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KILKENNY DEVELOPMENT SQUADS

Introduction

With the recent demise of the Kilkenny senior hurlers in the Leinster Championship, the Kilkenny Development Squad system has come into sharp focus, spiced by the perceived notion that it was an unusual early exit. This notion is not entirely true, and the statistical fallacy is a result of using data for an agenda.  Yes, in the current system of round robin it is early when taken in the context of winning the last six Leinster’s. The reality is, that over the history of the Leinster Championship, this year is the same as getting knocked out in the Leinster Semi-Final, 7 weeks prior to an All-Ireland final. It’s happened many times before. The last time was last in 2017 and since then, Kilkenny have reached 8-in-row Leinster finals and won 6-in-row.  Not that I’m saying it is a good thing, but context is important. Grief takes on a lot of forms and sometimes logic and fact play second fiddle for a period.

When disappointing events happen in sport, supporters can become angry and this often leads to misunderstanding and misinformation, some of which can be deliberate to satiate someone’s personal agenda.  Over the years, questions over the Development Squads or Academy as it is also known, have often occurred. I have never heard a local media outlet ask any of the Development Squad coaches their thoughts on specific criticism.  I am the Kilkenny Development Squad coach with the longest involvement having started my commitment back in 2007 as a coach in the South with the youngest group, the Under-14s.  I guess now people, especially those who use anonymous handles on various social media platforms have the name and identity of the individual who has brought Kilkenny hurling to its knees in 2026.

This article is not here to defend Development Squads. That would be a fruitless waste of literary energy. No, this article is to tell the story, my story of a Kilkenny Development Squad coach, who was proud and honoured to be involved at all times while also remembering, it was his hobby. People can then take the facts away and make their more informed judgments guided by their own personal agendas. Facts are facts, opinions are mine. This is a fully transparent article. History will judge.
[Warning: This is a long article]

2007

In 2007, the Development Squads took the form of a north and south sections at Under-14.  Each club nominated three players to join the appropriate squad. Yes, there was debate and club politics and on occasion, more were permitted. However, every coach I know also tracked progress at club level. I went to some games to see a player and there was hardly anyone from the home club there. Yet, it was enjoyable studying a player discreetly. A bit of a rush when you were able to approach the club team manager and say you wanted to see that player at the next squad session. 

There were eight set sessions approximately every second week which usually brought you from April to the end of July.  At that point, the Tony Forristal selectors would start looking at selecting their 24-player panel for the prestigious two-day (at that stage) Tony Forristal Tournament in Waterford at the end of August. This was the dreamed of All-Ireland for an Under-14 hurler in Kilkenny and a huge honour for family and Club, if selected.

The sessions started with a warmup, using a hurley and ball as much as possible and then focussed on set skills drills provided by the Games development committee and concluded with a match and a warm down. It was all practical. The refreshments at the end consisted of a Mars bar and a bottle of Lucozade Sport. Some players could eat several Mars bars, if available. The vast majority of players were extremely courteous, mannerly and pleasant. The coaches got a Kartel Kilkenny GAA T-Shirt as their reward that year. I was delighted with the honour of being allowed coach the best players in Kilkenny at Under-14 and the bonus of being rewarded with a Kilkenny GAA T-Shirt. Of course I could have bought one, but presented with one, to a humble Kilkenny GAA person, was way better.  It was the honour, love and passion of Kilkenny hurling that fuelled all the coaches, not just me.  A T-shirt was the icing in a time that was much simpler.

I had been asked by my Piltown club colleague and namesake, Jim Norris to join the squad coaches having trained various underage Piltown teams for the previous 4 years and the senior footballers the previous year (to relegation!).  I had a foundation course and was safeguarded. I had hurled for three decades for Windgap, Kilmore (Dublin) and Piltown.  When I was still a minor in Windgap, I player/managed the minor football team. We won the Coolagh Pattern tournament with no help from any adult. When I was 19, I was on the management of the Windgap under-16 and minor hurling teams that reached the club’s first ever league and championship finals at those grades. At college in Waterford RTC, I did a course in training an athlete to international level, led by ex-Irish rugby international, Johnny Moloney. I had background, but no hurling honours at inter county level. To be honest, at that time, I’m not sure any of that mattered. I was willing to do the job with enthusiasm and passion and could be trusted.

At that time Brendan O’Sullivan was the development officer for the county board and he made coaches welcome. I remember one year he got the great Tom Walsh of Thomastown to act as a session inspector. I was delighted he was there and enjoyed a conversation with him while also nervous as to whether I was doing a good job. The other South coaches were the previously mentioned Jim Norris, Pat Power (Slieverue), Michael Duggan (Mullinavat) and John Drennan (Ballyhale Shamrocks). All passionate GAA people. Richie Reid, TJ’s brother, was the player that went on to achieve the most out of that south group in 2007, though at the time you would not have predicted it.  The lads told me TJ was very similar at that age and look at his career. The best player in 2007 and greatest player in my time in the Squad system was Richie Hogan (Danesfort). Unfortunately, I didn’t get to coach him as he was with the Under-16s at that stage. Probably fortunately for him. It was really obvious he was an immense and exciting talent and he deserved and earned every success he achieved.  The first squads’ game I saw him play was an Under-16 match in Piltown versus Cork.  He was pure class.

A bonus in 2007 was that the south squad got to represent Kilkenny and play a Leinster Blitz in Croke Park. It was both exciting and terrifying. The terrifying bit was that I had just been released from hospital suffering from kidney stones. Physically it was a testing day, but I was prepared to put my body to the test for such an honour. On the Croke Park sideline with a Kilkenny team! To be on that sideline with any Kilkenny team, is something that should fill any Kilkenny hurling supporter, and that’s what I am, with incredible pride. In addition, the team was managed by Jim Lyng (Three Castles) an absolutely brilliant and under used coach and like so many of the coaches I worked with, a genuine hurling gentleman.  He was an astute operator who had as much focus on the player not in possession as the player in possession.  

Overall, in 2007, we played six matches as a south squad, three of them in the aforementioned blitz to complement the eight-training sessions.  Then for that last month, the Tony Forristal Management team took the best from the north and the south to create their panel for the National Day. I was not part of that scene in my first year. Clearly, most of a player’s development was not provided by the Development Squads. Was this an issue that would later affect Kilkenny hurling? Maybe the eye was taken off the ball long before anyone realised it, when we consider the development years of the “golden generation” of Kilkenny hurlers.

At the end of the year, Brendan O’Sullivan would do a review with all the coaches. It was hurling people talking hurling and a good bit of banter. Noel Skehan, at that time, the record senior All-Ireland medal holder always had some humour to add. For me it was an honour to be in the same room as him as a coach, even if I didn’t agree with everything he said. Every year there was always a bit a banter of when were we getting the suits. I really don’t think any of the coaches wanted a suit, but it was a running joke alongside the serious stuff of keeping Kilkenny great and the challenges ahead as society was changing in the aftermath of the financial crash. We were always asked if we wanted to move up or down to another grade for the following year. At that time, I was happy to learn my trade with the Under-14 grade and I was learning from so many great coaches and characters, some I will mention anon.

Facilities

When I started with the Development Squads, the clubs provided the facilities. We rotated through places like Thomastown (my first session 25 April 2007), Mullinavat, Mooncoin and Piltown. The clubs all had good dressing rooms and well-kept pitches.  What more was needed for those 8 sessions. The groundsmen were brilliant and always helpful, though not all club people would be of the same thought when the Squads came to town.  However, 20 years later, one would have to consider this again.  Clubs have excellent facilities all over the county.  Bringing sessions to a club rather than a sterile training centre/centre of excellence brings the game and the thought process to the clubs. Coaches and club members have the opportunity to connect better with the county setup. Rotating the geography of the sessions allow clubs to see first-hand, what is going on and improve at all levels while singing off the same hymn sheet. Development Squads and Clubs need to work in unison for success. Maybe taking away some of the centralisation will have that benefit and maybe funds could be directed elsewhere.

Recently, while at a Development Squad match in Dunmore between Kilkenny and Dublin Under-15, a number of Dublin people commented to me, how good the facilities are in Dunmore. Yet, Kilkenny people tend to knock it as insufficient and lacking investment. “The Dump”, they call it! To be honest, I did too until I listened to the Dublin viewpoint.  Dublin has nothing from a Development Squad point of view. As big as Dublin is, they do not have a GAA centre of excellence, even though their footballers won 6-in-a row All-Ireland titles.  Like us, and our glory years, maybe you don’t need a centre of excellence with centralised training sessions. Limerick have dominated hurling for the last number of years are only planning one now. Top of the range facilities owned by the county board were not an ingredient of their success either. Wexford have one but are not really showing success on the field from it. Carlow allegedly have one, but I’d much prefer the dressing rooms in Dunmore than the portacabins in Fenagh.  Pitches, A pitch is a pitch!

Of course some will point to the third level facilities like SETU, and UL.  These are taxpayer facilities not facilities provided by the county boards of the respective counties. You pay for them, whether you like the GAA or not. It is unfortunate that Kilkenny does not have a third level facility, but it is part of SETU although the two major sports facilities are geographically based in Carlow and Waterford. We are not going abroad when we use them. People need to stop making Kilkenny GAA coaches feel guilty for using them and instead question why SETU (Department of Education) hasn’t provided a similar campus in Kilkenny, the home of hurling and our national sport! It would also be nice to have some sessions in Waterford instead of Carlow for the convenience of the southern clubs.  

I do wonder about the sense of the plan to put up to five more pitches in Dunmore.  Smaller facilities in the North of the county and another in the South would be a wiser investment in the promotion of the game throughout the county, not to mention convenience of access around the county. It will bring the squads back to the clubs. It seems people have forgotten or do not understand what they do.  

Evolvement

In 2008, the DJ Carey School of hurling commenced in St. Kierans College. This became a new opportunity for Under-14 players to get Kilkenny game time against other Leinster opposition and obviously a great opportunity for hurlers from other counties all over Leinster. Kilkenny would field 6 teams in midweek matches, three from the north and three from the south. With the south being the weakest and the third south team overall holding that “honour”, I had the honour and I mean that, of managing that team in 2008. It didn’t matter that it was the weakest squad.  It was a challenge and I hoped there was someone that would develop against the odds. Kevin Blanchfield (Bennettsbridge) who went on to hurl senior for Kilkenny was on that team (beaten by Kildare 8-18 to 1-1). Six panels of about 20 players.  Do the maths. It was a great opportunity for boys of varying ability.  Was it diluting the elite nature of Development Squads? Ask the parents. Most of them felt that their son was elite and all these boy’s got opportunities. About 1 in 3 players up to the age in the county got the opportunity to wear that Kilkenny jersey in any year. Less than 9% of that made it to senior over the last 20 years.  Based on that, making the senior team is a massive achievement. Many of the others are still passionate about Kilkenny because of that opportunity. They are supporters, administrators, coaches and some long-standing club stalwart players.  It amused me in an ironic way when people claimed the Development Squads were missing players.  Kilkenny is a small county. It lies 21st of the 32 counties in population. Based on population Kilkenny were always punching above our weight. We are still well clear in the senior hurling roll of honour and well up in all the underage competitions.  As much as people want to believe, there are no players missed in Kilkenny or hidden under a rock in Leac An Sceil! Development Squad coaches are competitive, they are not overlooking players. If a player can contribute positively, they want him. GAA is a game of opinions.  One person’s idea of what a positive contribution may not be another’s. Some look for skills, some for attitude, some for strength, some for speed, some for intelligence.  Ideally, they have all those attributes, but no underage player is like that.  Not even TJ Reid was like that.

In 2009, the top counties were permitted to enter their second team in the Sonny Walsh Under-14 tournament in Waterford for the first time.  This became my opportunity to become involved with a county Kilkenny team as well as the south selection.  Pat Power of Slieverue took the manager role. Another excellent coach. I would have played against Pat back in the day and our sons, passed through the squad system together a few years later. The vast majority of squad coaches will not manage their own sons but if you are there long enough, they can pass through for one year and so it was for our sons.  There is nothing wrong with it if you have a few years’ experience, appreciating what the squads mean to other parents and the requirement of fairness regardless of who you are. Following your son as coach through Development Squads is frowned upon and rightly so. However, no coach is expected to walk away from a voluntary role, just because a son passes through for a year. Again, Kilkenny is a small county. I’m sure I was accused of nepotism in 2012, but let’s follow this story through, before judging.

The second Sonny Walsh team in 2010 did not win it out but as a single squad probably contributed more county senior players in the future than any other Kilkenny Under-14 squad. Darren Brennan (St. Lachtains), Conor Browne (James Stephens), Luke Scanlon (James Stephens), Billy Ryan (Graigue Ballycallan) and Shane Walsh (Tullaroan). Yes, the second Kilkenny team, yet they were developed enough to make first choice players as adults! They all played on the same Kilkenny senior panel at one stage. A one-point defeat to Tipperary cost them a place in the second-tier final.

