A MAJOR CHANGE AT MINOR

FERMANAGH have tabled a motion to this month’s GAA Congress calling for All-ireland minor finals to be played as curtain raisers to senior deciders once again.

The long-time tradition was dispensed with after 2019. With the minor grade having been reduced from under-18 to under-17 in 2017, it was felt that players of that age shouldn’t be subjected to playing in such a high-pressured occasion as Croke Park on All-ireland final day.

With no alternative curtain raiser sourced for All-ireland senior finals in recent years and the crowd arriving later, the lack of atmosphere in the ground for the presentation of the silver jubilee teams some 45 minutes before throw-in has been cited. Many have felt it is disrespectful to the teams of yesteryear to present them in a largely empty stadium.

Fermanagh has sought to address that by proposing that “the All-ireland minor football and hurling finals be played immediately prior to their respective senior finals”, one of 26 motions to be considered at Congress on February 23/24 in Newry, when Jarlath Burns will formally succeed Larry Mccarthy as GAA president.

Elsewhere, Cork have proposed that there be more flexibility around players’ eligibility to represent their county in both the under-20 and senior Championships.

Their motion calls for there to be only a 60-hour ‘cooling off’ period for players between games at either level. It currently stands at seven days.

There are also a couple of motions from Central Council to tidy up the crossover to extra time. One motion calls for all cards to carry into extra time (currently yellow and red cards don’t carry, but black cards do).