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National Forum

Motion Of 4 National League Games To Play

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Knockout club football. It's the time of year for it after the standard group phase. Not all county players will be against a couple of county league games early in the year."
Now you're a bit like Colm O'Rourke in arguing against yourself.

Saying that "not all" county players will be against a couple of county league games acknowledges that at least some of them will be against it, and maybe most.

Yet you'd try make them play then anyway, rather than re-arranging things for the club part of the season.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 4007 - 25/02/2026 16:10:06    2658602

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Kerry across 3 championships provide a minimum of 6 club games for the club players playing county championship. Only will need two more games to meet the criteria of 8.
There are some district league games already underway in Kerry. There will be some counties tempted to use the two national league gap weekends for county league."
Why have a criteria of 8 at all? And many counties release fringe club players back to their clubs for some League games anyway.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20659 - 25/02/2026 18:20:20    2658635

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Now you're a bit like Colm O'Rourke in arguing against yourself.

Saying that "not all" county players will be against a couple of county league games acknowledges that at least some of them will be against it, and maybe most.

Yet you'd try make them play then anyway, rather than re-arranging things for the club part of the season."
Noone is forcing anyone. You seem to be saying there is bad land in Wexford that county leagues cannot start early. Kerry on the other hand seem to have better land. District leagues have started already. In a discussion - there will be different perspectives and experiences. I was of the opinion myself that there will be county league rounds during the national league for the 8 game requirement. A few former players in articles in recent days are expecting the same.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 10075 - 25/02/2026 21:44:42    2658655

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Noone is forcing anyone. You seem to be saying there is bad land in Wexford that county leagues cannot start early. Kerry on the other hand seem to have better land. District leagues have started already. In a discussion - there will be different perspectives and experiences. I was of the opinion myself that there will be county league rounds during the national league for the 8 game requirement. A few former players in articles in recent days are expecting the same."
We have County Leagues from the tailend of the National Leagues through most of the County Championships. Works well and nobody complains.
And why are you all making plans for a motion thats unlikely to get passed?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20659 - 25/02/2026 22:57:15    2658665

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Noone is forcing anyone. You seem to be saying there is bad land in Wexford that county leagues cannot start early. Kerry on the other hand seem to have better land. District leagues have started already. In a discussion - there will be different perspectives and experiences. I was of the opinion myself that there will be county league rounds during the national league for the 8 game requirement. A few former players in articles in recent days are expecting the same."
You obviously haven't been paying attention if you think Wexford is a "bad land" where County Leagues can't start early.

We're starting them this weekend and the group stages (hurling & football) will continue through to end of May, with semi-finals and finals in early June. It's part of the full games programme we give for club players throughout the year. A programme that also includes minimum of six playing opportunities for a single-code player during the club championship window, and minimum of 12 for a dual player, which more than 90% of club players here are.

Absolutely no need for a quota for inter-county players, or for making them line out for club matches in the early part of the year, if a county does things a certain way itself with the time it already has available.

What are your proposals for how Kerry could have guaranteed more than six matches for club footballers last year, during the 15-week window they had available?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 4007 - 26/02/2026 00:40:23    2658669

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I'm content with the Kerry championships. The encouragement to have players available for county league should be welcome. If other counties want to structure differently, so be it.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 10075 - 26/02/2026 11:02:07    2658694

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Replying To legendzxix:  "I'm content with the Kerry championships. The encouragement to have players available for county league should be welcome. If other counties want to structure differently, so be it."
Well then, I'd be inclined to say there's the nub of the issue.

Somebody is keen to find a way for inter-county players to play more club matches. But is content with a system that guarantees them only six matches during a 15-week window, and is instead trying to find a way to shoehorn more matches for them into an already more crowded part of the calendar.

That just doesn't stack up for me.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 4007 - 26/02/2026 12:15:06    2658715

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Replying To legendzxix:  "I'm content with the Kerry championships. The encouragement to have players available for county league should be welcome. If other counties want to structure differently, so be it."
Ah ok. So we spent 2 days debating changing really well thought out compromises to save our club game just because you don't want lads to have 8 games during the club window in Kerry?
Why do you want that motion brought in at all then? Not that it is likely to pass anyway?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20659 - 26/02/2026 12:28:26    2658724

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Well then, I'd be inclined to say there's the nub of the issue.

