare Limerick (last weeks match) and Waterford Cork"
They are actually talking about GAA+ 10 min from throw in!

Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 366 - 09/05/2026 15:48:08    2671793

Link

Think Wexford will win today.

hlynch12 (Limerick) - Posts: 13 - 09/05/2026 15:58:51    2671796

Link

Half-time: Kildare 1-15 Galway 1-05

A huge roar and a standing ovation for Kildare. Nothing plucky about this - and yes, the breeze is playing a big part - but they have out-fought and out-hurled Galway.

Galway people, don't worry, the footballers will rectify that and beat Kildare in the qualifiers. Galway is a footballing county after all.

foreveryoung (USA) - Posts: 2523 - 09/05/2026 16:13:05    2671800

Link

Replying To foreveryoung:  "Half-time: Kildare 1-15 Galway 1-05

A huge roar and a standing ovation for Kildare. Nothing plucky about this - and yes, the breeze is playing a big part - but they have out-fought and out-hurled Galway.

Galway people, don't worry, the footballers will rectify that and beat Kildare in the qualifiers. Galway is a footballing county after all."
Million years too early there....

systematic (Galway) - Posts: 279 - 09/05/2026 17:08:25    2671809

Link

Replying To foreveryoung:  "Half-time: Kildare 1-15 Galway 1-05

A huge roar and a standing ovation for Kildare. Nothing plucky about this - and yes, the breeze is playing a big part - but they have out-fought and out-hurled Galway.

Galway people, don't worry, the footballers will rectify that and beat Kildare in the qualifiers. Galway is a footballing county after all."
That aged well.....

Ailteoir (Galway) - Posts: 928 - 09/05/2026 17:13:13    2671810

Link

I watched the last 20 minutes or so. It was better quality than what what was on show between Wexford and Dublin. That was awful.
I hope that Wexford Park is a very short tight pitch because the amount of bodies in the contact area throughout was shocking. It was like rugby at times.

Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 366 - 09/05/2026 17:43:19    2671822

Link

Replying To foreveryoung:  "Half-time: Kildare 1-15 Galway 1-05

A huge roar and a standing ovation for Kildare. Nothing plucky about this - and yes, the breeze is playing a big part - but they have out-fought and out-hurled Galway.

Galway people, don't worry, the footballers will rectify that and beat Kildare in the qualifiers. Galway is a footballing county after all."
Your knowledge of hurling has always been suspect.

A brilliant game for both sides. Kildare were fantastic in the first half , showed they deserve to play at the top level and should take enormous confidence from their performance. I went onto the field and shook hands with every Kildare player I encountered. Total respect.

Galway can take so much from this. Number one,never underestimate the opposition. Games need to be won and the mental attitude needs to be right all the time. They'll know now that if Kildare can give them such a fright, then Dublin, Wexford, and any other team they meet after that will beat them if the attitude is not 100% right. I was delighted with the way Galway came back in the 2nd half and especially with the composure they showed when it was put up to them.

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 2127 - 09/05/2026 18:03:48    2671831

Link

Replying To PoolSturgeon:  "Your knowledge of hurling has always been suspect.

A brilliant game for both sides. Kildare were fantastic in the first half , showed they deserve to play at the top level and should take enormous confidence from their performance. I went onto the field and shook hands with every Kildare player I encountered. Total respect.

Galway can take so much from this. Number one,never underestimate the opposition. Games need to be won and the mental attitude needs to be right all the time. They'll know now that if Kildare can give them such a fright, then Dublin, Wexford, and any other team they meet after that will beat them if the attitude is not 100% right. I was delighted with the way Galway came back in the 2nd half and especially with the composure they showed when it was put up to them."
And as much as Kildare deserve to play at this level they wont see another Leinster hurling championship until 2028 at the latest. And this time next year we will be saying something similar about one of Carlow ,Laois ,Wexford or Offaly.
And also we will be another year into Waterford not getting out of Munster. There has to be a better way.

Paull (Wexford) - Posts: 276 - 09/05/2026 21:13:11    2671861

Link

Replying To Paull:  "And as much as Kildare deserve to play at this level they wont see another Leinster hurling championship until 2028 at the latest. And this time next year we will be saying something similar about one of Carlow ,Laois ,Wexford or Offaly.
And also we will be another year into Waterford not getting out of Munster. There has to be a better way."
Worry about Wexford. If Kildare wasn't the 6th team in Leinster, and we had relegation from the 5 teams in both provinces, we would probably see Waterford and Wexford yoyo-ing up and down each year for one of Carlow, Laois Antrim, Westmeath, or Kerry.

I don't think that there is a better way.

But you do say: "There has to be a better way". Well, do a bit better please, and tell us what it is.

foreveryoung (USA) - Posts: 2523 - 09/05/2026 21:23:54    2671864

Link

Salthill be interesting.

That's all i have to say about that ...

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 4272 - 09/05/2026 22:25:02    2671884

Link

Replying To foreveryoung:  "Worry about Wexford. If Kildare wasn't the 6th team in Leinster, and we had relegation from the 5 teams in both provinces, we would probably see Waterford and Wexford yoyo-ing up and down each year for one of Carlow, Laois Antrim, Westmeath, or Kerry.

