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Galway Hurling thread - 4 Like(s)
Great win by the U20s v Kilkenny. Leinster Minor and U20 Champions. Hon Galway!
SouthGalway (National) - 20/05/2026 21:30:52
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Hurling Championship 2026 - 3 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
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Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)
I'm in heaven and I'd like it to continue a while longer.
In 04 we didn't show up v. Derry... hopefully we can progress to the AI quarters and see what happens there.
McHugh is definitely the mastermind behind all this and huge gratitude is due to him and his team.
All the players were immense on Sunday and as a team they looked connected and knew what the plan was throughout. Heslin coming back was a no-brainer for me. We have more games to come and all available hands on deck will be needed to go as far as possible.
The thread here has always been one of the most active on this site.. club and county well discussed despite our fairly lowly status on the GAA pole. Lovely to have posters from other counties popping in with their congrats too.
Fair play to the Dublin team who stayed out on the pitch to the end of the presentation ceremony.
It wasn't the quickest cup presentation and speech ever but I though they showed their class.
I'm sure they wanted to get out of there asap.
Same with the congratulations of all their own supporters who had no difficulty recognising what the day meant to us.
Great sportsmanship from fellow GAA folk.
Just off the back of the minor footballers and hurlers beating Dublin, the 20 footballers beating Dublin and the success of Marys CBS it has been an incredible year to be a Lake County supporter. I think the wins of each are kind of rubbing off on each other and the bandwagon is going full steam in the county now. The support on Sunday was tremendous.
With the hooter rule in place now it was an incredible new experience to see the Hogan and Cusack rise to their feet and cheering for the last minute knowing we couldn't be caught no matter what happened.
Hopefully McHugh and this group of players will give us plenty more to cheer for over the rest of this year and in the years to come. They are a likable and wholly admirable group who represent themselves and their county very well. With luck the injured lads will return too and the group will be able to push on and be contenders on a more consistent basis than we have been in the past.
A last wish would certainly be that the County Board are able to put the infrastructure and pathways in place that will further support this team and the teams that follow in both big ball and small ball.
Oh and massive congrats to the ladies too on a great victory to become Leinster Intermediate champions.
It wasn't long ago they had Meath dead and buried in Croke Park but they escaped somehow and look how they have been doing since. We have great tradition in both codes with both sexes in our county. We give everything a good fair rattle and there's not many counties to be honest that actually do that.
Iarmhí Abú
d7h (National) - 20/05/2026 15:40:34
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Monaghan GAA thread - 2 Like(s)
Replying To moodoo: "All the plaudits around the effort and determination our lads showed on Sunday is well deserved. If you had said at the end of the league that we would take the Ulster Final to ET, not many would have thought it possible.
Questions do have to be asked about the S&C side of it though. We looked miles off it in terms of fitness at times in the league. By ET on Sunday we had players who could barely walk. I know the Derry game went to ET, but that was 2 weeks ago, can't be used as a reason. Armagh have an extra game played, but they had loads left in ET.
The goal that Armagh got in normal time - Dylan Byrne played a ball up the line towards McGorman, he had no chance of getting it, he had been signalling to the bench for a couple of minutes that he needed to come off. O Hanlon couldn't move for most of ET, McCarville not much better. I assumed we had used all our subs, and that was why he was still on - and then Gary appears with 5 minutes left, and the game gone." Physically armagh brought alot more energy than the Derry game. The 70 minutes were fairly intense on Sunday especially the last 15 minutes, monaghan ran themselves into the ground. Armagh are so well conditioned though and most of their players have alot of work in the bodies going back nearly 5 years. On paper there panel would be more advanced on S and C purely due to time and work put in. Our panel is not like that, injuries newcomers probably took its toll on us in ET. I wouldn't be to hard on the S and C coach for Sunday.
222 (National) - 20/05/2026 18:07:32
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Galway Hurling thread - 2 Like(s)
Replying To 1shot: "Bit harsh on Killeen I would say. Did you seen Colm Molloy against Kildare? He breaks down the passing game for his own score and was totally out of it physically. Wexford will be physical. Hopefully Burke will be back and I see Niland is not named on u20 panel tonight so that doesn't look good." To be honest their isn't any other inside forward in the panel I'd be comfortable with, maybe we have Monaghan at half forward with Rory Burke in the corner and Killeen at midfield, maybe Oisin Lohan with a start somewhere.
ColmFlaherty (National) - 20/05/2026 18:53:14
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Galway Hurling thread - 2 Like(s)
Replying To katser: "It will still be Galway v Kilkenny Leinster Final.
