EDDIE BRENNAN HAS called for a restructuring of the All-Ireland U21 hurling championship in the wake of Kilkenny’s 52-point demolition of Derry in yesterday’s semi-final.
The Cats ran out easy 8-35 to 0-7 winners over the Ulster champions in a game that did little for either side.
“What do you say?” asked Brennan. “There is no sugar-coating that. It was a complete mismatch. Before a ball was thrown in, we just prepared to put our best foot forward.
“We prepared as diligently as we could. I have to compliment our lads on doing what they had to do today. We crossed the hurdle, we moved onto the final. We generated a bit of competition for places, which is what you want facing into an All-Ireland final.
“There was talk of taking the game up to Derry, but unfortunately, I’m not tasked with promoting hurling in Derry. We have to look at this structure. Maybe, we need to look at potentially scrapping the provincial championships and making an open draw.
“Maybe, this is the competition for that, whereby you put everybody into hat and have a 16-team competition or whatever it is. Filter it down so you are going to have four real quality quarter-finals.”
Brennan believes scrapping the provincial championships in favour of an open draw might be the way forward.
“I think an open draw is better at this level. The Munster competition, there is a lot of people very attached to that. I’m respectful of that. For me, you’re trying to knock it around your head and thinking, ‘what is the way forward for thus U21 championship’.
“Maybe, U21 could be used to road-test an open draw. For me, maybe that is the way hurling is going to go, inevitably. That is what is looking at hurling in the next three or four years. Maybe, you are going to go that route of open draws, a provincial competition played early and then everyone into the hat.”
Derry boss Colm McGurk reckons a two-tiered championship is the way forward.
“In all reality Derry should be in the tier two U21 competition along with Kerry and Meath and all the Ulster teams should be there as it stands presently,” he said.
“But that’s the way of the draw. The fellas want to play in Thurles against Kilkenny and that’s a nice experience regardless of the outcome.”
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Glad to see both managers talking sense. I know Antrim got to the final of the U21 few years back but in general ulster teams got a hiding in all ireland semi finals.
Saturday’s mismatch was no Benifit to anyone. Ok as the Derry manager said his players want to play in Thurles etc. They can’t have enjoyed the Thurles experience on Saturday.
Try an open draw as Eddie said, and a proper B grade competition with ulster trans included with the final on the same day as the A final.
@Diarmuid: there already is a b competition and the final is played before the a final
@Noel Kelly: i realise that Noel but as the Derry manager said the B grade should be restructed to include the ulster champions as well. They are out of there depth at the A level
@Diarmuid: and too good for the B Championship.
Completely agree with Eddie Brendan. This year’s semi finals illustrated the serious issues facing hurling. The Kilkenny Derry game is self explanatory. No way should both teams be on the same pitch. It hinders rather than helps both counties. On the other side we had probably the best u21 team in the country playing their first championship match against a battle hardned side. Very unfair on Galway. Tom Fahey
All about bloody funding,the love for hurling in Derry(parts of)is there,was involved in schools in the 80s,all funded , introduced hurling,football camphor,to kids who wouldn’t have even seen it before,funding ran out(cross border funding) after 2 years,so a lot of kids who weren’t in Gaa clubs finished being interested in our national games,we were full time in primary/secondary schools,do when the scheme finished,most of our work came to nothing,(all coaches were badged)feel something like this initiative needs to happen in Ulster
@billy Dorney: excuse the misspelling,camogie,i meant
@billy Dorney: There is a lot more to it than that, there are many counties and county boards throughout Ireland that refuse to promote hurling as it should as it eat up all resources that Gaelic Football uses, it is so pathetic that there are many counties that do not even put forward a B U21 team, the big ball is king.
@ktsiwot: agree
@ktsiwot: yes,and it’s not going to change anytime soon,so hurling loses
why is the solution always to throw them into Leinster? Wexford Dublin and even westmeath would have hammered that Derry team. why just devalue Leinster and leave precious Munster alone? if ya want to get rid of the provinces, then they all have to go and open up to a group
@Ger O’Meara: devalue leinster by adding Galway u must be joking look how much they have added to the senior hurling.
Galway should go into Leinster and then winners of Leinster and Munster go straight to the final. Big mistake to let go of the Munster Championship if it happens.
All this absolute shite talk about the “Munster championship” what’s so sacred about it. Limerick and Clare have won loads of Munster U21 in last decade and are currently way off the pace required at senior level..There will always be an asterix beside the 2013 AIF. The Munster SHC has been quite poor for years, take out Tipp and the rest are average enough, except for a few bubble performances here and there.. They dont like to hear that in Munster, but thats a fact..It’s not all that!
@Lord Clanricarde: I don’t get this asterix thing about 2013. Why is there an asterix about it. Clare beat everyone put before them and won the all Ireland. End of story. It’s not like Kilkenny, Tipp and Galway didn’t enter the championship that. Same teams started out as every year so I think people need to give Clare the respect they deserve and stop downgrading their all Ireland. If Kilkenny had won in 2013 instead of Clare there’d be no talk of asterix’s. Cork won 2010 football all Ireland beating down. Tipp beat Antrim in an all Ireland in 89 I think. Why no asterix’s against them???
@Lord “up me own hole from Galway”Please stop blowing your own pipa you clown.
@John Carroll: Nice to see neither if ye argued with me on the fact that Munster hurling is not all it’s cracked up to be.. It’s a competition full of sentimentality and old farts scared of change in case it effects the “magical” Munster championship!..Nevermind that Tipp win it whenever they decide to get the lead out!!
Galway should go into Leinster and the winners of Leinster and Munster then play in All Ireland Final. Big mistake if we lost the Munster Championship