‘AN ABSOLUTE DISASTER’

Byrne slams U-20 set-up

WICKLOW GAA development officer Billy Byrne launced a scathing attack on the under-20 county football set up at Monday evening’s County Board meeting in Ballinakill.

Byrne, whose son Conor featured strongly in the starting 15 of the team managed by John Evans and who suffered defeats that hands of Meath, Laois and Kildare in the Leinster championship, said it was an ‘absolute disaster’.

‘We’ve spoken about Juniors, the Seniors and we’ve all forgotten about the under-20s.

‘The under-20 set-up was an absolute disaster this year, an absolute disaster and anyone who can sit there in front of me and tell me it wasn’t needs to really think about what the future is for Wicklow football,’ he said.

‘Out of that panel of under-20 panel of 26 players, I’d say you’d be lucky to see four of them as county players. It was an absolute disaster and that was the squad to filter into our Senior team in the national football league in the next two or three years and they were an absolute disgrace.

‘I think clubs need to start looking, and we, certainly up here (top table), need to start looking at that sort of set-up as well, because if we’re looking to filter our Senior teams with young individuals, goo talented players, we need to look after them and I felt this year that we just didn’t, we fell down, and we’ll struggle to see some of them players when it comes to this October,’ he said.

Mick Hagan suggested that Wicklow should put forward a motion to reverse the decision that counties lose players from the under-20 side who play with the Seniors.

Martin Fitzgerald agreed with Mick Hagan and said there weren’t many panels out there that lost three of their best players to the Senior panel.

Billy Byrne said that the motion would have to go to congress and that the smaller counties didn’t back Wicklow the previous year when it came to voting in the rule that disqualifies under-20 players from playing with under-20 teams if they play with the Senior side.

“We’re faced with a situation now where we basically destroyed the under-20 individual, that he has to make the choice, if he’s good enough to play on the Senior panel, that he has to make the choice whether he goes to play with the Senor or if he stays at his own grade,’ he asked.

John Murphy asked Billy how many training sessions the under-20s had during the year. Billy Byrne said it was about 10. Chris O’Connor rejected that and said it was much more.

John Murphy said that he had spoken to someone from another county who said their under-20 team had came together last October.

“We’re running down our under-20s, but in fairness they didn’t get much of an opportunity of training,’ he said.

Martin Fitzgerald said that an instruction had come down from Croke Park to say that the under-20s couldn’t train any sooner than April.

‘I wouldn’t like to know the players because from what I’m led to believe there were only 10 or 11 training sessions,’ added John Murphy.

Martin Fitzgerald disagreed and recalled that they were training three nights a week at one stage.

Chris O’Connor said that she would get the exact figures of how many times the team trained for the next meeting.

Rathnew’s Laurence Ellis said the management of the under-20s team has to be taken back out of the Senior.

‘We had a good structure there two years ago with Jonathan Daniels. They had set up a good structure, they were training a lot more, 10 sessions is a disgrace, you wouldn’t send a Junior ‘B’ team out after 10 sessions,’ said Ellis.

‘It’s a nonsense to say that we got a direction from Croke Park,’ he added.

Chris O’Connor said that when Jonathan Daniels was in the under-20s trained with the Seniors and that Johnny Magee was the manger but the Rathnew delegate stuck to his guns and said that the Senior manager has enough to do with looking after the Senior team.

Ellis said he hoped Evans stayed on, but he said that the under-20s weren’t being looked after in terms of mileage and expenses.

Chris O’Connor was adamant that all expenses submitted from county teams have been paid.

Laurence Ellis suggested that players were being forced to submit train tickets in April from the previous November. Chris O’Connor said that the team weren’t training the previous November. Eillis said the was referring to previous years.

Colm Finnegan said that John Evans had asked to be over the under-20 team and he said that any expenses that had come before him from inter-county teams had been paid.

A delegate asked if John Evans would be attending all the club championship games this season and he was told that he would be.

Seamus Kelly from Baltinglass GAA Club said that the win against Offaly for the Seniors was encouraging and that Cavan had done their homework on the Wicklow side but that he hoped that the players would stick at it and he also hoped that John Evans would stick at it.

