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The 42
4 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
'For a few years there, we just didn't have the numbers' - Kerry camogie on the rise
GIVEN THE RAT-tat-tat nature of most of the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Camogie Championships, with group games on consecutive weekends prior to the knockout stages, a month between the semi-final of the intermediate competition and Sunday's final, involving Kerry and Offaly (3pm, live on RTÉ2), must feel like an eternity. Jackie Horgan has pretty much seen it all during a Kerry camogie journey that would make a Hollywood scriptwriter redden with embarrassment, had he penned something so far-fetched. Year after year, despite drawing from a tiny sub-section of what is a very small hurling region in a county that has just secured its 39th All-Ireland senior football crown, the camogs have raised standards with both Clanmaurice and the Kingdom, posting improbable victories and gathering a plethora of All-Ireland medals along the way. Though only 27, Horgan is a veteran of this odyssey and there aren't many challenges she and her cohorts haven't encountered. Heck, Clanmaurice, until very recently the only adult club in the county, had to play an All-Ireland semi-final with 14 players just four years ago. They won. That was in junior but they will ply their trade at senior level later this year, after supplementing their two successes in the third tier with a second straight intermediate triumph last December. After an All-Ireland final win with Clanmaurice. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO Now, in the green and gold, they are an hour away from the same exalted status, having won the junior in 2019. But even for such experienced operators, managing the time since the thrilling semi-final defeat of Down has not been easy. 'Four weeks is a long gap,' admits Horgan. 'It's more the mind than the body. You can train away but it's trying not to think about it too much until the days before the game. But there's nowhere else you want to be coming into August like, so we'll manage it.' Advertisement The development of camogie in the south-west corner of this island has been staggering. 'Years ago, when I first started playing, and when we left minor, Clanmaurice was the only option. There was nothing in the county really. There was underage, but that was it really. The work that has been done over the past few years is unbelievable. This year even, there's a club after being set up below in Kenmare. 'I'm actually teaching in Causeway, which would be a natural camogie and hurling area, and the numbers playing down there is huge. When I was in school, there was none of that. 'In the hurling side of things it is getting bigger. You have Parnells, Crokes and Kenmare/Kilgarvan – they're spread around the county more. Camogie-wise, it was always North Kerry but again, we have clubs coming from the other side of Killarney playing camogie. With Clanmaurice, you've Danielle O'Leary from Rathmore, so it is slowly but surely getting around the county.' Crotta was Horgan's local hurling club growing up but in her formative years, it was the big ball that was her focus. 'We're at the Listowel side of North Kerry so we'd be all football. I actually didn't start playing camogie with a club until I was 15. Jerome O'Sullivan used to come at primary school so I used to play a bit there but I joined (underage club) Cillard when I was 15 or 16, and I probably am more camogie than football now.' Little would you have imagined then that she would become such a scoring threat for club and county, at Croke Park and a host of other venues around the land, proving an adept freetaker too in support of the legendary Patrice Diggin, who she shares captaincy duties with this season. Certainly, as she scored a stunning goal within two minutes of Diggin planting a penalty to help Kerry establish the vital breathing space that enabled them to eke out a four-point triumph over Down, you would have presumed a hurley was thrust in her hand in the pram. That wasn't the case but Horgan is clearly a quick learner. 'I remember coming home from my first training session and thinking, 'Ohhhh.' I loved it but I was thinking, 'Am I mad?' The following year, myself and Aoife Behan broke into the senior and we played a (Nancy Murray Cup) final against Carlow in Templetouhy and we got annihilated, and I remember thinking maybe I should stick to football but as time went on, we couldn't even think about the success we've had since.' The core of the group from a decade ago remains, winning the old Division 4, 3 and 2 titles in the National League as well as the aforementioned All-Irelands. But thanks to this success, there is a depth to the squad that never existed before. 