Coach Development

The Development Squads continued to evolve to meet growing needs. The county became three sections, north, south and central. More coaches, more opportunities to see players and let them embrace the faster paced county training. The number of sessions increased though not dramatically as did the number of matches, many of them blitz matches and therefore not a major increase in the number of match days. As coaches, we were always developing our skills.  I was learning from the other coaches naturally, but there were many opportunities presenting themselves to develop and understand, physical conditioning, mental preparation, nutrition and skills development. Some areas I enjoyed more than others.

In 2010, Brendan O’Sullivan and Brían Ryan visited Arsenal in London to learn from other sports and their academy. They brought back the concept of SAQ (Speed, Agility, Quickness). SAQ training drills were enthusiastically introduced into the planned scheduled sessions.  Personally, I would have loved to have been back doing SAQ training myself. I had done Fartlek and interval training in college, but not with the as much focus on the technicalities of running. We just swung our arms and legs in the eighties. In 2014, we introduced the Gaelic-15 warmup routines which were designed for injury prevention. This too became part of the scheduled agenda. I wasn’t a huge fan of it, but accepted it was based on science and there to help players avoid injury, therefore it was important. Coaches did in time adjust and customise it to suit hurling. We as coaches thought things through and adjusted as necessary.   I also took every opportunity to attend coaching workshops so as I could pick up knowledge from various experts. Most coaches did. The annual National Coaching Conference was always a fabulous event. Our own Martin Fogarty in his role as National Hurling Development Manager for the GAA, was always a speaker. An entertaining speaker, passionate about developing the game all over the country. There is nobody more passionate about spreading our national sport than Martin Fogarty. Again, he is a man I am delighted to be acquainted with. We even play an odd bit of social hurling together! It was not just Kilkenny men or hurling men who told a brilliant story, others included Brian Cuthbert (Cork), Brendan Cummins (Tipperary), Niall Moyna (Dublin) and Keith Ricken (Cork) to name a few. Even people from other sports like Stuart Lancaster (Rugby) contributed a world of knowledge at these events. Sometimes it was information overload, but I was sponge.

Any thought that coaches did not get or take opportunities to expand knowledge is wide of the mark and void of substance. However, even with all this knowledge, the time with the players in the squad system was far too short to make huge gains in their development. We never had players long enough to implement all that we were learning. We had more knowledge than we could use. The maximum number of set sessions was up to about a dozen and then you were into picking panels and teams for the tournaments and the focus moved from development to delivery. When you were with the Sonny Walsh, you had to wait until the Tony Forristal management had picked their panels and hope that they missed a “gem”. The schools were demanding of players time up to the middle of May. Post primary schools develop lads academically, but their purpose on the hurling field is to win games. They don’t have the player long enough either to consider developing hurlers.  Academia is their function. That’s their priority in development. That is the main purpose of education. If there was an important school’s match, players were asked not to train with the squads. We as coaches had no scope to ignore the requests.

Parents wanted their children too.  Holidays during the Squad season took players away. Some parents still had money to take multiple summer breaks. Irish College in June/July was another nightmare. Usually deprived a player of two weeks of development at both club and county at the height of the season. Who can argue with a parent who wanted to educate their child to be the best they can be academically. Not all parents were as passionate about hurling as the Development Squad coaches. For some it was just a badge of honour more than a passion. Around this time the buzz phrase was “Player Welfare”. They would also ask that the player does not train as between club, school and different sports, he is after playing “eight” times that week. Squads is the one chosen for the rest day! Player welfare was the go-to weapon in these cases and you just couldn’t argue. Yet another blocker for the Development Squads role in development.

Bord Na nÓg fixtures did not help.  They still don’t. It was regular that a club asked that a player should not train with the squads because they had a league match coming up or played one the previous evening and needed a rest.  It was not unknown for a Bord Na nÓg fixture to be fixed for the Monday before the National Competitions day in August. I remember a Tuesday on one occasion. The clubs were catering for more than the county player but at the same didn’t want to be deprived of the county player. Club coaches always carried more power than Development Squad coaches and we had to be seen a co-operative.  Maybe this is right, but as is evident throughout this article the onus of development of players falls back to the club coaches. Are they ready for it?

Even, with todays “split season”, the competition for inter-county underage development against schools and clubs is still there. Split season is not serving the underage setup. It’s not a problem if either the schools or clubs or both accepted their development roles and their importance and influence. Those that are in favour of doing away with Development Squads must see at this point that they do not have much time or influence with the players.  Therefore, are they really the problem or should we look at solutions where the Development Squads are expended, during the split season?

The truth is the institution which has the players the most to develop them, is the Club. Something a lot of club members totally forget.  Unfortunately, we were heading into an era of paid coaches for adult teams and some of the best, were from Kilkenny naturally enough.  The better club coaches were in the coaching job market. Many doing the circle of different clubs, both inside and outside the county. After the crash, for many it was essential income for many of them. This was the society hurdle. Kilkenny does not have the population to export so much talent. Who would turn down a paying coaching job to develop young hurlers in their own club? No money there!  The better club coaches and more marketable coaches were now for hire and a huge void was being left in underage club development. Also, the attraction of being a Development Squad coach was dwindling. A t-shirt or a jacket or raingear or an endless supply of Mars bars was not considered sufficient compensation. Even a lovely feed in Langton’s after a match would not suffice.  The paid coaches were not there, like I and many others, for the love of Kilkenny hurling. Yet many of these who deserted their county are the names lauded by the general public when it comes to, “He’d be a great Kilkenny manager or coach”! This is something that was being missed by all. Ask Waterford, you don’t always get what you pay for. If you know any of them, ask them if they would give up their paying coaching role for a voluntary Development Squad role? I understand, people have to support their families and pay the mortgage.

It is at this point, it is worth mentioning somebody who has contributed way beyond and for more years than I care to mention, Joe Pyke made everything happen behind the scenes when it came to logistics. Hurleys, balls, meals, buses, drinks, bars, bibs, cones. Joe deserves huge recognition for his contribution to Development Squads. I think I would talk for anyone who managed a Development squad team when I say Joe is a legend who did a time committed job in the background in a brilliant way.

Success

Like any competitive person. Winning games will put you on an unbelievable high. From 2012, Kilkenny underage teams were extremely competitive.  In 2012, my son Jamie was in the squads which added to the pride.  The Sonny Walsh team was managed by Lar McEvoy (St. Pats, Ballyragget), he was joined by myself, his own clubmate James “Pigeon” Dowling” and Tommy Brennan (Erins Own). All have become great friends, but Lar in particular was a great character and I’m sure anyone who has played for Lar will have a wonderous story to tell. Of all the coaches I worked with nobody exceeded Lar when it came to caring about every single player who turned up to the squad system. It broke his heart if he thought a player didn’t get a fair opportunity with Kilkenny Development Squads. You need somebody like Lar to keep the balance and help us remember it is a hobby and pastime that should be enjoyed.

Jamie made the Sonny Walsh squad. Thankfully the other coaches picked him, not me, but he was well deserving of his place. We were playing Galway and trailing and we made a triple substitution. On came Jamie Norris, Andrew Parson (James Stephens) and Martin Keoghan (Tullaroan). They turned the game on its head and we beat Galway. We were playing Cork in what was effectively a semi-final. Cork went through a period when, if they thought their best team could not win the Tony Forristal, they played their stronger players in the Sonny Walsh. Check their Sonny Walsh roll of honour versus Tony Forristal in this period to validate. I think the tactic affected their development and probably a major factor in their failure to win an All-Ireland for over 20 years. We were up against it. We went with the same tactic and left the three lads on the sideline. In hindsight we were too slow to pull the trigger against Cork and time ran out, but I was very proud of Jamie and young Keoghan has done very well since coming from a Kilkenny Under-14 second team, now that he is better known as Mossy with an All-Star award thrown in!

In 2013, Lar, myself and “Pigeon” led Kilkenny to our first and only Sonny Walsh title. We were joined by Jim Neary (Dicksboro).  I believe to this day that this was probably one of my biggest achievements on the sideline. A second Kilkenny team (remember our population) winning a national title. We beat Waterford in the final. It was the biggest winning margin in a final Sonny Walsh final ever, 3-14 to 0-3. An added bonus was that my nephew Darragh Walsh was wing back on that team and he later went on to play minor for Kilkenny.

An interesting story was the panel selection for that Sonny Walsh. The Tony Forristal management were even slower than normal to finalise their panel. We had time for one trial, but to be fair the 24 players were pretty much picking themselves based on the sessions. However, one of the Forristal players, got injured, so they took one of our players. We needed to figure out a replacement. There was a young lad from Thomastown, Stevie Weymes who had come back from the first team as a midfielder. He did not impress us a midfielder.  However, the night Lar, “Pigeon” and myself were in the dressing room in Thomastown finalising our 24-player panel, Jim Neary had gone to a club match featuring Thomastown. We rang Jim, to tell him that we had lost one of our key players to the Forristal panel and what was his thoughts on the new 24th man.  Jim quickly suggested Stevie who was playing in the match he was viewing.  He said this young lad is a brilliant full forward. We didn’t really care as we expected him just to make up the panel number. Stevie was in! After one or two training sessions, that we got in before the tournament, our opinion of Stevie was changing.  He was a full forward and not a midfielder! We and the Forristal management had been putting the piece of the jigsaw in the wrong place. It culminated in a Man of the Match performance in the Sonny Walsh final where he scored 3-1. He had gone from at least the 49th best under-14 in the county to an All-Ireland Man of the Match, thanks to a Development Squad coach going to a club game.  Personally, I do think out of all the squad coaches I worked with, Jim Neary was the shrewdest.  I learned so much from him and yet he had a manner that he made you feel like you were the genius.  One simple example was he said the goalposts are always in the middle and they don’t move.  Yet when managers are picking underage teams, the last two on the sheet are usually the two corner forwards. Then the midfielders, usually the best players, are told play the ball into the corners, the theoretically 14th and 15th best players on the team! Sensible? Not!  Jim had other ideas. Maybe that’s how Graigue Ballycallan produced players like Adrian Ronan and Eddie Brennan.

My reward was to be brought up to the Tony Forristal management team in 2014, with two very passionate Kilkenny GAA men, John Buggy (Erins Own) and Simon Walton (Dicksboro). It was also the first year I took on the physical preparation of a team which was a very fulfilling challenge. This was a squad that got me very excited very early. Challenges against Galway and Limerick in July clearly showed me this squad was very special. A demolition job against Cork in another challenge on the Kells road in early August confirmed it. They went on to complete the year unbeaten culminating in winning the Forristal final beating Galway 2-16 to 2-5. I was now the first and only Kilkenny coach to be part of both a Sonny Walsh and Tony Forristal winning management team and it had been achieved in successive years.

One might be forgiven for thinking at that stage, that Kilkenny dominance would continue for years. However, when you look at those 48 players from the two victorious panels, only Mikey Butler is currently a regular on the Kilkenny senior panel and these players are now in their adult prime.  Conor Heary (O’Loughlin Gaels) and Dean Mason (Ballyhale Shamrocks) have had bit parts while Colm Whelan (Thomastown) went the soccer route and is now a key player with Bohemians FC.   Did we do something wrong? Was it too early to peak? Or was it a case of what happened next was not right?  Food for thought.

In 2015, we had another brilliant Tony Forristal team. Not as good as 2014, but I strongly fancied them, Unfortunately, they came up one point short against a strong Cork team in the semi-final. A last gasp brilliant shot by great prospect at that time, Ciaran Brennan (Bennettsbridge) went an inch over the bar instead of an inch under. My personal three in a row was gone. Cian Kenny (James Stephens) was a product of this squad. In 2016, we again lost to Cork in the semi-final. Interestingly, the 2016 mix was not considered as good as previous years, yet it produced current Kilkenny panellists Aidan Tallis (Lisdowney), Liam Moore (Dicksboro), Padraig Moylan (Dicksboro) and Ian Byrne (Glenmore).  More evidence that lack of underage success and even promise doesn’t necessarily indicate lack of long-term talent. Underage success was always a bonus and to be enjoyed on those occasions for what it is.

2017 saw a new management. To my mind it was probably the most talented management team I worked with. It included DJ Carey, the best possible skills coach. He was top notch in that respect.  Jim Neary, the aforementioned shrewdest coach I worked with, Tommy Brennan (Erins Own) who brought loads of underage experience, Gavin Nolan (Conahy Shamrocks) new to the scene and myself.  The numbers would suggest over the previous few years, I wasn’t too bad, was I? Unfortunately, sometimes, a dream management team is not always enough and it turned into a nightmare as we were effectively knocked out by Laois. Billy Drennan (Galmoy) has been the nearest to a senior inter county panellist from that squad.  After several years of successful panels.  It was a huge disappointment for me. Everyone in fact. Billy and several others did win Kilkenny’s last Under-20 All-Ireland in 2022. Nobody gives up on players in Kilkenny no matter how disappointing events can be.  I remember talking to the group after the Laois defeat and promised it would not and should not define them.

