Structure all wrong: Turlough
FORMER Carlow football boss Turlough O’brien has pointed to hurling as an example of why a tiered system in football would not work.
O’brien is a long-time critic of the Tailteann Cup, a second tier football competition that was due to be introduced this year before Covid-19 struck.
Fearing that it would marginalise counties like Carlow even further,
O’brien told The Locker Room Podcast: “They proclaim this tiered hurling championship has been a great success. I don’t see it that way.
“Hurling is very uneven around the country, there is a divide north and south of the Dublin to Galway line.
“I think Ulster hurling has been badly affected by it. First thing I think they should do is go back to the rulebook and look at the front of the rulebook and what is the GAA all about?
“This is missed big time in Croke Park, what is the GAA all about? We have become a very corporate GAA in our outlook and that has to be re-evaluated I think and decide are we a games-based, playersbased organisation or are we about the elite?
“As it is, we’re not fulfilling what the GAA was set up for in my opinion.”
He added: “The way to solve it in my opinion is this, you’ve got to put a time limit on the county scene.
“You’ve got to decide it’s 12 weeks, 16 weeks, 20 weeks, whatever it is and that is the window for county football and hurling.
“You can have whatever structure you want inside that window but after that it’s good night, it’s club for the rest of the year. It has to be that way, I think.”