The Loan System

[the weasel]

The following is taken from hoganstand.

Prenty slams hurling loan system
22 February 2008

Connacht Council secretary John Prenty has criticised the ruling that allows hurlers to be loaned out to weaker counties.

In a system that echoes soccer loan moves, non-traditional counties are permitted to borrow hurlers who are surplus to requirement in the more established counties. Prenty is adamant that the policy is in no way beneficial to the weaker counties:

"These fly-by-nights are being entertained under the tenuous logic that they will promote the game at intercounty level.

"How can a player who is just passing through - who has no contact with a club within a county - be more valuable than a young player who has been nurtured by his club, who has an ambition to play for his county?

"This player has to look on as he sees one third of his county team populated by players with no allegiance to the county they play for.

"This scheme is only of benefit to players with no allegiance to the county and team managers who are seeking short-term gain with no interest in developing the game in the long term."



This is the first ive heard of this and i have to say it sounds pretty crazy to me. It could up like soccer where players play for whoever they want and counties could start bribing players with under the table payments, not straight away but it could lead to that in years to come. what does everyone else think of this???

[manfromdelmonte]

never mind that cnut

he would burn every stick in connacht if he could. has applied every rule possible to stop hurling spreading in Mayo. does nothing to promote the small ball game

the same man (along with brother) who refuse to grant his own local hurling club permission for challenge games. and even sometimes championship games!

[Fido]

What's this all about? I doubt this will ever happen but if it did it'd be ridiculous. The GAA without the player's ties to club and county is no different from any professional sport in the world. You have to decide whether you want only "the best" players in the country to play or whether you want every county to be represented to the best of their abilities at any given time. Transfers of players would be the thin end of the wedge, and would logically lead to professionalism. With it teams would become "franchises" seeking "brand recognition", supporters would be consumers, market-share. The feckin' Premiership in other words, where the arrogance of the players is outweighed only by the contempt the clubs show to their supporters.
The thing that our games have that makes them truly great is the connection between person and place. You can't switch allegiance to a fashionable team. You can take off a premiership team's shirt but you can't hide your accent. You may often lose but when you win it's worth anything. Anything that threatens that can't be allowed to happen.
I'm sure it's a non runner anyway.

[Treasurer]

I'm sure it's a non runner anyway.

It's already in place, and has been for the last couple of years at least

[manfromdelmonte]

only a few counties have bothered with it

he's just making sure people know he is against hurling. he'd be afraid Mayo would get a few more decent players from somewhere and start winning things in hurling.

instead make people sceptical of these imports so that they won't bother with it.

players improve by playing and training with those of a better standard. at club or county level

[Bord na Mona man]

It's funny how these things get ignored when they happen at the unfashionable lower levels of hurling.
Remember all the screaming about the hurling back door in the late 90s?
The talk of tainted teams continuing in the championship and devaluing the All Ireland.
Yet the precedent of beaten teams continuing in the championship had already been set down in the doldrums and no one seemed to have given a hoot, or probably never even noticed.

In a few years when the GPA start to push for a transfer market, I can guarantee you that few people will have copped that the precedent of county swapping has already been implemented.

Back to the point, I think the scheme is a good idea, because sadly so many counties are miles off the standard in hurling.
It is a shortcut, but some counties are so on their knees that any sort of dig out will do them good.

[Kevin]

If a player is considered surplus in their own county and are motivated enough to give it a go elsewhere - what is the harm?

[TheManFromFerbane]

I'm sure it's a non runner anyway.

It's already in place, and has been for the last couple of years at least

Wow, I can't believe this is in place and I didn't know about it! I am embarrassed to be honest, I would have said this was totally against the ethos of the organisation.

[Loughers]

I read a few weeks ago that a few ex-Offaly panelists have availed of this system.

[Treasurer]

Here's the actual rule if ye're interested..

37 Eligibility for Weaker Hurling Counties
For Senior Inter County Hurling Competitions, a player, subject to the conditions hereunder, shall be entitled to -
(a) Declare for the County of birth of a parent or
(b) Play for the County of Residence, provided this County is a designated County as provided for in Condition (1) below, while continuing to be eligible to play with his Home Club.