Beat them in the Minor, U20 and Senior Leinster Finals." MHC Final Galway 3-20 Kilkenny 3-19
U20 Final Galway 2-20 Kilkenny 2-11
Two down one to go
katser (National) - 20/05/2026 21:02:09
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Football Championship 2026 - 1 Like(s)
Replying To legendzxix: "What's your point... Advocating standalone provincial championships means having the All Ireland have its own promotion and relegation to the Tailteann.
The national hurling league is getting on fine without any link to the All Ireland. The football league should do likewise. Have your league. Have your provincial championships. Then have the All Ireland tiered championships." My point is that you think that the Provincial Championships and the AI Series are both now stand alone competitions. But are they?
Because you have a seeded Munster Provincial Championship, Kerry and Cork have an unfair advantage in that ye are quaranteed to get to the Provincial final every year and because of that under the new rules you have a home tie in your first match in the AI Series.
Ye also have a handy run to the final so ye can rest players such as Gavin White and Paudie Clifford, to name but a few, and have them fresh for later on in the AI Series.
Scenicparish (National) - 20/05/2026 22:14:03
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Westmeath Football thread - 1 Like(s)
Replying To d7h: "I'm in heaven and I'd like it to continue a while longer.
In 04 we didn't show up v. Derry... hopefully we can progress to the AI quarters and see what happens there.
McHugh is definitely the mastermind behind all this and huge gratitude is due to him and his team.
All the players were immense on Sunday and as a team they looked connected and knew what the plan was throughout. Heslin coming back was a no-brainer for me. We have more games to come and all available hands on deck will be needed to go as far as possible.
The thread here has always been one of the most active on this site.. club and county well discussed despite our fairly lowly status on the GAA pole. Lovely to have posters from other counties popping in with their congrats too.
Fair play to the Dublin team who stayed out on the pitch to the end of the presentation ceremony.
It wasn't the quickest cup presentation and speech ever but I though they showed their class.
I'm sure they wanted to get out of there asap.
Same with the congratulations of all their own supporters who had no difficulty recognising what the day meant to us.
Great sportsmanship from fellow GAA folk.
Just off the back of the minor footballers and hurlers beating Dublin, the 20 footballers beating Dublin and the success of Marys CBS it has been an incredible year to be a Lake County supporter. I think the wins of each are kind of rubbing off on each other and the bandwagon is going full steam in the county now. The support on Sunday was tremendous.
With the hooter rule in place now it was an incredible new experience to see the Hogan and Cusack rise to their feet and cheering for the last minute knowing we couldn't be caught no matter what happened.
Hopefully McHugh and this group of players will give us plenty more to cheer for over the rest of this year and in the years to come. They are a likable and wholly admirable group who represent themselves and their county very well. With luck the injured lads will return too and the group will be able to push on and be contenders on a more consistent basis than we have been in the past.
A last wish would certainly be that the County Board are able to put the infrastructure and pathways in place that will further support this team and the teams that follow in both big ball and small ball.
Oh and massive congrats to the ladies too on a great victory to become Leinster Intermediate champions.
It wasn't long ago they had Meath dead and buried in Croke Park but they escaped somehow and look how they have been doing since. We have great tradition in both codes with both sexes in our county. We give everything a good fair rattle and there's not many counties to be honest that actually do that.
Iarmhí Abú" Brilliant post sums up everything very well.
jobber (National) - 20/05/2026 16:49:04
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Wexford Hurling Thread - 1 Like(s)
Replying To Doylerwex: "Let's just say they make things difficult" Bit ironic that coming from a Harriers man
btwex90 (National) - 21/05/2026 11:14:14
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Football Championship 2026 - 1 Like(s)
Replying To Gaaforlife2023: "Jaysus kerry may have advantage munster but doesnt mean it is always used or good thing only when win the donegal crowd must getting to be biggest moaners about kerry and forget to mention ye had advantage itself in preparing for kerry some what anyway,
Maybe their coaching and quality players has also something to do with their success no many bitter supporters or begrudgers just say it is just because of an advantage not that i really care either way but just an observation.
If donegal don't get it done will that be the excuse again kerry this or whatever it is the travel too long.
Donegal a great gaa county with great supporters but some supporters just in my opinion have a chip on their shoulder" Your first 6 words say it all. Why should they have a seeded route to a home draw? The rest is all waffle, and more than Donegal posters pointing this out, including myself.
