7 Things we Learned from the Hurling League (Round 4 – NHL & Round 2 Camogie League 2026)

A DSS Coaching piece by Brendan Delaney, focusing on lessons from the National Hurling & Camogie League through the prism of coaching and performance.

This week in brief:

1. Fine margins create a domino effect
2. How weather impacts playing style
3. Equal effort doesn’t always mean equal conditions 

Fine Margins but Big Implications

With the structures of 2 up and 2 down in the league, it makes for greater focus on each game. Teams can no longer focus on just one or two games to maintain their league status and has brought about some great games so far. Relegation or promotion could have big implications for teams ahead of this year and the domino effect for next year. Wexford have been on the lucky side of the fine margins as their late exploits against Antrim and Down has out them in a strong position to gain promotion to Division 1A. They are still unbeaten but will need a more favourable point difference to pawn off Dublin’s challenge. Waterford find themselves facing relegation as, despite some good performances, they look to be heading down. Two tough away fixtures where they lost out narrowly, to an injury-point score for Kilkenny and to a tricky test in Salthill in Galway. They have performed well since their opening day struggles against Cork, but it just shows how severe the fine margins can prove to be. Galway on the other hand, had some promising showings on the pitch that didn’t transfer to points on the board, but they have turned that around and should be safe after gaining the head-to-head advantage over Offaly and Waterford. Similarly in Division 4, Leitrim’s opening fixtures were difficult against Sligo and Longford and lost out narrowly. They have recovered in the previous three games and seem to be in good form. Barring a collection of upsets, they will be division 4 next year but their form and confidence will see them give the Lory Meagher a good rattle.

Camogie All Ireland Hangover

Galway and Cork are both still looking for their opening points in the Camogie leagues after poor starts to 2026. Galway have featured familiar looking teams in the opening two games but have come up short against Kilkenny and Waterford teams who are eyeing big years, while Cork’s new look team are still coming up to the pace of senior inter-county camogie after falling to Waterford and Antrim. They have only started 4 players who featured in the All-Ireland final across the opening fixtures and will look forward to the return of some of their senior and more experienced players. Both teams are at serious risk of relegation which would be an extremely hard pill to swallow and puts massive pressure on them ahead of the remaining fixtures. 

Limericks’ Management Loyalty Test

John Kiely and his management team have some serious headaches ahead when it comes to picking his first 15 when championship comes around. In their pomp, it was a team we all knew inside out but the rise of the younger players the last few years will certainly test their loyalty to the crop of players who served them so well. Aidan O’Connor’s performances during this league has put him right in line for a starting place while Shane O’Brien, Cathal O’Neill, Adam English, Colin Coughlan and Matthew Fitzgerald are putting serious pressure on the more established players. You would imagine that a lot of these players would start on most inter-county teams but perhaps the All-Ireland success of the players ahead them is helping them hold onto the jersey. Finding the right balance between staying loyal or going on form will be key for Kiely and co., as they look to reclaim the major honour that has eluded them since 2023.

Style of Play in Weather Conditions

Having a Plan A, Plan B and sometimes even a Plan C can be crucial as teams navigate through the league, provincial and All-Ireland Championships. Reacting to opposition can dictate which plan teams go with but the weather conditions on a specific day also has major impact on style of play. Having travelled to UPMC Nowlan Park on Sunday for Kilkenny hosting Cork we saw an extremely strong wind blowing from one corner to another. It favoured Cork in the first half and they led by 6 at half-time. Their running game was still evident throughout but a long ball to full forward was used well with the aid of the breeze. Kilkenny struggled on puckout distance and the press from Cork made it difficult for Aidan Tallis to find his targets. Due to this, Kilkenny pulled a lot of players to the middle third to try run the ball more and little threat to Cork’s goal in the first half. All of this is basic enough for coaches, but what interested me the most was Cork’s half forward line setup in the second half. They faced the cross wind and positioned both half forwards on one wing forward side, leaving a big pocket of space on the opposite side. This allowed Cork players to carry the ball through this area without being overcrowded. A very interesting adaptation to facing these conditions which still allowed Cork’s forwards to thrive as they continued to create goal chances at will.