Somebody is keen to find a way for inter-county players to play more club matches. But is content with a system that guarantees them only six matches during a 15-week window, and is instead trying to find a way to shoehorn more matches for them into an already more crowded part of the calendar.

That just doesn't stack up for me."
It doesn't stack up for you because the district championships are to be catered for. A county without a strong connection to district championships can facilitate 4 more weeks of round robin or league. It doesn't have to stack up for you.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 10075 - 26/02/2026 14:16:12    2658745

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Replying To Viking66:  "Ah ok. So we spent 2 days debating changing really well thought out compromises to save our club game just because you don't want lads to have 8 games during the club window in Kerry?
Why do you want that motion brought in at all then? Not that it is likely to pass anyway?"
There is good merit to the motion to have county players available for a minimum of 8 games. It should be supported. The vast majority of counties without Kerry's connection to district championships should be able to facilitate it. Kerry can be the outlier to make players available to clubs during the national league.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 10075 - 26/02/2026 14:19:45    2658746

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Leaving aside the Kerry thing, here's what an unintended consequence of the Clontarf motion could be, if it did happen to pass. Am using Wexford and a couple of our players as the example, but same would probably apply in many other counties.

Consider the cases of Lee Chin (who doesn't play club football) and Darragh Brooks (our county football goalkeeper, who doesn't play club hurling). Chin would be guaranteed six matches in our club hurling championship, and Brooks guaranteed five in our football. That would leave both short of an eight-match quota.

So, they'd have to play a couple of Club League games, "just to be sure". But here's the thing - instead of forcing them to do this when Leagues normally run March to June (and when both are busy on the inter-county scene), we could simply hold over a couple of rounds of the Club League until November. Or even December.

Now you'd have a situation where there's only part of a league played at time of year when whole idea of it is to give games to the ordinary club player, and the league then being finished in the depths of winter, when nobody gives a you-know-what about it because championships are already over. All just so single-code inter-county players like Chin and Brooks could make up a quota.

Clubs would struggle to even get 15 lads to tog off for a meaningless League match in November, after they'd been knocked out of the championship a month or more before. There'd be walkovers galore. Suppose Chin is on seven club matches, and his club (Faythe Harriers) are due to play Rapparees in the League for him to make it up to eight. Chin is all set to tog out, but then Rapps announce they don't have a team, and will be giving a walkover. Where does that leave him?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 4007 - 26/02/2026 14:21:31    2658747

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Replying To legendzxix:  "It doesn't stack up for you because the district championships are to be catered for. A county without a strong connection to district championships can facilitate 4 more weeks of round robin or league. It doesn't have to stack up for you."
That's a situation where the Kerry District Championships, which Kerry and Kerry alone choose to run, are preventing inter-county players from playing with their club during that window, and making them play for a different team instead.

Am well aware of the tradition of the District Championships in Kerry, and the regard in which they're held. But surely you see how if there's a strong will to have inter-county players line out in more matches with their clubs, then there's another solution, rather than making them club matches during the inter-county season?

And that Kerry already have the power and means to implement this solution?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 4007 - 26/02/2026 15:23:29    2658757

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "That's a situation where the Kerry District Championships, which Kerry and Kerry alone choose to run, are preventing inter-county players from playing with their club during that window, and making them play for a different team instead.

Am well aware of the tradition of the District Championships in Kerry, and the regard in which they're held. But surely you see how if there's a strong will to have inter-county players line out in more matches with their clubs, then there's another solution, rather than making them club matches during the inter-county season?

