‘Our first game was February 8, you’ve barely finished

FOLLOWING the conclusion of the various groups discussing the pros and cons of the fixtures in 2019 Paul Wilson asked each group for a brief synopsis of the positive and negative views expressed during the discussion.

The first group highlighted the playing of all finals in Aughrim (where possible) as a positive but listed the gap between championship games, the need for flexibility when it comes to fixtures when there is a death in the club and travel times for teams in the lower divisions as things that needed improving.

The spokesperson for the second group said that they hadn’t discussed anything positive but highlighted the difficulties faced by dual players as a major problem.

‘Our players in 33 weeks had 33 games. We had four of them in nine days,’ said spokesperson for the group James Doran. ‘We just feel that we are not able to do it anymore. Dual clubs can’t do it. We can’t ask our players to do that kind of a schedule.

‘We talked about bringing down the amount of league games,’ he added.

Paul Wilson interjected to say that there were ‘interesting’ motions in ahead of the Convention that couldn’t be discussed at the Fixtures Forum and he added that he would welcome anything that would ‘help improve things’.

Doran continued: ‘Our first game in the league was February 8, you’ve barely finished your Christmas dinner. We feel that it’s too many games.

CCC fixtures committee member Alan Nolan said that it needed to be said that leagues were finishing earlier as well as starting earlier.

‘We can only go a certain degree one way or the other, if you understand. People didn’t want to be playing in November and December, and they’re not,’ said Nolan.

Paul Wilson said that he appreciated where dual players were coming from, but he pointed to single code clubs who would only be getting half the amount of games that a dual club would be.

‘It’s trying to find the balance,’ said the Hollywood official who also said that some of the motions in for Convention were ‘well thought out and take account of the dual players and single club concerns’.

The third group agreed with the Carnew delegate and then turned their attention to the championship games in April and they said that they seemed to be causing a bit of a problem and could it be looked at to play championships over a number of weeks and free up April for the county managers and the academies.

Avondale’s Victor O’Shaughnessy lamented the fact that the hurling championship started in April and then there was a significant gap until the next championship game.

Paul Wilson and Martin Fitzgerald both highlighted the fact that the decision was made at a County Board meeting with the support of the hurling clubs including Avondale.

‘There’s nobody disputing that, Martin,’ said Victor. ‘I don’t know where you’re going with that attitude. We’re looking to the future here, Martin, not looking back. We’re trying to better (things),’ he added.

‘That’s correct,’ said Martin Fitzgerald. ‘It mightn’t have worked last year but come up with a suggestion then.’

‘But that’s what we’re doing tonight,’ said Victor.

Martin Fitzgerald then said that there were motions in for Convention that were looking to change the system and that nothing could be done on the matter tonight.

The fourth group to speak on fixtures said that overall the people within the group were happy with how fixtures went in 2019 in terms of getting fixtures nice and early so teams could plan.

On the negative side, late games on a Sunday evening proved unpopular and it was asked that they be moved forward where possible.

Unfair advantages for certain teams in small championship groups who might get two games at home and it was suggested that there be one away game, one home game and one neutral.

The delegate said that his group had every sympathy for dual clubs but that less games than there are at present for a single code club just wouldn’t work.

Grading the under-20 teams ahead of the 202 championship was also suggested given the very one-sided score lines in some of the games and the subject of permissions for the under-20 championship was also raised with suggestions that some teams were made stronger by permissions with one ‘super’ team being created.

The fifth group found the fact that the county ‘got through the games’. The spokesman said it might have been rushed at times, but they got through them.

He said that nobody in our group won a championship and that none of the group were happy with that.

‘We think the month of April isn’t enforced enough by the County Board. It’s a closed month for the county teams and we made a half-hearted effort at it last year.

‘We think this year county managers need to be told that they are not getting players and a stronger and tougher fixtures need to go out, including two hurling championship matches and two or three league matches for football.

‘The message from the main