Equal Effort means Equal Conditions?

Does equal effort deserve the same conditions that the male inter-county players receive? It is well-known that the initial date for Integration had been set for 2027 but is now an ‘unrealistic target’ according to the GAA’s Management Committee. This was highlighted again over the weekend at the Annual GAA Congress but also highlights how far we away from this. Last weekend, Clare and Wexford faced each other in the league where the venue was changed 2 hours before throw-in, no dressing rooms were provided for the players, no access to hot showers were granted and following pictures and videos shared on X by @deangoodison where we saw the awful conditions of the pitch. There are countless examples of the lack of respect our female players get despite putting in the same time and effort of our male players. Along with this, since the commencement of the leagues, we have had only 3 live games shown, all on YouTube by the Camogie Association. These games need to be shown more so that the next generation have access to seeing their heroes in action, this time of year as well as throughout the Summer, but above all, more respect is needed from the Association for the players.

League Form to Championship Form

To date, we have 6 teams who have 100% record in their opening games. Cork and Clare have impressed but tougher tests lie ahead. I’m sure both teams will be eyeing sustained league success but will ultimately be judged on their exploits in the championship. I think Clare will have a big say in both the Munster and All-Ireland series. They are building big confidence in the group, and the panel is growing with little injuries and some young players like Diarmuid Stritch and Jack O’Neill impressing since their Fitzgibbon win with UL. Laois and Donegal lead up Division 2 and 3 respectively and look to be in pole position to get promoted, which will be fantastic for their long term development. Tomás and James Keyes have been in great form as Laois build towards Joe McDonagh success. The Christy Ring Cup will be ultra-competitive this year as Kerry eye a quick visit to the third tier but Donegal’s form of late will put them right in the mix. Sligo and Longford are both 4 wins from 4 and top Division 4 and should both end up in the league final facing each other. Longford will hope to bring this form to the Lory Meagher Cup as stalwarts Cathal Mullane, Reuben Murray and Johnny Casey continue to impress. Sligo will face stiffer opposition in their Nicky Rackard Championship as no other team in Division 4 will compete in that championship. The age-old debate of getting tougher tests against perceived better teams or gaining confidence against perceived weaker teams will no doubt be proven for Sligo in the coming months. The return of Andy Kilcullen will certainly bolster their team along with Thomas Cawley and the O’Kelly-Lynch’s.

Bridging the Gap from Underage to Adult

Bridging the gap from underage hurling and camogie to adult will always be debated on the best way to do it. Do you put them in as soon as their hurling is good enough and wait for their bodies to develop or do you wait until they’re physically ready before exposing them to senior inter-county? It feels year-on-year we see young stars lighting up the u20 championships but still being physically off it for it the senior grade. Tipperary took a chance last year and it paid off, but all of their u20s looked physically ready for the senior ranks, a testament to their underage structures and S&C link with Setanta. Jack O’Neill of Clare, Jason Rabitte and Aaron Niland of Galway and Barry Walsh of Cork are all eligible for u20 this year but have impressed for their counties in the league. There is no doubting their hurling ability, but it is their physicality that has made the transition look easy. I feel it is best way to get underage hurlers onto adult teams, at club or county, is to work on their physicality. Obviously, there will always be outliers, Adam Screeney being possibly the standout one but his ability to take a hit and bounce again has aided his near seamless transition, along with being an exceptional stickman. The camogie u23 championships assists with this transition but it is clear as well that the best players are the most physically prepared athletes. Beth Carton, Aoife Donoghue, Carrie Dolan, Laura Hayes Saoirse McCarthy have dominated the game over the last number of years with excellent skills, but all are extremely athletic and it has no doubt contributed to this dominance.

See you next time!

Brendan

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