Expertinall (National) - 21/05/2026 11:09:53
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Championship Attendances - 1 Like(s)
Replying To DublinBrian: "Absolutely shocking Dublin turn out on Sunday for a lenister final. Westmeath out numbered them by 4 to 1 . Even the hill was 40 percent full with the Westmeath supporters taking up half of that. Embarrassing to see the Dublin support. They have really turned their back on this team." Probably just got bored of winning, now the team isn't doing as well as it was, so a lot of fans just don't really care. Doesn't help the hurling team are doing well either.
Dublin need to probably go through a bit of a baron spell to get fans back onside.
Cabbagepatch1667 (National) - 21/05/2026 10:52:51
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Football Format Changes Discussion - 1 Like(s)
Replying To Whammo86: "The Provincials standing in the game is already diminished.
I want a GAA championship and overall season that makes sense and is exciting and the best teams play one another in games that matter.
For what it's worth I don't think the status quo is great for the Provincials as is.
The finals don't count towards the All Ireland.
The scheduling isn't great, you clearly really have a lot of time for the provincials. I don't think the are held in the same esteem by everyone else and going from the national league and the sort of fixtures there to the Provincials and the mismatches, I don't think it's great.
There'd be a better flow to the season starting with them and I honestly think they'd benefit from that.
They are still linked to the All Ireland.
I've nothing against them other than the fact that they are imbalanced within them and between them, so it makes it difficult from a fairness point of view to have them be the foundation of the National championship.
To have a better National championship, you have to have more time dedicated to it than is currently possible with the scheduling of the Provincials." With the current format I still think the best schedule would have the League and Provincial championships played in tandem.
With the current calendar the league stared on Jan 24th and the provincial finals were played up to May 15th - so something like this:
Jan 24/25 Preliminary Provincial round in Ulster / Leinster
Jan 31/Feb1 League round 1
Feb7/8 (OFF) Off
Feb 14/15 Provincial Quarter Finals
Feb 21/22 League round 2
Feb 28/Mar1 League round 3
Mar7/8 Off
Mar14/15 League round 4
Mar21/22 Provincial Semi Finals
Mar28/29 League round 5
April 4/5 Off
April 11/12 League round 6
April 18/19 Off
April 25/26 League round 7
May 2/3 League Finals
May 9/10 Provincial Finals
May 16/17 Provincial Finals
The top 16 placings would be known after the provincial semi finals meaning all teams would know what they were playing for in the last 3 rounds of the league.
I'd still much prefer championship based promotion & relegation with winning a province a way of being promoted as I outlined in a previous posts here.
brianb (National) - 21/05/2026 10:35:16
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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
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Dublin GAA thread - 1 Like(s)
Replying To tirawleybaron: "They still get 20% of the population out to a championship game - Dubs cant event get 1% to a leinster final" Ehhh...there were only 15k in attendance at the Connacht semi-final in MacHale Park. Around 6-7 k of whom were Roscommon fans. 8k as a percentage of 138 thousand is more like 5 percent. Just sayin'.
avonali (National) - 21/05/2026 07:36:11
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Galway Hurling thread - 1 Like(s)
Replying To galwayford: "The team that won in 2017 was physically imposing. Our team now looks smaller. Especially the full back line. The Dublin full forward rampaged through it. Hope Mr Donoghue can rectify this. Wexford are no pushovers. And Galway will have to be at their best to beat them. Regards any final, the Dubs sadly look a lot better than us." How does Donoghue 'rectify' that? Water them, I suppose? At least they only 'look smaller', so you appear to be marginally uncertain as to whether they're smaller or not. Dublin didn't look 'a lot better than us' imo. We 'won' the widecount 17-3 or so, and Daithi conceded an unforced og, and yet we were still level after 70mins, losing it in concluding injury time.
Pope_Benedict (National) - 21/05/2026 00:59:14
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Galway Hurling thread - 1 Like(s)
Replying To ColmFlaherty: "To be honest their isn't any other inside forward in the panel I'd be comfortable with, maybe we have Monaghan at half forward with Rory Burke in the corner and Killeen at midfield, maybe Oisin Lohan with a start somewhere." Burke won't be back for Sunday anyway. Be a test to make the Leinster final too I'm afraid.
Triffic (National) - 20/05/2026 22:18:42
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Hurling Championship 2026 - 1 Like(s)
Replying To ColmFlaherty: "What way do we see the results going this week.
