Wexford's Rory O'Connor criticises regrading of U21 Hurling Championship to U20

Rory O'Connor has burst onto the Wexford senior team, having played a starring role for the Model County at underage

Wexford hurler Rory O'Connor has expressed his displeasure at the U21 grade in hurling being moved to U20.

Tipperary won the last U21 in August 2018, with the change coming into effect for 2019. The regrading means players born in 1998 will miss out on the level this year, despite having just two years at U21.

O'Connor is among those, and having reached an All-Ireland semi-final last summer, he will not have an opportunity to go further at the grade.

The St Martin's star is not happy with the move.

O'Connor was part of the Wexford team that lost an epic Leinster final to Galway last summer, before eventually bowing out to Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final

"It's annoying," he sighed. "They take a year on you.

"We've never even been asked or surveyed to ask what's your opinion on the whole thing - they just change it on you.

"I just heard it, in Congress that it was passed. What can you do? Players don't have a voice in any of those decisions or not in a year anyway. Hopefully, it will come back."

This was moved in line with the minor grade, which has gone from U18 to U17.

"There's fellas finishing minor now and they're just 18 and they need just one more year to make the step to U21 but they're just idle," he continued.

"They can't make the U21 team and they're just out of minor."

Rory O'Connor was speaking at the official launch of Physio Led Personal Training at Sports Physio Ireland

O'Connor hopes other competitions do not suffer a similar fate as the U21 grade, to free up senior intercounty hurlers.

"I'm out of U21 anyway. I've accepted that," he conceded.

"My only fear is that the next thing they'll do is take Fitzgibbon [Cup].

"I've hopefully three or four years left with Fitz. Hopefully, they don't touch that. It's a special tournament. Playing with lads, you are actually having the craic.

"Not really training just going to a different college and hurling with lads you might never play with again. Lads in the same boat, doing the same travel just with a different county team."

O'Connor is a student with DCU, and after reaching the Fitzgibbon Cup semi-final with the north Dublin university in 2019, is looking forward to more campaigns in the colleges competition. However, aside from its competitive aspects, the 21-year-old relishes the enjoyment of third level hurling.

He said: "Going down on the bus [is] the best craic you will have. Generally, the winners of the Fitzgibbon are the team best bonded together."

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