Ulster completed an interprovincial double when they claimed the girls U16 title at a re-scheduled one-day blitz at Alexandra College in Dublin yesterday.
With the original tournament cancelled due to frozen pitches in Kilkenny, the IHA and provincial branches agreed on this one-day format as a compromise, with Ulster’s firepower proving enough for them to add to the U18 crown they annexed in Cork in November.
Armagh’s Lucy McKee hit vital goals for the northerners in the 3-0 defeat of Munster and 1-0 win over Leinster, while Chloe Brown and Kerri McDonald also claimed two goals each over the course of the day.
Ulster saw off South East 3-0 and drew 0-0 with defending champions Connacht to claim top spot, which was relatively harsh on the westerners who also went through the tournament unbeaten but were left to rue a 0-0 draw with Leinster.
Munster’s girls sadly failed to sparkle, failing to score in each of their four games and gaining just a single point from their goalless draw with South East, who took the wooden spoon by virtue of an inferior goal difference.
Meanwhile, promotion hopefuls in both the men’s and women’s Division Two saw their hopes dented by the old guard yesterday.
Richie O’Dell’s hat-trick gave Belvedere a 3-1 win over Galway, who were understandably rusty having been inactive for more than two months, wrecking the westies’ 100% record in the process.
In the women’s league, Waterford slipped up once again as they were downed 2-0 by C of I, for whom Lauragh O’Neill scored both goals.
ESB U16 Girls Interprovincial Blitz, Alexandra College, Milltown, Dublin South East 0 Leinster 1 (E Beatty); Connacht 0 Ulster 0; Munster 0 South East 0; Connacht 0 Leinster 0; Ulster 3 (L McKee, K McDonald 2) Munster 0; South East 0 Connacht 3 (L Ring, C Meagher, D Gorman); Leinster 0 Ulster 1 (L McKee) Munster 0 Connacht 1 (R O’Sullivan); South East 0 Ulster 3 (K McQuillan, C Brown 2); Leinster 1 (A Naughton) Munster 0; Final standings 1 Ulster 10 pts (+7) 2 Connacht 8pts (+4) 3 Leinster 5 pts (+1) 4 Munster 1 pt (-5) 5 South East 1 pt (-7)
How come Galway had no match for 2 months?? That’s a joke.
According to the results I’ve been given, Galway last played a league match on October 19 when they beat Quins C 3-2. The weather claimed a good few of their games thereafter, while they just weren’t down to play on some other weekends. They also had an Irish Trophy game against South Antrim on one weekend.
Considering all the time spent on training and coaching, it is a very poor return for the
Munster u16 girls. One must question the coaching if this is the best we can do.
With so many girls schools playing hockey in Munster how can we be that bad that we are worse than Connacht who would have a much smaller player base than Munster has. Either our coaching is very bad, or Connachts’s coaching is very good !
Agree with Anons comment above,where are Munster girls going wrong?Either the players are not good enough or the coaching staff havent a clue.
I don’t think you can blame the Munster coaches this year, they put in an enormous effort. The fact is that the quality of coaching in many of our schools is not good enough, often with the coaches being pe teachers who have never played the sport or taken a proper coaching course outside of a module they did in college.
Players simply do not have the basic skills that are now commonplace in kids in Ulster, Leinster and Connacht and with the coaches unable to technically correct the players and improve them.
We desperately need to sort this out soon or we will continue to drift down a path that will lead us to becoming the province that everyone plays their reserve goalkeeper against. We need to establish regional development squads like they have in Ulster asap
Alan I was just reading on the hook that Jason Lynch has made himself available for Ulster???Could you tell me is this true and if so why?Did anyone not try and stop him?
it’s been confirmed on the hook.
an interesting one…
People who have blamed management are in wrong. I watched that Munster u16 team perform on Sunday last and they simply did not deserve the scores they were dealt bar in the Ulster game where they failed to perform. The forwards were there but just the finishing touch wasn’t, which is vital, but the forwards has plenty movement. The girls put it up to Connacht having plenty opportunites to convert but failed to do so unfortunately. John and his team had the team well prepared and under the circumstances of the inter pros not running I feel they did themselves proud and were unlucky with a few results
The Munster ui6 girls lost 3 matches and drew nil all in another in their tournament recently . They didnt score a single goal. To suggest that they did themselves proud and that they were unlucky is ridiculous !! Perhaps after two years of poor results , its time for a change in coaching staff.
