Hurling clubs ‘dictating’

A tense exchange took place between a Valleymount delegate and the Carnew Emmets contingent at the recent Fixtures Forum meeting in Ballinakill in relation to fixture woes.

Paul Wilson, secretary of the CCC for fixtures had outlined the difficulties in making fixtures in the county when the Valleymount delegate suggested that teams play a game of football every week in the group stages.

‘We played in the Junior ‘A’ (football) this year and we had four weeks between two games in the championship,’ he said.

Paul Wilson said that something had happened to warrant that gap but the Valleymount delegate said that they had seven weeks without games during the championship after one game didn’t take place.

‘All the Junior ‘A’ games were every fortnight, why not play them every week?’

‘We can’t,’ replied Paul Wilson, ‘we’ve to fit hurling in as well’.

‘Four or five hurling clubs dictating everything,’ said the Valleymount delegate.

Upon hearing this Carnew’s James ‘Bear’ Doran sprang into action.

‘What did you say? Sorry? Excuse me, did this man just say that there are four or five hurling clubs dictating everything?’

‘Yeah, if a lad wants to play football, he plays football, if he doesn’t...’ said the Valleymount man. ‘And what about the people that play both?’ Paul Wilson tried to intervene.

‘Well I would say now, let’s not get...’

‘It’s the Gaelic Athletic Association, not the Football Association,’ continued an irate Doran.

‘Through the chair here now, let’s just relax there now. We can break into groups here now and people can put their views forward,’ said Paul Wilson.

‘Sorry,’ came a voice from the back of the room, ‘should that man not be asked to clarify that point there about four or five hurling clubs dictating everything, no? That’s a terrible thing to say,’ said the delegate.

‘Look,’ said Paul Wilson, ‘this isn’t the place for it.’ ‘Where’s the place for it?’ asked the delegate from the rear of the room.

‘Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, it’s as simple as that,’ began Wilson diplomatically, ‘that’s something that has to be accepted. You mightn’t agree with it, but everyone’s entitled to their opinion. If someone wants to make a statement they can as long as they don’t defame anyone, and he didn’t defame anyone. Let’s put this into perspective,’ he added.

‘Surely to God, Mr Chairman, that our national game of hurling can’t be run down like that,’ said Jackie Napier of Bray Emmets.

‘It wasn’t run down, Jackie,’ assured Paul Wilson.