Offaly U20 hurling championship 2025

[Superhans75]

University will be back training by then

[Dodge83]

Semi finals

Sept 9th in Doon
CRCC vs Belmont

Sept 10th in Coolderry
Kk vs SBK

[Bogman123]

Absolutely agree with Superhans here. For many of these "fringe" hurlers coming out of minor, maybe going into college or working life and looking at adult hurling for the first time, you need some kind of bridge hurling-wise. We all know young fellas who were lost from hurling between the minor and senior grades, and many of our clubs can't function long into the future without keeping more of these guys onboard. In it's current format, it is certainly not doing much to bring these players along.

National U20 championships have finished up on June bank holiday the past few years, and we have been lucky enough to be involved in a few. What would be wrong with running off the U20 in June/ early July, total buy-in from the 16-20 yr olds that are home from college etc and sets them up well for adult hurling champs kicking off in mid-July?

U20 championship is important
Especially for county development
Probably too many intermediate games
In my opinion.

[del]

Leaving cert stops games in June . People seem to be forgetting to run off both u 20 football and hurling takes approx 8 weeks 4 weeks hurling 4 weeks football not including replays etc that’s just for knockout
That 2 months of the year if you play one a week
Under 20s are getting plenty of games seen as we are gone to under 18 there’s only the 19/20 yr olds and they are all playing junior intermediate or senior there is plenty of games for the lads in these age groups if a player isn’t playing on an adult team at 19/20 chances are he won’t play
I think the u 20 championship should be played but how much value I would place on it player development wise isnt huge . Thats just my opinion
History has shown there is no ideal time for this comp and with the split season now its an even tighter window of 6 months

[greenairfield]

Dont feel its massive championship maybe once upon a time it was, where its placed in the calendar year would suggest CB think the same

[Anon44]

I don’t know what the right answer is, but format now shows that it obviously isn’t of great importance to the CB and I think rightly or wrongly a lot of clubs look on it as an inconvenience. Clubs and club managers have done and will continue to stop players from playing in it, just think a serious rethink needs to be done on whether it can be fit into the calendar and best format for it if so.

[Dodge83]

Playing the games at this time of year is great because pitches are in good nick and it makes for better games. But i think straight knockout is the way to go. It will be played off quicker. This year first round was in July and semi finals won’t be played till Sept 9th & 10th. Probably another 2 weeks after that at least till the final all depending on who is in it. For arguments sake if it’s Kk vs CRCC , then it might not be played until both senior A & B championships are over because you’d imagine Kk & Carrig & Riverstown will go far this year. Maybe Coolderry will too. It’s a long time to drag out a championship which could be played off a lot quicker

[SearingDrive]

Playing the games at this time of year is great because pitches are in good nick and it makes for better games. But i think straight knockout is the way to go. It will be played off quicker. This year first round was in July and semi finals won’t be played till Sept 9th & 10th. Probably another 2 weeks after that at least till the final all depending on who is in it. For arguments sake if it’s Kk vs CRCC , then it might not be played until both senior A & B championships are over because you’d imagine Kk & Carrig & Riverstown will go far this year. Maybe Coolderry will too. It’s a long time to drag out a championship which could be played off a lot quicker

Lots of good suggestions there. I think playing U20 games in the winter is hardly ideal. A knockout championship as mooted, seems the ideal solution.
A lot of Offaly’s recent hurling revival is backboned by U20 players. All depends on whether the clubs would agree on the knockout format.

[Superhans75]

To be frank
If it wasn't for our 20s
We would have achieved nothing in 27 years .
I fear the the third level have taken over
County competitions because the third level teams have increased so much in the last 25 years
I personally think the powers that be would like to a have see where college competitions are like they are in the states college football ect
Basically it's Gaa without Club or county boundaries
I'm sure someone in Croke park has pushed this idea
Especially if there is a few quid. In it .
Mark my words give it time

[Dodge83]

CRCC march on into the county final following a 4-21 to 3-07 win over Belmont last night. They looked very impressive and have strong hurlers all over the field and won’t fear either of Kk or SBK in the final. That game is on tonight in Coolderry

[Dodge83]

Kk will play CRCC in the final after a 2-17 to 2-13 victory over SBK.
No date fixed for the final yet. Should be a great game and hard one to call.

[Superhans75]

Was in coolderry last night
BSK poorest performance but an enjoyable game
I suppose the final will be in a couple of weeks time in Banagher after senior games have been concluded.
Been enjoyable Campaign been to a good few games .
Beats going to games in November in the mud .
Mind you the ploughing next week could be the surfing if the forecast comes off

[Dodge83]

Final is fixed for Saturday 27th at 2pm in Birr

[Plain of the Herbs]

Watched both semi-finals on the Clubber strream, whic is a godsend and well worth the fee. SBK weren’t far away at all. Had they taken a couple of the chances that went abegging early in the second half, they’d have been right in the mix going down the straight. SBK hammered Killoughey on the K-K puckout in the second half. Which meant: 1. Leigh Kavanagh – who really hurt SBK in the first half - was taken out of the game, and 2. They were delivering from much closer to opposition’s goal in the second half and so weren’t putting the ball down Brecon Kavanagh’s channel like they were in the first half.

Rob Carney a very effective man marker on Adam Screeney.

More evidence that the Offaly Seniors are jaded. Paul Simpson’s stupendous block on Adam Screeney in the first half was a highlight for me.

The final will be a different story. Brecon Kavanagh could afford to sit back and read the game in the first half – something he excels at – and play as an auxiliary full-back. Different story in the final where Andy Hogan will hurl around the ’65 and pose different questions. Will Brecon man mark, or will one of midfielders Richie Bracken and Mark Mulrooney pick up the CRCC centre half-forward while Kavanagh sits? Suppposing full-forward Marc Ryan gets 40 yards of uncluttered space into which to travel? This could be very interesting.

[Dodge83]

Final on this weekend, should be a very good game. 2 high scoring teams going head to head. Lots of interesting battles all over the field. Can this young CRCC team stop Kk ??

Predictions ???