Very disappointed to see changes to club All-Irelands

CLUB rivalry is one of the cornerstones of the success that has been the GAA over the years and our ability to keep it on the field has been so important. I have seen so many examples over the past while or where our greatest on field opponents have rallied to stand beside you when most needed and have helped to share and ease the burden of difficult situations. It’s the standout reason that makes me proud to be part of the GAA family.

I attended a great night last week when John ‘Rocker’ Stamp celebrated his birthday and devoted his special evening to raising funds for The Hope Cancer Support Centre.

As I sat in the car outside Bob’s bar in the Ballagh my mind was flooded with memories of the incredible rivalry that existed in my youth between the green and gold and black and red, which in the main remained between the white lines (although it did spill close to the road during a game for a set of suit lengths a few years back).

I will also admit that back around 1989 I decided to avoid the Unyoke for a few weeks in the aftermath of a county final and in doing so suffered the heartbreak of missing both a Wolfe Tones and Daniel O’Donnell concert in the process.

I walked in the door to be welcomed by friends (and referees, who are also friends) from every club in the county who were all there to celebrate with John and in doing so support a wonderful cause.

You really can’t beat the GAA, and well done to John and his committee for a wonderful night. When asked to sing I was tempted to substitute the green and gold for the purple and gold but decided not to push my luck, with the Heineken zero along with Tomas Dunne and Martin Dempsey (who were standing in front of me) keeping me in check.

It has been a great year for Wexford hurling with Minor and Senior Leinster titles secured along with All Stars and young hurler of the year nomination ensuring that when the country looks at our ancient game 2019 has placed us at the top table.

Apart from our successes, there are a few things that worry me going forward when we look at the overall health of our game nationally. I don’t want to be a killjoy at this time of the year or sound like a broken record but the movement of Minor back to under 17 has been a mistake and I have outlined my reasons in previous articles.

The movement of under-21 to 20 hasn’t worked for me either and I glance back enviously now at some of the titanic battles at this grade over the years with huge attendances being the norm.

I also worry about all our young players around the country and the demands that performing at top level are putting on them. It’s nobody’s fault but you wonder is there a breaking point as hurling and football for inter county players is now a lifestyle rather than the hobby it was originally set out to be.

We should never under appreciate the sacrifices these young men are making and continually monitor the pressures it brings. Club managers are heavily scrutinised also and maybe deserve a little more forgiveness for their voluntary endeavours.

There is a lot of comment lately on money, and amounts being spent, with issues raised particularly over in the West at the moment and we need to decide where the next step brings us with regards to the spending on preparation as under-age coaching should always be the priority.

Finally, I am very disappointed to see the All-Ireland club competitions being moved from the traditional St. Patrick’s Day to January.

Apart from this being unfair on players (who deserve a Christmas break), it will in time devalue what is in my mind one of our greatest competitions and further depreciate the importance of club.

I know many will disagree with me but the after Christmas competition only concerns a few clubs and shouldn’t upset our calendar to a huge extent. Like the Minor and under-21, change here in my opinion was not necessary, with other issues being of much higher priority going forward.