I think:
Kildare vs Offaly - Offaly by 11
Wexford vs Galway - Galway by 8
Dublin vs Kilkenny - Dublin by 4
Cork vs Clare - Cork by 1
Limerick vs Tipperary - Limerick by 15" Fairly straight forward in Leinster....Offaly,Galway and Kilkenny
Munster Clare to win
katser (National) - 20/05/2026 17:04:36
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Non-Gaa Forum - 1 Like(s)
Wondering what makes you think such a major overall of the Public Sector will happen under a non-FF/FG government?
As someone who is currently a public servant, (and a frontline worker at that) I can state with absolute certainty that the current putative alternative to the current government will not make any meaningful changes to the way things are done.
It 100% will never happen under a FF/FG government, collectively they have lead every Government since the foundation of the State, and their grass roots is too intertwined with the Civil Service and public sector in general. Turkeys won't vote for Christmas, so the only real hope would be if a viable opposition emerge with a roadmap to tidy things up.
I've been a member of a union all my life (and as a colleague of mine once described them, they are a "necessary evil") but I will say that ONE aspect to the problem is the power of public sector unions (short-termism by the political class i.e. just doing populist stuff to help them get re-elected , and incompetent management are 2 further legs to the stool).
I disagree with Unions being a necessary evil, because their 'collective bargaining' isn't based on performance, its about maintaining inefficiencies. Ireland has some of the best workers rights in the world, no need for Unions.
You mention "inefficient management structures". Let me be blunt about this -- the unions are a major contributor to that.
I agree the Unions help maintain it, then we see the vast amounts of public money wasted every year, through incompetent project management. Like how on this earth does any idiot approve a €330k bicycle shed? That highlights the level of decision making we have managing public sector projects, someone who has never worked in the private sector, where strong justifications must be provided and progression is performance based.
I could say a lot more but I will leave it at that. You are very niave if you think the alternative to the current government will change all or any of this.
PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 2131 - 20/05/2026 11:45:43
FF/FG won't change anything, and I believe front line public sector workers are under-resourced and underpaid across the board, meanwhile we have Public sector admin staff who are in many cases overpaid and under worked. We need professionals managing large projects, people who can make things happen on time.
Commodore (National) - 20/05/2026 22:13:43
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Hurling Championship 2026 - 1 Like(s)
Replying To ColmFlaherty: "What way do we see the results going this week.
I think:
Kildare vs Offaly - Offaly by 11
Wexford vs Galway - Galway by 8
Dublin vs Kilkenny - Dublin by 4
Cork vs Clare - Cork by 1
Limerick vs Tipperary - Limerick by 15" Offaly ought to win comfortably. Unless Wexford can tap into some wounded ancestral pride and the possibility that some of their better known players might not tog again, hard to see Galway not having a bit to spare.
Cork, if the injuries impact and Clare produce something special, might be beaten and miss out on the final on head-to-head,
That and Dublin v Kilkenny are the two must see games of the weekend.
Bookies had priced up our game as evens the two but Kilkenny have been backed in to 4/5 and probably shorter on the day.
Which is understandable given the history but it is definitely a chance for Dublin to gain a rare scalp. I reckon this is more important for the team than a rematch against Galway or even a tilt at one of the Munster big guns. Hopefully they see it the same way and treat it like a final. I think it will be close and full of all sorts! Can't wait.
BarneyGrant (National) - 20/05/2026 16:52:50
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Football Format Changes Discussion - 1 Like(s)
Replying To Tadhg2020: "So i am correct. You do want to play the provincials before the league because they wont be played during the league. This is amateur sport. No county board or manager would that and rightly so.
You want to kill the provincials standing in the game. Just be honest about it." The Provincials standing in the game is already diminished.
I want a GAA championship and overall season that makes sense and is exciting and the best teams play one another in games that matter.
For what it's worth I don't think the status quo is great for the Provincials as is.
The finals don't count towards the All Ireland.
The scheduling isn't great, you clearly really have a lot of time for the provincials. I don't think the are held in the same esteem by everyone else and going from the national league and the sort of fixtures there to the Provincials and the mismatches, I don't think it's great.
There'd be a better flow to the season starting with them and I honestly think they'd benefit from that.
They are still linked to the All Ireland.
I've nothing against them other than the fact that they are imbalanced within them and between them, so it makes it difficult from a fairness point of view to have them be the foundation of the National championship.
To have a better National championship, you have to have more time dedicated to it than is currently possible with the scheduling of the Provincials.
Whammo86 (National) - 20/05/2026 19:42:25
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