The following Conditions shall apply -
(1) The County availing of this Rule is not participating in the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (Liam McCarthy Cup) or is otherwise permitted by Central Council to avail of this Rule.

(2) A County availing of this Rule may have a maximum of five such players sanctioned in any Championship Year.

(3) The permission of a Player’s Home County must be obtained.

(4) A Player may avail of this Rule for only one County, and may not declare for a Home County for Football.

(5) If a clash of Championship Fixtures arises between that of a Player’s Home Club and that of the County availing of this Rule, the player shall play with his Home Club.

(6) Permission to avail of this Rule shall be for one Championship Year at a time, and application must be made annually for renewal of permission. The closing date for Applications each year shall be
the 31st March.

If it can help bring on the likes of Meath to have a Eoin Brislane playing with them, surely that's a good thing? It also gives lads who may be living away from home an opportunity to train with another team. Okay, they can do this anyway, but it's far more meaningful if they are actually going to be playing with the people they are training with.

[Biffo Army]

I believe both Declan Tanner (St Rynaghs) and Conor Egan (Birr) have availed of this to tog out for Longford.

Paddy O'Brien (Toomevara) and David Kennedy (Loughmore) Tipp hurled with Kildare last year in the Christy Ring Cup!

[The Biff]

I'd support this idea, since it is limited to the "weaker" counties, and there is a residency rule in the eligibility criteria, so it's not likely to lead to "fly-by-nights" in that format. Sometimes a county like Kildare just needs a little bit of help to nudge it forward by a considerable stride. There will always be those "die-hards" who reckon your blood must the colour of your jersey before you are allowed to wear it, but those same die-hards would be the very ones who are quick to criticize any new idea but slow to put up any decent credible ideas of their own.

[manfromdelmonte]

Leitrim are scouring the county looking for players. seriously

I heard one or two counties picked up new blow ins, gave them a run only to realise they were shite. just because they are from Tipp or Offaly doesn't make them better than the home grown players.

Some sort of scholarship system which gives talented hurlers from weaker counties the chance to get onto Fitzgibbon panels might bring a few extra hurlers through in non hurling counties. up skill them hurling wise anyway

[Fido]

Like somebody else already said on this thread, I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't know about this already being in operation - especially before going on a rant against it (did I mention the plagues of locusts that would ensue? And that the rivers would turn to blood?)
I still don't like the idea though because as was also mentioned, more than likely the players being made available wouldn't be necessarily a whole lot better than those being kept off their own team. It'd be different if you had a situation like Charlie Carter a few years back being told he was surplus to requirements and togging out for Carlow or Leitrim, but realistically if you're within an asses roar of a place on your own county team you're hardly going to play for someone else?
The separate issue of hurling in weaker counties needing help is of huge importance, and I take the point about playing with a player of a higher skill level improving your own level, but does that really apply in this case?

[manfromdelmonte]

They are at it again...

Connacht official supports an open draw 'trial' for hurling
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Saturday March 01 2008

A LEADING Connacht official has backed the notion of having an 'open draw' trial in the All-Ireland hurling championships some time in the future.

Connacht president Lauri Quinn, speaking at the provincial convention, said the province would be guided by Galway on the suggestion that they should enter the Leinster senior draw.

"However, I do feel that there is some merit in the suggestion that an open draw should operate for minor and U-21 on a trial basis. I would welcome the views of the Galway County Board especially regarding this suggestion," he said.

Quinn was also critical of some Connacht counties for their attitude to hurling development.

"Concerns have been expressed to me recently concerning the state of hurling within the province," he pointed out.

"I would not claim to have a quick solution but it seems to me that some county boards are happy to hand over responsibility for hurling to a separate hurling board without ensuring that proper structures and games programmes are in place.

"This is doing a disservice to both bodies," Quinn added.

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why do some counties have a seperate hurling board Mr Quinn? So the football board cannot interfere with the running of hurling or redirect funding meant for hurling to other projects. One county in Connacht has not been allowed establish a hurling board as the football want total control over the hurling end of things as well