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I think "cheating" is a wrong term. But the point is valid that Kilkenny do have an advantage of associated with specialisation. But I think its also being a bit unfair to say that Kilkenny are the only county with specialisation advantages. Mayo for example, field a hurling team, but in reality football is dominant all over the county. Yes there is a pocket of hurling around Ballyhaunis and Toureen but even in those areas football is played, and the top quality dual players will prioritise playing football for the county e.g. Keith Higgins , whose first love , talent , and skillset is biased towards hurling always prioritised Mayo county football when in his prime. Dont know if the same thing prevails in counties like Derry, Down, Armagh who are more recognised for football but field hurling teams.... I would suspect that it does. Galway and Cork on the other hand , while enjoying some considerable population advantages are very much splitting the resources. Imagine if Shane Walsh , Damian Comer, Sean Kelly, Cillian McDaid had focused on hurling from an early age what would they give to Galway hurling. Likewise I would imagine that Joe Canning, Conor Whelan, Joseph Cooney and the Mannions would have had the potential to give a great lift to Galway football. anotheralias (Galway) - Posts: 840 - 13/07/2023 14:38:03 2494141 Link 0 |
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6 specific counties.
countyman2022 (Wexford) - Posts: 643 - 13/07/2023 14:45:18 2494144 Link 0 |
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Its not as if the Northern teams put too much into hurling either? Hand full of clubs in each county? Kk have as many football clubs as they have hurling clubs up there.
countyman2022 (Wexford) - Posts: 643 - 13/07/2023 14:46:52 2494145 Link 0 |
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The Kilkenny situation is unique though. No matter how dominant football is in a county, every county fields a hurling team. It is by no mean's perfect and no doubt they get short changed in the scramble for county resources but at least every hurler has the opportunity to line out for their county. Not so in Kilkenny football which is an absolute disgrace. To be fair to Mayo Westport, Moyturra, Ballina, Claremorris all have hurling now, Tooreen reached an AI club intermediate final just last year and Mayo were in the Christy Ring, albeit got relegated, this year. When you consider how stacked the odds are against hurling in counties like Mayo, Roscommon, Donegal, Tyrone and Sligo, they are doing well to be making appearances in the mid-tier. MachaireConnacht (Roscommon) - Posts: 784 - 13/07/2023 15:06:58 2494152 Link 0 |
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Well KK is different in that as late as the 1920s they beat beat Laois, Meath, Louth and Kildare- three times AA Ireland Champions in a ten year period then- in the Leinster Football Championship and then almost completely gave up the game. Secondly several other counties with smaller populations have quite strong football teams and particularly strong at other times. For example Wexford put it up to Dublin for most of the oughties and Limerick also repeatedly had tough battles with Kerry and Cork in that decade, beating Cork in their own backyard by ten points in 2003. Other strong Hurling and Football teams with a smaller population like Clare, Carlow and Tipp come to mind Oldtourman (Limerick) - Posts: 4321 - 13/07/2023 15:25:53 2494157 Link 0 |
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To be fair to KK, there is a lot more football played in KK than hurling played in most counties below Liam McCarthy. Nearly every GAA player in KK will get an opportunity to play football in their club and most do. The same cannot be said for hurling in 50%+ of the country. MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13709 - 13/07/2023 15:35:50 2494158 Link 2 |
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Bit loose tarnishing all of the north with the one brush; Parts of Antrim as staunch hurling as anywhere in the country.
drumalee11 (USA) - Posts: 291 - 13/07/2023 16:03:42 2494166 Link 1 |
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The biggest obstacle to the promotion of hurling in Mayo, Roscommon, Leitrim, Connemara, West Clare, South Kerry, West Cork, West Donegal, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Monaghan etc is not the refusal to support it by the county board. Those places struggle to have sufficient flat fields to allow hurling be played at all. You can play football on a farmer's field, hurling needs a proper pitch tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1109 - 13/07/2023 19:34:13 2494215 Link 0 |
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So we are all cheats in the six counties. As they say in Kerru get up the yard. Ridiculous comment.
Jazzyjeff (Derry) - Posts: 156 - 13/07/2023 20:39:23 2494224 Link 0 |
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Great to see an AI title coming across the pond. It's just a matter of time before we take over the big scene, too. Just ask Leitrim! NY GAA abu! foreveryoung (USA) - Posts: 1914 - 16/07/2023 19:25:52 2494890 Link 1 |
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You are partly correct. Geographic landscape is certainly a factor why we are split currently and yes there is no coincidence that hurling tends to be played more in regions where there is better land. There's absolutely no denying that. But that's historical. It might be the reason we are where we are today, but it's not an obstacle to the promotion of hurling going forward as most football pitches are capable of holding a hurling match.
anotheralias (Galway) - Posts: 840 - 17/07/2023 09:00:21 2494973 Link 1 |
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Some the Derry diving yesterday proved they are in this bracket.
countyman2022 (Wexford) - Posts: 643 - 17/07/2023 09:19:39 2494982 Link 1 |
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Were Mayo playing Division 2 football in 1996 when reached the All Ireland Football Final, I think they may have been. St.Mologga (Cork) - Posts: 106 - 17/07/2023 10:15:52 2495002 Link 0 |
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You sound like most of those in Britain who voted for Brexit. "It's all the foreigners fault.....so it is". Swap foreigners for Northerners and It's exactly the same. Unfortunately your view is far more common than many will admit. The fact that your totally nonsensical, sweeping statement even made it on to the boards speaks volumes. If that was said about anyone else it would be called out as bigoted racism. I bet this reply to you doesn't even make it on to the thread.
Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9703 - 17/07/2023 10:45:36 2495024 Link 1 |
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In 2002, Kerry and Armagh were in the same division 2, playing London of all teams. They both contested the All Ireland final that year and Armagh won it.
BaldyBadger (Cork) - Posts: 311 - 17/07/2023 10:46:35 2495025 Link 1 |
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Self awareness clearly not a quality you identify with.
Glensboy (Antrim) - Posts: 289 - 17/07/2023 11:09:26 2495040 Link 1 |
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I didn't realise the 2002 final was an all division 2 affair, many thanks for the update.
St.Mologga (Cork) - Posts: 106 - 17/07/2023 12:55:41 2495079 Link 1 |
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Best not waste your time on this fella, he has succeeded in what he set out to do and make you waste time in your day to respond to him.
zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 1805 - 17/07/2023 14:23:32 2495119 Link 0 |
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Hurling was played on the beach in parts of the country such as Kerry and Donegal where land was not suitable.
BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 2564 - 17/07/2023 15:16:24 2495146 Link 0 |
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Division 3 they were in (gained promotion to Division 2) was Quarter finals back then which they won and eventually lost the semi final to Derry. As already said Armagh 2002 the last team to win Sam having played their league football in Div 2. Since then Down (2010) Donegal (2014) Mayo (2021) Galway (2022) reached and lost All Ireland finals from playing Div 2 league football in the spring. The_analyser (Roscommon) - Posts: 3757 - 17/07/2023 17:25:43 2495215 Link 0 |