With the Home Countries tournament being staged in Dublin from March 27th-29th and the inaugural European Youth Championships coming on stream in 1999, there is much incentive in the under-16 and under-18 interprovincials hosted by Herbie Sharman at Kilkenny College this weekend.
Leinster may not carry as much striking power as the side which took the senior title in the frostdisrupted event at Lisburn last season, but they look resourceful enough to retain the laurels. Allan Kershaw, David Shaw and Peter McConnell have developed as defenders of considerable merit in club circles, while the captain, Cliff Bailey, and Ian Allen have demonstrated equallysharp qualities in attack.
Munster, though, have become stronger in bringing young players through at club level, too. Indeed, the skipper, David Eakins, has become one of Harlequins's most valuable goal-scoring figures, while Karl Burns has shown much composure at the back for Cork C of I. Furthermore, with eight Ashton players in the squad, an edge in teamwork can be expected.
Ulster's challenge, of course, must be respected. Led by Ian Hutchinson of Cookstown and with the usual presence of the best material from RBAI as well as from Bangor GS, the all-Ireland schools champions, they will undoubtedly pick up points. Notably, Michael Harte and Scott Parker, may well be prominent, knowing their genes.
Genes, as usual, run right through this tournament - not least in the case of the WalkerHaughton dynasty. A member of the Leinster under-16 squad is 14year-old Andrew Walker, whose sister Sarah (15 1/2) is playing in the girls' interprovincials in Cork. Both mid-fielders at Wesley College, their father Stuart made 33 Ireland appearances (1975-79), while their illustrious grandfathers, Ralph Walker and Bill Haughton, earned 17 and 29 caps, respectively, in the 1947-52 and 1952-62 eras.
The youngsters' mother, Penny, "just played for fun for Maids at grass-roots level," says Stuart. "She'll probably support Andrew in Kilkenny, while I'll go to see Sarah at Garryduff, though we can both attend the boys' matches on Sunday."
At least, the format - with the teams playing each other twice - affords plentiful options - though some people would favour the idea of a Rest of Ireland side being involved, with the host province providing most of the players.
In Dublin tomorrow, most attention is focused on the Leinster Senior Cup tie in which Avoca - seeking to add the Mills prize to the Doyle and Neville trophies - take on Pembroke Wanderers, who have superior league form.
