Kilkenny GAA Thread

I think Kilkenny could certainly beat Waterford and Tipperary but they could easily lose to both aswell. Kilkenny would struggle to get out of Munster in 2024. I could see them getting some right beatings in the round Robin. There's a certain delusion in Kilkenny,Wexford even Dublin and Galway that Limerick are miles ahead and everyone else is bunched behind. It's just baloney. Leinster is so far off the mark it's crazy. And I for one want to prevent an insurmountable gap opening up. Kilkennys inate know how and home pitch familiarity of Croke Park have allowed them look like they are right up there. The last 20mins of the All Ireland Final is an accurate picture of Kilkenny right now. That's my opinion

Was there a County Board meeting last night re changes to under age grades for next year? Has anyone any news? Thanks in advance.

I thought Na Piarsaigh were poor on Sunday, and given how dominant they are within Limerick, I wonder is there real depth in Limerick below the senior team?

I'm not stirring it here; I am unapologetically looking for some hope for the chasing pack. Outside their three county starters on Sunday, I saw nothing that looked like good intercounty standard. Conor Boylan who when he comes on for Limerick, fits in seamlessly and looks class, was average at best on Sunday.

Also, on Limerick, I pulled out the programme of the 2017 AI qualifier between KK and Lim last night and yet again marvelled at how that Lim team has progressed. if you told me that evening, after piss poor match between two average teams, that 12/13 of those who played would now have 5 All Ireland medals, I’d have had you committed. While they undoubtedly had a good crop from underage 2013-2016, their transformation into what they are today is incredible.

So,does it really matter that there may not be an abundance of serious hurlers? Once you go in to the Lim senior set up, you will likely become a serious intercounty hurler.

Waterford had as much good raw material at underage in that exact same 2013-2016, and look at what they have to show for it now? A national league and a team already now breaking up.not even a provincial title to show for a suppsoed "golden crop", some geniuses called their U21 winning team in 2016 "the best ever at thet grade"

On Waterford, why wasn’t Darragh O’ Sullivan and his team given the Waterford job years ago? Ballygunner are the best coached club team in Ireland.

Are the lads turning 18 allowed play adult hurling or any limitations?

What I heard is thar they would be allowed play senior but not with the top senior team I.e. they could play junior

Yeah I agree with you 100%! At the meeting last night there was each clubs delegate and another person from that cub and I think bar one delegate no one other than a member of Bord na Nog, who seemed to be very against the move, spoke out against the change! I'd be shocked if it doesn't go through and that it's back to even age grades for next year.

Appreciate that Lim in 2017 were a very young team, but (despite their success at U21 earlier in the year) I just didn’t see multiple AI wins that night, and let's be honest, I doubt anyone (Kiely included) did.

Their progress is the most successful one in GAA history of an underage group 2013-2014 minor) To mine that amount of serious senior players from such a condensed timeframe is simply astonishing. Only Offaly 86-89 could hold a candle to them in terms of converting a condensed group of good minors into a dozen serious senior hurlers.

I look at the respective trajectories of the 2014 AI minor hurling teams and scratch my head at just how divergent the paths. Two equally matched teams in terms of hurling but 9 years later, a chasm. Limerick clearly got it unbelievably right in terms of the preparation and development of that group, Kilkenny clearly got it wrong. If you detect my envy in the above, you’d be 100% correct.

But I don’t believe Lim will fade once that group has peaked. The senior set up is just incredible and seems to allow for players who weren’t stellar underage to thrive as senior hurlers.

Who (aside from CO'N) are the other four players we mightn’t have heard of you believe will break on to team this year? The reason I ask this, is that it augments my point, young players who many haven’t even heard of likely to replace some of the best hurlers in the country in 2024. The Lim senior setup is so good it can develop players who didn’t set the world alight at underage.

Agree also, that Na Piarsaigh probably fading, but they are still winning Lim senior handily, which again, is my point. Why are an average senior club team winning county titles in a county that is close to unbeatable at inter county level? Because the Lim senior set up is miles ahead of everyone else, having an average enough county club championship isn’t really a factor. Let the lads go back to their clubs for a few months and enjoy playing with their friends and families, good to keep them sharp and fit and hope they don’t get injured, but it doesn’t really have any bearing on what goes on inside the senior camp.

Note to PS and others, not interested in any Munster V Leinster bunfight in reply to above.

Kierans v CBS went to extra time.

You're basic premise is right. Limerick coaching is unbelievable and iv said it before it's partly the cross pollination from S&C from the rugby out in UL. The coaching is superb but then the players are very 'coachable'. Nobody has athletes like a Kyle Hayes or Hegarty or WOD. That size ,power and skill . Wod and Hayes aren't natural wristy hurlers of the old style ...Hegarty could play any stick game..Hayes could play any sport ..any sport and be professional. Its obviously the coaching and Kinnerk.

The sporting culture in Limerick doesn't let talent slip away. At least not now. Na Piarsaigh are in decline at senior but they are still top 5 in Ireland. Limerick will slip away again..as sure as anything. Limerick doesn't have the amount of players of a Cork or Tipp...and won't. Rugby is going nowhere in Limerick. Its the game of the city

Kierans CBS was played in Nowlan Park on a grass pitch.

It was a Leinster Junior final

Yes, that's what the original post stated alright!

Junior (under 16.5) is always played before Xmas. 8 teams.

Same in Munster, although they moved to U17 this year I think.

It's crazy to think a lot of players playing Junior schools now will be overage to play Minor next year. The move to U17 for minor was just plain daft

Counties like Limerick will always produce good players but what came through in lads born in 1994 ( Byrnes, WOD, Hegarty, Richie English) 95 ( Darragh O'Donovan, Mike Casey) 96 ( Finn, Nash, Lynch, Tom Morrissey and Gillane) and 97 ( Flanagan and Peter Casey) is freakish stuff for a 4 year period, numerous generational players in that list.

Any match report from Kierans vs CBS?