I agree completely with above comment.Ulster finished on 1o pts and Munster finished on 1 point avoiding the wooden spoon on goal differance.It was an awful result by any standard.I’m sure the team didnt feel too proud and who can blame them!Like it or not, its time for a new coaching staff.
Perhaps we should change the coaches? Anyone have ideas of people who would like to get involved? Lets start a list of people who would like to get involved in coaching for Munster?
Im sure the comments will be flooding in anyway for people to volunteer to help out?
And you could do even better seing as 5 out of the 7 who got Irish trials are eligable next year along with another 4 players so 9 in total back for next year!
I am disappointed with some of the comments relating to the coaching of the Munster Under 16s. If anyone wishes to discuss this further with me, please feel free to contact me at edward.gash@gmail.com . I look forward to hearing peoples views. Thank you.
Edward Gash edward.gash@gmail.com
Assistant Coach U16s
Have we got to a stage in sport now where were so indoctrinated by the English Premier League (where bosses are fired when things go wrong cos its cheaper than sacking players) that we apply the same logic to underage hockey???
John Hobbs won the Four Nations with Ireland U18 boys last year, and Eddie Gash won the girls schools league with Bandon Grammar this year, I think. Hardly the achievements of two bad coaches.
I bet most of the ppl calling for the lads heads didn’t even see the tournament; the common consensus was Munster actually competed quite well overall. The interpros are always cyclical in that one or two provinces may have a bit of a golden generation, as connacht seem to at the moment, or a fallow few years. The fact that Munster have more girls at the Irish trials than Connacht and the same as Leinster suggests they weren’t too far off in terms of quality. Plus, they were 30-minute games at a one-day blitz, I think ppl are reading too much into all this.
Coaches shouldnt fear change.Can be a good thing at times.A new coach can bring fresh ideas and a new approach .Why not let someone else try and give them support.
Some of those comments stating that bad coaching could be a factor is rubbish, John Hobbs has a hockey C.V like no other. And his coaching is second to none.
I would just like to say I was at the the tournament in Dublin the weekend before last and watched two of the games, and I believe that some of the comments left by the anons (which might I add does annoy me that people don’t put there name to there views) were very harsh not only on the coaching staff but on the 18 girls who gave everything they had on the day. The girls deserve to be proud of there performance. In the games I watched the girls were the dominant team in both cases but were unlucky infront of the oppositions goal and I was genuinely impressed by the skill level on show.
I know what most people who are reading this are thinking now “Sure hes John Hobbs’ brother course hes going to support the coaching staff” but I have seen first hand the effort that John and Eddie have put into Munster hockey and rarely get the recognition they deserve.
Both these guys have represented Munster and go above and beyond to give back to munster hockey what they got out of it in when they played underage.
I would also like to know how many of the people who left negative comments above hold any sort of coaching qualification?
I have a level one coaching badge which I know is only a start and I am very interested in getting involved in coaching at some stage but after reading comments on articles like the one above, it makes me think seriously about coaching as it seems to be a thankless job.
Finally best of luck to all the girls who got Irish trials and I’m sure the coaching they recieved whilst training and playing with Munster this year will benifit them in the future.
John Hobbs should give up all Munster coaching and take time out and enjoy his club hockey.He’s done his bit .Chill out and let a new coach take it on.
I believe that Mr john hobbs is one of the nicest people around. I think that everyone who has written anything slanderous about him or the munster u16 set up should take a look at themselves in the mirror. You would be hard pushed to find some one as experienced and dedicated to hockey as john is. He is an inspiration to all young people and he is giving as much back to hockey as he has reiceved from it himself. He is a credit to hockey and i support him fully. Now leave them do their jobs and concentrate on the most important thing ie HOCKEY.
Mr Scanlon, while well meaning , has missed the point. Coaches today are judged on their results, just as international hockey players are judged on their performance and not on whether they are nice .friendly, dedicated people..The girls u16 results over two years have been very poor and in order the progress hockey in Munster and in Ireland we simply have to perform well in tournaments.Thats the way it is ,end of story. Whatever coach the Munster Branch appoint next seasoin remains to be seen but one thing is certain ,they too will be judged on results , nice ,friendly or otherwise.
I am no longer accepting comments on this post – what’s coming in at the moment (and has not been approved) is adding nothing to the debate and much of it has descended into personal insults.
Alan