Why fix what isn’t broken?
Inter-county Under-21 hurling will be a thing of the past after a decision made at GAA congress over the weekend.
Hurling is set to follow the lead of football either next year or the year after with the under-21 competition being replaced with an under-20 championship.
The motion was proposed by Offaly and despite the best efforts of both the Waterford and Cork representatives to save the 21s, it was given the go ahead.
Cork and Waterford had good right to stand up for the tournament that has provided viewers with some of the most entertaining games of hurling over the last few years through the great coverage of TG4. There was always a buzz in the midweek air when you realised an under-21 championship game would be taking place that evening.
Richie Power won two All-Ireland under-21s with Kilkenny. He valued those days. Writing on his column for RTE GAA, the Carrickshock club man hit out at the decision.
He made a great point when emphasising the importance of that extra year of experience, and the deep end graduates from county under-2o sides will be thrown into in the years to come.
“Making minor Under-17 made sense if you’re thinking about the Leaving Cert but this just means that guys will be finished with underage teams at 20 and trying to make the massive step up to inter-county senior.
“I can see more players being lost between the grades than with U21. That extra year gives you time to develop physically and mentally,” he wrote.
There has been a magic in the 21s championship in recent years. Take the enthralling clashes between Clare and Tipperary in Munster. Teak tough and tight games that made players like Tony Kelly, John McGrath, Colm Galvin and more.
Take the journey of the Wexford under-21s, their battles with Galway, Offaly and then the introduction of Galway into the occasion in the business ends of the competition.
They were open games. The shackles were off and many a good player was moulded by them.
Many players say playing at under-21 level ranks with their best memories of their playing careers. On the cusp of adult hood, boys becoming men, the freedom, the realisation was always true.
Just look at the Limerick hurlers this year. Fresh from winning the James Nowlan Cup last year, the Treaty County have blooded a host of these players in the early rounds of the League so far this year.
Lads like Aaron Gillane, Tom Morrissey, Barry Nash and their house is in better order than most other hurling counties right now. That’s because these boys were prepared for that step up.
The important thing was that they aren’t men yet. These competitions played a key role in a 21-year-old’s development in the game. It acted as a bridge to senior hurling, providing a natural stepping stone.
Now, those days are coming towards an end. That’s because it will be under-20 from now on. On top of screwing over a host of 20-year-olds, who won’t be able to represent their county at under-21 level or under-20 level, it just screams of a decision made to justify the move of the football.
Which hasn’t even been played yet so we’ve no basis to judge it on.
The under-20 level won’t be played at as high a standard. The 21-year-olds will be plunged straight into senior hurling when they might not be ready for it.
As Power touched on, 21 is a decisive age. An age that can make or break lads’ careers. The extra year helped to make them, the lack of it might just break some of them in the future.
