Give developing hurling counties a chance, Pat Bennett pleads

The Carlow boss wants the same treatment New York have been granted for other sides. 

PLEA: Carlow hurling manager Pat Bennett addresses supporters. 

Pat Bennett made a strong plea to the GAA to offer greater assistance to developing hurling counties after coming up short with Carlow in the Joe McDonagh Cup final.

Victors Laois will compete in the 2027 Leinster SHC but could suffer the same fate as Kildare who won last year's Joe McDonagh Cup and lasted just one season in the top tier, despite patches of excellence against Galway, Kilkenny and Wexford.

Bennett, father of Waterford hurlers Stephen, Kieran and Shane, and a long time coaching ally of Davy Fitzgerald, questioned why Rackard Cup winners New York were guaranteed a set number of years to find their way in lower tier championships whilst Kildare were relegated after just one season.

"I said this five years ago when I was involved in Kerry," said Bennett. "They were asking about would Kerry come into Munster if they won the Joe McDonagh and I was saying, 'Well why would they want to go into Leinster?' Kerry is in Munster.

"They do it in football. No disrespect to the Division 4 teams in football but they all get the chance to win the Sam Maguire. They get to play it again and again, and they go again.

"But Kildare are gone back down now again and they're not going to improve. If they were given the same three years that Croke Park have decided to give New York, if they were given three years up there (in Leinster), okay, they took beatings this year but next year they'd take less beatings and the year after they'd take less beatings again.

"If they were not able to stay there after three years, then okay they've got to go back down again. But give them a chance. Like, Laois have gone up. They should get three years up there. Why are we throwing these guys back down again (after a year)?

"The big thing is promoting hurling, that's what we're trying to do. We're talking about promoting hurling for 40, 50, 60 years and still all the teams we're talking about, the tier two teams or whatever you want to call them, they're not improving. They can't improve, because you're not giving them the kind of exposure where they're playing with the top teams.

"Unless Croke Park decide, 'Okay let's deal with this...' But like, what's left after today (this season), five hurling games? Look, everybody's saying it, they're all talking about it, I'm talking about it for years, but they don't listen."