Relegation

So it looks like the dubious relegation play offs are going ahead, but who will survive the drop?

if i'm correct we have Antrim, Clare, Offaly and Wexford facing demotion to the Christry Ring cup.

Who's it gonna be?

Antrim play Offaly, this teams IMO are pretty evenly matched, but I can see Offaly edging it, meaning Antrim will kick up a storm with their 3 year gaurantee claims. Clare vs Wexford will be even closer, but I can see the Banner pulling through. Leaving Antrim vs Wexford, which only Wexford can win.

Antrim to go down...problems...

Antrim aren't getting relegated from what I hear. It's a daft situation to have ended up in. Is it just me or has the running of the hurling been a lot crazier than normal this year?

i would expect Offaly to have too much for Antrim - but things are probably going to get a lot messier after that

The feeling in Antrim is that they are already down.

It doesn't help when half the side including the manager's son are on holiday during the championship.

All in all, Antrim have been awful all year, bar the one outstanding display against Wexford.

It is however ridiculous that Clare, who ran Tipp, possibly the 2nd best side, to three points are being considered for relegation.

A bit like relegating Galway say from the football.

patrique wrote:The feeling in Antrim is that they are already down.

It doesn't help when half the side including the manager's son are on holiday during the championship.

All in all, Antrim have been awful all year, bar the one outstanding display against Wexford.

It is however ridiculous that Clare, who ran Tipp, possibly the 2nd best side, to three points are being considered for relegation.

A bit like relegating Galway say from the football.

What about wexford at least we won a game!!!
This relegation is bull of tthe highest order if any of Clare wexford or Offaly lose it we will be relegated Antrim apparently not.
What will happen we all go to arbitration a nd no-one goes sown.
a waste of time these games and all they will do is hold up county champs.
antrim Clare final

Are the GAA trying to develop or destroy hurling? In all seriousness, why the hell is relegation even considered in Senior hurling? How are sides trying to develop their county teams going to improve if they get promoted one year, relegated the next and so on, similarly, how are the Christy Ring county teams supposed to react at getting stuffed by the newly relegated teams? What good to Antrim, Offaly, Wexford or any of the top level counties is it for them to hammer say Derry?

It's a f*cking joke of the highest order that we have relegation in our top championships, sure if a county like Westmeath and Carlow win the Christy Ring for 2 years in a row, then let them into the Liam McCarthy for a 3 year trial period. What harm would this do Hurling?

As a hurling man from a so called weaker county, it really saddens me to see the way that it's being run. The format is right, i believe a tier system works in the development sense and if a county shows consistantly that it's too good for a tier then let them up a tier but for the love of God give them time to develop!!!

We want a competitive Senior Hurling Championship, not one thats competed for by realisticly 2 or 3 teams as at the moment and it won't take giving Antrim 3 years in the Leinster Championship, it will mean a tiered system from the roots up for at least a 10-15 year period!

BE good post agree whole heartly with it.
powers that be are destorying hurling -ironically it was a KK man who drove the nails the deepest into the coffin.
Relegation should thrown of the cliffs of mohar (maybe the clare team with it--only joking banner fans)
As your point reward consistancy such as that shown by Carlow enter them into the leinster champ for min 3 years please note this would only have the desired effect of having 8 teams in the leinster champ (nice figure that for a championship)

But I really believe its gone to the point where they (croke park and central council) are only interested in the big days out with the big boys playing- My county sadly does not fit into that bracket any more.
This I think will backfire becuase my county team along with 3 others are playing stupid meaningless games at the expense of how many club hurlers, over the 4 counties I would stab a guess at anything up 1800 players will there even be that in attendance at these games and the final.

If Antrim do get relegated what they will do is they will probably allow them to play in Leinster and the Christy Ring Cup only. If they get knocked out of Leinster then they only have the Christy Ring cup to play in.

But tell me then Clash, how is that good for hurling development in Antrim?

Carlow going up i don't have a problem with, they have shown for 2 years running that they are the best in the CR Cup, Antrim have the advantage of now playing in the Leinster Championship whereas Carlow do not - hardly ideal for Carlow or any county in the CR Cup that are not allowed to play in the Leinster Championship!

My point is a simple one, if teams are to inprove then they need to be playing at a certain level consistantly, not yo-yoing between levels losing every game one year then stuffing teams the next. That's only good for massaging the egos of these counties. Relegation should not be happening to Antrim or any of the county teams involved in the LMcC Cup.

bald eagle wrote:But tell me then Clash, how is that good for hurling development in Antrim?

Carlow going up i don't have a problem with, they have shown for 2 years running that they are the best in the CR Cup, Antrim have the advantage of now playing in the Leinster Championship whereas Carlow do not - hardly ideal for Carlow or any county in the CR Cup that are not allowed to play in the Leinster Championship!

My point is a simple one, if teams are to inprove then they need to be playing at a certain level consistantly, not yo-yoing between levels losing every game one year then stuffing teams the next. That's only good for massaging the egos of these counties. Relegation should not be happening to Antrim or any of the county teams involved in the LMcC Cup.

That's it in a nutshell why relegated surely we want to expand and bring teams up and the only way that happens is by playing teams abit better than you.

Ive been thinking long and hard about this, the bald eagle point of veiw is very valid i know it will do hurling in these counties no good.

