We have a big week coming up for Kilkenny hurling teams across all grades.
Mark Dowling’s side will take on Wexford on home soil next Wednesday at quarter to seven. With the minors out two days later in a Leinster final.
We caught up with Dowling, and quizzed him on the difficulties of managing his team with rules restricting Under 20 players to play for a senior team within an 7-day timespan and vice versa,
“It has made it difficult for under-20 & senior management teams. It has been tricky trying to navigate it.”
“My own opinion on it? I think it is farcical, to be honest. It does not make any sense.”
“The reality is that the same age cohort is playing matches good-o, two and possibly three matches between schools or colleges in January and February. An no one in Croke Park seems to care about that.”
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His comments seem to echo Kilkenny senior manager Derek Lyng’s thoughts when speaking a few weeks ago on the topic.
“It is a funny one, because looking at the fixtures, it is not going to make it any easier. I don’t know if it really cleared up anything, to be honest.”
“I would prefer if they were allowed to play both, but the fixtures don’t allow for that. Maybe in the earlier rounds, but if someone is playing on one team they can’t turn around within seven days and play. So we will cross that bridge when it comes.”
You can hear Scoreline’s full interview with Kilkenny Under 20 manager Dowling from 4 o’clock Saturday.