Monaghan club hurling on the rise

Stephen Lambe, Monaghan

With the semi-finals and final of the Monaghan Development Hurling League set to be played over the course of the next week, one of the county’s leading officials has hailed the competition as a success in its inaugural year.

The league was set up this year under the guidance of county hurling officer Sean Guinan, who explains that the logic behind the move was to help bring on club players in the Farney county.

“The idea was that at a time when the county was out in action, with the league and the Nicky Rackard, we needed to make a competition for those players who were not involved in the county senior panel. In an effort to level the playing field, any player who is on the county senior panel is not eligible to play in the development league.

We were particularly trying to encourage stronger minors, 18 and 19 year-olds who might not otherwise get much game time, and they have now had three months of competition.”

Six Monaghan clubs were involved, alongside Knocks Grattans from Fermanagh also coming on board to ensure six competitive outings for each team over the course of their development league campaign.

With the senior league, with county players onboard, due to get underway in two weeks time, the official believes that the new venture has to be considered as having been a positive one.

“Overall, I think it has worked reasonably well considering it was the first year. Clubs in Monaghan, as elsewhere, are struggling for numbers and that is something which as a particularly acute problem in Monaghan. If this league helps to keep boys involved with their clubs, then it has to be considered a success.”

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