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Good win for Offaly Combined Teams, won by 10 points. Gorey weren't at much with 6 points scored with the wind all from frees.

I noticed there's no KK players on the panel, any reason for this are they not joined with combined schools? They were last year.

Kk are in the same competition as offaly schools?

Why aren't they a part of the combined offaly schools team? I'm not familiar with schools hurling in terms of format etc so apologies in advance.

Coláiste Naomh Cormac took part in Leinster A championship this year, having won the All-Ireland B championship last year.

JimBwobb wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 5:55 pm Why aren't they a part of the combined offaly schools team? I'm not familiar with schools hurling in terms of format etc so apologies in advance.

They clearly struggled in the A?

greenairfield wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 6:53 pm They clearly struggled in the A?

Was going to ask the same.
I’d imagine they were always going to struggle with Screeney, Mahon, the 3 Kavanaghs and a few more doing the Leaving Cert last year.

Banagher College into the Senior B schools semi finals after a 20-point win over Ardscoil Rís of Clontarf.

They have now set up a semi final with Birr.
Birr must be fancied to win this out, having earlier beat Banagher by 12 points.

Unlucky draw with the 2 Offaly schools facing off and Heywood and Naas meeting in the other semi final.
Ardscoil Rís lost to Naas by a point in the group stage.

Hopefully one of the two Offaly schools wins it out.

Charlie Mitchell went well tonight for NUIG.

Are we a bit light this year with sigerson/fitzgibbon involvement in comparison to recent years?

pigeon house biffo wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 10:45 pm Charlie Mitchell went well tonight for NUIG.

Are we a bit light this year with sigerson/fitzgibbon involvement in comparison to recent years?

Cathal King started at corner back for SETU Waterford last night against DCU.
Sam Bourke was listed at wing-back for DCU and scored 4 points from play (perhaps he was further up the field). No sign of Jack Screeney, may be injured.
Killian Sampson starting at wing-back for a star-studded UL team. Dara Maher on the subs.
Joe Ryan, Luke Nolan and Padraic Watkins all involved with TUS Midwest (LIT) and I'd expect at least one of them to start.
Few more lads involved across various panels but not many more will see action.

What we don't have in Offaly is many lads well into their 20s returning to college to hurl Fitzgibbon.
For example, Laois had Ryan Mullaney (28 years old) and Aaron Dunphy (26) hurling with SETU Carlow last night, while Chris Nolan (26) from Carlow also hurled. I recall Enda Rowland (29) hurling Fitzgibbon up until last year.
UL (Clare and Limerick), NUIG (Galway), UCC (Cork), WIT (Waterford and Kilkenny) DCU (Dublin and southeast) and UCD (Dublin and southeast) are always littered with 23-26 year olds who may be undertaking a Masters (prolonging their college career or converting their degree to be a teacher).
It could be due to our distance from any Fitzgibbon college, as older lads are more likely to be commuting to their place of study.
I don't know if this is a help or a hindrance, as it increases the workload and game time, but also exposes lads to more of a professional setup as there is no 9-5 job to attend.

14-10 offaly lost

Where are the posters that said it wasn't a fair that a combined team play in the schools competition.

Last year was a one off. Next year we will be weaker again.

Still here. It was unfair last year on other schools. Our co team got to All Ireland minor and U20 final and these all played in the team that walked Leinster schools. Kilcormac were in the A competition this year. Suggesting it to be ok would be like putting that Kilcormac school team up against Cork U20s or Tipp minors the year before.

I get it was a one off and we need to start somewhere. If they had Dan Ravenhill and a few from Kilcormac today, we probably would have beaten Kierans with a much lesser team than last years outfit.

This year Banagher and Birr are in the B semi final. That is great. Why couldnt they join to make a South Offaly Schools team in A - Maybe add in Gallen and Cistercian with them.

And then maybe likes of Killina, Kilcormac Tullamore Clara etc combine to make a North Offaly schools combination. That to me would be showing real foresight and getting 35 or 36 lads in the county hurling colleges A level. That is what might move us forward. If likes of Wexford can get 2 or 3 schools into A at times, then why shouldnt we. Dublin sometimes have 3 teams too in Colaiste Eoin, South Dublin Colleges and North Dublin Colleges. It takes proper resourcing and effort but if there is a will to promote hurling genuinely, then this could be the way. The south of the county no longer has the dominance it once had in terms of hurling and there could easily be two teams made up from both ends of the county - feeding then into our U20 set ups in the following years.

greenairfield wrote: ↑Tue Jan 23, 2024 8:04 pm Where are the posters that said it wasn't a fair that a combined team play in the schools competition.

Last year was a one off. Next year we will be weaker again.

Here's one.
Its blatantly unfair putting in a county team against a single school. Leave schools to compete with each other. Every school can play at their own grade. Every county has development squads to bring through players.

greenairfield wrote: ↑Tue Jan 23, 2024 8:04 pm Where are the posters that said it wasn't a fair that a combined team play in the schools competition.

Last year was a one off. Next year we will be weaker again.

And to emphasise the point, how come we can get 3 teams into A football and one in hurling. In football there is Colaiste Choilm Tullamore, St Marys Edenderry and Offaly combined Schools making up the rest. And on top of that, half of the Moate CC team are from Offaly and probably a fifth of the Rochfortbridge team are Offaly players. And on top of that, the majority of smaller schools are fairly competitive in their own competitions with both Clara and Ferbane winning Leinster titles in last two years.

The argument is a non argument. Sure why dont we just throw our U20 team into the schools competition altogether and we might win a trophy. Oh wait, that is pretty much what we did last year. Maybe we should let the Kilkenny Wexford and Dublin U20 teams in to a competition to play Kilcormac. That is what you seem to be saying is OK!

Makes for promising reading