I don't think that there is a better way.

But you do say: "There has to be a better way". Well, do a bit better please, and tell us what it is."
How do you make that out? Since the round robin was introduced Wexford have qualified more often than Galway or Dublin. Granted that stat will change this year.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 4501 - 09/05/2026 22:41:20    2671890

Link

Replying To foreveryoung:  "Worry about Wexford. If Kildare wasn't the 6th team in Leinster, and we had relegation from the 5 teams in both provinces, we would probably see Waterford and Wexford yoyo-ing up and down each year for one of Carlow, Laois Antrim, Westmeath, or Kerry.

I don't think that there is a better way.

But you do say: "There has to be a better way". Well, do a bit better please, and tell us what it is."
Agreed, Wexford are in trouble and as a Wexford supporter I'm concerned.

Jedobi (Wexford) - Posts: 282 - 09/05/2026 22:51:52    2671892

Link

Replying To Paull:  "And as much as Kildare deserve to play at this level they wont see another Leinster hurling championship until 2028 at the latest. And this time next year we will be saying something similar about one of Carlow ,Laois ,Wexford or Offaly.
And also we will be another year into Waterford not getting out of Munster. There has to be a better way."
I think there should be a relegation playoff between the bottom team in Munster and Leinster. Granted it's likely the Munster team will win out for the next few years but it's not impossible that the bottom leinster team could be better than the bottom Munster team given that Offaly are back and the strides being made in Carlow, Kildare and Laois.

After that - don't forget that the Joe McDonagh cup is very competitive and is part of the All Ireland series. From what I see the standard there is increasing year on year. We need to find an extra week in the season to give a 2 week break between the McDonagh final and the preliminary round.

Apart from those small points the hurling championship is working well and doesn't need much changing.

brianb (Kildare) - Posts: 495 - 10/05/2026 00:15:05    2671905

Link

Replying To Tadhg2020:  "I watched the last 20 minutes or so. It was better quality than what what was on show between Wexford and Dublin. That was awful.
I hope that Wexford Park is a very short tight pitch because the amount of bodies in the contact area throughout was shocking. It was like rugby at times."
Limerick let opposing teams walk through them i suppose?

We may have ome up with system that stops our leaking of soft goals.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 4272 - 10/05/2026 00:33:31    2671908

Link

I'd like the following AI SHC structure -
all teams play 5 inter-group ties,
encompassing all 8 Prov KO ties, prior to AIC KO:

- Munster KO 5 & Leinster KO 5
- AIC with two groups of 5 (A & B)
- Groups 'formed', not drawn

- Muns QF loser to Group A, winner to B
- Muns QF winner's SF opponent to A
- Muns Finalists placed in opposite groups
- Muns SF losers to opposite groups
- There is a Muns trio in A & pair in B

- Lein QF winner to Group A, loser to B
- Lein QF winner's SF opponent to B
- Lein Finalists placed in opposite groups
- Lein SF losers to opposite groups
- There is a Lein pair in A & trio in B

- Merge to form two groups of 5 (A & B)
- All teams complete a 5-game inter-group
schedule

- Top 6 in a combined 10-team table
advance to AIC KO (must have say >3 pts as
well, as a group could lose all games)
- AIC KO targets 'intra-group ties' to avoid
repeat pairings
- QFs could be 3v6 & 4v5 (adjust if repeat);
SFs could have '1 v lowest QF seed winner'

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3418 - 10/05/2026 03:22:26    2671917

Link

Replying To Paull:  "And as much as Kildare deserve to play at this level they wont see another Leinster hurling championship until 2028 at the latest. And this time next year we will be saying something similar about one of Carlow ,Laois ,Wexford or Offaly.
And also we will be another year into Waterford not getting out of Munster. There has to be a better way."
No no this way is perfect, I'm alright jack.
Kildare will get the customary pat on the head for the relegated team, now back into your box you plucky upstarts. This is our game, for the chosen few. No outsiders need apply.

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 2035 - 10/05/2026 07:57:49    2671921

Link

Replying To BarneyGrant:  "Salthill be interesting.

That's all i have to say about that ..."
Could be very fiery Barney....

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 4941 - 10/05/2026 08:42:55    2671925

Link

Replying To foreveryoung:  "Half-time: Kildare 1-15 Galway 1-05

A huge roar and a standing ovation for Kildare. Nothing plucky about this - and yes, the breeze is playing a big part - but they have out-fought and out-hurled Galway.

Galway people, don't worry, the footballers will rectify that and beat Kildare in the qualifiers. Galway is a footballing county after all."
No full time report!!

Any perspective at all on why a team that won the 1st half by 10, lost the 2nd half by 19.

Based on your 'logic', does this mean that the Galway footballers will lose to Kildare next week?

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4696 - 10/05/2026 09:42:10    2671931

Link

Replying To Doylerwex:  "How do you make that out? Since the round robin was introduced Wexford have qualified more often than Galway or Dublin. Granted that stat will change this year."
'Fixing' the last result with KK was a help on more than one occasion.....even fixing the throw in time. KK weren't as accommodating this year, when they badly needed the points.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4696 - 10/05/2026 10:37:17    2671935

Link