'The younger girls don't probably realise where we were, once upon a time. We really were the bottom of the barrel. When you've been there the whole way through, it is special. Horgan celebrating the semi final win. Leah Scholes / INPHO Leah Scholes / INPHO / INPHO 'Last year, Ruth (O'Connor), Róisín (Quinn) and Shannon (Collins) broke into the team. They had done a bit of training the year before when they weren't up to the age group, which was obviously a huge benefit to them. The three of them girls started the semi-final and they had only just done the Leaving Cert. They have been a massive plus. 'For a few years there, you know, we just didn't have the numbers. There was nothing you could do about it. I suppose there was a bit more comfort and not as much pressure on you whereas now, in training, there's five or six girls there on the fringes, and they're pushing it. To have three girls starting in their first year senior is huge.' This is a significant accomplishment, ever before a game is played but the big picture is one thing. You're in a final, you want to win it. Particularly, when the carrot is a crack at the Corks and Galways of this world. Offaly represent stern opposition. They took out Antrim in the other semi-final, meaning the finalists had beaten the two teams relegated from senior to secure their positions in Sunday's Croke Park carnival. 'They're a super team. I suppose, if you were to take one team out at the start of the year of who would get a chance to get into a final, Offaly would probably be your first pick. We played them up in Birr in February in the first round of the league and they were even going well then. 'But we're there. And the past couple of weekends the way the games have gone, no-one has been able to predict them so we'll give it our all and whatever happens on the day will happen. We're gone one step further than last year, so that was the aim. We'll see after that.' Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here
The 42
21-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'Not here to make up the numbers' - Conan keen for his Lions shot
HUGO KEENAN, JAMES Ryan, and Jamison Gibson-Park are down the far end of the sin-kissed pitch in the UCD Bowl, getting through some running as they continue to recover from injuries. Jack Conan appears to have taken some sort of knock too, but he's in the middle of a bunch of kids, leading passing and sidestepping drills. The Leinster, Ireland, and Lions number eight has compression bandaging covering his entire right leg but when he strolls over for a chat, he explains that it's nothing to worry about. 'Bangs and bruises… too many pints on the weekend,' jokes Conan. He and his Leinster team-mates celebrated their URC success heartily last weekend, enjoying a couple of days together before the Lions contingent joined Andy Farrell's squad on Monday, while others headed for Dingle to keep the party rolling. 'Class,' says Conan of the days after the win over the Bulls. 'It was a bit weird in the changing room after, like we didn't know how to win. Lads were a bit awkward or something like that, but it was good craic. Advertisement 'We went to the RDS for a bit which was good and then just pottered into town and everyone did their own thing. We had a great few days, it was nice, a few pints on Sunday as well early doors which was good. It was enjoyable celebrations.' He was home early on the Sunday and on the road at 7am on Monday morning to collect his dog in Bray. The afterglow of URC success vanished pretty quickly as Conan packed up for the next eight weeks on the road with the Lions. He says that going into camp on Monday was like the first day at school. Conan lifting the URC trophy at Croke Park. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO Conan trained with the Lions for the first time on Tuesday – 'soul-searching stuff, we had to run out the demons!' – but didn't play in last night's defeat to Argentina, although he did the warm-up beforehand as cover. Conan was among the nine players at yesterday morning's training session in UCD, which involved children from schools in each of the four Irish provinces – Moorefields Primary School in Ballymena, St Columba's National School in Dublin, Clerihan National School in Clonmel, Tipperary, and St Brendan's National School in Galway. Conan was thrilled that Leinster could finish their season on a high with that URC victory, but the Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton will linger. That's reflected when he's asked if Leinster's campaign was a success or failure. 'I think any season where you win something can never be deemed a failure,' he said. 'Obviously, we want to go well in both competitions, and I think if it hadn't been for the performance against Northampton, even if we had lost that game, but we performed really well, I don't think people would have said much about it. 'They're a quality side, but I think it was just the way we didn't show up that day and had a bit of a hangover for a few weeks. 