Hurling can take a leaf out of camogie’s book

Talking Sport with Stephen Glennon

Galway’s intermediate hurlers jumped into action against Kilkenny in the Leinster semi-final at O’Connor Park, Tullamore yesterday evening for their annual foray into a competition that has, in recent years, served little or no purpose.

In past campaigns, the Tribesmen contested an All-Ireland semi-final and, on a rare occasion, a final but by and large they usually finished up playing just one competitive game – there is no league – and so ended another fruitless exercise.

At least this year with the Galway intermediates entry into the Leinster championship, they could end up playing four games in all and that would be something as, in recent times, the Westerners have sought to use this competition as a springboard for the U-21s in August.

At any rate, Central Council, as with Gaelic football, is seeking proposals in respect of potentially revamping the National Hurling League and All-Ireland Championship and, while the intermediate championship obviously does not fall under these headings, it should.

For it is high time the hurling fraternity took a look at their sisters in the Camogie Association to see the success of allowing counties to field their second team (intermediates) in inter-county competitions. The benefits have been enormous for both stronger and weaker counties alike.

For the tier one counties (senior teams), it enables them to provide inter-county competition for their greater playing numbers – something which should also be done for the Kilkennys, Corks and Galways in hurling; while for the lesser lights who want to progress, the system allows them an opportunity to do so by bridging smaller gaps.

Let’s be honest, there is a huge gulf between the top six to eight teams contesting the Liam McCarthy Cup and those between nine and 16. This is where the GAA must make a radical change and, in many respects, follow the lead of their camogie counterparts.

By embracing elements of the camogie model, it would provide a way for those fringe counties on the cusp of Liam McCarthy Cup hurling to narrow the chasm and make the breakthrough by playing competitive hurling against the stronger counties intermediate teams, the likes of Kilkenny, Cork and Galway. (See proposed structure).

A victory for, say, Antrim over a Kilkenny jersey at intermediate level would be just reward for the huge effort being put in and be a stepping stone to the next level; while for the stronger counties, it would present meaningful competitive hurling for their intermediate teams.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.