Baltinglass 1 v Shillelagh 7.15pm (Referee: Lilly May Cullen Dunne); Aughrim v Bray Emmets 2 7.15pm (Referee: Rober t Roche); Tinahely v St Kevin’s 7.15pm (Referee: Pat Keogh); St Patricks Blue v Annacurra 1 7.15pm (Referee: Peadar de Hora); Eire Og Greystones 2 v AGB 1 7.15pm (Referee: Tony Mcloughlin)

Kilmacanogue v Kiltegan 7.30pm Ballinakill (Referee: Kevin Healy); Donard/Glen v Ashford 7.30pm (Referee: Jimmy Lawlor); AGB 2 v Newtown 7.15pm (Referee: Liam Keenan sr); Bray Emmets 3 v Eire Og Greystones 3 7.15pm (Referee: Eugene Doher ty); St Patricks White v Blessington White 7.30pm (Referee: Cathy Forde)

Barndarrig V Avondale 7.15pm (Referee: Jason Redmond); Michael Dwyers v Carnew Emmets 7.15pm (Referee: Mick Ownes); An Tochar 2 v Kilcoole 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); Enniskerry v Annacurra 2 7.30pm (Referee: Ian Culber t)

Under 11 Football Group 3: Under 11 Football Group 4: Under 11 Football Group 5:

Blessington Red v Stratford/Grangecon 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); Dunlavin 2 v Fergal Ogs 7.30pm (Referee: TBC); Ballinacor v Kilbride/Lacken 7.30pm (Referee: TBC); Baltinglass 2 v St Kevin’s 2 7.15pm (Referee: Pat Dunne); Coolkenno v Coolboy match already played on 18/4/2018.

Friday, June 29

Back matches to be played

Under 11 Football Group 1:

An Tochar 1 v Rathnew Green 7.15pm (Referee: Liam Keenan Sr); Blessington Blue v Dunlavin 1 7.15pm (Referee: Keith Peppard); St Patricks v Rathnew Red 7.15pm (Referee: Pat Hickey)

Bray Emmets 2 v St Patricks Blue 7.15pm (Referee: Ian Culber t); Shillelagh v Eire Og Greystones 2 Ballinakill 7.15pm (Referee: Mick Ownes); St Kevin’s v Annacurra 1 7.15pm (Referee: Noel Kinsella)

Under 11 Football Group 2:

Kilmacanogue v Blessington White 7.15pm (Referee: Kevin Healy); Donard/Glen v AGB 2 7.15pm (Referee: Pat Dunne); Kiltegan v St Patricks White 7.15pm (Referee: Stephen Fagan); Newtown v Eire Og Greystones 3 7.15pm (Referee: Eugene Doher ty )

Under 11 Football Group 3: Under 11 Football Group 4:

Avondale v An Tochar 2 7.15pm (Referee: Ciaran O Shea); Kilcoole v Enniskerry 7.15pm (Referee: Tony McLoughlin); Annacurra 2 v Michael Dwyers 7.15pm (Referee: Brendan Furlong); Barndarrig v Carnew

An Tochar 2 v AGB 2 7.15pm (Referee: John Keenan); Eire Og 2 v St Marys 7.15pm (Referee: Pat Hickey); Clan na Gael v Naomh Eoin Gaels 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); St Patricks White v Ashford 7.15pm (Referee: Ian Culber t); Bray 2 V St Kevin’s 2 7.15pm (Referee: Liam Keenan Sr); Newcastle v Clara Gaels 7.15pm (Referee: Tony McLoughlin); Newtown v Tinahely 7.15pm (Referee: Chris Canavan )

Tuesday, July 3 Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Football Championship:

Wicklow v Meath TIME TBC Aughrim (Referee: TBC)

Wednesday, July 4 Under 15 Hurling Division 1:

Tomacork v Glenealy 7.15pm (Referee: John Keenan); Nor th Wicklow Gaels v Luke O’Tooles 7.15pm (Referee: Jason Redmond); Bray v ARP 7.15pm (Referee: Con O Ceadaigh); Michael Dwyers v Bye