'Maybe we don't get the result over the last two weeks if it wasn't for that game. Maybe it was the bit of a kick that we needed. 'The problem is when you win most of the time, it papers over cracks a little bit, so we had to have a good, hard look at ourselves and it was tough for a lot of lads, for everyone in the building. You get to win a trophy at Croke Park with all your mates, at the end of the day, I would have taken that. 'I definitely wouldn't say it was a failure, but there's definitely some more in this club and more in the lads, so hopefully there'll be a few years still ahead of us.' Conan with the Lions at the Aviva Stadium. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO Thoughts of Leinster have been pushed aside for now because Conan knows he has to bring his best to return to the starting Test shirt he wore on the last Lions tour in 2021. He says he loved that trip to South Africa, even if the pandemic meant it was like 'eight weeks of kind of solitary confinement' with the squad. This time in Australia will be very different. The injury to Caelan Doris means that Conan is the only out-and-out number eight in the squad, but Ben Earl and Henry Pollock have both played at the back of the scrum. Conan's leadership qualities add to his claims for a Test shirt. He will get his shot next Saturday against the Western Force in Perth. Conan has been rooming with Welsh flanker Jac Morgan this week, enjoying his company even if the Irishman says, 'I need subtitles half the time, it's a strong Welsh accent!' Related Reads 'Johnny is very different than what he was on the field' England's Freeman can be the 'untidy' wing that Farrell likes He knows that the battle for back row slots will be fierce, with Tom Curry and Josh van der Flier also firmly in the mix. 'There's some unbelievable athletes,' says Conan. 'We were training against the lads on Tuesday and the skillset and talent was incredibly high. I look forward to competing with the lads when I get the chance. 'I know Tom from before, I've been spending a good bit of time with Ben the last few days, a good fella and a great athlete. It's great to see them go to work and I'm sure myself and Josh, in particular, are excited to get in amongst them because we've only really had the one training day. 'The competition brings out the best in people and we're not here to just make up the numbers, so we'll look forward to competing with the lads.'
The 42
14-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'I loved putting on the Leinster jersey every single time'
MARTIN MOLONEY WILL be there in Croke Park this evening. He's an ex-Leinster player now, having just enjoyed a strong first season with Exeter in England, but Moloney will be willing on some of his best friends against the Bulls. The 25-year-old was at the Aviva Stadium last weekend too, taking great joy as his former housemate, Jamie Osborne, had an outstanding game in the semi-final win over Glasgow. Thomas Clarkson, who Moloney came through the academy with, was another Leinster man who shone. 'You have some of your best friends playing and you're just hoping they go on to be man of the match,' says Moloney of the fairly new experience of being a Leinster fan. After that win over Glasgow, Moloney went back to Osborne, Brian Deeny and Sam Prendergast's house to catch up with them. Clarkson and another five of their Leinster team-mates came over too. They did what they have always done – watched sport. The Bulls' URC win over the Sharks was followed by the gripping Munster hurling final that went to penalties. The evening reminded Moloney of the years he spent working his way through the Leinster academy onto a senior contract in 2022. He made 11 appearances for his native province before leaving last year. There is no hint of bitterness on Moloney's part that things didn't progress further for him in Leinster. He's genuinely delighted to see his mates getting ahead in blue and green jerseys, with others soon heading off to play in red ones in Australia. Moloney's friends have also no doubt been thrilled to see the powerful, combative flanker making an impact outside of Leinster. Sitting in a café in Dublin this week, the Athy man was excited to reflect on signing a new deal with Exeter to extend his time with the Premiership club into next season. He joined initially on a short trial last summer and quickly earned a one-year contract. Moloney set a target of playing 20 games. He made it 21 appearances in the last game of the season against Sale two weekends ago. 'You learn the best lessons in the arena,' is how Moloney puts it as he sums up how beneficial this season has been for him. He had a short spell on loan to Cornish Pirates in the Championship in December but fought his way into Exeter's back row towards the end of the season, earning his new deal with the Premiership club. Moloney with Exeter club captain Jack Yeandle. