All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2024 (Munster And Leinster Championships,Liam McCarthy Cup)

Thats an attitude that will encourage the development of the game !!

Just play off Munster with Kilkenny and forget about the development of the sport outside of its traditional areas.

Ah ya the usual shte about Munster snobbery.

It's not me or the Munster fans who stuck their noses up to a great Leinster championship.

How many were at a do or die game between 2 very well populated counties in Salthill this weekend ?

Was there any Leinster game that would have been considered to have had a good crowd this year. 1 maybe.

That's no excuse for Salthill on Sunday, or the opening day in Wexford park which we thought would be winner takes all.

Well Munster is a procession for Limerick and Clare but the fans still showed up 🤣

There is no excuse for not being able to come close to filling some of the stadia in Leinster given their size.

Agree with this especially when Offally can sell out the u20 final………………………..

I looked it up there apparently the GAA have been testing players since 2001!

https://www.gaa.ie/my-gaa/players/anti-doping

"Since 2001, the GAA have been drug testing players as part of an agreement with Sport Ireland and their policy to cooperate with the international anti-doping campaign administered by the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA). The GAA believes that doping is contrary to the spirit of sport and every member has a duty to ensure that Gaelic Games are free of doping.

There are many facets to Anti-Doping and it is a complex issue that is constantly evolving. All GAA members are subject to the Anti-Doping Rules as adopted by Sport Ireland, therefore the GAA urges all members to read and understand the Anti-Doping Rules and to understand their responsibilities under the rules. The consequences of not adhering to Anti-Doping Rules can be severe for both players and their support personnel such as coaches and parents."

But the ESRI did a study in 2019 and found only 7% of 18 -21 year olds were tested.

75% overall were never tested.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/three-quarters-of-gaa-players-never-tested-for-drugs-1.4117333

And yet a fraction of that Offaly crowd will be at the Joe McDonagh Cup final.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Leinster has too much gap between the top sides and the lower sides needs more jeopardy, and teams yo-yoing isn't helping them. The round robin isn't working for Leinster the way it is for Munster. It needs something different to be able to sell to hurling fans in Leinster. Leinster needs a more cut-throat championship.

Leinster needs to go to two groups of 4. Top side of each group into SF's, 2v3 in direct knockout QF's (losers leave championship), bottom teams in relegation playoff. SF's to get to the Leinster final, losers into 3rd place playoff, with loser of that gone from championship.

It would probably mean that the Joe McDonagh Cup won't be a part of the championship, but in all honesty, with one result apart, it's mostly been a turkey shoot that adds nothing to the championship.

Either way, Leinster needs more jeopardy in it. Relying on a yo-yo team to get a result to liven it up every second year isn't going to work forever.

Although the Leinster council getting off it's ar5e and actually promoting and developing the game into a competitive state in the province would also be handy.

It's not the embracing of the sponsor I'm talking about (even though what I wrote suggests that), more the determination among some to refuse to acknowledge the Páirc Uí Chaoimh part of the name since it's been the actual name for 40+ years or however long it's there.

I imagine the Ó Chaoimh family also have reasonable bona fides in Cork and Ireland at a broader level yet many seem to want to marginalise the name. I don't hear UMPC park or FBD park being used for abbreviate purposes. In fact Kilkenny got the under 20 final there because of the person it's name after.

But many seem to have grasped the shilling with both hands in the case of Cork. I had assumed at the start it was a few smart arses trying to belittle the ground and its traditional name and to emphasise the fact that Cork initially wanted to get rid of the old name. But it's interesting to hear an actual rationale. It's a shame really if the memory of those who built the GAA is indeed for sale.

If you actually believe the last sentence why do you not include the Nicky Rackard and Lory Meagher teams?

Fair enough, but the idea that Offaly, Fermanagh, or Cavan, deserve a crack at the McCarthy Cup as much as Kilkenny or Clare is flawed since they are essentially playing a different grade with a promotion option for them if they are good enough. It's a recipe for needless extra games and serious turley-shoots. Just wait and see what Cork do to the Joe McDonagh team when they meet.

I don’t believe some have grasped just how massive the difference is between McDonagh Cup and Meagher Cup team. Meagher Cup teams wouldn’t come within 30 points of a McDonagh team or 50 points of. McCarthy team.

You’re talking about counties with no more than 5 adult club teams in some cases.

And I don’t understand the notion that McDonagh Cup teams deserve their shot at the All Ireland - they literally already have that opportunity? Get to the final and they enter the All Ireland championship at the pre quarter final stage.

The tiered structure is great. Look through the lists of finals since the Ring, Rackard, Meagher and McDonagh Cups were introduced and note how many counties have won national titles and played in the finals.

100e is nothing for a final but the really annoying thing is the GAA dont stagger ticket prices. It shouldn't be 100 for centre of Cusack and top corner of Davin.

Every other organisation has price bands.