2018, saw the return to the management team of John Buggy and Simon Walton along with Richie Minogue (James Stephens). The panel was good but nothing like the 2014 or 2015 panels. Yet we reached the final again where once again we fell to Cork in the final 3-6 to 2-15. Well known players in this panel were Gearóid Dunne (Tullaroan), Harry Shine (Dicksboro) and Killian Corcoran (Ballyhale Shamrocks). For the first time, I along with all the management moved on with the team. The Arrabawn was now an Under-15 competition. It may not have been a good idea. The squad had regressed for some reason and were beaten by Galway in the semi-final and Dublin in the third place play off. They did not seem to have that fighting spirit required at the top level of inter-county. However, one player was starting to benefit from the development and had moved from the second squad to the first squad, Killian Doyle (Emeralds). It highlighted squads are not static and improvements were rewarded. Maybe Killian would have preferred to have stayed with the second team as they won their tournament, the John Kiely Cup.

This period, to my mind was a golden period for underage.  I was involved with a lot of players who didn’t make the national finals day team that I was involved with. Some were with the Forristal when I was with the Sonny Walsh and vice versa but would have worked sessions with them along the way.  Names that come to mind and not already mentioned are Adrian Mullen, John Donnelly, Eoin Cody, Tommy Walsh, Darren Mullen, Colm Prendiville, James Bergin, Darragh Corcoran, David Blanchfield, Stephen Donnelly, Diarmuid Galway, Michael Carey, Jordan Molloy and many more very good club players. There’s a few Young Hurler of the Year awards there, so the start they got couldn’t have been too bad!

History

Former county chairman, Ned Quinn began putting a formal Development Squad structures in place in Kilkenny in the early 2000s, during the period when he and Brian Cody were rebuilding Kilkenny hurling after a dip in the late 1990s. The reason was to create a consistent, county‑wide pathway for young players and ensure Kilkenny would remain competitive at minor, Under-21 and senior level. It became the blueprint for other counties. I remember Anthony Daly when he was involved in Limerick Development Squads being down in Waterford watching the 2015 Tony Forristal matches and enquiring from us management about our setup. In hindsight, we were naïve and boasted proudly of our principles and methodology. I’m not sure Anthony has been credited sufficiently with Limericks success over the years.

Hurling development started long before Dev elopement Squads, albeit less formally. The Tony Forristal Tournament started in 1982. Tony was a Mount Sion GAA clubman in Waterford and he was deeply involved in under‑age hurling development in Waterford. Tony was tragically killed in Piltown when the bus he was travelling on which was coming from a Waterford Under-21 match in Thurles crashed into a parked trailer near the Tower. The tournament was named in his honour. There is a monument to Tony on the High Road, so there is a long connection between Piltown and Tony Forristal, the tournament and his family. The first year, it was just Waterford and Kilkenny with Kilkenny coming out on top.  The roll of honour is topped by Tipperary. Interestingly while Minor was Under-18, no winning Tony Forristal team ever won the relevant minor All-Ireland, four years later. This changed when Minor became Under-17.  All those years between the 1980’s and the early 2000’s, squads were picked with the end game being the Tony Forristal based on trials or what someone saw at a club match, although travel and in particular communication was less easy in those early days. 

In 1988 the Arrabawn or Nenagh Co-Op tournament as it was known, was introduced for Under-16’s. The Sonny Walsh tournament was introduced for the weaker county Under-14 teams. In time there were Leinster tournaments for Under-15’s which Kilkenny entered two teams, one from North and one from the South and then came an Under-17 competition organised by Cork. Our “golden generation” who played under Brian Cody were mostly developed from this era, pre Development Squads.  Who did the development?  The clubs did the bulk of the development and generally the county management would put the pieces of the jigsaw together to try to win the All-Ireland title.   In 2018, the age grade changes happened and the Arrabawn was now for Under-15’s.  At club level, to complement this Feile Na nGael which started to be diluted by Liam O’Neill’s presidency was moved to Under-15 in 2021. Then in 2025, the Tony Forristal was designated non-competitive and confined to Munster counties only, (the cup still awarded for the sake of it) while the Leinster Counties and Galway had their own “non-competitive” tournament. The Tony Forristal had gone from a fantastic two-day tournament to one day to a single province tournament where teams are expected to be of equal ability if you have more than one. Dilution of competition, the underlining basis of sport, will likely take effect in the coming years. That’s another discussion!

What can we conclude from this?  Kilkenny were best when clubs developed the players and the county management put the icing on the cake by putting the jigsaw together? Something else? Sadly, Croke Park are deliberately taken competitiveness out of underage sport. Why?  In doing so, they destroy the opportunity for young players, their families and their clubs to create memories which can last a lifetime and inspire young people to achieve more and spread the game of hurling, our national game.

For clubs gone is the hosting of other clubs, creating friends for life.  When Feile was held in Kilkenny in 2007, one of the girls from Offaly that stayed with us went on to become the chairperson of the CCAO (3rd level colleges camogie), while my daughter Jennifer became secretary at the same time. Ask either of them about positive influence of an old fashioned Feile? It’s not just about getting the players of the future. It’s about getting the administrators, coaches, sponsors and supporters of the future. It is naturally human to be competitive. In fact, all species of creature are naturally competitive. The GAA needs it to create volunteers.  They all need to be part of something big and special for inspiration but gone is the wonderful spectacle of the parade at the host town or city. Gone is the host club welcome and party. These are the things the vast majority of participants remember. It wasn’t about winning for the most part. In sport there are always more losers than winners when it comes to results.  There is more to sport though and even in defeat great experiences and learnings can be created. It was about the fun and honour of representing your club, family and county in an All-Ireland event. 

Add this to the dilution of inter county tournaments, competitiveness is being wiped from the dictionary for underage GAA players. The result will be that when competitiveness is required at older ages, the counties with the advantage are the counties that have larger population and therefore potential for more natural selection.  Smaller populations have to work harder with what they have to develop. Development requires a large element of competitiveness. The sport becomes sterile for young people.  Who are Croke Park trying to protect?  Surely, coach education was a better option than to punish all those young people who get the opportunity to create lifelong memories. The wrong people are being punished by the GAA. Innocent young players, both now and in the future. Those not even born will never know the great days nor will they get the opportunity to understand loss and setback which will inevitably happen in life, regardless of the GAA. Defeat in matches prepares people for more important challenges in life. Let’s give our young people the opportunity to taste success and the tools to deal with adversity.  As it stands, a competitive coach is wasting their hobby time involved in Development Squads. You are not supposed to win!

Other GAA Codes.

I was not just a hurling coach. There are things a hurling coach can learn from other sports, even ones you don’t like. I am personally thinking of rugby, but we could learn a lot from the scrum half/out-half approach to rucks. After Kilkenny suffered a 70 point plus defeat in the Leinster Minor Football Championship in 2016 in Nowlan Park to Wexford. There was national media horror. It was more fake concern and sensationalism than anything else.  DJ Carey bravely put himself forward as the face of Gaelic Football. I joined him. I’m sure DJ, who was an excellent coach with excellent contacts would be the first to admit that despite him being the front of house face, he would give me the credit for being the driving force as we tried to revive underage football with a four-year plan to get back into the Leinster Minor Football championship. We started at Under-14 that year. 

We were joined by some brilliant Development Squad coaches who were happy to be dual coaches. Donal Carroll (Dicksboro) who has led Dicksboro to senior Camogie success as well as a Kilkenny team to win the second tier Under-15 Arrabawn tournament. Angelo Cullen (Danesfort), Murt Flynn (Tullogher Rosbercon) and Thomas Rossiter (Danesfort). We could have hid like so many more did. All of us bar Thomas were involved in Hurling Development Squads as well as Club teams of various natures.  It was a challenging three years of football development. The goalposts were moved with the change of age group and our entry back into the Leinster Championship came in 2019, a year ahead of schedule. Also, it was now a league format. We were very inconsistent as you would expect from a county not dedicated to Gaelic Football. We would have a good performance followed by a poor performance. Thankfully, there was no 70+ points defeat. Unfortunately, our passion was not matched by the minor hurling management at the time. I recall two of our main footballers not being allowed to play in a championship match in Nowlan Park. Both were subs on the hurling team. Neither made it past inter-county minor selection. Fault lies does not lie the players. With DJ on board, big names from Gaelic Football were prepared to help us along in the same way that Martin Fogarty helped weaker hurling counties.  The biggest name was Jim Gavin. His lesson on attacking chaos versus defensive organisation lies firmly in my mind and applies to hurling, especially in this so-called “modern game”.

We had another bunch ready and coming behind the first-year graduates as we worked to have a continuous flow of footballers. It was this bunch that achieved Kilkenny’s only underage competitive football victory in the past quarter of a century when they beat Waterford in the Under-16 Manning Cup at Dunmore by a point.  I remember doing a “spying” mission on Waterford versus Wexford in Carrickbeg on a wet miserable night and coming up with a game plan to beat Waterford. I was confident that we had developed the players to pull it off and so we did. One of those who played that night was Cathal Beirne (Glenmore) who is now on the Kilkenny Senior hurling panel. Playing football did not affect his hurling!

Covid hit in 2020. DJ moved to join Brian Cody and the senior hurlers. The county board did not support the rest of us for a restricted Leinster Championship and the project died without DJ. To me it was a great opportunity as no county had done great preparation in 2020 and there was always a chance we could have caught somebody. It is one of the few times, I did feel badly let down by the county executive in that they did not trust the project without DJ.  Maybe it was a reflection on me. The failure to stick with us will affect football in Kilkenny for years to come.

Between 2013 and 2014, I was involved in coaching/managing Kilkenny girls football teams at Under-14 and Minor.  In 2013, I was working with PJ Whelan (Thomastown) with the minors and on a very cold evening in Carlow, when it even snowed, we beat Carlow in a Leinster Championship match 7-6 to 2-9.  It has been Kilkenny’s only win in the Leinster Minor football championship this century. Add this to the Manning Cup win, I do feel proud of my football successes. An added bonus in the Girls match was my daughter Jennifer captained the team to victory. Her dual status did not stop her winning an All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie medal as full back with Kilkenny in 2016.  Though it must be acknowledged with the number of matches and training sessions required now for boys and girls, dual players are becoming a thing of the past.  However, the statistics of the number of young players that go on to play senior intercounty hurling or camogie show very few make it. Trying the big ball and the small ball to keep options open, should never be ruled out underage.

Changing Landscape

In the late teens, the Kilkenny GAA landscape was changing.  The seniors were being replaced by Limerick as kingpins. Croke Park were changing competition formats and again reducing access to club players. Brendan O’Sullivan was gone as the Development Squad Officer (more later). Strength and conditioning programmes were widely introduced for squad players. The gym was becoming the new training ground. The nutritionist banned the Lucozade Sport and Mars bar.   I didn’t see many players taking a second apple! Not that I’m recommending eating bars of chocolate, but sometimes a player and a coach need a treat. Players and Coaches were still well looked after as regards gear and meals after matches. Education for players was increasing and learning opportunities for coaches too. Dunmore became available in 2015 and was used by all squads by 2019. In doing so the regional squads were disappearing. As asked elsewhere in this article, are centralised facilities really the best way forward? Rural people have always looked for de-centralisation of services from government. It makes practical sense to centralise the administration but spread the services/facilities. 

If people looked at the Development Squads in detail, they were always evolving. However, when a Kilkenny senior team lost or an underage tournament was not won, “the squads” was always the first point of criticism.  I would really love to know what practical solutions all those critics have, especially the anonymous ones who “heard from a fella close to a fella” and wrote it with confidence that it was gospel on a social media platform. I’m not anonymous here and I can tell you that in two decades of involvement, I have rarely seen something online that was the truth about the Development Squads in Kilkenny. As I said, I’m not here to defend it, I’m just telling the story as it is from my point of view and everyone can make their own judgements of them or me. Do I hurt when I hear criticism of something I put so much of my hobby time into? Do you hurt if somebody kept knocking over your pint?

Everyone in the GAA can contribute to change. It is a democracy. The problem with democracy is that you do need the majority of people thinking of a like mind.  It takes time and huge effort to achieve that with a lot of grief along the way. Most people are not prepared to make that sacrifice for their hobby and who could blame them?

COVID

Due to COVID, Development Squads was abandoned very early in 2020. In 2021, it was limited. However, I added my third national title with the Under-15’s when a mainly South squad topped up with a few city players beat Waterford in the Adrian Murray Shield final. It was the first time, I really got the opportunity to push my own hurling tactics solely and I am very thankful to the others on the management team, PJ Ryan and Brían Ryan for that opportunity.

Things started to return to normal in 2022.    New coaches were getting involved, some were Kilkenny senior hurlers from the “golden generation”. The one that caught my eye as having natural coaching skills, leadership and understanding of young players was Paul Murphy (Danesfort). I didn’t work directly with him, but my thoughts from the distance were confirmed by people who did work with him.  It surprises me he is never a name that is mentioned when it comes to coaching/manager roles. Is it because it did it quietly without any fanfare?