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO Director of rugby Rob Baxter noted how Moloney 'was playing his best rugby for us towards the end of the campaign where he really showed his value,' and highlighted that they expect him to get better and better next season. Life in Exeter has been good so far, even if Moloney's partner, Tess, has been back in Dublin working 'unbelievably hard' as a doctor in the Mater Hospital. Her support and the big effort to get over for his games has made it all possible. The pay-off has been some memorable weekends visiting beautiful parts of Devon and Cornwall. Moloney is excited about Exeter's new signings for next season, including Wallabies centre Len Ikitau and South African hooker Joseph Dweba. The newcomers, along with the returning England wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, will add to a talented squad. This season was difficult for Exeter. They finished second from bottom in the Premiership with four wins in 18 games. Moloney points out that they were involved in a fair few tight losses. No fewer than eight losing bonus points highlight how it was close to being a much happier season. 'One thing about the Premiership is that the teams are so evenly matched,' said Moloney. 'If you look at a set of five games in a weekend, they're unbelievably hard to predict. 'Within the league, there are lots of contrasting styles of play. The way Bristol play is very different to the way Sale play. So each week it's kind of a fresh challenge, it's a great league to play in.' He wasn't playing on the dark day when Exeter were hammered 79-17 by Gloucester, prompting club owner Tony Rowe to give the players a dressing down in the changing room afterwards. Long-serving coaches Rob Hunter and Ali Hepher left the club in the wake of that game, following defence coach Omar Mouneimne's exit in October, but Moloney says the players just had to keep trucking on. Advertisement 'It was a horrible day for the club. Rob was a coach who had a big, positive impact on my game. And so I was obviously sad to see him go. It was tough for a lot of people, the same with Ali and Omar. 'As a player, the only thing you can control is your next game and how you're preparing for it and how as a team, you come together and prepare for the next game.' Despite the challenges for Exeter, Moloney has been able to develop his game. Moloney is a combative, physical flanker. Tom Maher / INPHO Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO He has always been a destructive defender. The Chiefs challenged him to bring more variety. So on top of his longstanding jackaling quality, Moloney has been working hard on reefing the ball in tackles, as well as making better decisions around the breakdown and not over-chasing turnovers. His set-piece skills have also improved. Exeter's DNA has always been about physicality. Moloney has never struggled in that regard. It's his calling card. Anyone who has watched him play will have noted the relentlessness of his contact work. There is a slightly wild edge to Moloney's work rate, something that Leinster loved about him. A calm, considered, articulate young man away from the pitch, Moloney brings an aggressive edge on it. 'The physical part of the game is a part that I really enjoy,' he says. 'I put a lot of preparation into it because I think that has a big impact on the players around you and also has a big impact on the result. 'Obviously, tactical and technical stuff is very important, but in some of the big games, the most physical team wins. 'Where do I get my edge from? Anywhere I can.' There is a big technical element to his physicality. It's not just about his mindset. Moloney is grateful to have trained and played alongside Will Connors, 'one of the best chop tacklers in the world,' and Josh van der Flier, who had a big influence on him. It's no surprise that Moloney looked up to Seán O'Brien when he was coming through, all the more so because they're both products of the Leinster Youths system. Moloney initially grew up in Carlow on a diet of hurling and football, but when he was 10, he moved with his family onto their beef farm a stone's throw away from Athy RFC. Moloney went down to the Showgrounds and instantly loved rugby. He played for Athy – also Joey Carbery and Jeremy Loughman's home club – right through until joining the Leinster academy, proudly representing them in the Provincial Towns Cup before moving to Clontarf in the All-Ireland League. So Moloney was ecstatic to watch Athy claim the Towns Cup in April, their first success in the competition since 1984. Athy man Moloney won a Grand Slam with the Ireland U20s in 2019. Oisin Keniry / INPHO Oisin Keniry / INPHO / INPHO 'There is a really special group of people there running the club who were in the club when I was there and they're all still there,' says Moloney. 