Waterford GAA Thread - Mod note post #1

Ballygunner 1-22 Abbeyside 1-16. Full time.

Ballygunner through to QFs. Abbeyside and Ballduff Upper in winner takes all next week.

If Ballygunner are going to be beaten it’s better that it’s in a knock out game because they won’t be beaten twice. Depressing that DLS the only team side they could potentially match them on talent base will be fighting relegation

I know Shane, Kieran, Steven and Ryan Bennett are all brothers on the Ballysaggart team, there was a 5th Bennett playing last evening, [not sure his first name]

question, is he also a brother of the others?

Lismore 1-20 Fourmilewater 22. Full time.

Fourmilewater very unlucky as leading for vast majority of the match. Lismore through to QF.

Any match reports from the weekend lads? Any stand out players put their hands up for potentially being looked at for the county (that aren't already on the panel)?

Heartbreaking stuff for Ballysaggart, two weeks in a row where they seemed to have somehow snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I watched that game and the Western intermediate game between Shamrocks and St Mary's/Sliabh gCua on Youtube (credit to the lads who both uploaded and produced this - really good quality). Great finishes to both games.

Waterford GAA | SHC Group A | Ballysaggart v Tallow - YouTube

Waterford GAA | Western IHC | Shamrocks v Sliabh gCua/St Marys - YouTube

Some really good games the weekend, Ballygunner v abbeyside was a super game, abbeyside really put it up to Ballygunner with their physicality and intensity, they are a team on the up with the quality young players they're bringing through.

in terms of young players trying to catch the eye of Cahill and his management, some good performances so far. early days in the championship still of course, but Harry Ruddle has been excellent for Ballygunner, scoring freely from play in both games so far. I didn't see Mark Fitzgerald for passage but by all accounts he was excellent in the forwards scoring 2-3. Sean Walsh and Aaron Ryan both of fourmilewater have shown glimpses that they have real potential, Walsh is an interesting one given his size and the way he plays. just a few I found Interesting the last 2 weeks, I'm sure others have different ideas!

pity to see iarla Daly go off injured early on again for lismore, hopefully not a serious injury.

Not at all, I'm sure the people involved in the Abbeyside/Ballinacourty club were delighted to have annexed another county football title as they should be.

I made the point that the focus on the football final would detract from the preparations for the game against Ballygunner yesterday. I think that was a valid and reasonable point.

The way both games are played now I doubt it would impact hurling preparations. Hurling is a football hybrid in its current guise.

didn't expect that, best of luck to him in the role

Explains maybe why they are so poor this year.

Once it was agreed to give both Clonea & Abbeyside 2 weeks preparation they couldn’t play the first week & they couldn’t be in the group of 4. They couldn’t play the first week as the championship had to kick off by that date to meet Munster Club schedule once we weren’t in the All Ireland Final. They couldn’t be in the group of 4 as that group had no bye week & thus they would have only had 1 weeks preparation if they were in that group.

As a side note, a number of games in this years championship have shown how competitive a premier intermediate championship could be, if the number of senior teams was reduced to 8. I’m thinking in particular of the 2 Ballysaggart games, vs Fourmilewater & Tallow. If 5 teams were to be removed from senior, you’d probably have looked at those 3, Ballyduff Upper & one more. Those 5 teams plus 3 of the best intermediate teams, could make up a very competitive competition but it only works if the senior championship is reduced to 8 teams. I don’t see a lot of benefit to it without reducing the number of senior teams.

Fourmilewater and Tallow are possible 1/4 finalists so there would be no reason for those 2 to go down a level? On this year's form, De La Salle would be down along with possibly Ballysaggart, Clonea & Ballyduff Upper/Abbeyside losers.

I don't agree that we need a intermediate premier competition. The only issue with the senior championship is that Ballygunner are so far ahead of every other team. I would have Lismore, Mount Sion, Abbeyside & possibly Passage as the best of the rest but on a given day, I think any of the 11 sides can beat one another other than Ballygunner who could coast to 10 in a row in my opinion. Their conveyer belt of talent doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon & even losing Philip Mahony to a broken leg at the weekend is unlikely to curtail them.

The western intermediate championship is one of the best adult championships and is unbelievably competitive and has seen some great games in recent years and I'm sure the east is similar but I would have a full county intermediate championship. This rubbish of playing a group stage and no one being knocked out is ridiculous and only leads to shadow boxing. The intermediate champions are generally very competitive in the Munster championship as well.

Fourmilewater & Tallow wouldn’t have been in too many quarters in recent years, but your point stands re this year it a restructuring was to be based on this year alone (which would not happen IMO).

The Western Intermediate is indeed strong & I think they could compete with the lower senior teams certainly, as well as the top Eastern team(s).

I’d like to think that the introduction of a premier intermediate would provide another stepping stone towards being competitive at senior level. It seems like intermediate teams are struggling after gaining promotion in general.

I don’t imagine the Tallows, Ballyduff’s or Fourmilewater’s would vote for it, but I do think it could revitalise our championship.

Ballygunner being so far ahead is an issue that’s pretty impossible for the board to fix really. The chasing clubs just have to keep trying to close that gap really.

I’m not sure what the reference to meaningless group games when all qualify is about. Maybe I’ve missed something, but to my mind the senior groups see teams eliminated, the western intermediate only sees the top 2 in each group through to the semi finals.

blob:https://web.whatsapp.com/479764c2-82cc-432f-9666-acadf06ead52 congrat to yet another grandson of pat o sullivan, he had a production line to rival ford's

All good points.

Just to be clear I am not suggesting any clubs are relegated based on one years results. If it were to happen I would suggest results over a 3 - 5 year period be taken into consideration, similar to how Cork did when they restructured their championships.

It’s not a straight forward solution however.