The slow progress of my coaching career saw me reach the heights of working with Under-16 hurlers after 16 years apprenticeship. We had a good management team led by Liam Dowling (St. Martins) with myself, John O’Grady (Blacks and Whites), Padraig Keegan (St. Martins) and PJ Ryan (The Fenians). For some reason as an Under-16 squad, we were asked to represent Kilkenny in the Under-17 Celtic Challenge and without the lads who were being looked at by the minor management. We pulled off two very good draws against Limerick and Waterford but lost to Cork and then lost to Limerick in the Quarter-Final.  Without a doubt we had punched well above our weight.     

After Covid, it was noticeable that attitudes amongst players and indeed some parents had changed.    Instead of seeing a Kilkenny jersey as a badge of honour to be achieved, there was an air of entitlement amongst the players, something which I hadn’t witnessed down through the years. This was particularly evident amongst the players sent back from the minor squad that year. I would say it left a bad taste for me as a Development Squad coach, especially an incident with one player in particular and his father. The incident took place in Johnstown during and after a qualifier match. The less said the better as it should not define my experience with over 1200 young ambitious Kilkenny players who were courteous, honest and disciplined. In fact, in over 170 matches as a coach that I was involved with for Kilkenny on the sideline, no player was ever sent off! Another proud record.

Another factor that is a huge issue, since COVID, are social media platforms. Anonymous people giving their opinion as if they were trained sports journalists.  I know this piece could be accused of similar, but there is a signature to it and I do suggest solutions in my areas of expertise which I do try to pursue through the proper channels.  In the mid-teens, when social media was not as toxic, Development Squad players were warned about their use of social media and not to use it as a place to boast about making a county team. John Buggy was adamant on this every year. This was not the Kilkenny way. Now there is an explosion of people becoming online experts, trying to sound as if they know what is going when in reality they don’t.  They make it up or change context. It has moved into personal criticism of everyone from county board members to managers and coaches to players, some still legally juveniles.  Nobody involved in Kilkenny GAA is deliberately trying to sabotage Kilkenny GAA. Yes, some are not good at what they are required to do, but there are processes to change that. If you have a criticism. Stand up, say who you are and sell your idea.  It is at the stage where players are opting away from county teams and one of the reasons, is that, if I am not the perfect player, my family, club mates and friends will read about it, because Coaches cannot stop the world from using social media platforms.  It is Kilkenny, a small county, the disease spreads very quickly. The spirit of togetherness is being drained. I’ll stick with the club thank you and be anonymous that way. I know in the days of yore, it was said in the pub, but not as many people were as exposed to the toxic talk.  Sometimes you didn’t even know. Now it is hard not to know.

Performance

2023 came and my enthusiasm for being a Development Squad coach was low. I had given a lot since 2007. I didn’t see it as a sacrifice, but it was always an honour to be involved, but unless I could continue to give 100%, I was no use as a coach.  Kilkenny standards demanded more that. I demanded that of myself. Despite that, if Kilkenny senior hurlers came calling, I would have jumped. The challenge would have been, what can I contribute. Let’s be honest, it would always have to be an ambition to be involved with the top team in Kilkenny and it should be for any Development Squad coach. Ironically in 2023, no communication came from the county board. It seemed, I was sidelined anyway. 17 years and I was going out without a sound. Like every awkward person, I would have been happy with that if it was my choice.  I think I did deserve a call. A thanks. Nothing more, but it was nothing!  I should have been careful about what I wished for in my mind.

The end of 2023, saw the appointment of Michael Fennelly as Performance Lead. I didn’t know Michael personally other than as a great hurler, but he impressed me with his plans and communication style. His interviews enthused me again. Putting my writing hat on, I emailed him a long email, not as long as this article though.  I wrote on the basis of my experience as a Development Squad coach over 17 years. There was no point in writing just problems. Every problem I pointed out, I wanted to provide a suggested solution. I am a solutions person.  I am an I.T. Business Analyst by trade. There is no point in coming up with problems without trying to find solutions. I wrote, never really expecting a reply but I was getting it off my chest. I had played a significant part of Development Squads for 17 years and I learned, that in Kilkenny you can become forgotten and irrelevant very quickly.

About a week later to my surprise, I got a call from Michael and we agreed to meet for a coffee in the Orchard House, Kilkenny.  For almost two hours we had a very frank conversation about hurling development. I was immediately in awe of his ideas and approach. He was just as good at listening as talking.  I told him about my far-fetched senior ambitions and that I did not want to go back coaching the really young players. We left, with him promising to get back to me with a role that he felt, might suit me. A couple of weeks later that call came. I was heading to SETU in Carlow to do Statistics for an Under-15 Kilkenny match.

Statistics and Analysis

Michael created a modern approach to the Development Squads. No longer to be known as Development Squads or even Academy, a new name was provided, Na Cait Og and an appropriate identity with what looks like a jet-black panther. A set of principles and standards to support were issued. The supporting graphics were modern and alluring.  The structures Michael put in were fresh and right for Kilkenny and complemented the promotional glitz.  Removing the term Development was essential. As stated, Development does take place and is important but calling squads the Development Squads when the reality is that the bulk of development lies elsewhere misleads expectations. Academy is so military. Na Cait Og gave young Kilkenny players their own unique identity. Michael is an incredible communicator. One could not be but impressed with his approach and enthusiasm.   It refreshed me listening to him. Yes, he had the background of numerous All-Ireland medals, but he was not abusing it, he was using it to drive Kilkenny forward.  After a year on the sideline, I was back doing stats and analysis with plenty of scope to make as much of it as I could for the benefit of Kilkenny hurling, thanks to Michael Fennelly.

My approach to Stats and Analysis is simple enough. To me the analysis is the key. I have often been asked “what is the score?” during a match and I cannot answer without adding up marks on a page, There is a referee and a scoreboard keeping those numbers in real time. All-Ireland semi-final 2025 against Tipperary aside! I am interested in outcomes and relevant actions.  I always tell the management to focus on their key perceptions. They may be correct and they may not be.  The next step is to collect the numbers/data to prove or possibly disprove the perception.  Then the next step is to do an initial analysis of the data and provide the management with that and the data so that they can do their analysis. The next step is to identify actions to rectify the perception if necessary. This is where the player knowledge of the management team is key. Then it is important to restart the cycle for continuous improvement; Perception – Data – Analysis – Action.

There can be two forms of action. The easy one is where you have time to take the findings back to the training ground.  The more challenging one is where you want in-game dynamic actions.  This is where I believe somebody like Paul Kinnerk excels. However, both require a very good relationship with the management especially for in-game decisions. I do feel every coach involved with Kilkenny is brilliant at bringing things back to the training ground to fix. Bearing in mind sometimes a fix can break something else. The dynamic changes will always be more challenging.  I have had the pleasure since 2024, (now hitting 20 years involved in the squads) of working with some very good forward-thinking managers such as Fergal Brennan (O’Loughlin Gaels), John Costello (St. Lachtains), Tom Brennan (Barrow Rangers), John O’Grady (Blacks and Whites) and Tom Hogan (Dicksboro) who appreciate the value of good and relevant information.

2024 was very successful, being in the background for the Celtic Challenge All-Ireland winning team while the Under-15s were beaten in the Arrabawn Final.  A lot was learned. Unfortunately, 2025 was not as successful, but even more was learned, particularly from an analyst point of view. So far in 2026, and in the absence of Michael Fennelly, I have only been called in by the Under-15 management. I do worry that the loss of Michael has led to less emphasis on tactical performance. There are a few others who have followed my lead in data collection and analysis like Thomas O’Brien (Dunnamaggin) and Ronan Tierney (Graignamanagh). These are good people who should be utilised.  The county needs more. Strength and conditioning are pretty much at their limit. Knowledge and mental awareness are the tie breakers now.

Strange as it may seem, in game, I am a pen and paper person, not an iPad person. Strange in that I am an I.T. person.  When you are in a match situation, you have to play that match on the spot.  The game is dynamic. There is no time for backspace or delete.  I don’t recall Paul Kinnerk with an iPad during the match and he has to be the standard, for now. I find it also interesting that you mostly see Kinnerk on the sideline shoulder to shoulder with John Kiely, whereas many other teams have their key analyst up in the stands, possibly blowing the ear off the manager through headphones. It shows the important bond and trust required between the analyst and the manager.

Statistics can lead you to make a decision. They can support a decision, but during a match always respect instinct. Do not bury things in pure numbers, Sometimes your instinct is right. The key to success is delivering good analysis skills and quickly during a match.  This is the area, I enjoy. If your stats person is purely number crunching, it means you are relying 100% on your instinct during a game. Balance is required, as in the “Karate Kid”. As a team manager, make sure you know you what want from your stats person. Performance Analysis is key to the future and Performance Analysts can contribute a lot more in game than your strength and conditioning coach.  It’s an area of skills, Kilkenny and the clubs need to expand,

Opportunity

Whilst the ambition was always to be involved with the highest team possible and obviously this did not happen. Opportunities did present themselves. After Brendan O’Sullivan stepped down in 2017 as chairperson of the Development Squads, County Chairman Ned Quinn approached me take on the role.  Timing was not great as I was recovering from a serious health issue which made me treasure moments on the pitch/sideline all the more. I turned it down mainly on the basis that every moment on a sideline was important and could be the last. I did somehow end up as Secretary for a period, but it was effectively a role in name only.  Do I regret not taking a more dynamic and influential role as chairperson?  There are certainly times, but those times are softened by the thought that I was lucky to be alive and have the opportunity to pace a Kilkenny sideline. Sheila my wife, is a great administrator, proved in her term as chairperson and secretary of Kilkenny Camogie Board. She brought back Ann Downey who subsequently brought in people like Brian Dowling and Camogie All-Irelands returned to Kilkenny after a “famine”. We would often bounce thoughts off each other. I was the games expert, but she was the rules and moral expert and we helped each other in that respect. I think we have contributed to each other’s successes and subsequently are both aware of the challenges facing both administrators and coaches, I think probably better than any other couple in the county. Of course that doesn’t mean we find common ground on every item, but to fair, I can safely say those items are the minority and all contentious issues do require some consensus. Having seen the grief and workload administrators have to do and put up with first hand, even during successful times, it just wasn’t the right time for me.

One thing I did succeed in achieving, but unfortunately only temporarily, was to combine, the Paddy Grace Feile tournament (when it was still Under-14) with county trials and grading for the Under-14 championship. I presented the plan at several meetings including Bord Na nÓg. I think the county Board/Bord Na nÓg were wary of the new concept and were happy if responsibility of any failure sat with me rather than them. The amalgamation of Feile and Squad selection was intended to remove club politics, identify the better players (elite) or the player with the potential to become one of the elite quicker. It would give every player up to the age Under-14 in the county the opportunity to be selected by playing up to 4 club blitz matches with their own club mates around them over two weekends.  Playing with the lads around you that you already know is a more relaxing environment to excel. If you are selected you would get to know the lads from other clubs over time.

This idea came from my experience going for an Under-21 trial back in the day. I was in corner forward with two lads from Glenmore. One was Johnny Murphy who later did make the Kilkenny senior team.  The two Glenmore lads continually passed the ball between themselves during the trial game. I think Ray Heffernan might have been supplying them. I hardly saw the ball. I’m sure the selectors would have been bemused when there was a free for my team in the last minute on the 21-yard line dead straight in front of the goal and I ran up and blasted it over the bar before anyone else could react. It was about the only touch I got and it was a point!  I knew from then, having a clubmate close by, who knew your game and understood you was important for county trials. Many players perform much closer to their ability with their club mates around them.

Using the Feile tournament, meant all games should take place in a competitive environment. With the games over two weekends, it allowed for a player who may be sick or unavailable or maybe even have a “bad day” to still have a chance to be seen on one of the weekends. All Development Squad coaches were involved in the selection process so it helped the coaches of older groups understand the starting point.  The format of the competition meant, by the time you got to your last game you were guaranteed to be playing the team closest in ability level to your own and that process got clearer after each game.

It was an ideal format for the smaller clubs to get proper exposure for their best players.  It worked well the first year. The second year not so much as ironically, the smaller clubs were pulling out. Smaller clubs also have smaller minds when it comes to giving their best players every opportunity. There is a sense of inferiority in these clubs and over protectiveness of their players. They fear if their player ends up with the county, they’ll never see them. As has been already noted in this article, it is the club that still has the most exposure to the players. Ultimately, the idea which was planned to provide a better bond between squads and the clubs failed thanks to the lack of buy in from the clubs. The presentation maybe needed to be done every year! Credit to Michael Fennelly who introduced a version of this as trials for Under-14 when he came on the scene.