'And even more people have come in since and they've managed to get a really good group of senior players together. They're able to put out two women's teams as well. They're doing a fantastic job.' Moloney wouldn't have a professional rugby career without Athy. His school, Knockbeg College, didn't play rugby. He loved his days in Knockbeg, playing in a brilliant football team, a good hurling team, running cross-country, throwing shot put, and getting involved in any other sport on offer. Moloney's campaign to start a rugby team was unsuccessful. So his rugby was all in Athy RFC. Moloney is proud to have come from there, through the North Midlands team in the Shane Horgan Cup, the Leinster Clubs U18 team, and on into an Ireland U18s jersey. The majority of Irish professional players come through rugby schools and though Moloney never felt in any way disadvantaged, he says contact time with a rugby ball was something he later had to account for. 'The biggest thing is that lads in schools would play rugby at lunch every single day,' says Moloney. 'I was playing hurling, football and basketball. The lads in schools have a rugby ball in their hands for every five minutes they have to spare.' The Leinster Youths Selects programme was helpful for Moloney, with coaches like Noel McNamara bringing together groups of talented club players for sessions during the season. McNamara was a massive influence on Moloney, coaching him for the Ireland U18s and U20s, as well as in the Leinster academy. He developed Moloney's technical and tactical understanding, his ball-carrying, and pretty much everything else. 'Noel has an unbelievable way… he's so articulate in the way that he can explain the game,' says Moloney 'It's no surprise really that Bordeaux have probably the best attack in the world.' Moloney's senior Leinster debut came in a Rainbow Cup game against Munster in 2021, with his first start the following year in the Pro14 against Edinburgh, the first of a run of appearances at the tail end of the 2021/22 season. Back row competition in Leinster is always fierce and Moloney had to be patient until what looked like a breakthrough performance against the Sharks in October 2022. He was supposed to be the 24th man. Jack Conan was injured during the warm-up, so Moloney went onto the bench. Then Rhys Ruddock was concussed soon after kick-off. In came Moloney for a 78-minute shift alongside Johnny Sexton, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, and Robbie Henshaw. Moloney made the move to Exeter last summer. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO Leinster won a thrilling URC game 54-34 and Moloney was superb. It looked like a turning point for him, but disaster struck a few weeks later when he ruptured his ACL. From such a high against the Sharks, Moloney had his 'darkest day' in rugby as he was injured against Scarlets. He wouldn't play again nearly a year and a half. Moloney responded stoically, helped by a call from van der Flier. 'Josh rang me a few days after I got injured and said, 'Look, it's not going to be a straightforward journey, no long-term injury is, but you can make this the best period of your life and come back a much better player.' 'That stuck with me for a few parts of the journey and some of the days that didn't go well.' Having undergone the initial surgery, Moloney moved in with his parents in Athy to begin his recovery. They set up a bed in the living room beside the TV for those immobile initial days. He was grateful for the support from his family and Tess. Moloney's pathway back to fitness was difficult. He needed two further bouts of knee surgery and when he finally got back into Leinster training, he ruptured one of his biceps. It was cruel but Moloney stuck at it, working hard to make himself physically stronger in the gym during that long period on the sidelines. He also improved his mental skills in sessions with Leinster's Declan Darcy. There was great pride in making his comeback for Leinster off the bench against the Stormers in South Africa in April 2024, a full 17 months after his knee injury. 'You learn a lot about yourself in those periods and I do think it sticks with you,' says Moloney of nearly 500 days of injury rehab. 'It does give you an extra layer of resilience.' That game in Cape Town last year proved to be his last one for Leinster, but all has worked out well in Exeter so far. The example of Tadhg Beirne shows how dogged, talented players like Moloney can take a different route to the top. Playing for Ireland remains his main overall goal in rugby and Moloney feels Exeter is a perfect place for him to improve his game. For today, he's back in the role of Leinster supporter. He was also at the Northampton semi-final in the Champions Cup and hopes this is a happier occasion. 'I absolutely loved putting on the Leinster jersey every single time,' says Moloney. 'I really want them to go on now and win the URC. I think they deserve to win and hopefully they get over the line this year.'
