SUMMER NEEDING REVAMP
TOM RYAN admits the structure of this year’s Championship will be “significantly different” in light of the COVID-19 crisis.
With the London-roscommon and New York-galway games already deferred, the Championship is due to get underway on May 9 as things stand but Ryan accepts that is not going to happen.
“We’ve done a few permutations and plans,” explained the GAA director general. “The first one; I don’t mind telling you was for a 1st of May restart, so we have shelved that one anyway. There are a few scenarios for what the remainder of the GAA year might look like. If we started on the 1st of June, hopefully it’s a little bit more likely. We’ve looked at what the first of July might mean, we’re looking at
August.
“All they are at this stage is just ideas. You are looking at what length of period you would need to actually play off the Championships, looking at whether you would finish the Leagues or not,” said Ryan (inset).
He added: “I think that people are missing Gaelic games and they are missing their own local club stuff as much if not more in some cases, because that’s a real social outlet for people as well.
“So it’s not just a case of how long does it take to play a Sam Maguire or a Liam Maccarthy and so on. It will be back, but it will be different though.
“The shape or form it will take, I don’t know but it’s fair to say it will be significantly different.” train’. That was him, all he wanted to do was go out and kick a ball. That’s what’s I remember from that time, he kept getting in the way of us training. It’s funny how it turned out.”
Cummins, who was 30 last week, is currently resident in Sydney, where he playing football for the Young Irelands club.
His plans for a year abroad were made before Padraic Joyce took charge.
“I’ve heard it from a lot of people that the way things are going it would have suited my play in there.
“The way the League went everyone in Galway was looking forward to championship to see how that form carried on.
“Shaney has had some big plays himself, just to pick out one lad. From training with him the last couple of years, some of the stuff he is able to do is pure magic.”