Modern Game

“Modern Game” – That’s an interesting phrase. Every type of game is modern at one stage.  It’s like the phrase I reply with when people younger than me pick up on things that I like the “old” way. “You are the dinosaurs of the future!”  I suppose the “modern game” really refers to the predominant type of game of the moment.  As we know, that can quickly change. The Development Squad coaches of now and into the future will have to adapt for a game that has become more scientific and tactical than that of the past.  Education is important, but education takes many forms. You can learn as much from the successes and failure of others as you can from formal education.  You can and must learn from your own successes and failures.  You must always ask yourself the questions and be prepared to accept you make not like all the answers.

We hear so much about the “short game” these days and Kilkenny’s ability to adapt to it. I was at the Kilkenny v Dublin game in Parnell Park.  I believe, Kilkenny’s main problem with the “short game” was the same as it has been since the “short game” emerged.  What do you immediately think of when you hear the phrase “short game”?…

Generally, when Kilkenny people think of the “short game”, the first reaction is always the short puck out and/or use of the sweeper. Whereas the biggest issue is defending the oppositions “short game”. In Kilkenny we talk about controlling the controllables. We have given away controlling of defence while trying to become accustomed to a type of an attacking game that is alien to our culture.  It is forcing us on to a constant back foot. Other counties are more adept in football skills than we are. They play it more as young players. Off the shoulder running is natural part of their game and more often than not, they attack straight down the middle at the heart of our defence.  Meanwhile, how often do you see Kilkenny play a “short game” that is more like soccer, the big ball game of choice in Kilkenny?  Lots of passing across the back lines with a view to keeping possession.  If we do attack with a running game it is inevitably down the wings towards the corner flag (People should listen to Jim Neary in relation to where the goalposts are!) with a view to crossing and getting a header at the back post! Sorry, I got carried away, but I think you get the drift.   The cross only comes if we are not already shunted over the sideline.

We have supporters and club people going crazy about the short passing at the back.  This is where I come to a controversial view for majority of club people in Kilkenny. Getting back to the game in Parnell Park. I believe if you look back you will see a number of examples of what I just mentioned and I’m sure you and your friends have all been firing the same justified criticisms. All good club and county supporters. A couple days after the game in Parnell Park. I was at a Junior match between Piltown and Conahy Shamrocks.  I listened to the same complaints about Kilkenny on the sideline. Within the first ten minutes, both teams had gone with short puck outs. Both had played the passing around the backs routine. Both had attacked down the wings. Sorry to be picking on both these teams, but I have no doubt every club team in Kilkenny is doing the same thing. At junior level, application is obviously extra poor, but I have no doubt, it is similar the whole way up to senior when it comes to the “modern game” aka “short game”.  This is just one aspect of the “modern game” worth picking up on.

Clubs

This is why, what clubs do, is important for the county team. Remember as we have established, clubs do the most development of players. It is a fact that has to be accepted by everyone.  We in Kilkenny are under the impression that our clubs are flying. We’ll be told look at the club championships. Ok, let’s do that…

The Blue Riband and standard bearer is Senior. Since Kilkenny last won an All-Ireland hurling championship only Ballyhale Shamrocks have won the senior All-Ireland.  It’s over 20 years since a Kilkenny club other than Ballyhale Shamrocks won the All-Ireland title. In the previous 20 years (remember the era when clubs were solely responsible for developing players), four Kilkenny teams took the All-Ireland title. In the last 20 years, three clubs have won Leinster. In the previous 20 years, 7 different Kilkenny clubs won Leinster! It is a clear drop and looking like a drop that will continue to trend unless clubs react.  Ballyhale Shamrocks have been a wonderful and proud outlier for Kilkenny.  I am a huge admirer of them going all the way back to the 80’s. Have they been hiding real issues in clubs similar to Ballygunner in Waterford? Take them out of the roll of honour and look at the numbers again.

People will defend the clubs by saying look at the Intermediate and Junior All-Ireland winners (Both competitions only in existence for a little over 20 years).  It is absolutely brilliant for these clubs. However, saying it is a sign of an overall healthy club situation on the pitch is akin to saying the Joe McDonagh and Christy Ring winners are standard bearers for the Liam McCarthy! We have all seen the vast majority of Joe McDonagh winners going straight back down the following year.  Yes, within the context of that level, it is great, but I doubt few people in Kilkenny want to be measured by the second and third tier successes in hurling.

The clubs of Kilkenny need to react at all grades. The trend is not positive at the moment. People are quick to say the County Board and Development Squads people have taken their eye off the ball. To be fair, there is some justification. However, the clubs have taken their eye off the ball even more so. They are in denial of their role in turning the fortunes of the representative team around. Kilkenny must have clubs and county working together with an understanding. Both maybe accused at pointing the figure at each other.  Most relationships break down if parties are pointing the finger at each.  It has to stop and solutions and responsibilities need to be clear.  The clubs need to accept they are a part of the problem. Nothing will change until that happens! They also have the power to become part of the solution.

When the clubs come on board, the county must work to facilitate the clubs to be the best they can be again.  I know that when Michael Fennelly was Performance Lead, he was very keen to generate that synergy between county and club and had started the process at underage with a number of workshops. This needs to continue regardless of who is the leader.  If it is not being done at county level, it should be demanded by the clubs and entered into with an open mind and enthusiasm.  The few club officers around the county who might read this, I’m sure, will feel quite insulted, given all the work they are doing.  It is not intended to under value their work but remind them of the bigger picture. There are ways to spread the workload and get the more forward-thinking people in your club involved in games development. Let the builders build and the coaches coach.

In my opinion, Clubs must stop the talent drain from their clubs. They need to get all these coaches that are going to other clubs for a fee, to come back and do underage development in their own backyard.  If it is a money thing, maybe the clubs should consider investing with their own for their own, rather than paying other people whose main goal is results for the main adult team and not overall development. The vast majority of clubs in Kilkenny are well setup for facilities at this stage. If people think money is required, then Clubs need to make the decision, more facilities or better player development.  I would about argue the money thing, but everyone else is adamant money is required, so unfortunately, we might have to listen to the room.  If your club hasn’t got someone currently out coaching or managing with another club, then maybe this is a red flag, that your coaching structure, within your own club is not in good shape to allow these people exposure and reputation enhancement. I know it is a contradiction, but in the current environment, if no other club is interested in my coaches, based on what they see of my teams, there must be something wrong with my coaches!

I’m just touching on the club issue here.  If you are in the stream of the “Development Squads are not working”, then you have to look at the club situation as this is the obvious landing place. Maybe the county underage management should be just about picking teams, putting the pieces of the jigsaw in the right place and send the development back to the clubs like in the 1980’s.  I personally, believe every club should have their own Performance Lead Officer/Analyst.  What that entails, I will leave for another day.

Development Squads

So where does all that leave Development Squads?  Given the level of development that can be done with the players, the word development is a reach and probably always has been.  Na Cait Og is a better name but the same question exists?  Should we go back to the clubs and hand the full development responsibility back to them and Na Cait Og, just puts the pieces of the jigsaw together or the icing on the cake for the underage national day? Are club’s setup to take on that responsibility like it was in the 1980s and 1990s which produced the “golden generation”? A lot of these people are the ones who saying we should move forward, even though backwards might actually be the solution they want.  Maybe Kilkenny should completely forget about the underage tournaments and that includes minor while it is Under-17 (they are legally children)? Do parents or club members want to eliminate the option of playing underage for Kilkenny and take away that ambition and put stronger development in place for the graduation to adult hurling? Would the clubs consider giving even more time to the county setup for their elite players? Who is best positioned to decide the Kilkenny style of play for the “modern game”, the county or the clubs?  How often do clubs actually discuss hurling itself with their members in a formal way?

The bottom line is that Kilkenny hurling is not owned by any group other that the greater Kilkenny club membership. They must articulate what they want and how they want to achieve it. Then those who are given the responsibility to deliver need to be trusted and supported. If that is the actual clubs, I suspect the key will be the cessation of the talent drain of coaching talent into the commercial markets. Not an easy challenge from the clubs.

Conclusion

I don’t expect this piece will gather much traction. GAA is not my only hobby. It is sad if the GAA is your only hobby. I am writer so I am used to the file under the desk. I’m sure the anonymous handles on various social media won’t be moved from their entrenched views, often based on not having the full facts and this is just a taster anyway. If I knew who they were I’d challenge them to an arm wrestle, literally. I’m sure the vast majority who read to the end, will have already said, “Who does he think he is?”  If you haven’t figured it at yet, you might want to read this again. I would wager that there is not a more comprehensive record of Kilkenny Development Squads anywhere.

Some will ask the obvious questions. If I am so qualified to write such a piece as this, how come I haven’t been utilised by my club or achieved that much sought after higher inter-county role I yearned for.  The easy answer might be “A prophet is not without honour except in his own country” [Matthew 13:7] or “They are darkened in their understanding” [Ephesians 4:18]. The reality is that those are questions for the people who made those decisions or not as the case may be. If you do find out, please let me know and you can decide if it is justified. Then again, I suppose a similar question could be posed to many critics who have failed to get traction on their ideas at club level.

The other question is, what is my agenda?  Everyone has one. Mine is simple but very contradictory. I am a fiction writer who wants to get writing exposure at every chance. Yes, a fiction writer, selling his fiction skills with facts. I’m not oblivious to the contradiction.  They do say fact is stranger than fiction. Does this factual piece support my fictional skills? Nobody can deny Development Squads is something that I have been passionately immersed in for two decades.  Is there much more to the story?  A sequel even?  If you are a publisher or theatre director and come across this, please read my fiction. Believe me, it is way stranger!

At the moment, being a Development Squad coach in Kilkenny is like having an addiction and living in fear of being outed.  That fear allows the narrative to become a cancer on Kilkenny hurling.  Time is right to balance the narrative and ignite an honest and open discussion and not a one-sided soap box. If you are not prepared to openly contribute, from the individual club member up, then you are not part of the solutions. My drivers as always, was to contribute to Kilkenny GAA, to facilitate the players in my care to be the best hurlers and people that they can be. For me that requires me to be the best I can be and always be prepared to evolve with the game I love. Win is important, not at all costs, but with every ounce of honest energy I can give.  My rewards over the years were seeing the successes of the players who went through the system and proudly wore the Kilkenny senior jersey. Moreso, the greatest reward is when a player regardless of how far he went in Kilkenny hurling, remembers me and acknowledges me. Possibly remembering some of the pre-tournament motivational stories I told. Or when I meet a coach that I worked with and we share thoughts on the current state of all levels of Kilkenny GAA as good friends.  Those are the real deals! A buzz that is hard to match in any walk of life. 

This is a summary article of a lot of detail. The audience will decide if they want to hear more, but for now, here are some statistics (Hurling Only). Sorry if the numbers are not as high as you would have liked from a Kilkenny Development Squad Coach. They are the facts!

Stats

  • Players Coached in Development Squads = 1231
  • Went on to Play Senior For Kilkenny = 106 (8.6%)
  • Development Squad Match involved as a coach (including blitz games) = 173
  • Development Squad Matches Won = 103 (59.4%)
  • Development Squad Matches Drew = 4
  • Development Squad Matches Lost = 66
  • Development Squad Match involved as a Stats/Analysis = 30
  • Development Squad Matches Won = 21 (70%)
  • Development Squad Matches Drew = 2
  • Development Squad Matches Lost = 7
  • All-Ireland Senior Medals = 2
  • Leinster Senior Medals = 127
  • National League Medals = 12
  • Walsh Cup = 7
  • All-Stars = 5
  • Young Hurler of the Year = 4
  • Years Involved = 20
  • Tony Forristal Cup = 1
  • Sonny Walsh Cup = 1
  • Adrian Murray Shield = 1

Acknowledgement: To all the Development Squads coaches that I have worked with in whatever capacity (not all mentioned here), team managements, physios, stats people, county board staff, development officials and administrators. Outside tutors and workshop presenters, referees, club officers and groundsmen. Players and their parents, guardians and supporters. The opposition even. Most of all, without doubt, my family, all of whom have their own GAA story. Thank you everyone. My hobby could not have been enjoyed without all of you.

 

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LAST POST

This website will no longer interact with “X” (formerly Twitter).  It is time for the Last Post.  Recent events in Ireland highlighted how toxic a platform it has become.  Real evil lurks among its many posters.  Many using anonymous handles for vile threats and comments. Most of the posts are by the same people pretending to have a vested interest in a cause or by artificial intelligence (AI) bots (A bot is software that performs tasks automatically, usually by following rules or patterns instead of needing a human to do each step.).  Bots created by malicious people hoping to destroy democracy and world order. People who are failures in the real world but have the tools to hurt in a virtual world.

Whatever about the artificial forms, the human ones are the vilest of them all.  You know the handle, the cause, the aim is highlighted. The profile gives no indication of the real identity either in words or pictures, just the cause which usually involves undermining or threatening democratic authority and due process. However, if you dig down through their history, inevitably you will discover that they are not even from the country they are attacking. They are just cowardly excuses hiding behind anonymity and trying to sound like brave warriors.   The reality, a keyboard warrior is never a warrior in the true sense.