The 42
13-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'If you lose a final are you a failure?' - Cullen's bigger picture approach to URC decider
LEO CULLEN BECAME increasingly animated as he pre-URC final press conference stretched toward the half hour mark in Croke Park yesterday. He met the initial questions with a familiar hand-off, twisting an opening query about the return of Lions-bound pair Josh van der Flier and Garry Ringrose toward his own excitement for tomorrow's showdown with the Bulls in Drumcondra [KO 5pm, TG4/Premier Sports/URC TV]. Responding to a question about the fitness of Hugo Keenan and Tadhg Furlong, who both miss out, Cullen named-checked Thomas Clarkson, Rabah Slimani, Jimmy O'Brien, Jack Boyle, Andrew Porter and Cian Healy, without shedding any further light on the two Ireland internationals. It was only when the conversation wandered toward the bigger picture stuff that Cullen really came to life. The Leinster boss was asked what the province had taken on board from the various defeats in finals and knock-out games over the last few seasons, and how much those experiences will inform the approach this time around. 'They're all individual games,' he replied. 'Every play-off game is a final as such, so we have played in lots of play-off games, whether they come in a quarter-final, semi-final or final. The group is learning all the time, young players come through and you are adding layers of experience. 'I think the way some of the questions are leading me it's like, whoever loses is a failure in this game. So, they are two good teams going at it. If you lose in a final are you classified as a failure? 'You can play your best game in the final. So both of these teams could play their best games of the season but unfortunately one of the teams has to lose. So has one of the teams, who has just played their best game, are they classified… They are classified as losers because they have lost (laughs) but are they failures? Advertisement 'You have really good teams going at it but you are guaranteed nothing. So you have to prepare the best you can with the time you have available to put in your best performance. I hope the group goes out and does itself justice because they're going out in front of so many of their friends, family, loved ones, supporters, people that turn up in the most random places during the course of a season to see us play.' Cullen spoke to the media in Croke Park. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO Cullen was now in full flow and continued his answer to draw back memories of his first final win, a 2001 Celtic League defeat of Munster at Lansdowne Road. 'I remember literally when Eric Miller kicked Anthony Foley in the balls, going back to discipline, and thinking to myself, 'Oh, we're just a bit of trouble here!'' Near the end of the session, a question about the value Jordie Barrett has added to the group behind the scenes led to Cullen diving into the playing resources of Ireland and South Africa. 'You're always looking to the group. At the end of the day, things people talk about, like resources and all of that, we're producing players. You go to South Africa, they're a people of what, 64 million people? We're a country of how many people? 8 million? Where does rugby sit in terms of sport? Fourth. In South Africa it's number one. 'In terms of the rugby-playing population, what would they have? 12 times the amount of players we have registered maybe? 15? We're a drop in the ocean in terms of what we're up against. 'When we get the opportunity to bring in a player… Listen, it's fantastic to be able to do that. But it's off the back of all the support we actually get. It gets reinvested into the group ultimately because you can only bring so many players in because part of our job spec is to produce players to play for Ireland. 'We're very lucky to have Jordie. He has hopefully added in lots of different ways to the group because at the end of the day we're a tiny country in terms of playing population and we're up against a juggernaut team who we would have watched play Super Rugby and dismantle teams over the years, so we know we're in for a serious bloody challenge.' A follow-up question extended the Barrett point to include RG Snyman, Rabah Slimani, and Leinster-bound Rieko Ioane, leading to Cullen referencing the two team sheets in front him, focusing on the list of Bulls names. 'I feel like I'm distracted from the Bulls now,' he admitted. Leinster trained in Croke Park on Thursday afternoon. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO 'Look through their team, there's a tonne of experience. I know Jake (White, Bulls head coach) was saying they're a young squad. I'm not sure what squad he's talking about, that's not a young group, that's not a young team. He was talking about that on Tuesday. Is he trying to lull us all into some false sense is he? A young group? Do you see a young group there? They're a serious experienced group we're up against and a team that has unbelievably high standards, that is used to winning, it's in their blood isn't it? 'Rugby, you're in South Africa and it's on morning, noon and night.' At that point a South African member of the media informed Cullen rugby might sit behind football in terms of popularity. 'Ah go away, will you?' Cullen laughed. 'Go away. Now you're not telling the truth, I know you're not telling the truth.' And with that he was off, closing a somewhat light yet occasionally tetchy half hour in the bowels of Croke Park.
The 42
09-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
So, just how serious are we about hurling promotion?
