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Any more on the backroom team. If any of the players missing last year for example Rory are coming back for wexford etc...
hunting (Wexford) - Posts: 1235 - 20/08/2026 14:25:54
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Replying To StoreysTash: "If counties don't pick A and B teams the first "check" on academies, etc is minor. So after 4-5-6 years of academies only then you find out how well or not its working.
I'm not saying the A and B teams should train seperately, far from it. But a player knows at U14 if he's good enough for the A or B team, and if he is not good enough he needs to work more to bridge the gap. Its not Go Games any more at U14-15-16." Just a quick point….
If you go A and B, the best 15 start for the A's, #16-24 are subs for the A's, #25-#40 start for the B's, and #41-48 are subs for the B's
Go with Mixed teams instead and #1-30 start and #31-48 are subs
If you're starting for either Mixed team, you're more likely than not to be A and if you're a sub for either Mixed team, then you're in all likelihood
ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1505 - 20/08/2026 15:34:56
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Replying To hunting: "Any more on the backroom team. If any of the players missing last year for example Rory are coming back for wexford etc..." Gone quiet on both fronts .
Afinestick96 (Wexford) - Posts: 1119 - 20/08/2026 21:25:27
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Replying To ElGranSenor: "Just a quick point….
If you go A and B, the best 15 start for the A's, #16-24 are subs for the A's, #25-#40 start for the B's, and #41-48 are subs for the B's
Go with Mixed teams instead and #1-30 start and #31-48 are subs
If you're starting for either Mixed team, you're more likely than not to be A and if you're a sub for either Mixed team, then you're in all likelihood" Thats a good way of looking at it too
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20531 - 20/08/2026 21:28:27
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Replying To hunting: "Any more on the backroom team. If any of the players missing last year for example Rory are coming back for wexford etc..." I read somewhere that it's expected to be announced at the County Board meeting next week. Suppose we'll find out then anyway.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3908 - 20/08/2026 22:15:17
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Replying To ElGranSenor: "Just a quick point….
If you go A and B, the best 15 start for the A's, #16-24 are subs for the A's, #25-#40 start for the B's, and #41-48 are subs for the B's
Go with Mixed teams instead and #1-30 start and #31-48 are subs
If you're starting for either Mixed team, you're more likely than not to be A and if you're a sub for either Mixed team, then you're in all likelihood" It was a quick point, but a good one. And very true.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3908 - 20/08/2026 22:15:44
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Replying To Pikeman96: "If that's looping back to my post - I reckon you do "A" and "B" teams at U16 all right. And I'd be about 70-30 or 80-20 in favour of doing it for U15s. But consider U14s, which happens to be the age group I'm involved with myself this year (at club level, not county!) -
All these lads are still just 13 years old or barely turned 14 when you start out. Not to sound all wishy-washy or anything else about it, but they're at a tricky stage in their mental development.
To be with the county squad in the first place, they're clearly one of the best in both their club and their school. They're used to being an automatic pick and one of the main men in any team they go for.
But now, assign them to what's clearly a "B" team every time there are matches coming up, and you're basically suddenly telling them "you haven't got what it takes when it comes to this level".
Some will react positively and knuckle down to try make the jump to the "A" team. But others will react negatively and think "why bother at all then?". And even among those knuckling down, some may become disillusioned if they think themselves that they're working harder and performing better but still aren't moving up to the "A" team.
With mixed teams at U14, they'll know from their own performances over the year whether they're generally in the top half or the bottom half of performers, so they'll be better prepared to react one way or the other when the actual split does come the following year. And also, at that age, they're that bit more mature after even just one extra year.
My tuppence worth." I hear you here as well.
But its county level. I could see if you in your club were always doing A's and B's, but this is the combination of the best 30-40 hurlers in Wexford. When I was that age, being involved with the county at all was a huge fillip. I couldn't make minor team but even being a sub was huge at that age.
Its not like a sub on the club B team who just doesn't have it who unfortunately you won't hang on to. He's probably and I hate to use the words a lost cause. But the sub on the B county team is a vital club player and can drive on that way.
My fear in general is Wexford don't have an idea how good our academies are after U15 and U16 tournaments. It would need he same approach from all counties I accept.
StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 2164 - 21/08/2026 14:34:08
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Replying To StoreysTash: "I hear you here as well.
But its county level. I could see if you in your club were always doing A's and B's, but this is the combination of the best 30-40 hurlers in Wexford. When I was that age, being involved with the county at all was a huge fillip. I couldn't make minor team but even being a sub was huge at that age.
Its not like a sub on the club B team who just doesn't have it who unfortunately you won't hang on to. He's probably and I hate to use the words a lost cause. But the sub on the B county team is a vital club player and can drive on that way.
My fear in general is Wexford don't have an idea how good our academies are after U15 and U16 tournaments. It would need he same approach from all counties I accept." And I hear you too, but I'll stick to my guns re. mixed teams at U14.
Any 13 or 14 year old who's used to being a "big dog" with club or school may react negatively to being told he's way down the pecking order. I'd have no doubt he'd still drive on and continue to enjoy being a big dog in the other places, but depending on ego, he may decide county squad is not worth the effort at all if he's not making the "A" squad. Yes, I know it's immature and that he'll have to learn, but being immature is not unexpected at that age.
Also, ElGranSenor really does make a good point. If you have 48 lads total and you rank them on merit to form "A" and "B" squads of 24 players each:
- Players 1 to 15 get loads of get time
- 16 to 20, not so much
- 21 to 24, probably very little at all once the competitions get serious
- But then 25 to 39 get loads
But mix your best 24 into two squads, and then all your best players would be getting as many game minutes as possible.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3908 - 21/08/2026 16:09:47
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Could be a long post here but I do have some experience with development squads both from an A and B and then a mixed perspective so I'll just give my two cents
I was involved back in the early 2010s in both hurling and football (Goes to show how silly it was that we allowed dual because often there would be no hurling session one week on account of dual players playing football and vice-versa)
U14 hurling A & B teams trained separately which I think was a bit weird, don't think it really happened either before or since
U15 hurling had mixed teams for a blitz one day although the Michael Foley tournament was A and B, think the other games we played that year were A and B, don't think we played too many games tbh
U16 hurling was mixed teams all the way through up until the Arrabawn which was A & B
I know that the same year I was involved in the U16s, my father was with the U15s and they were mixed (North and South) all the way up to the Michael Foley, can't remember whether they were A or B in that
It's a bit different these days as there are qualifier games for these end of season competitions, seems like you pick A & B or Mixed and then go with that for the whole season. Personally thought the old system where you could have Mixed teams all the way through the season and then went to A & B teams at the end might have been the best approach, at least you could say players knew where they stood in the pecking order at the end of the season
It's hard to speak for other players but not all young players are created alike, some are just happy to be there and think that's "Job done" (This is a bit entitled and doesn't do much for Wexford hurling), there are some who are on the B's who are very motivated to get on the A team and don't mind being on the B team, and then there are some whose confidence takes a knock from being on the B team
I am all for setting high standards and demanding accountability from players but each player is their own individual and you're best treating them individually rather than a one size fits all approach whether that be a more authoritarian or a softer approach
As I said, mixed teams for most of the season and then A's and B's at the end of the season was probably, you could have young players who struggle for confidence being on the B team week after week but would be much better handle it if they were involved in a mixed team and only found out they were B right before the end of season tournament started
ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1505 - 21/08/2026 19:29:57
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