Disgusting also in the past few weeks, is the use of AI to produce completely false videos and narrative.  What a wasteful use of human intelligence! The anonymous threats including death threats to people in authority or indeed their families.  Their posts are a reflection on those anonymous criminals. They need prayers and they need counselling.  They lack courage and honesty to reveal their own identities. Along the way, many gullible people get dragged into their online crusades, misled by evil leaders. Some, front of stage and some, behind the shadowy scenes. I challenge any of them to a real public arm wrestle, but they are too cowardly to accept as it will reveal who they really are.  

If you were to read recent social media comments, you would be forgiven for thinking the whole world and country has a certain viewpoint that is promoted through the comments. That nobody wants people in authority and would harm and undermine, if at all possible. To truth is, these posters are clueless about how democracy works. Each one wants to be a Trump like dictator themselves. Fortunately, the reality is that less and less people are using social media as their news point. What once had wonderful potential is slowly being destroyed.  The majority of the population have given up on social media or never ventured that way in the first place. Most young people do not interact with X or Facebook for that matter. Young people are more and more looking for comic book communications but unfortunately now even video can be totally manipulated by AI. Nobody wants to read articles (like this one) anymore.  They have become too long and too challenging for the younger reader. Their knowledge depending on an instant picture rather than well thought out and verified words. 

I got involved with Social Media, to primarily promote my writings and my GAA Coaching skills.  It seemed like a good route at the time. I have found, none of these platforms to be successful with very minimal hits and engagement when required.   Little or no interaction from drama groups, producers, directors or indeed GAA clubs. This has been noticeable from performance data for a long time.  “X” can be useful for keeping up to date with live scores from GAA matches around the country. At this stage it is not worth fuelling the already bulging pockets of Elon Musk. Me, moving away from “X”, on the face of it, is not going to upset Elon too much. I don’t pay for his product in the first place.  However, I am a target for those who do pay for the advertising on “X”. If more do what I’m doing and stop using and promoting the platform, it will eventually hurt the insatiable greed of its owner. Remember, how much support this platform supports the dark web of conceit and lies that we are witnessing.

In future, I will use my websites and investigate alternative promotion options. The GAA also must find alternatives for promoting and providing live information. Anyway, the platform is extremely transient and too easily flooded with articles that are not of interest.  A posts lifespan is very short. With AI in particular, posts have become confusing and not capable of providing proper advertisement of events. If they are posted too soon, they disappear in forest and if they are not up in time, they provide inadequate notice.

I would urge people to find alternatives. Social Media is becoming a blight on the world, lets start by moving away from “X” interactions. If you are using it for viewing purposes, dig deep to see if you can validate the poster by looking at their profile and studying past posts.  Understand their agenda and motivations. Start from a point of “that’s not true” on everything. I will continue to monitor Meta contributions which does seem to do a tiny bit better in its feed delivery, for the moment. I do succeed in getting lots of sport and writing articles, most of which are valid. I am not ruling out following suit and kicking their logo off my website. I have blocked so many contributions at this stage, I am almost down to just sport and writing, but sometimes I do miss useful information. In the meantime, let’s play the last post for “X” and stop feeding the muck from Elon Musk’s product and filling hid pockets with advertising revenue!

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WHAT WILL THE GAA LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE?

Like everything, change is constant. The professional world of Information Technology that I work in, is a prime example.  So, to is one of my hobbies, the GAA. For me it is a hobby. Something that provides huge enjoyment in many different ways, without any financial profit. In fact, it costs me money, but I have no issue given the entertainment and fulfilment I receive in return even if it does include disappointments of defeat and failed ambitions. The setbacks just make the good days even greater to savour. The games and the organisation are constantly evolving and always did. Some I love and I some don’t, no different to any individual. I am a traditionalist but one that is well aware change will always happen and is needed for evolution and sustainability.

Here’s a thought on change readers might consider. How do you imagine the GAA of the future will look?… Will it become a professional game, not just at inter county but also club level?  Will Artificial Intelligence (AI) have an effect? Will the game, the structures, the competitions have any resemblance to what we have at the moment?  Sometimes, it’s by looking back, you can visualise the potential for the future. In this blog I will try to contextualise the potential of the future in some respects, though the full discussion is only limited by the scope of the mind.

One time, the GAA was a voluntary hobby for almost everyone involved.  Those days are changing with many now making their living from the GAA. It is estimated that over 1,700 people are directly employed by the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association. According to the latest figures from the Gaelic Players Association (GPA), approximately 4,000 inter-county players — both male and female — currently receive government grants through the GPA scheme. Then there are the many managers, both inter county and club that receive “unofficial” payments. Of course, don’t forget the referees, who undoubtedly earn every cent they make. We are talking thousands collecting income directly as a result of GAA activities and many more indirectly, not to mention the merchandising companies and sponsors who benefit from high level exposure.

This is a far cry from the GAA that I grew up with in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Mind you I do recall envisaging a situation where there would be a single team manager similar to managers in English soccer.  Remember these were the latter days of “selection committees”. I remember even at a young age feeling, someone needed to take overall responsibility. To be fair, I’m not sure, I thought of them being anything more than a volunteer. In the intervening forty years, the manager or Bainisteoir has become a genuine thing. Payments? We are not naïve.  Maybe like the referees they deserve it for the amount of abuse they get particularly online.

Back then, I like most young aspiring GAA kids, imagined playing in All-Ireland finals in front of massive crowds.  I suppose this was one area where I developed my imagination for another hobby, that of fictional writing.  If we are honest, in the 70’s and 80’s we imagined ourselves on television as televised GAA games were becoming more common at inter-county level. You mostly pictured yourself winning the All-Ireland Final, hurling or football or maybe both, in some cases, for your county in Croke Park. However, I’m not sure how many were like me, imagined club games on the television! I probably realised I hadn’t the required talent to make it at inter-county level despite the ongoing dream and decided glory with the club would be just as important and probably more attainable for most average players. I imagined myself playing a major match for Windgap, my club at that time, in Piltown, the number one pitch in Kilkenny outside of Nowlan Park, I felt even back then.  Often it was against Piltown in a local derby, knowing many of the opposition personally, it was easy to imagine. I would picture thousands on the banks shouting, singing and waving flags like at the televised soccer matches of that time.  The commentator getting excited every time, I got on the ball as the cameras zoom in. Even down to the post match interview. There were so many people at the match, in hindsight, one would wonder who was left to view the match. There are surely hurling fans in Leitrim and Sligo that would love to watch Windgap and Piltown in a local derby. Aren’t they?

Anyway, at the time, the televising of a local club match followed by interviews seemed very far-fetched.  Fast forward forty years or so. It is becoming the norm.  First it was radio. In Kilkenny we have KCLR and the radio station that I had the privilege of covering Kilkenny junior matches with this year, CRKC, run by brilliantly enthusiastic GAA volunteers. Club matches brought to peoples home by passionate and knowledgeable local GAA people.  In the last couple of years, the visual media has joined with Clubber covering many club matches around the country. People who could have read my mind 40+ years would have thought I was completely mad visualising such a scenario. The truth is, it has come to pass although the crowds I imagined are not there.

In 2001, I wrote a short play for the Slatequarry Festival in Windgap. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, it never was performed.  It was called “A Hurlers Tale” (Click Link to read) and featured three named but not identified, Windgap hurlers. One from the 1951, one from the present (2001) and one from the future, 2051.  The past and the present are factual. The future was my visualisation at that time. It was an attempt to compare the life of a hurler from three different generations in a somewhat humorous way. The future was purely based on the limits of my imagination.  It’s worth a read for subsequent context. Maybe the portrayal of the future is not all that far-fetched, considering where we are now.

Who would have thought that I was predicting illuminous yellow balls long before they came into vogue in 2020! Didn’t have to wait until 2051. Even the plastic hurl in anticipation of the Ash Dieback. Possibly Tullahought may not be the venue for the super stadium but incredibly I predicted Sky’s entry to the televised GAA market in 2014 amongst other notable predictions which appear to be evolving! Check it out in the play script.

The point is, that a fully professional GAA is not that far-fetched based on where the organisation has come from, even over the last half a century. The payment value could easily climb based on inflation and media investment and the entertainment provided.  “Squid Games” and “Hunger Games” might be somewhat fanciful, but GAA games not so much. We can clearly see the influence and the want of people and business to invest in sports people and teams of many types. Recently listening to one radio sports bulletin, every item included was money related, be it salary, transfer fees, prize money or sponsorship value. It caught my attention when I thought back. The actual games were secondary.

What will the by-products be? Club amalgamation is one strong possibility as clubs consolidate their own resources.  No way would Piltown and Windgap or Piltown and Mooncoin join together! Great historic rivals! Are you sure? Rural depopulation is happening.  In addition, is the end of parish rule in sight? The basis of parish rule was based on Catholic Parish boundaries. Already around the country, Catholic parishes are amalgamating to form Pastoral Areas. The Diocese of Ossory now has 13 pastoral areas. Piltown, Kilmacow and Mooncoin are a single pastoral area. The tradition on which parish rule is based on, is dying out before our eyes. Will this lead to super clubs like before parish rule was introduced. Most likely. The top players will most likely be snapped up by the richer clubs like in the world of professional soccer. Not a hope in the GAA, I hear you say, Yet already there have been a number of very high-profile cases in recent times where top inter-county players have left their own club and joined the strongest club in another county or province. It’s not that unheard of already.

The job of the GAA hierarchy or Croke Park as it is often referred to, is to make money. They are a large business with huge assets and resources.  The executive of any business is there to ensure business and profit growth. Most likely increasing their own pay packet.  Can you blame them? What makes them different to any other business? They don’t deserve to be judged any different. Everything is done to a professional standard, so it is not absurd to think that more and more of the organisation will become professional by degrees as the business expands.

Artificial Intelligence is becoming a challenge to many walks of life and occupations.  However, currently there is no sign of it replacing sports people, though it can be used to help improve their performance. At present AI, is more suited to repetitive and structured roles rather than non-repetitive physical tasks. As certain jobs for humans are replaced by AI, physical sport may be the opportunity for replacement employment in the future. The safety net for many where entertainment value is key to success. Many who would have looked into my mind 40 plus years ago, would have turned their nose up and laughed out loud at what I envisaged. They would not laugh so much now and I would reckon, the thoughts in this article would certainly annoy many traditional GAA folks. Yet, what I mention is slowly happening and once the tide starts coming in, it is very hard to stop it.

However, this creates a sales opportunity for the GAA and other sports organisations. It is particularly suited to the GAA as it is an organisation that prides itself on handing down our heritage and culture to the next generation. We all know about the benefits of physical sport from a health and wellbeing point of view.  The future could potentially see a landscape where physical sport and the entertainment it provides, is an area where AI will not cross into for participation. Instead, it will offer employment and genuine career opportunities, which could potentially provide handsome renumeration, not just physical wellbeing.  Why not sow the seeds for your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren of playing the games and providing your linage with a love of a game that will potentially survive for centuries. A legacy of enjoyment, entertainment with massive health and wellbeing benefits. Keeping your offspring interested and involved in the GAA or any sport is a priceless heirloom. Making sure your own club or county is ready for the potential changes that could happen over the next four or five decades is essential. Starting the discussion locally, is key. There is plenty of time… Or is there?

Close your eyes and visualise the future of the GAA in your own mind. Base it on past experiences of how far it has come in a relatively short time. Can you visualise your descendants enjoying the fruits of Gaelic Games participation, thanks to your foresight? If the vision is similar to mine, they will appreciate it. Give your children a genuine love of the games. It could be just as valuable to their future as their involvement is for the GAA itself.

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RECRUIT AND RETAIN

I recently delivered my latest GAA Coaching workshop entitled RECRUIT AND RETAIN in Piltown GAA Complex and was delighted to have a mixed code attendance.  In parallel, a lot of fine healthy and interesting discussions on a One Club model have been going on between representatives of Piltown GAA, Piltown Camogie and Piltown Ladies Gaelic Football. A lot of openness and honesty from all the participants as they imagine a future of unity across the codes. Very honoured to be part of it.

Getting back to the workshop. It was another step on my vision of creating a GAA coaching forum in Piltown. A forum that allows the sharing of information, ideas and visions from a coaching point of view across all codes. A safe platform to discuss all things coaching and games development. A lot of clubs talk about sharing ideas across their coaches. The reality is, even within a single code, the coaches do not meet as a group even once together.   Annual General Meetings have become specifically structured and do not offer the opportunity for coaches to discuss games development topics in any kind of depth.  Throughout the year committee meetings take place monthly which is mainly on the administrative agenda.  There may be a Coaching and Games committee, but they would rarely if ever, pull all the coaches together. So, the opportunities do not exist at club level. This is the same across pretty much all clubs and codes. It is not unique to Piltown. Hopefully over the next few years and in conjunction with one club model, a forum can be created with this in mind. A forum which has as it main agenda to create a coaching culture.

RECRUIT AND RETAIN was not just about the players, but also the coaches, because coaches are the major link between the two. This module had a practical to design and present a coaching session plan.  It had input from our own young players which brought an interesting and enlightening view to all the surveys about young people leaving sport and campaigns such as #STOPTHEDROP, because the input was local, close to the bone and it backed up the anecdotal national taglines. The attendance were coaches who wanted to be there not coaches that had to be there, like many who attend the mandatory coaching foundation courses. The input was enthusiastic and genuine as a result.

It also referenced last year’s workshop BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS OF SUCCESS and that road to happiness and enjoyment which remembers that the GAA is your sport and a hobby. Something you should love and be passionate about. It is aimed primarily for coaches but is suitable for administrators, adult players and parents and is suitable for all codes and grades. Please contact me if you would be interested in it.  In the meantime, I will start planning next year’s Coaching workshop taking on board suggestions from this year. Watch this space and please feel free to Share this.

 

RECRUIT AND RETAIN AGENDA

  • REMINDER OF WHAT SUCCESS IS.
  • WHAT IS RECRUIT?
  • WHAT IS RETAIN?
  • WHAT IS THE LINK?
  • PRACTICAL – PLAN A COACHING SESSION
  • YOUNG PLAYER EXPECTATION
  • THE FACTS

BACKGROUND
A valid question is to ask what qualifies me to facilitate such a workshop? I managed/Coached my first team when I was 18 years old.  (Read LEADERSHIP SEEDS blog here) So I have been doing this with the best part of 5 decades. I http://i love a bashave experience in all codes across all grades at both club and county level.  Below are some of the highlights of coaching and team management participation.

HURLING

  • Kilkenny Hurling Under-14 to Under-17
  • Windgap Hurling – Under-16 to Minor
  • Piltown Hurling – Under-8 to Under-14

GAELIC FOOTBALL

  • Kilkenny Gaelic Football Under-14 to Minor
  • Windgap Gaelic Football – Minor
  • Piltown Gaelic Football – Under-14 & Intermediate to Senior

CAMOGIE

  • Piltown Camogie – Junior

LADIES GAELIC FOOTBALL

  • Kilkenny Ladies Gaelic Football – Under-12 to Minor
  • Piltown Ladies Gaelic Football – Under-12 to Minor & G4M+O

Use the CONTACT FORM if you are interested in hearing more about RECRUIT AND RETAIN or indeed BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS OF SUCCESS.

 

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TALKING TO GILL JAMES (BRIDGE HOUSE)

Nice to be included in Gill James (Bridge House) Blog.  Great opportunity to promote both my short story “The Pattern Of Seamie O’Connell” in the GIFTED anthology and my own back story and how my library of work came to fruition.  Click the link to read. the Blog.

https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/11/seamus-norris-talks-to-me-but-his.html

GIFTED would make a lovely Christmas present for someone you know who likes to read with stories from some very gifted writers from all over the world. Great honour to be included. Checkout the links below;

Bridge House – Gifted

Amazon – Gifted

 

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GIFTED

Delighted that my short story “The Pattern of Seamie O’Connell” (based on a true GAA story) has been included in the GIFTED anthology published by Bridge House. It’s available in paperback or kindle format from the publisher https://www.thebridgetowncafebooksshop.co.uk/2023/10/gifted.html or from Amazon https://amzn.eu/d/fnsZEgk 

Would make a nice Christmas or birthday gift for someone you know.

Thanks to all at Bridge House publishing (UK) for all your support.

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REASONS WHY GAA SPILT SEASON FORMAT IS NOT GOOD

As the inter county season comes to an end, the debate over the scheduling of the GAA Spilt Season is now gaining increased scrutiny from the national media and the general GAA population. Followers will know I was against the Split Season from the offset and to be fair my opinion is just as good and better than most of those journalists, who unlike me try to make money out of what they write (Well let’s be honest it’s no secret I don’t make any money out of what I write! Unfortunately).  What I’d do for clicks?  So here are 5 reasons why I believe the scheduling is not good.

INTER COUNTY IS THE REAL RECRUITMENT ATTRACTION

Whether people like it or not the real recruitment attraction is the Inter County scene.  Bigger audiences that are commercially more attractive. Seriously how many children really go out in the back garden and play a county final. No, they are way more likely to play in an All-Ireland final.  Dream on if you think there are many playing county finals in the garden especially if their club is junior or Intermediate.  Therefore, the best recruitment time is when they go back to school in September which should be flooded with the best PR tool.  Traditional All-Ireland time.  As adults we know that the club is the foundation of everything in the GAA, but these are children. Ask any of them yourself, All-Ireland Final or County Final?

TIMING OF CLUB COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS DO NOT SUIT MANY PLAYERS

It’s August and all county Championships are gathering pace, some even as far as the county finals.  July and August are now peak for most county club championships, especially, if the County team didn’t reach the All-Ireland Finals. But a large number of the players are not available as they are on holidays, J1s or travelling for the summer. They are due back in September. Many are missing the bulk of the league championships, if not all in some cases. It’s not a majority, but over time, it will influence, the next bunch of young players as to what sport they will commit to.  Not much point in committing to a sport where you will not be around for the bulk of the main competition or have to commit your main summer months to staying around.  A commitment formerly reserved for the elite inter county player.

TIMING OF CLUB COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS DO NOT SUIT MANY MANAGERS/MENTORS/COACHES

One thing that really infuriates me, is the pro Spilt Season people are only concerned about players.  Ask the players they say! What about the club managers, mentors and coaches? Do they not have an opinion. Obviously, they want to do the best for their team and have all the best players available and not gone travelling.  The majority are volunteers still. This category of person is more likely to have a family of children that have summer holidays in July and August. Are they not entitled to a break in these months for their own holiday with family?  I suppose the whole concept of the Spilt Season was pushed by an organisation called the Club Player Association. An association that pushed an agenda which the GAA foolishly conceded to, only for them to run into the abyss when they got their way. No proper discussion, or debate. Just a GAA President looking for self-fulfilling glory. Let’s remember none of these players would be anywhere without the voluntary contribution of the club mentors and coaches. Appreciate them! Give them a break too, when they can take it.

AFFECT ON CLUB TEAM SPIRIT 

The morale of many club players will be torn to shreds.  They more or less expect the inter county player to walk back on to the team when they return.  They are meant to be quality. But what about those ordinary club lads that do go travelling and appear back in September for major knockout matches in counties that haven’t played their finals?    You know what the lad at the edge of the team or panel is going to do next year.  Yes, they are not going to waste their time keeping the jersey warm for the prodigal sons!

THE MATHS OF KNOCKOUT CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Maths of knockout championship sport is simple. After round one, 50% of the teams competing are out. After the second round, only 25% are left!  Pity the guy travelling for the summer where the county championship is run off in July and August and his club team does not make a final! The elite inter county player expects to give commitment. People forget that for many ordinary club players, this GAA Sport is a hobby. Something they love to do in their spare time. Most of them have other loves in the 21st Century. It’s not the only show in town anymore.  The Gaelic sports will not win as many individuals battles as it once did.  The GAA cannot underestimate the competition. In a match you put your strongest player to go head-to-head in some form with the opposition’s best player.  The Inter County Championship is our best PR tool as it is guaranteed nationwide and well beyond. Now the GAA is hiding it when it comes to head-to-head battle against the worthy and similar opponents of Soccer and Rugby.

CONCLUSION

There are many more points that can be made on this subject.  The introduction of the Spilt Season by a now defunct organisation has been illogical. Yes, change was needed but a lot more debate and discussion were required.  Our government would not make such a huge change without going out to the people in the form a constitutional referendum.  The GAA deserve criticism on this. The rashness of the move does not auger well for future integration moves. The journalists will fuel this as before they were on one side, now they are switching rapidly.  However, the people who should allow considerable change should have been the people with balanced facts and argument as in a constitutional referendum.  Both sides equally promoted.

I am deliberately not offering options or solutions at this stage. I’ll wait to see whether this August blog gets any serious traction.  I suppose to be fair there is never going to be any easy solution. More games at club and county and Nobody has done anything about increasing the hours in the day or the days in a year! Please, feel free to comment or share. I will respond to any genuine comments. Let the debate truly begin.                                                                           

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BUILDING THE FOUNDATION OF SUCCESS

As mentioned in my June blog, during Covid, I developed a workshop BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS OF SUCCESS. I recently delivered it to Piltown Ladies Gaelic Football club as a pilot and the feedback has been positive. It is designed to set your own creative minds flowing because everyone is the master of their own destiny.  Arousing thoughts that will lead your club up the pathway for success by creating an underlying culture suitable for a foundation of that success.  It aims to help you find that special something/ingredient that helps your club or team attain success on a continuous level.  It does require a level of honesty to yourself, like the addict overcoming their addiction. It remembers, GAA is your sport and hobby. Something you should love and be passionate about. It is aimed at coaches, administrators, adult players, parents and is suitable for all codes and grades. Please feel free to Share.

BACKGROUND
I Managed/Coached my first team when I was 17 years old.  (Read LEADERSHIP SEEDS blog here) So have been doing this with the best part of 5 decades. I have experience in all codes across all grades at both club and county level.  Below are some of the highlights.

HURLING

  • Kilkenny Hurling Under-14 to Under-17
  • Windgap Hurling – Under-16 to Minor
  • Piltown Hurling – Under-8 to Under-14

GAELIC FOOTBALL

  • Kilkenny Gaelic Football Under-14 to Minor
  • Windgap Gaelic Football – Minor
  • Piltown Gaelic Football – Under-14 & Intermediate to Senior

CAMOGIE

  • Piltown Camogie – Junior

LADIES GAELIC FOOTBALL

  • Kilkenny Ladies Gaelic Football – Under-12 to Minor
  • Piltown Ladies Gaelic Football – Under-12 to Minor & G4M

WORKSHOP AGENDA

  • WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN?
  • WHY – WHO – HOW
  • THE GAA COMMUNITY
  • TIME MANAGEMENT
  • COMMUNICATION
  • OBSERVATION
  • COACHING FUNDAMENTALS
  • THE END OF THE RAINBOW

FAQ

Q. What qualifies you to do this?
A. I love the games and have participated as a player, including a substitute, coach, administrator, match official and a supporter over many decades. Does your S&C coaching course make your more qualified? It certainly won’t be more varied.

Q. Will it help my team/club win a championship this year?
A. If you were already going to win one, it will not stop you. If you are already winning on a regular basis, why do you need anyone to open your mind to cultural changes? If you feel you were unlikely to win one, then what have you got to lose? Other than that championship that you have already lost in your head.

Q. What do I need to provide?
A. A room to hold a maximum of 20 people. A large screen or TV to display a presentation. Some background on your club including past successes. A maximum of 20 people (minimum 10) who fit the criteria and are enthusiastic and passionate about their hobby and open to new ways and cultural change.

Q. What will it cost?
A. I will deliver free of charge to any Kilkenny club. If it fails to give satisfaction, your money will be returned. For clubs outside Kilkenny, I’m sure we can come to some agreement on non-refundable travel expenses.

Q. Why do would you do this?
A. As already said, I love being involved in the games as my direct coaching roles have come to an end, I would like to put all I’ve learned over the years and al that I has given me so much enjoyment back into the games. I can’t bring my knowledge and experience with me when that final whistle sounds!

Please use the Contact Form or share this blog with others.

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HISTORY OF BELIEF PART THREE

Belief must have intelligence substance to support it. It was Albert Einstein who coined the phrases “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new” and “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”.  For those of you who missed HISTORY OF BELIEF PART ONE, click HERE and HISTORY OF BELIEF PART TWO, Click HERE. You will need the background in advance of…

STUDY CONCLUSION

Any study of success can be emotive as some will feel they are being undermined if part of the past. Paranoia and insecurity are symptoms of the lack of belief. Embracing change can be a challenge. Belief itself is almost impossible to measure.  For my part the belief is concrete and steadfast.  The case studies are ones that I am very familiar with (Windgap and Piltown). In reality, the ones I am most qualified to analyse. No point in talking about things you don’t really know, unless you admit that you don’t really know. Honesty is the always the first step. I will always believe unwaveringly that both clubs have the ability to challenge competitively at the highest level for sustained periods of time and not just in the short terms of the past.  However, the study results can be applied to any club in any county or even any team sport where success has been sparse at the highest levels.

Firstly, it is important to rule out some myths given as reasons for the lack of sustained success by using as much science or maths as is possible. Let’s first of all recall the figures. Windgap was formed in 1954 (70th year in existence) 54 years of those have been spent in the Junior grade (77%). Piltown was formed in 1953 (71st year in existence) 55 years of those have been spent in the Junior grade (77.5%). It is clear and beyond doubt both clubs have a pretty much identical record.

POPULATION

Windgap will often refer to population. There is no doubt Windgap is a small parish population wise. In the 2022 census the population was stated as 475. The 33rd highest in Kilkenny. Only Conahy [Shamrocks] and Glenmore have less.
[Note: Mooncoin, Graignamanagh and Freshford all have two clubs in their parish so cannot be spilt using the Census]
In contrast Piltown lie 7th overall after the 2022 census with a population of 4139, 9 times more than Windgap.  Just the City clubs, Slieverue, John Lockes and Thomastown have more. The most successful club in Kilkenny in modern times, Ballyhale [Shamrocks] have 1329 (3 times more than Windgap and 3 times less than Piltown).  It is very clear considering the difference in populations that population is not a factor unless you wanted to make the unscientific suggestion that one has too many and the other too little. Population factor is the first myth.

UNDERAGE SUCCESS

Both clubs have had random well celebrated and worthy juvenile successes. Over the years Windgap have generally completed the lower Roinn’s, C, D and even E. Most recently winning a primary schools title. In latter years they have competed at higher levels including Roinn A thanks to their amalgamation with Galmoy [population 779]. Without Galmoy they would still be at the lower levels and history is hard to argue against in that respect. On the other hand, Piltown have at least been very competitive in Roinn B, with a few Roinn A successes as well. Competing competitively at Roinn B juvenile over a number of years should translate into similar at adult Intermediate level. Bar a period in the 80’s, this has not been the case. Again, it is clear that both clubs compete in contrasting juvenile and development competitions. It is very hard to say with any conviction that is a common factor in their subsequent adult competition level.

POST PRIMARY SCHOOLS

When it comes to Post Primary, a key component of any player development, the vast majority of Piltown players leave the county for schools in Carrick-On-Suir and Waterford. On the other hand, Windgap have a split between Carrick-On-Suir and Kilkenny schools including Callan and the famed St. Kierans College that has almost always been the dominant post primary school (23 All-Ireland senior titles). Piltown have had very few attend the great alma mater over the years while Windgap past and present have had many more. The Post Primary school profile for the clubs again differs considerably. The adult profile, very similar.

DEVELOPMENT SQUADS

Developments Squads are seen by many as a huge ground for developing young players in Kilkenny over the years. Between 2007 and 2022 (the years I spent as a development squad coach), Windgap had 29 players involved in various levels of development squads from Under-14 upwards. For the same period Piltown have had 43 players, almost 50% more.  In that period no Piltown player and only one Windgap player went on to play a competitive game for Kilkenny Senior hurlers. We clearly cannot use development squad involvement as a factor. Yet another myth.

FITNESS

How many times have you heard when the last knockout match is played and your team is finished, “they weren’t fit enough!”? I am sure almost every year unless the title has been won.  Going back to the 80’s, Windgap and Piltown have brought in fitness trainers mainly from outside the parish.  They were once known as fitness trainers or physical trainers, some just as Coach. Now commonly referred to as S&C (Strength and Conditioning) coaches. The term doesn’t make them any different to the many who went before them. They are no better or no worse than the lads that went before them, despite the courses and education. It would be wrong to suggest otherwise. The thing is then and now, the guy in the next club is most likely doing exactly the same “programmes” as they are now known as. The big difference today is the monetary cost to the club volunteers fundraising. A lot of coaches now see these as a nice side earner rather than a hobby. Very few are concerned with the long-term development within the clubs. Their main concern is potential CV growth rather than the love of the club and the game.

Over the last four decades, since outside coaches became a common thing, Piltown and Windgap probably have had a combined total fitness coaches numbering about forty. I dread to think of the total cost, but that is irrelevant to this case study.  I have no doubt there has been a wide variety, all genuinely trying to achieve victory even if the end game was their own personal ego. Over the years Windgap have won two junior titles (1 in the last 40 years) and Piltown won three (2 in the last 40 years).  The combined county title total is small, (5 in 149 completed campaigns – 2 before the era of outside coaches and 3 afterwards). To blame fitness is an insult to the many fitness trainers over the years, many of whom who have spent a lot of effort on education and many who have had some success elsewhere. It is the lazy man’s excuse for the lack of success at a point in time. They used the best fitness methods at the time. Every team was as well-prepared fitness wise as is possible, but the silver was rarely attained. There have been so many of them since the 80’s and so many different teams, therefore the fitness excuse is clearly a myth. The club administrators couldn’t have got it wrong so many times, that the fitness or S&C coaches weren’t good enough, could they?

MYTHS

Population, underage success, post-primary success, development squad involvement and fitness all debunked as reasons for the lack of success based on indisputable numbers and facts. Yet, instinct says they must be factors. For example, doing no fitness training will certainly not change history and win you anything.  I suppose its like making that special cake for that special occasion.  The best cake will always have that very special ingredient which makes all the others become special when mixed. You can buy the one in the supermarket, but it will not have that special ingredient. If you always have being buying the one from the supermarket and you like it, fair enough but it will never win you the baking competition. Change is required “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”. 70 years should be an indicator of what is required.  Something different needs to be tried. It may not work but remember, “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new”.

BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS OF SUCCESS

No matter what you do in life, for it to be successful, you must have a solid foundation. That is my belief. They are lots of varying factors in a club or community situation starting with the meaning of success, what it is to the how, who and why. My experience in clubs and communities over the years has given me an ever-expending knowledge of what is required.

During Covid, I developed a workshop BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS OF SUCCESS. I recently delivered it to Piltown Ladies Gaelic Football club as a pilot and the feedback has been positive. It is designed to set your own creative minds flowing because everyone is the master of their own destiny.  Arousing thoughts that will lead your club up the pathway for success, creating an underlying culture suitable for a foundation of that success.  It is aimed at coaches, administrators, adult players, parents and is suitable for all codes and grades. Please feel free to Share.

In the bible, Jesus said, “A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his hometown and with his own people and in his own home.” [Mark 6:4]. This is something I am well aware of. However, if you see something of merit in what is written here and in some of my other blogs, please feel free to contact me and I can compile and facilitate a version personalised for your club. Unlike many other coaching workshops or anything coaching for that matter, I will deliver and facilitate free to any club in any code in Kilkenny. Please feel free to check out my own COACHING credentials, though this is very different to what you would normally associate with physical coaching workshops.  There will be no cones. [Max 20 per session]

The question should always be asked, what qualifies you to do this? It’s a fair question. The only answer, is that I love the games and have participated as a player, including a substitute, coach, administrator, match official and a supporter over many decades.  Does your S&C coaching course make your more qualified? It certainly won’t be more varied.

This is the final instalment of my HISTORY OF BELIEF blog.  Hopefully it will bring purposeful thought and debate which will help your club or community in achieving success.  Not just the ones I have had the experience of. As always, I welcome comment. Remember no one person has all the answers. I certainly don’t. Maybe YOU have solutions of your own. Maybe YOU disagree and can offer alternative explanations for the factual figures.

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HISTORY OF BELIEF PART TWO

You believe something is right, you must have substance and facts behind it, to support it. James Bond creator Ian Fleming is credited with the phrase; “Once Is Chance, Twice is Coincidence, Third Time’s A Pattern”.   For those of you who missed HISTORY OF BELIEF PART ONE, click HERE. You made need the background.

CASE STUDY 2

In 1992, having come back from Dublin, I got married and moved to Fiddown, I became a Piltown player, (The parish of my wife and my mother). I did not break into the Piltown main team other than for challenges and tournament games over the couple of years I wore the amber jersey.  Disappointing but life is not a fairy-tale or the fiction I write as a writer (that has happy endings!). However, those games I did play, my scoring average record was second to none. It did not match my senior championship record of a goal a game with Windgap, but it was on average a goal or the equivalent in points every second game. All from play. However, it never lured the attention of a number of Piltown selection committees. 

Piltown were an Intermediate team when I came back from Dublin, having lost three Intermediate County finals in the eighties. In 1992, that was all about to change. Piltown had a poor run in the League with defeats to John Lockes, Carrickshock, Young Irelands and O’Loughlin Gaels.  They had a lone but impressive win against Bennettsbridge by 6-13 to 2-12.  Following the inter county championships, Piltown were to play John Lockes again in the knockout championships.  Piltown did not fulfil the fixture.  A decision made in a Piltown meeting room. Unlike Windgap, I was not there and do not know the scientific thinking behind the decision which I did for the Windgap decision. It was believed to be due to injury of a player on inter-county duty. I wasn’t involved, so cannot be sure of the validity of the cases being made. Hard to believe, a team could not be fielded with all the hurlers in Piltown. I would have played.  However, it was too early in my Piltown career to be involved in the politics. Though from the outside and with my Windgap experience as that stage over a decade old, I did not believe it was the correct decision, so let’s examine what has happened in the meantime.

Subsequently, the County Board awarded the game to John Lockes despite an appeal from Piltown and so began the relegation fight.  The semi-final was lost to Glenmore comprehensively. Then Piltown faced Bennettsbridge in the relegation final, the team that they had easily beaten in the league. The board room decision though had changed the culture of confidence and belief.  Piltown lost the relegation final by 1-6 to 2-17 and the junior ranks beckoned for 1993. Although it could be argued in Piltown’s case it was not the relegation final itself that was lost off the field, results highlighted the affect. It was still a coincidence that just as I was about to start with a new first team (although history showed it never materialised), the team lost a match in a meeting room and long term affects reverberate to this day.  Is the coincidence that I was a jinx?  There is no real science in that, is there?

The science is looking at results in the intervening 30 years. Like Windgap, Piltown got a short-term bounce when they won the junior in 1996, beating Dicksboro 0-11 to 1-3. This was followed by three consecutive appearances in the Intermediate Relegation Final, losing the third in 1999 to Rower Inistioge by 1-10 to 2-15 and hence a return to the Junior ranks.  Another bounce came in 2003 when the Junior was won again, after two attempts they beat St. Patricks, Ballyragget.  It went on to be a springboard for Piltown’s greatest hurling day on the field of play when they beat St. Vincent’s of Dublin in the Leinster Junior Club Final (the first Kilkenny club to do so) a competition that did not progress to an All-Ireland series at that stage. However, again it was a short-term bounce with Piltown losing the 2005 Intermediate relegation final to James Stephens’ second team by 0-9 to 2-11.  Piltown have been junior ever since. 

In the 30 years since Piltown conceded a vital game, they have spent 24 years (80%) in the junior ranks.  Windgap in the 43 years since they conceded a vital match, have spent 37 years (86%) in the junior ranks.  An additional statistic of interest is related to the great Brian Cody and his unprecedented 22-year reign as Kilkenny Senior Hurling manager winning 11 All-Ireland titles. Nine (9) Kilkenny clubs did not provide a player to those victorious teams.  Windgap and Piltown are two! The others for the anoraks, are Cloneen, Carrigeen, Threecastles (all parish subsets), Graignamanagh another of a similar disposition. Lisdowney (possibly a surprise), and other long term junior clubs, Galmoy and Slieverue.

The club meeting room decisions maybe a coincidence but is there a pattern?  Some might argue that both Windgap and Piltown would have been relegated anyway and in Piltown’s case they had two chances to rectify it. Obviously from a science, we will never know. In psychology, a “trigger” is a stimulus that causes a painful memory to resurface. A trigger can be any sensory reminder of the traumatic event: a sound, sight, smell, physical sensation, or even a time of day or season.  Is the concession of a game the scientific trigger that affects the cultural and inherited confidence required to compete successfully at the top level?  Here we are more interested in an establishment of a pattern because of a past event.

So, is there a pattern using the Ian Fleming adage? Between, the foundation of the GAA and up to and including 1920, Tipperary won 4 Senior Football All-Ireland Championships.  They were considered a very strong football county at the time. In 1921, they gave Mayo a walkover in the All-Ireland Semi-Final.  They have NOT won a Senior Football All-Ireland Championship since! Over 100 years ago! A century plus! Now that’s 3! There’s a pattern. Tipperary too have had a couple of bounces to compete including a recent semi-final appearance, but nothing of great significance.  The thesis now has supporting evidence at inter-county level.  There is a pattern. A pattern of culture. Easy submission becomes part of what you are.

The conclusion is that easy concession leads to a long-term culture of acceptance of your place in the roll of honour.  No matter who it is, it is not easy to fix or break the cycle. Those involved will always deny that it is there, but just because you can not see the wind, it does not mean it does not exist or can have a major effect.

Human nature, means that in many cases the highlighting of such thinking, is negative despite representing the facts in numbers to support.  The first step in recovery for any addict is to admit there is a problem. This is the hardest part of recovery.  Next is to believe in a higher power (in whatever form) can help.

So, in HISTORY OF BELIEF PART THREE (next month’s blog), I will try to come up with some scientifically based reasons for the longevity of the culture and maybe offer some solutions.   Everybody wants solutions and ways to break the cycle. Feel free to post your suggestions in the meantime or any other examples. There are lots of teams that might benefit, not just the ones mentioned here. Maybe YOU have solutions of your own. Maybe YOU disagree and can offer alternative explanations for the factual figures.  Whatever, feel free to comment.