AS YOU APPROACHED the corner where the Drumcondra and Clonliffe Roads meet, several buses were queued up on Sunday lunchtime. Dozens of children emerged clad in the garb of their local clubs or else Galway and Kilkenny jerseys. Noticeable to this eye was the proliferation of kids from Belfast club, Michael Davitts, a bijoux planted off the corner of the Falls Road and Clonard Street. Elsewhere in the stadium, another Belfast club, O'Donovan Rossa, had a busload of children. 33 in total, along with their mentors. It's not unknown for the Leinster final attendance to be swollen by hurling units from Ulster. Most years you are guaranteed a top-quality game, within a travelling distance that is manageable enough that kids won't be blowing chunks all around a bus after a day of munching sweets, and for the tolerance levels of mentors, some of whom realise that children can be a bit like farting; you can just about stand your own. However, there can be no doubt that the Leinster Council did the right thing in meeting these units half way. Around a fortnight ago it was announced that they were donating 20,000 tickets for children under the age of 14. As they explained, the move came about through Leinster GAA's, 'ongoing commitment to youth participation and community engagement, providing young players with the opportunity to experience the excitement and atmosphere of Senior Hurling Championship match days.' For every ten children, there had to be two supervising adults. Speaking prior to handing over the Bob O'Keefe Cup to John Donnelly, Kent gave a shout-out to the various hurling units that had made the effort to come along for the day, hailing those from Tyrone, Armagh and Down by name. It's not sacrilege to also admit at the same time that the appetite for such a game was meagre at best. Advertisement The take-up was believed to be around half in an overall attendance of 37,503. So essentially, for a Leinster hurling final, with the Joe McDonagh Cup final of Kildare and Laois as the curtain-raiser, brought in just over 27,000 apart from the freebies. The presence of Hurling Development Chairman Terry Reilly and National Head of Hurling Willie Maher, sitting in a prominent position when Kildare were being presented with the Joe McDonagh Cup, was instructive. Reilly has been exacting and exhausting in his efforts to date in his role. He has demanded a great deal, but he has also been careful to take his time in identifying what needs to be done, by whom and by when. Terry Reilly, Chairman of the HDC. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO Maher was originally on the committee, but has had to step down in order to take up this role, which had been occupied by former Kilkenny coach Martin Fogarty until his contract ran out in December 2021 and the GAA in a dereliction of duty, did not arrange for an extension or a replacement. The symmetry was too tempting for GAA President Jarlath Burns to ignore. In his speech before handing over the Joe McDonagh cup, he declared Kildare's triumph to be an early 'win' for his Hurling Development Committee, given part of their remit was to expand the number of counties who could compete in the Liam MacCarthy Cup. That status is now bestowed on Kildare, and reward for the plan they devised and began in 2018, and have carried through to fruition so far. Good for Kildare. The sugar rush of a Joe McDonagh Cup needs to be capitalised upon by Kildare when they play Dublin in the preliminary quarter-final. Though you may question why they have to do so much winning to keep playing hurling in the early summer. In his programme notes, Kent noted, 'Almost 60% of our senior hurling teams in Leinster will have no hurling in June, which surely demonstrates a troubling lack of hurling promotion. On the contrary, over 91% of our football teams, all but one of the 12 in the province, will play football this month. That clearly highlights an imbalance in the playing of our games.' The line between Galway and Dublin is the Mason-Dixon Line of hurling. the Confederate states south of that hurling equator have access to each other, where the hurling culture is strongest. The four teams playing in Croke Park were all within that area. As hard as it is to call out the troops in the heartlands, consider the work then that is going on north of that line. One of the chief aims of the Hurling Development Committee has been to increase the number of units in this area. They have already started that project with their 'starter packs' of equipment for clubs that have previously only fielded in Gaelic football, to offer hurling. Empty spaces at the Leinster hurling final. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO Good. Brilliant. Excellent. However, there is absolutely no point in new clubs starting, unless they have help and support. To that end, our eye gets drawn to a job advertised by the Ulster Council recently for a regional hurling development officer. There are a number of them in the province and people generally don't tend to last long in the roles. The salary advertised was circa £27,000 (€32,000). To put this into context, the average graduate wage in the north is £32,500 (€38,600). The minimum wage in the north, since April 1, 2025 is £25,396. Related Reads 'The fact it went to penalties is a bit mad' - Cork's Munster win with a difference Kildare crowned Joe McDonagh Cup champions with victory over Laois 'It was a whole new world for me': Limerick-Cork Munster final memories 50 years on A job at the interface of hurling development, where the work is most badly needed, is barely more than a minimum wage. If you were wondering how serious the GAA were about promoting hurling, that's one area to fix. 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