Bray Emmets 1 v Glenealy 7.15pm (Referee: Ciaran Gaskin); ARP v Michael Dwyers 7.15pm (Referee: Rober t Roache); St Patricks Blue v Kilcoole 7.15pm (Referee: Peadar de Hora); Eire Og v Aughrim 1 7.15pm (Referee: Tony Mcloughlin); Carnew v Bye

Bray Emmets 2 v St Patricks White 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); Eire Og 2 v Western Gaels 7.15pm (Referee: Liam Keenan); Barndarrig v Tinahely 7.15pm (Referee: Pat Hickey); Eire Og Greystones 3 v Avondale 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); Kilmacanogue v Aughrim 2 7.15pm (Referee: TBC)

Under 11 Hurling Group 1: Under 11 Hurling Group 2: Back Match Under 15 Football Division 1:

Baltinglass v Rathnew 8.00pm (Referee: Keith Peppard)

Friday, July 6

Back Matches to be played

An Tochar V St Pats Blue 7.15pm (Ref: Pat Hickey)

:AGB1V Kilcoole 7.15pm (Referee: Rober t Roche)

Clan na Gael v Eire Og 2 7.15pm (Referee: Eugene Doher ty); St Kevin’s 2 v Tinahely 7.15pm (Referee: Jimmy Lawlor); Clara Gaels v St Pats White 7.15pm (Ref: Liam Keenan Sr)

Tomacork v Bray Emmets at Ballinakill 7.15pm

Under 13 Football Division 1: Under 13 Football Division 2 Under 13 Football Division 3: Under 13 Hurling Division 1:

Carnew v Bray at 7.15pm Ballinakill (Referee: Chris Canavan); Michael Dwyers v Luke O Toole 7.15pm (Referee: Rober t Roche); Avondale/Parnells v Glen Pats 7.15pm Arklow (Referee: John Keenan)

Wednesday, July 11 Under 15 Football Division 1:

Rathnew v Baltinglass 7.30pm (Referee: TBC); Blessington v St Nicholas 7.30pm (Referee: TBC); Eire Og v Bye

Bray v An Tochar 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); AGB 2 v AGB 1 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); St Kevin’s v St Patrick’s 7.15pm (Referee: TBC)

Ashford v Tomacork 7.30pm (Referee: TBC); Newtown v Annacurra 7.30pm (Referee: TBC); St Nicholas 2 v Michael Dwyers 7.30pm (Referee: TBC); Clan na Gael v Naomh Eoin Gaels 7.30pm (Referee: TBC); Tinahely v Aughrim 7.30pm (Referee: TBC) Under 11 Football Group 1: EireOg1v Rathnew Green 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); An Tochar 1 v Dunlavin 1 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); Blessington Blue v Rathnew Red 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); St Patricks v Bray Emmets 1 7.15pm (Referee: TBC)

Bray Emmets 2 v Baltinglass 1 7.30pm (Referee: TBC); AGB 1 v Aughrim 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); Shillelagh v Tinahely 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); St Kevin’s 1 v St Patricks Blue 7.30pm (Referee: TBC); Annacurra 1 v Eire Og Greystones 2 7.30pm (Referee: TBC)

Under 15 Football Division 2: Under 15 Football Division 3: Under 11 Football Group 2:

Ashford v Kilmacanogue 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); Blessington White v Donard/Glen 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); Kiltegan v AGB 2 7.30pm (Referee: TBC); Newtown v Bray Emmets 3 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); Eire Og Greystones 3 v Blessington White 7.15pm (Referee: TBC)

Under 11 Football Group 3: Under 11 Football Group 4:

Carnew Emmets v Barndarrig 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); An Tochar 2 v Avondale 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); Enniskerry v Kilcoole 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); Michael Dwyers v Annacurra 2 7.15pm (Referee: TBC)

Kilbride/ Lacken v Coolkenno 7.30pm (Referee: TBC); Coolboy v Dunlavin 2 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); Fergal Ogs v Blessington Red 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); Stratford/ Grangecon v Baltinglass 2 7.15pm (Referee: TBC); St Kevin’s 2 v Ballinacor 7.15pm (Referee: TBC)

Under 11 Football Group 5: