Underage county hurlers may follow senior move to Leinster

The chairman of the Galway Hurling Committee says he believes a move of all Galway’s inter-county sides into Leinster would not only enhance the competitive edge of those teams but, at local level, enable the ‘powers that be’ to further regularise club fixtures in the county.

For 2015, the Galway intermediate side has already been granted permission to join the county senior team in competing for Leinster championship honours at their respective grade after a delegation from the West made a presentation to Leinster Council last week.

However, the provincial body deferred a ruling on the integration of Galway’s U-21 and minor teams until their November 12 meeting to allow Leinster counties time to consider the implications of such a decision. If successful, the U-21 and minor teams would make the move into Leinster in 2016.

It is also understood that should all of the Tribesmen’s county teams realign themselves with the province, it is a possibility Galway could host inter-county championship games at those grades, which, aside from Walsh Cup fixtures, is not the situation at the moment.

It is hoped that by making the move, Galway’s teams and players, particularly those at minor and U-21, will reap the benefits of a more competitive structure. Indeed, with the possibility of an increased schedule of games, Joe Byrne acknowledges there is greater scope to develop young players.

“That is the point of this,” says Byrne. “There is absolutely no benefit of a Galway team training for three or four months, or longer, just for the sake of playing in an All-Ireland semi-final and, maybe, going up to Croke Park and getting beaten by 10 points.

“Every year we are not going to have a good minor or U-21 team. You only have to look at counties like Kilkenny, Clare or Tipperary, you don’t see them featuring in All-Ireland semi-finals [at minor and U-21] every year,” he says.

“So, first of all, it gives us more competitive matches. That is number one. Secondly, in a year where we have a good team, it prepares us adequately for competing at the latter stages of the All-Ireland series. If we have a good team and we win Leinster and we get to an All-Ireland semi-final, then we are well prepared for a semi-final.

“At the moment, whether we have a good or bad team, we are straight into an All-Ireland semi-final. Having had no competitive games, we are at an awful loss and it is not in any way improving Galway hurling.”

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