Cork u20 Hurling 2024

[omar]

Cork will need to follow a style of more direct hurling just like Pat Ryan advocated at senior level this year and to tell the truth I can't see Donal Og coach a team with this in mind. I sincerely hope I'm wrong!

Selecting the right players will be huge, there are really good players to pick from who never figured much in minor championship for Cork for one reason or the other such as the following:

Brian Nolan, Matt O'Riordan (both Erin's Own), Kieran Cotter (Bride Rovers), Oisin Fitzgerald (St. Catherines), Pete Kelly (Ballincollig), Ethan Buckley (Milford), James O'Callaghan-Maher, Eoin O'Flynn, Charlie Lucas, Cathal Hallihan (all Douglas), Matthew Barrett (Carrigtwohill), Michael O'Driscooll (Watergrasshill), Diarmuid Wall, Stephen Lynam (both Glen Rovers), Calvin O'Donovan (Mayfield), Sean Lombard (Ballinhassig).

Most of the above players should make the squad/extended panel and around 5 should be close to starting.

I'm not sure about that list chief. Some of those lads who are u19 this year were playing their clubs 2nd teams last week. Be a big jump up to IC u20 to be fair.

 

[Corkonian1]

hurley68

I've been critical of our backs and Sean O'Donoghue & Mark Coleman in particular. I was also critical of Damien Cahalane and was told by many of the regular posters on here if all the succesive managements selected him then he must be doing plenty right. All three players have given excellent service to Cork hurling but the two aforementioned have been selected in the same respective positions by successive managements including the current management. Mark Coleman is not a defender albeit he is a very good hurler with plenty talent as an attacker. Sean O'Donoghue is a good marker with speed but without the same hurling ability of Coleman, he has a tendency to not always apply the basics of defending which may be due to a lack of concentration at times. I empathise with O'Donoghue a bit regarding the AI because of he being sent off for only attempting to retrieve his hurley in the Pairc also v Clare. It's very possible this was in his mind regarding his non-contact for Tony Kelly's goal as it was in the square and any contact could have sacrificed a cheap penalty especially with Murphy as ref. Defending was also weak from a more experienced Clare defence in the final and Rob Downey travelled further than any Clare player without any meaningful challenge on him to score his goal, the Clare defence also fouled more and the consensus decisions regarding this fouling wasn't dealt with by the referee which cost Cork hugely. One article highlighted 7 of those decisions in total and when one compares this to 1 or 2 in the senior camogie final the reffing of the AI hurling final was farcical. I recently met a referee who is a Limerick supporter and he told me he's done linesman for Liz Dempsey and she's light years ahead as a referee of Johnny Murphy even allowing for hurling being faster than camogie.

Defending has been an issue in the game for quite a while, there is little coaching of proper defending like hooking and blocking in the game. Rugby tackling, body wrapping, sandwiching are all allowed and encouraged by muppets who don't know the game or have agendas, along with the 3rd man tackle ignored as a rule. You seem to forget the goals Clare conceded in the drawn 2013 AI final when Brian Gavin played for a draw.

Cork teams, managements need to collectively show up this reality costing them results and they need backing from the county board and supporters but there is too much division as they all have their own agendas so this is unlikely to happen. However the players/mentors need to collectively back each other on the field rather than individually.

Regarding Donal Og's coaching, there was too much reliance on finding defenders with puck outs to work through the lines when he managed the minors in 2000 which cost Cork big time v Limerick. This has to change with him as coach otherwise Cork U-20's will be going nowhere fast. Why should players be coached this way to progress to senior when Pat Ryan has shown direct hurling is more rewarding for the senior team not to mind better to watch.

Omar

Point taken but it's not necessarily a case that they aren't good enough to be considered for Cork U-20's, the Douglas players I named didn't play senior v Sars the other week but some of them played senior with Douglas last year and all of them have Premier 1 County Minor medals in their back pockets. One or two other players from other clubs already stood out with their schools. The players in both of those categories should develop well at inter-county under 20 level if coaching and prep is good.

 

[shergar]

Not sure if this is the place to post, but some good games so far and to come in the various u21A championships. In Seandun its Blackrock v The Barrs in a semi tomorrow at 12.30pm and out east its Midleton v Carrigtwohill at 11.30am. The Glen had an impressive win over Douglas during the week too and are either into the final or semi in Seandun (Echo said final but I think its the semi?).

 

[TheOutdoorThreadmill]

Not sure if this is the place to post, but some good games so far and to come in the various u21A championships. In Seandun its Blackrock v The Barrs in a semi tomorrow at 12.30pm and out east its Midleton v Carrigtwohill at 11.30am. The Glen had an impressive win over Douglas during the week too and are either into the final or semi in Seandun (Echo said final but I think its the semi?).

Glen are in to the final.

 

[Pooman]

Not sure if this is the place to post, but some good games so far and to come in the various u21A championships. In Seandun its Blackrock v The Barrs in a semi tomorrow at 12.30pm and out east its Midleton v Carrigtwohill at 11.30am. The Glen had an impressive win over Douglas during the week too and are either into the final or semi in Seandun (Echo said final but I think its the semi?).

A once great championship reduced to a divisional only afterthought at the end of the year. A real pity.

 

[St fachtna]

Spot on killkenny shut down short puckouts in 06 . You have to have forward that can win direct ball . We are still prob lacking a Niall mc Carthy Timmy Crowley type centre forward

 

[shergar]

A once great championship reduced to a divisional only afterthought at the end of the year. A real pity.

I presumed the divisional winners play each other, no?

 

[TheOutdoorThreadmill]

I presumed the divisional winners play each other, no?

Nope not any more, an awful shame. Two of the best games of hurling I've seen was the Glen v Duhallow in an u21 county final and replay. Hoggy got a hattrick in the replay

 

[shergar]

Nope not any more, an awful shame. Two of the best games of hurling I've seen was the Glen v Duhallow in an u21 county final and replay. Hoggy got a hattrick in the replay

That's daft alright

 

[cork2030]

That's daft alright

Glen v Bishopstown next Thursday
Barrs v Blackrock in the semi final.
There is a county