And that Kerry already have the power and means to implement this solution?"
That won't fly. It'll be great to see county players available for a few rounds of county league again. If it was in place this year, players who only returned against Dublin last weekend would have had an injury derogation from a county league round held between R2 and R3.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 10075 - 26/02/2026 16:38:40    2658767

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Replying To legendzxix:  "There is good merit to the motion to have county players available for a minimum of 8 games. It should be supported. The vast majority of counties without Kerry's connection to district championships should be able to facilitate it. Kerry can be the outlier to make players available to clubs during the national league."
There's good merit to it for sure. Its a joke that some counties only provide their clubs with only 3 games in the entire club window. There's plenty of time in that window for counties to provide enough fixtures for clubs to play way more than 8 games, as already happens in some counties, like ours and Tyrone for example.
Bottom line is that if it passes, and the split season is retained, and there are no motions in for the split season to be removed, then counties will have to provide 8 club games for intercounty players during their club window. Or else field seriously weakened intercounty teams the following year.
What are your proposals for your county then?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20659 - 26/02/2026 17:50:58    2658780

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Replying To legendzxix:  "
Replying To Pikeman96:  "That's a situation where the Kerry District Championships, which Kerry and Kerry alone choose to run, are preventing inter-county players from playing with their club during that window, and making them play for a different team instead.

Am well aware of the tradition of the District Championships in Kerry, and the regard in which they're held. But surely you see how if there's a strong will to have inter-county players line out in more matches with their clubs, then there's another solution, rather than making them club matches during the inter-county season?

And that Kerry already have the power and means to implement this solution?"
That won't fly. It'll be great to see county players available for a few rounds of county league again. If it was in place this year, players who only returned against Dublin last weekend would have had an injury derogation from a county league round held between R2 and R3."
There's no motion for the split season to end at Convention this weekend.
So if it passes, what are Kerry going to do to ensure their intercounty players get 8 club games in ?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20659 - 26/02/2026 17:53:46    2658782

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Leaving aside the Kerry thing, here's what an unintended consequence of the Clontarf motion could be, if it did happen to pass. Am using Wexford and a couple of our players as the example, but same would probably apply in many other counties.

Consider the cases of Lee Chin (who doesn't play club football) and Darragh Brooks (our county football goalkeeper, who doesn't play club hurling). Chin would be guaranteed six matches in our club hurling championship, and Brooks guaranteed five in our football. That would leave both short of an eight-match quota.

So, they'd have to play a couple of Club League games, "just to be sure". But here's the thing - instead of forcing them to do this when Leagues normally run March to June (and when both are busy on the inter-county scene), we could simply hold over a couple of rounds of the Club League until November. Or even December.

Now you'd have a situation where there's only part of a league played at time of year when whole idea of it is to give games to the ordinary club player, and the league then being finished in the depths of winter, when nobody gives a you-know-what about it because championships are already over. All just so single-code inter-county players like Chin and Brooks could make up a quota.

Clubs would struggle to even get 15 lads to tog off for a meaningless League match in November, after they'd been knocked out of the championship a month or more before. There'd be walkovers galore. Suppose Chin is on seven club matches, and his club (Faythe Harriers) are due to play Rapparees in the League for him to make it up to eight. Chin is all set to tog out, but then Rapps announce they don't have a team, and will be giving a walkover. Where does that leave him?"
If the motion passes Im sure Darragh could tog out for a couple of championship hurling games, and Lee could tog out for a couple of championship football games. Wouldn't be a big problem here.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20659 - 26/02/2026 17:55:26    2658783

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Replying To Viking66:  "If the motion passes Im sure Darragh could tog out for a couple of championship hurling games, and Lee could tog out for a couple of championship football games. Wouldn't be a big problem here."
A Séanie Johnston situation :D

Is that really what proponents of this motion want to see???

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 4007 - 26/02/2026 21:41:30    2658809

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When Mayo were knocked out of Connacht a week after winning the league, their players were released back to their clubs. County players could be released back to their clubs during the gap weeks of the national league. If some counties opt for that approach, it should be no problem without any motion required.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 10075 - 26/02/2026 23:12:43    2658823

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "A Séanie Johnston situation :D

Is that really what proponents of this motion want to see???"
Must be

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20659 - 26/02/2026 23:13:03    2658824

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Replying To legendzxix:  "When Mayo were knocked out of Connacht a week after winning the league, their players were released back to their clubs. County players could be released back to their clubs during the gap weeks of the national league. If some counties opt for that approach, it should be no problem without any motion required."
It already happens in alot of counties, not just Mayo, especially with lads who arent making the matchday 26s.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20659 - 27/02/2026 10:28:21    2658850

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