I think under the current format it should be made that if you as a county think your too weak for the Liam McCarthy and you want to drop down this should be done with a review panel over seeing, however if derry for example think they had a bad christy ring but are capable of mixing it in the liam mc carthy they should be allowed up into it with out questions asked.

This is The format that needs used under current circumstances this is the all ireland and all counties should be allowed a crack at it regardless if its Longford or Tipperary, is this not what championship is about?

In fairness any four of the counties involved in the relegation play-offs could do with a year competing ar Christy Ring level, its the boot up the arse they deserve for having neglected hurling in their respective counties

It might also help them to gain some confidence by winning some matches.

Yep, great idea! Boost their egos while destroying the developing counties! That's progress eh?

No harm to the two galway lads but that is complete tripe. How will winning the christy ring cup give any of the four confidence when its blatantly obvious none of the four teams should be in it in the first place.
That is not being deluded that is being realistic, promote carlow,westmeath and down and seed the draws similar to the UHC, whereby teams enter at different stages thus preventing down from playing kilkenny in the first round(seeding if you like).
Lets be honest here only 2 teams at the start of the year were deemed worthy of relegation Laois and antrim. If by some minor miracle antrim finally perform this year and win one of the 2 games do we really think one of offaly,clare or wexford will get relegated, Im telling you now it will NEVER happen!!
Either we promote the game properly or we continue to pay lip service to it, as things stand from the outside looking in I think there's no desire to change from the bigger counties. They'll continue to patronise the counties they pretend they want to see improve but in reality and when it comes to the crunch they prefer the status quo! They should be orchestrating and driving the change!
From my own experience and I'll be honest if I was a Laois supporter/player i would not have been happy with the ovation and the pats on the back last week against limerick. I'd rather be told the truth, sometimes it hurts, but at least i might learn from it and maybe even use the criticisms to get improve. To be told you're doing a grand job simply means you're not good enough and keep up the good work so long as you dont pose a threat!
Maybe im very cynical and people genuinely are well intentioned, however, the proof is in the pudding as antrim/laois/carlow/westmeath and down already know over the years. This is illustrated by the decisions passed at congress year after year affecting the less 'sexy' hurling counties.
In conclusion will anything be done about it, probably not. It will be interesting to see how much money is thrown the way of belfast in comparison to dublin!! And why stop at belfast, plough the necessary resources into as many weaker counties as necessary. Its only then that the real promotion of hurling would begin in earnest as opposed to pats on the back and paying lip service again and again!!

Sorry for turning this into a rant, the thing is I feel as passionately and love hurling as much as bald eagle(not as good tho by all accounts!!), sami,jim,mossbags,clash,nsg or any other hurler in ireland. I just get annoyed when people make lazy posts,well intentioned im sure or otherwise but put yourself in any of the 'yo-yo counties' position and you'll get as fed up as i am.

PS I certainly do not absolve the antrim county board or the ulster council of any blame either. Indeed we need to get our own house in order if we want to improve, playing 1 club hurling match in 2 months is simply not good enough for any standard of hurling.

If Antrim go down they will NOT be in Leinster anymore.

That was a a very successful "let's save hurling campaign" wasn't it?

Of course the real motive was to get Galway in Leinster, no one gives a monkey's about Antrim.

Antrim have not helped themselves, half the team, including the manager's son on holiday for the vital game against Laois. But they need a run in Lenster, being pushed around is no good to anyone.

The association needs to either promote hurling or not. There are not enough teams to maintain interest over the next 100 years given what is available to viewers nowadays.

we can only see what happens next.

realistically it has to be Antrim to go down, losing Ofally or Wexford would be a huge loss to the Leinster championship and, however poor, Clare are an integral part of the Munster set up.

Antrim are the only team of the four who would not be sorely missed.

I wouldn't miss Clare

Moss - you trying to tell us you wouldn't miss this!!!!!!

SamiPremier08 wrote:we can only see what happens next.

realistically it has to be Antrim to go down, losing Ofally or Wexford would be a huge loss to the Leinster championship and, however poor, Clare are an integral part of the Munster set up.

Antrim are the only team of the four who would not be sorely missed.

And Tipp people wonder why the rest of us cheer when Kilkenny hammer them, such as 2003 or this year's league?

After a "famine" of nearly forty years by Tipp standards, 3 all Ireland titles, you would think they might have lost a bit of that arrogance.

There is some talk of the Clare/Wexford players not wanting/going to play.
Thin k the county boards will put pressure on the them to play.
But can we start a Save the 4

Padraig,

Sure you only have to listen to Babs Keating, such an inoffensive gentleman as im sure offaly fans will testify!!

This relegation thread is s**t
Bright Oaks relegation thread knows the score

patrique wrote:

SamiPremier08 wrote:we can only see what happens next.

realistically it has to be Antrim to go down, losing Ofally or Wexford would be a huge loss to the Leinster championship and, however poor, Clare are an integral part of the Munster set up.

Antrim are the only team of the four who would not be sorely missed.

And Tipp people wonder why the rest of us cheer when Kilkenny hammer them, such as 2003 or this year's league?

After a "famine" of nearly forty years by Tipp standards, 3 all Ireland titles, you would think they might have lost a bit of that arrogance.

its the logical truth my friend

and mossbags is a strange fellow, complaining when nobody starts threads the going round calling people's thread s**t. well thats just lovely