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Wexford Club Hurling 2026

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Replying To hownow1: "Are you saying players training/playing matches/gyming minimum 2 or 3 nights a week since February/March don't deserve some sort of leeway for a weekend off after most of which playing 9 weekends in a row of championship matches?" See the post above that I was writing around the time you were writing this one :) The players and clubs want the structure that gives so many matches and therefore so many opportunities to qualify for the knock-out stages. People would no doubt complain if County Board went against this and changed to something like groups of four or even groups of three. But when it comes to having to line out for so many weekends in a row to get so many matches played, then there's a different complaint, that it's all too much and players need a break. Again, can't have it both ways unless our county teams go out of their own championships early, and nobody wants that either. Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3982 - 04/09/2026 12:33:09 2692692 Link
Replying To tearintom: "Was talking to a club manager over the weekend. 2 players went to EP, a couple of others took the week for their own holidays not EP. But 4 players now are informing him they've tickets for Katie Taylor fight next Saturday and not sure of availability! Maybe we should get another weekend off?" Tail wagging the dog comes to mind! Timbertony (Wexford) - Posts: 600 - 04/09/2026 13:05:09 2692702 Link
Replying To Pikeman96: "See the post above that I was writing around the time you were writing this one :) The players and clubs want the structure that gives so many matches and therefore so many opportunities to qualify for the knock-out stages. People would no doubt complain if County Board went against this and changed to something like groups of four or even groups of three. But when it comes to having to line out for so many weekends in a row to get so many matches played, then there's a different complaint, that it's all too much and players need a break. Again, can't have it both ways unless our county teams go out of their own championships early, and nobody wants that either." I'm not sure if players really do want that structure, albeit as a player I don't attend too many meetings so that's on players to make more of an effort there. I think it is no coincidence that Castletown in football and St. Martins are becoming so dominant within the structure. They are dual clubs to be fair but they have 20+ players more than equipped for senior football/hurling whereas some clubs are extremely dependent on the same 17/18 players and all the group games take their toll and by the time the business end comes around makes surprise results far less likely. hownow1 (Wexford) - Posts: 8 - 04/09/2026 13:25:12 2692709 Link
Replying To hownow1: "Are you saying players training/playing matches/gyming minimum 2 or 3 nights a week since February/March don't deserve some sort of leeway for a weekend off after most of which playing 9 weekends in a row of championship matches?" Couple of points on that. Thats not what im saying at all. In fact if I had my way id have more than 1 break week. But that involves sacrificing things that the said same players aren't willing to do, it involves the same players making tough decisions something again we abdicate for them. Personally id have a reduction in the amount of games we play in championship but on the flip side a ramp up in the consequences of each game where there's more pressure, more riding on these games. Across both codes But guaranteed if there's a proposal for less games the said same players will say no, cant have that. If theres a proposal for more pressure games, jesus no cant have that. Propose foregoing leinster club championships and uts no cant have that either. Oh and we want rhe county team to go far and we want EP weekend off so around 10% of fhe players in total can go for a session in a field! And when asked how's it going to work the answer will be "shur just make it work" as we have actually seen here. Do what the HAC has done and turn the hurling championship into an almost go games scenario making things worse and it will be lapped up no problem. Thats where my issue lies, the fact that people are thinking "oh if the county team goes far in the championship what are we going to do about EP break sums up the problem here. Not will have enough time for championships in total, what pitches, refs, chaps starting college, trying to get underage games done also etc etc" And secondly it takes more than players to run a championship. What about everyone else, should they get a say? The fella who's in the pitch 5 nights a week helping coach u derage teams whilst doing the same with adult team giving up practically all his free time, should he not get a say cos I guarantee in every club theres at least 2 or 3 of those. So yes im all for having breaks, in fact id like to see more of them but breaks that work for everyone involved. tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1690 - 04/09/2026 13:54:18 2692713 Link
Replying To hownow1: "I'm not sure if players really do want that structure, albeit as a player I don't attend too many meetings so that's on players to make more of an effort there. I think it is no coincidence that Castletown in football and St. Martins are becoming so dominant within the structure. They are dual clubs to be fair but they have 20+ players more than equipped for senior football/hurling whereas some clubs are extremely dependent on the same 17/18 players and all the group games take their toll and by the time the business end comes around makes surprise results far less likely." Nearly all the Martins and Castletown first team players are on both their Football and Hurling 1st teams. Gorey are the club with the most different players playing 1st team in each code, followed I think by Shels, although Shels still have over half their 1st teams playing both codes for their 1st teams. Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20634 - 04/09/2026 14:35:54 2692722 Link
Replying To Pikeman96: "It's a cold hard and maybe merciless-sounding fact that players don't always want what's best overall. Also that they can't always get what they want. For instance: - Generally speaking, players (like their clubs at the meetings that decide these things), don't want just three matches in groups of four. Perform poorly and lose your first two matches there and you're either already out or on the verge of going out, instead of having three more chances to recover and go through anyway. - But players want free weekends in amongst all the games it takes to run the two groups of six structure. Even if there was no EP or anything else to consider, that'd be a fair point, as everybody accepts it's tough going to have matches week in and week out. This affects everybody involved in running matches as well as everybody playing them. But there are only so many weeks in the calendar, and you can't make any more." Our players were polled. Most wanted 3 groups of 4. Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20634 - 04/09/2026 14:37:17 2692724 Link
Replying To Timbertony: "Tail wagging the dog comes to mind!" Think the players constitute more than the tail of the dog of playing matches. Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20634 - 04/09/2026 14:41:20 2692726 Link
Replying To hownow1: "I'm not sure if players really do want that structure, albeit as a player I don't attend too many meetings so that's on players to make more of an effort there. I think it is no coincidence that Castletown in football and St. Martins are becoming so dominant within the structure. They are dual clubs to be fair but they have 20+ players more than equipped for senior football/hurling whereas some clubs are extremely dependent on the same 17/18 players and all the group games take their toll and by the time the business end comes around makes surprise results far less likely." Clubs are always encouraged to consult with their players before deciding how to vote at the meetings on championship structures. I know however that unfortunately, many clubs don't actually do this. But it doesn't have to involve players actually going to a meeting. Every club is supposed to have a Players' Representative on their committee, and this must be somebody who played championship in the previous year. This is in the overall Rule Book and is not just something either I or Wexford GAA are making up. My club has quite a good one and he consults with the other players via a WhatsApp group and some phone calls every year when it comes time to make those decisions. If you don't mind me suggesting, that could be your first step if you really feel you don't have a voice in it. But to put your head on the block (!), as a player yourself, which of these would you choose? - a) groups of four so there are less matches and more chances of a weekend off. b) groups of six so there are more chances of going through to the knockout stages, but less chances of a weekend off. "Groups of six but with more weekends off" isn't an option for all the reasons outlined already and several times before. Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3982 - 04/09/2026 14:57:58 2692731 Link