REGRADINGS

KILCOOLE GAA Club brought a motion to Convention that asked that the number of regradings in hurling be reduced from five to three.

“We’re Junior football, Intermediate hurling,” said Sean from Kilcoole GAA Club. “We’re growing at juvenile level but at adult level we want a fighting chance when it comes to competitive matches. When we see Senior clubs able to transfer five players down from senior we just feel that it’s unfair. We want to be treated fairly. That’s why we brought the motion forward to the meeting tonight,” he added.

Glenealy’s Eamonn Esmonde said that he believed that it was a bad idea to run with this motion.

“I think it’s easy to think that clubs are big and strong and stuff like that, but, in reality, they’re not. In hurling, it’s a very, very sensitive sport, particularly in a county like Wicklow, and if we don’t look after those players coming downward, they’ll be lost.

“I think this is a little bit in the head this, that clubs, that they see the stronger teams are bringing down the players to make them strong.

“But, in reality, what they’re doing is, it’s a feeder base for the clubs that have more teams. So, get your heads around that, just think about what you’re doing when you come to vote on this,” he said.

Carnew’s James Doran said he wished to agree with what Eamonn Esmonde said and that players weren’t being regraded every year just for the fun to it.

“There’s lads who are not going to get games who are going down. If anyone has objections to the players when they’re being regraded at the regrading meetings here they can object to them going down so I can’t see any point in making changes in this,” he said.

After a point of order had been settled, the motion was put to the floor but it was lost on a tally of 67 for and 45 against.

Martin Coleman did try to soften the blow for Kilcoole by adding that the Leinster Council review does intend on addressing the issues raised by Kilcoole and Kilmacanogue.