After last weekend’s action, we now know that Maigh Cuilinn and Loughrea will be Galway’s representatives in the chase for the Andy Merrigan and Tommy Moore Cups.
For the footballers of Maigh Cuilinn, the road ahead runs through Connacht, a path they successfully navigated in 2022 before their All-Ireland dream ended at the hands of Derry’s Glen in a Croke Park semi-final.
The hurlers of Loughrea, meanwhile, must now wait. As back-to-back Galway champions, and with no provincial competition to contest, their focus turns to the national stage while the Munster, Leinster, and Ulster campaigns play out. The pain of last year’s one-point All-Ireland semi-final defeat to eventual winners Na Fianna will steel them, just as Maigh Cuilinn’s own experiences from 2022 will strengthen their resolve for another crack at the summit.
Looking back on both county championships, few would argue there were many shocks. The teams most expected to be there got there. Proof, perhaps, of how difficult it has become to spring a genuine upset in the GAA’s modern landscape.
That shift speaks volumes about the professionalism of preparation today. The elite local outfits now operate with standards — physical, technical, mental, and tactical — that would rival county setups of a decade ago. Club players are demanding the best in terms of coaching, and rightly so. But are our championships better for it from a competitive standpoint? That’s debatable.
These days, it can be hard to get too excited about either code until the quarter-final stage. Especially when three teams emerge from each group and the inclusion of preliminary quarter-finals lessen the jeopardy. The pattern is stark in hurling, where nine of the last twelve preliminaries have ended in double-digit margins.
The County Board would argue that the aim is to provide more championship games for club players. And while they mightn’t say it aloud, the extra fixtures don’t hurt the coffers either. Still, there’s a big difference between offering meaningful games and staging matches for the sake of it.
Communication breakdown at the heart of the debate
Reflecting on 2025, real improvement can be made in communication. There’s an old saying in business: “In times of uncertainty, we should communicate more, not less.” It feels especially relevant now when explaining decisions like staging both semi-finals and finals under lights in Pearse Stadium — the number one bugbear in 2025.
There was a clear lack of information flow surrounding that decision from the outset. The County Board might point towards the fact that such decisions were explained to club delegates well in advance. Well, sorry to say, that’s not good enough anymore, because that information simply isn’t being cascaded to the wider GAA base.
There was a fair reason the GAA chiefs felt it worth a trial and a chance to showcase new lights. All might not agree, but at least they’d have understood the rationale had it been signposted in advance. Instead, we were left with an information void — especially if, as County Chairman Paul Bellew said, the “universal decision” was made early. That only fuels frustration, which then manifests as criticism and anger towards the executive members.
Ahead of the hurling final, Bellew defended the decision as his right and hit out at a “narrative” and “negativity” in interviews. In his response, he pointed to a most-welcome 45 per cent rise in football final attendance and 15 per cent in the hurling semis.
However, that’s also a convenient narrative given Salthill/Knocknacarra’s population base and their clubhouse being located next door to the venue, while Pearse Stadium would be Maigh Cuilinn’s preferred venue choice. As for the hurling figures, that argument was undone by a 30 to 40 per cent drop in the final — from 6,000–7,000 to 4,200. Where was the “silent majority” then?
Perceived narratives
Of course, these are small samples. But narratives can be spun both ways, never mind the issues of accessibility, fewer children in attendance, a lack of genuine championship atmosphere, and the coastal conditions associated with the venue.
Ultimately, perceived progress only works when it carries people with it. And the last few weeks have highlighted a disconnect between decision-makers and the grassroots. To bridge that gap, your messaging must be on point and the chair’s pre-match comments ahead of the hurling final did little to quell the sense of frustration among genuine hurling supporters.
The simple truth is that a county final should feel like a celebration, not a chore. Better communication and greater consultation would go a long way. The County Board may have had good intentions, but the messaging left much to be desired. If people feel unheard, they disengage — and last weekend, hurling supporters simply voted with their feet. The challenge now is to listen to that message and see what can be done to address it.
